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Show Tht OsDy Vtsh CfcicsSrfg, Jlzjjjj t, ICS Pcs Kiss SPORTS Lady Utes change writer's opinion of women's hoop It's a business of lonely hearts and lonely lives. There's a sportswriter in Detroit named Joe Falls. Personally, I can't sjtand the guy. Every week, in his regular Sporting News column, Falls muses about all the good times he has had in his life while writing sports, and what a great business it is to be in. iff1' I think Joe's an idiot. You may not. After all, my life doesn't seem too bad. Mostly what I do is get paid for going to things that most people would love to go to, and I get in free. I sat in the best seat in the house for the Uuh-BY- U football , game, for instance, or I can go catch the Jazz whenever I feel like it. How many of you work at jobs you get to go watch sporting events for? ON SPORTS 5 John Youngron V1 1 But it's not all such fun and, uh, games. A good example would be my problem last weekend: Not only was I invited to a party, but I was tired after a full day of hard-hittijournalism and I kind of felt like doing something I wanted to do on a Friday night. Like sleep. I didn't want to go to a Lady Ute basketball game, I ng v. knew that. Even if they were in the Copper Classic the biggest game of the year, according to my at editor in chief and Lady predecessor, Jeff Ute-bie- :i Arrington and even if it was for the championship. Not to mention the fact they were playing in Provo; at BYU. That sealed it; I didn't want to go. There wasn't a whole heck of a lot of sympathy or offers to join me from anyone on the Chronicle staff that lonely Friday afternoon. The photographers, for instance, all spurned me they flatly refused to come. Managing Editor Peter Behle, last year's sports editor and the grizzled veteran of many a previous Lady Ute campaign, also refused to make the journey, muttering something like "I had to go to those three V years in a row..." fir Senior gymnast Elaine Alfano performs a floor exercise in action last season at the Special Events Center. The Utes welcome UCLA into the SEC on Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. meet. fifth for going Gymnasts There are a number of famous fifths in this world: Beethoven's fifth symphony. The Fifth Amendment. The Fifth Dimension. And this year's edition of the University of Utah gymnastics team will be looking for a famous fifth of its own a fifth consecutive national championship. While the Utes lost two strong competitors to graduation last year, head coach Greg Marsden says the team should be just about as strong as they were in 1984. "Skill-wis- e we're every bit as good as and ability-wis- e last year," Marsden said. "We do lack some experience. We lost Megan (McCunniff Marsden) and Linda Kardos, and the biggest loss will be in leadership; But we do have Elaine Alfano and Celeste Harrington, and they've done a good job assuming the leadership roles." Besides, the Utes haven't really lost Megan Marsden she just can't compete for the team. The coach's wife, who led the team to four national crowns as a competitor, is now with the team as an assistant coach. In addition to Alfano and Harrington, the other senior formerly of Granite returning is Wendy Whiting-MyruHigh School. Also on the team are three juniors, Cheryl Milgrom, Lisa Mitzel and Tina Hermann; two sophomores, Sandy Sobotka and Kim Taylor; and four freshmen, Lynn Lederer (who redshirted last year), Lisa McVay, Caralee Novak and Cheryl Weatherstone. Marsden said it's difficult to determine at this point who will contribute the most to the success of the team. "That's hard to say. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and the biggest contribution will come from m, those who can evolve quickest and resolve their weaknesses," he said. "As the season goes on we'll get better and better because we're depending on four freshmen." The Utes have been rated No 1 in the preseason coaches poll, but Marsden said it should have little, if any, effect on the team. "This is the fourth year we've been ranked No. 1, so we're used to feeling the pressure," he said. "And I think we deal with it better now. We realize that we can't always win the national championship, but at the same time we don't want to give it away. If a team comes in here and beats us, that's fine. We just don't want to make mistakes and beat ourselves." Alfano, who underwent arthroscopic surgery in December and will miss at least the first meet, said that the 1985 squad is prepared to defend their title. "This team is ready," Alfano said. "We're just as good or better than last year, and we have a little more depth." "Our greatest strength is that we've been through it all before," Marsden said. "We know that the championship is within our capability, so we don't question ourselves in that way. There's enough confidence, pride and tradition on this team to carry us through any rough spots." The Ute gymnasts will get their first test when they host UCLA in the Special Events Center Saturday at 7:30 p.m. UCLA finished second behind Utah last year and the meet will be televised on KUTV Channel 2. Admission is free to students with a valid ID. The NCAA Championships return to the SEC April 12-1- 3. Sports Editor Mark Saal, who, of anyone, should be setting the prime example for me, his lowly assistant, also avoided the issue on that controversial Friday. "I would go, maybe, and take pictures," he said. "But I have to see what the wife's doing..." So I set out, dejectedly rejected, on the road to that bastion in the South, Provo. I hit the road around 6:30 p.m. Friday; ready to face whatever would come my way. I threw a flashlight in my car, and a heavy coat, and began to wonder about the dangers of my car stalling somewhere around Point of the Mountain. By the time I arrived in Provo, wondering why a street would be called University Avenue and not actually have the university on it, I knew it was going to be a solo act. There were no cars in the Marriott Center lot, andthere was hardly anybody inside. So all l,159of us sat back and watched the Cougars and the Utes tangle up in, yuk, women's basketball. What could be worse? Then it began to happen. It built up slowly like the distant charge of the calvary coming in one of those old westerns, and it hit its peak with a roar that shook most of the gang in attendance. The Cougars built the lead, but the Utes came back. The Cougars built another, yet the Utes came back and won. It wasn't quite that simple. The Lady Utes scrapped and clawed their way into a 8 tie with the Cougars. When BYU turned around and ran out to a 0 lead, things looked just about over for the Utes. But Utah rallied, closed the gap back to 0 and eventually won, The game had it all: pressure free throws, good defense, plays, deep outside shooting, 58-5- 70-6- 72-7- 77-7- 5. last-seco- nd fantastic underneath moves, crisp passes and miracles. It is the best basketball game of any kind I have seen since the Jazz beat Denver last April to keep alive in the playoffs. It was definitely better than anything the men's team has offered us this 2 Utah year, with the possible exception of the game against Utah State early this season. But the bottom line in that was the men lost. The women didn't. And didn't in style: So the next time you know there's a Lady Ute game scheduled, think twice. It's not good enough that a lonely sportswriter covers these games; what they need is some people at them. And the Lady Utes won't let you down in terms of some exciting basketball. They've made a believer out of me. Now if they could only convince some 10,841 other final-seco- nd 93-9- people. |
