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Show The Daily Utah Chronicle SPORT Wednesday, February 24, 1999 Brandon Winn, Sports Editor: winnchronicle.utah.edu Kemp's Hammy Is a Joke, Horry's Heart Is Not ..Mi The Daily Utah Chronicle -- 11 mm otiddd Women have the guts, but funds are lacking ft -- jr - r- - - fmmmsgmmmmtm Eric Walden Chronicle Sports Writer - The NBA is definitely showing the disastrous effects that go along with having a six month long lockout. Teams are averaging just over 91 points per game the lowest scoring rate since the advent of the shot clock. Players arc grossly out of shape. Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Shawn Kemp showed up to training camp looking like he was pregnant with all seven of his illegitimate children. By the time Knicks Center Patrick Ewing got done with his "negotiating," he had a fatter butt than Rush Lim-bauand a bigger gut than George Wentit. As for Sacramento Kings backup center Oliver Miller well, he was probably the player furthest from being in playing shape. Rumor has it that without his paycheck to pay for his appetite, he showed up to camp looking skinnier than Ally McBeal. Not to worry, though. On the day he signed a new contract he celebrated with a dozen cheeseburgers and was back up to his usual weight of 340 pounds within the week. aside from the low scoring and the weight problems, the most significant consequence of doing nothing for half a year has been the sudden rash of serious injuries. Charlotte Forward Anthony Mason is out for the year after tearing a muscle in his arm. Cavs Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas is gone after breaking his foot. Heat guard Voshon Lenard is out. Glen Rice out. Latrell Sprewell out. But I have no sympathy for them. n Any individual for whom a dollar contract is not incentive enough to stay in shape is dumber than Dan Quayle at a spelling bee. No, I'll reserve my sympathy for those athletes who have no control over the serious injuries they suffer. Like Moises Alou, the Houston Astros outfielder. Last year Alou was the impetus behind Houston's 100-plwin season. He finished third in the NL MVP voting behind a couple of guys named McGwire and Sosa. Sadly though, Alou will not play in 1999. He will miss the entire season after tearing his ACL while working out in his native Dominican Republic home. That he tore his ACL because he fell off of his treadmill is irrelevant. That could happen to anyone. Those treadmills are dangerous anyway. I recommend Alou sue the treadmill's manufacturers to recoup the wages he will lose from not playing. Before you take offense, keep in mind that I do not mean to make light of those who suffer serious injuries or have significant health problems. Sure, I get smart-aleck- y (is that even a word?) missometimes about the fortunes of many athletes. But I also know when to take things seriously. I may be obnoxious, but I would not joke about Atlanta Braves' first base- - ' - v;,' A't- vb:-n- v , ? - v..- it; fr & - ..' - multi-millio- us self-inflict- ' BlltlW rnllT' "' ?ugfcy con gef - : w yA!mmseuan tgy, as this picture 15 n.r.v.. . tin i. i: v- - r1 testifies. The University of Utah will soon be home to a women's rugby dub, which is shown practicing here. Brandon Winn Chronicle Sports Editor If you've ever been in the middle of a multi-ca- r then maybe, just maybe, rugby players pilcup on might think about giving you a little bit of credit. But only a tiny bit. If you've had your body crunched into a little ball, with a steering column planted firmly in your chest, you might be able relate to rugby players. But not completely. The only difference between rugby people and victims of a mugging or car wrecks is simple rugby players like the abuse. Just ask Kris Homcl, a player on the new women's rugby club at the University of Utah. "You take all this vent-u- p frustration and you go out there and you take people down; bloody them up," said Homel who, like all the other women's rugby players, is trying to generate enough interest and support to finance the team. "Contact is legal. It's great." The U has never had a women's rugby team of any sort, so the women participating in the brutality can't help but think of themselves as some sort of pioneers. "We're starting something that will become big, I'm predicting," said Melissa Scgclkc, who is the main driving force behind the club's emergence. sec walden page -- m "Once we get this started people will want to play." The basic idea of the sport is simple: put the other team on its back and run for points. It's a lot like a attack in football. But there is much power-runnin- g more to it. "We need girls who are ready to get physical arid who are ready to play dirty," said Segclkc, who's heading up the women's rugby project. "What happens when you play, and this is the exciting part, is really cool. I'm a nice girl off the field. I'm really kind and don't want to hurt anyone, but I get out on that field and I just hate that other team. You just want to cream them and smash them to the ground." No, these aren't girls you'd want to take to church or grandma's house with you. The mindset of a rugby player is one of complete destruction. These are the type of people you'd expect to be working on a demolition crew in 15 years, rigging buildings that have to be destroyed with explosives. "You gotta hurt people," said Homel, solidifying the belief that these women are venomous. And once you sec them play, you'll be even more convinced. Players involved in a scrum, which is the equivalent of a jump ball in basketball but much more violent, look like a pile of starving wolves fighting for the last scrap of meat on a chicken bone. As you can probably guess, as is the nature in all physical sports, things can get a little ugly and dirty at times. This is one of the reasons rugby has not taken off at the U as of yet. The men's rugby club is very popular, while the women's team has struggled to find bodies willing to handle the wear and tear. The fear of injury is commonplace in a sport like rugby. Hard hitting is as fundamental in this sport as fielding a ground ball is in baseball. marks when you "You have a lot of black-and-bl- first start playing, but they go away," said Scgclkc. "The more you play, the less bruises you get. You have to be dedicated to survive but it's worth it if you do." Besides, bones heal and scars make for good stories 25 years down the road. "It's a strong sport, a contact sport," said Rosa Chacon. "You don't initially love it. You learn to. It helps you overcome fears because there is a great deal of fear and intimidation, but you get over it and really love the sport. You might get a few black eyes, but that's part of the fun." The team has about 20 players who consistently show up to practice, but many are inexperienced and playing for the first time. The team has been helped by the immigration of several experienced players that have spent time Utah with the Park City Blackics, a rugby program that has played at a high level for long-standi- many years. see rugby page 12 |
