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Show Spectrum The Daily Utah Chronicle - Page Ten Sisters compete in ifoir rival schools arena watery Editor's Note: For complete results of Friday's Utah-BYmeet, see page 13. U Monday, November 13, 1989 percent "It probably doesn't matter from a parent s standpoint wnu wins," he said. "What you gain from the competition is what's 7 swim - - important.'' Amy agreed. "We've always been very close. We've been really good friends, and it is kind of ironic that I'm swimming against her." v It is also ironic that the sisters, By Cathy VV. Kelly Chronicle Staff Writer Once upon a time there were two sisters who loved to swim. And they were very good at it. They each won honors at Skyline High Julie Leeper, swims for the JJniversity of Utah team, while "lister Amy is a swimmer for -- "S , Saturday. She also helps, along concessions at U. football games to raise money. "The difference between our swim program and the Y.'s is "iiioney," Julie said. "They have it, and we don't." She attributes money Julie broke it. And then I broke Julie's record." What does Julie have to say to Amy before the big meet? "I wish my sister the best of luck." But that was all before the event. Now for a sports update: Although BYU took the overall swim meet Friday, Julie beat Amy in both events, the freestyle and the 100-yar- d butterfly, by a ''' I WWW'' wwam. 4 then-relate- d 50-ya- rd WW small margin. Wm But Amy wasn't too Upset, "It wasn't really like her beating me. It was more like a Ute beating me, not my sister," she said. "It didn't bother me. I wasn't, like, pissed or anything. Right after we finished, I leaned over the rope and said, r, rs mind, 'cause she's the mellow with other team members, sell have been in a sort of competition. "In high school," Amy said, "my oldest sister held the school record in the 50 yard freestyle and then V archrival BYU. And they swim the same events. Friday the duo met on the watery battleground at BYU to do combat for the first time ever. Prior to Friday's meet, here's what the sisters had to say about the upcoming event: "It's kind of different swimming against my sister, but I don't really type," Julie said. "She's not the kind to rub it in if she wins or to be depressed of she loses." Amy said nearly the same thing. "I don't think it will matter to her, and it doesn't matter to me, who wins. I think it will be fun." And neither one was willing to give the other a break. "I'll do my best. I'm not going to hold back," Amy said. "I want to give my personal best," Julie said. Julie is a senior at the U. majoring in sociology and hopes to go to graduate school. She is beginning her fourth year with the U.'s swim team. Five days a week Julie is at the U. practicing, as well as for two hours on ' t' t School, and each went on to swim on her college swim team, which created a problem for the buoyant twosome. The problem is that one sister, never officially although competing against one another, fiflllt Pi '4 u . Chronicle Photo by Andrew Holloway Julie Leeper, left, swims for the University of Utah team, while sister Amy is a swimmer for archrival BYU. And they swim the same events. Friday the duo met on the watery battleground at BYU to do combat for the first time ever. to the fact that BYU has recruited many top swimmers to its program while the U. has been financially unable to compete. "The Y.'s always been better than the U.," she said. "They usually always win." Amy, a freshman, took a long time in making her decision to go to the Y., since her family (her father in particular) is partial to the U. "I " really would have liked to see both the girls go to the U.," their father, Larry Leeper, said. But he also said he recognized and respected Amy's need to get out on her own. The Leepers made have swimming a family affair. From the time the children were very young, they swam at Fort Douglas Country Club. Julie and Amy's older sister, Sidney, is also a swimmer, although she went to the University of California at Irvine. Their younger brother, Steven, is currently a swimmer at Skyline. "Swimming's been a real family thing for us," Linda Leeper, mother of the clan, said. "It's been a real good vehicle to raise kids with. It keeps them busy and out of trouble." 'Good job.'" Linda said it wasn't too difficult deciding which daughter to cheer for. "It was kind of fun," she said. "We yelled, 'Go Julie! Go Amy! Go Leepers!' and then we all went out to dinner afterwards." Both women said that even Prior to Friday, when asked though they may not have come in which daughter they would root first in their events, they were the parents said they would try to be fair. "I'll yell just as loud as I can for each of them," Larry said.' "As a parent you have to support them equally, even though in your heart you may be a U. fan." "I'll root for whoever's behind, I guess," Linda said. When asked what advice she would give each daughter, Linda said, "To try to beat her sister's butt. What else?" Larry said the sisters are good friends and would each give 100 for, pleased with their individual times. Perhaps Papa Leeper summed it up best: "Competition's one thing, but when it's over, it's over." Well, it's over for now. But on Jan. 6 the nautical sisters will go at it again. And this time Julie may have to keep a close look out over her shoulder. That's little sister Amy doin' her darndest to make a : comeback. 