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Show Eagles ready for Russians X 1 - - - V. r I I r ;r f fit I does, it will mean a four-day-a-week commitment from the athletes. Russian class is held on Mondays and Wednesdays; basketball basket-ball practice will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. "Obviously, our main concern is not burning the kids out on basketball," basket-ball," said Phillips. "We also want to make sure that the kids' studies don't suffer. "All I can say is so far, so good. There is a lot of pressure on the kids. We're the youngest team that I know of that has attempted to go on a trip like this, and as far as I know, we're the first team that has stopped to learn Russian," said Phillips. The Eagles are required to submit a monthly report on their grades and citizenship to Phillips. Two 'D's an 'F two 'N V or a 'IT are cause for automatic suspension from playing play-ing basketball until the grade or citizenship mark can be improved. Last year, the AAU Eagles' average grade point average was 3.4. According to Phillips, the . athletes performance in Russian class also determines whether or not any given athlete will make the trek to Russia. "If they don't pass Russian, they don't go," said Phillips. "We have the opportunity to be great ambassadors. We're not just teaching the kids the language. They're learning about the customs -and manners, what is proper and ; what isn't, which is something most ' people don't understand when they i go to Russia. . As far as the actual team itself, ! the AAU Eagles' average height is j 5'6" and features some of the best" seventh grade-aged athletes in the area ranging from fifth to eigfurr grade depending on where their birthdays fall. . As an AAU team, the Eagles will ; be involved in much more than just playing the Russians. After two : months of practice, the Eagles will ' face their first preseason touma- : ment at the end of December. The : preseason tourney will determine . the team's seeding for the following ; year's competition. The AAU Eagles are Scott I Bishop, Farmington Junior High; ; Brock Blackner, South Davis Jr.; Alex Boulter, South Davis Jr.; Scott : Bumingham, Bountiful Jr.; Aaron Christensen, Farmington Jr.; Dean Crandall, Centerville Jr, JanTarT Davies, Reading Elementary Preston Gardner, Centerville Jr,t Scott Hailes, Bountiful Jr.; John Hille, Cottonwood Elementary; ; Brian Jackson, Farmington Jr.; " Megan Jensen, Kaysville Jr.; Trent S Pearce, Indian Hills Jr.; Brandt : Peterson, West Bountiful Elemen- tary and Joel Tippetts, Centerville " Jr. s The AAU Eagles are coached by : Phillips, Ashley Robinson and John . Hille. : 'The Bountiful, AAU Eagles are: (left to right) back row: Brett Taft, Dave Nielsen, Brian Jackson, Parke Guyman, Scott Burningham, Brandt Peterson, Scott Bishop, Scott Hailes and Alex Boulter. Middle row: Jamon Davies, Trent Pearce, Brock Blackner, Preston Gardner, Joel Tippetts, Tip-petts, Taylor Sanford and Tyler Sorenson. Front row: Megan Jensen, Dean Crandall and John Hille. By G.BRETT HART BOUNTIFUL--While their classmates are studying English, math and social studies, the seventh grade, Bountiful Amateur Athletic Union, Eagles basketball team is busy studying Russian in an effort to prepare to host the basketball team from Moscow school 1206 team which will arrive next February. The 15 -member, AAU Eagles team was selected from over 100 athletes who tried out Sept. 29 at the Bountiful Junior High School gym. As soon as the athletes made the team, they began taking Russian classes twice a week. The Eagles hope to attain a level of fluency that will allow them to serve as translators for their Soviet counterparts who will stay in their homes and attend school with them for a month. The classes are being taught by Bountiful resident Harv Wilhelm, who is a linguist speaking seven languages. Wilhelm has been teaching Russian for almost 20 years. In November 1991, the shoe will be on the other foot as the Eagles travel to Moscow to study for a month in Russian schools, not to mention play a little basketball throughout the Moscow area. The idea for the Russian interchange, inter-change, which has been dubbed as Goodwill '91 , was the brain child of Eagles coach Dave Phillips. For the last year he and the team's cultural attache, 12-year-old Scott Hailes, have been in constant contact with Russian officials in order to put the plan into action. According to Phillips, the team should reach its desired level of fluency within a year. In the meantime, mean-time, everyone's getting a little anxious anx-ious to start playing basketball the team's first love. "I'm getting anxious anx-ious to see what's under the hood so to speak," said Phillips. "I'm anxious anx-ious to see just how good we are. Basketball practice won't start for another month, and when it |