World Cup fever sweeps IU

Once every four years, IU senior John Dabkowski is a nervous wreck. But the native of Sittingbourne, England has no exams to take, no papers to write and no projects to submit. He's worried about something much more important to him, the World Cup. \n"The World Cup is such an important event in England," Dabkowski said. "The emotional roller coaster that it puts me through is unexplainable. But I love it."\nDabkowski, much like many other IU students, spent the last month transfixed by the world's largest sporting event. The tournament grabs the attention of the entire world for one month, and the 2006 edition was no different at IU as many students eagerly watched game after game. Some cheered on their native countries, while others adopted sides to cheer for and simply enjoyed the event. But one thing was certain, everyone was watching.\nMembers of the IU soccer team were among the students keeping close tabs on the World Cup. \n"The World Cup was entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat," said sophomore forward George Tembon. "There were a lot of teams that I predicted to go far that gracefully bowed out early and the teams that made it to the finals showed strength and passion to progress further in the tournament."\nJunior midfielder Kiki Wallace also enjoyed watching the tournament, but he was upset with the United States' early departure from the tourney.\n"I am disappointed in the U.S.' performance at the World Cup," Wallace said. "I thought the U.S. didn't rise to the occasion and beat themselves instead of playing at a level which forced their opponents to beat them."\nJunior Anuj Jain, a native of Delhi, India, agreed.\n"(The United States) played so defensively," he said. "And I didn't think they had the heart. Maybe they had the skills, but not the heart." \nJain is among the many IU students whose country did not qualify for the World Cup. But he watched anyway and adopted Italy as his favorite side.\n"India is not a big footballing nation," Jain said. "But everyone always watches the World Cup. It's such a great event."\nDabkowski's World Cup ended in heartbreak. England was knocked out on penalty kicks against Portugal in the quarterfinals. It was a sickening feeling of déjà vu for Dabkowski, as England had also been knocked out on penalties by Portugal in the 2004 European Championships.\n"I was gutted," Dabkowski said. "To lose like that again to Portugal is something that I won't forget anytime soon. We had such a good side, but we came up short. Being an England fan can be so painful."\nNow that the World Cup has finally come to an end, Dabkowski can finally unwind and focus on the rest of his life. That is until the summer of 2010 arrives, and a simple soccer tournament will once again hold the attention of the entire world. \n"As devastated as I am right now," said Dabkowski, "I can't wait for South Africa in 2010"