OCR Text |
Show Sports TUESDAY. JUNE 14.2011 WSU athlete places fifth in finals WSU athlete places fifth in the NCAA finals and qualifies for Olympic trials By Corie Holmes assL sports editor I The Signpost SOURCE: PAUL PILKINGTON Weber State University's Brett Hales runs in the steeplechase on Friday at the NCAA track and field championships. Hales took fifth place in the nation and qualified for the Olympic trials next summer in 2012. Weber State University senior Brett Hales took fifth overall Friday night in the steeplechase at the National Collegiate Athletic Association finals in the men's outdoor track and field finals. Hales ran his personal best with a time of 8:37. Hales' performances this year have also earned him a place in the Olympic trials next summer. Hales has worked hard all year to make it to the finals. He had to miss them last year because of his wedding, and said he is proud of the races he has run this year. "It's gratifying and relieving to place fifth," Hales said. "I had made the finals last year, but I skipped them to get married. This entire year I have been thinking, 'I have got to get back to finals. I have got to get what I should have gotten last year.1 It was a relief to get there, and when I was there I just felt really comfortable. That is where I belong. I was confident in my ability. To have competed and run a personal best, I was so happy about it. There are no regrets at all. It's great to finish the season on top and achieving greater standards." WSU Distance Coach Paul Pilkington said that Hales ran an outstanding race. "He moved up really well the last few 800 meters," Pilkington said. "He was in about 10th place with two laps to go before moving up, so he finished the race See Hales page 8 piayin'on CrossFit comes to Weber State Purple WSU Softball competed against the College wWorld Series Corie Holmes The Signpost columnist There has always been a lot of speculation tha_t_ women cannot compete in sports. Or that women's sports are boring to watch and not exhilarating or entertaining enough to please our needy society. That is definitely not always the case. There are things that women athletes can do that any man would not be able to touch. Like a baseball player trying to hit a fast-pitch softball rise ball. This year, the College Softball World Series saw some of the best softball athletes. Weber State University's softball season is over. This was their second-ever season as a sanctioned NCAA team. WSU has not had the greatest record in their two seasons. But that is OK. They have been improving. Something most people don't know is that our Wildcats competed against the national softball champions. WSU won a total of 12 games all season. The team is still in the infant stages of life. It is like a baby, growing and learning at a rapid pace. The members are rookies when it comes to collegiate sports. They are still learning war and battle strategies. We can't expect a baby to win a nationalchampionship. We are asking a ton for a simple conference championship, but WSU is trying. The Women's College World Series ended this last week. Arizona State University won, dominating the entire series. This is the second world series title AjSU has earned. ASU outscored the pFniversity of Florida in the final series £1-6. ASU also became the third-ever championship team to go error-free at the championship game. ^Clearly, ASU is not an infant softball te.am. They are veterans in the collegiate softball war and experts in battle t; ••• '• ' : See Purple page 8 SOURCE: PADL PUTNAM A Weber State University student works out in the new CrossFit program at WSU. The new program is offered to all faculty, staff and students. New program branches from BASICS and allows an intense exercise outlet for staff and students, not just elite athletes By Nathan Davis sports editor I The Signpost Students and faculty at Weber State University can now participate in a new athletic training program called CrossFit, which is now available in the Swenson Gym. CrossFit training is an exercise program which is designed to offer an intense, variety-filled workout that can help improve speed, agility, strength and balance. For seven years, BASICS, a Utah-based sports medicine facility, has offered training and physical therapy to athletes looking to improve their abilities. Now they have added the new CrossFit program at WSU. Found- er and owner Melanie Pyle said she feels that CrossFit has a lot to offer, and is not just for elite athletes. "What's different is probably the variability of it," Pyle said. "It uses very functional movements. You go into a workout and it's different every time. ... There are movements that you'd do in everyday life, not just on one single plane that you'd do if you're lifting on a weight machine." The CrossFit training program was originally used by firefighters and members of the military to maintain high levels offitness,speed and agility. Now the training program is open to everyone, and they can be catered to anyfitnesslevel. ; ''Itk'qpen for, everyone," Pyle said. "That's another nice thing about it. The variability allows you to do the same type of workouts at different skill levels. You can take any age, any skill level, and apply the same type of movement." Pyle said that among some, CrossFit has a bad reputation because it is easy to get certified as a trainer, and if the trainei is unskilled, injuries may occur. But the program at W$U is safe because of its stringent requirements for trainers. "GrossFit has gotten some backlash because mere are certain trainers who don't have a good background or an extensive background in biomechanics, or kinesiology, or things like that," Pyle said. "That is See CrossFit page 8 |