4 - , Students have power to create social change; activist says Michael Ortega has a cause, and Ingrid Ricks Chronicle Staff Writer By While the '60s are often looked on as a bygone era of student political reform, at least one man who works closely with students still believes the power for change is in their hands. even though insufficient funds caused him to be laid off from his position as a staff member for the Salt Lake Citizens Congress, he continues to voice his concerns loud and clear. Ortega said the Citizens Congress is a group of people who focus on social- - and economic-justic-e issues from housing ranging low-inco- and gang-fre- e neighborhoods to toxic waste and clean air. He said these are problems that can only be eliminated by the voice of the people. "We need to put pressure on the politicians," Ortega said. Ortega said the Citizens Congress applies pressure through the use of confrontational tactics. He said public protest and outrage is sometimes the only way to get politicians to listen and make changes. "It's sort of like being armed with baseball bats," Ortega said. "We hit them over the head with it when we need to." Among the issues the group has confronted since its beginning in 1983 is the proposal of an on- - and p on North Temple, which would have been devastating to the area neighborhoods, according to Ortega. He said 300 people lobbied in protest, which resulted in the state pulling money away from the off-ram- project. Ortega said the group was also the first in the state to come out "j against the deregulation of the phone company. "They phone company officials were crying poverty when in reality they were making an 18 to 22 percent profit 4 percent above what the' law says they should make," he said. Ortega said one current issue that needs immediate attention is the clean-ai- r problem the state , faces. 1 Chronicle Photo by Andrew Hollowuy Michael Ortega, a former member of the Citizens Congress who has worked closely with U. students, said many problems can only be eliminated by the voice of the people. i "Utah is ranked the second worst state in the nation for protecting their air quality," Ortega said. He added that Salt Lake County was ranked the eighth-wors- put in the air each year by the t county in the nation regarding air quality. He said that for seven days last winter, the air quality in the valley violated Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. Ortega warned that this could result in death, citing an incident in California in which three men doing jumping jacks on a roof died from acids and chemicals in the air. "Our lungs aren't made to break up the pollutants the air contains. It is the same as pouring thick oil on a sponge. It doesn't get soaked in." Ortega said the air quality in the Salt Lake Valley is so bad that it would be better for a child to be raised in Park City with smoking parents than it would be for a child to be raised in Salt Lake City with non-smokin- g parents. He also blamed high rates of bronchitis on the state's polluted air. He said when Geneva closed its doors in 1986, the number of bronchitis cases at the Utah County from Hospital dropped the year before. He said that as soon as Geneva the number of sicknesses went back. two-thir- UP- - ds , "People who are newcomers to the state have told me that their children have never had a coughing problem until they came here," Ortega added. Ortega said the largest part of the problem comes from oil refineries. He said more than 60 million pounds of pollutant are refineries. "Go out on a sunny day and look to the north," Ortega said. "You will see a brown cap by the oil refineries which lifts as you go west and then returns when you look south towards Geneva. " Ortega said it is up to citizens to do something about the air- )ollution problem before it is too ate. He said students could help. "I would start by going to city officials and demanding a 50 percent reduction in the pollution," Ortega said. He said he would suggest the government focus on the oil refineries and also oppose the construction of new freeways, which would promote more car use. Ortega said city and county officials are now focusing on cutting down the use of woodburning stoves, which contributes to only 10 percent of the problem and is only a problem on cold winter days. "Why eliminate a problem that isn't there?" Ortega asked. Ortega said there are other issues students could become involved in as well. He said Styrofoam on campuses,. landlord-tenan- t problems and the homeless issue are just a few of those that need to be addressed. He said the recent student walkout, though organized at the last minute, showed that students are interested in community issues and can make an impact. Ortega said in that respect, things aren't much different from the '60s. "Students still have the power," he said. |
