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(11/01/04 5:16am)
The IU women's cross country team finished fifth this weekend at the Big Ten Championships at the University of Iowa. Iowa held the meet at its newly dedicated Ashton Cross Country course. The six-kilometer event featured four nationally ranked top-30 teams, including the Hoosiers.\nSophomore Jessica Gall continued her impressive season and crossed the line first for the women in third place. For the first 3k of the race, Gall ran in a pack with the sixth through tenth place runners. She then broke out of the pack and moved to fourth at the 4k mark. Gall outkicked the then 3rd place runner, University of Illinois senior Jaime Turilli, with 300 meters to go and that secured her third place finish. \nGall finished in a time of 21 minutes, 2 seconds, 29-seconds behind the winner of the race -- freshman Danette Doetzel of Michigan State. \nSophomore Kristin Whitezell and junior Kelly Siefker ran together for most of the race and finished No. 12 and No. 20 respectively.\n"It was the Big Tens, so we knew we had to get up in the front and go," Whitezell said.\nIU coach Judy Wilson was particularly impressed by Whitezell's performance.\n"Kristin is our fourth runner in practice and for her to move up and be our second runner was great," Wilson said.\nWith her third-place finish, Gall earned first-team all Big Ten honors, while Whitezell's 12th place finish gave her second team all-conference honors.\n"Jess and Kristin ran really good races," Wilson said.\nRounding out the scoring for the Hoosiers was a pair of upperclassman. Senior Larra Overton finished 46th in a time of 22:39. Senior Mindy Peterson ran 22:53 and placed 54th, which was fifth best on the IU squad.\nMichigan continued its dominance in the Big Ten with its third first place finish in a row. Michigan State and Illinois tied for 2nd with 85 points. The University of Minnesota finished 4th with 133 points, beating the Hoosiers by two -- who had a team total of 135.\n"We wanted to finish a lot higher and the team is capable of placing higher," Gall said. "We need to be more hungry and aggressive, but luckily we have two more weeks at regionals and hopefully nationals to do that."\nThe Hoosiers will take this weekend off and then compete at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional at Buhr Park in Ypislanti, Mich., Nov 13.\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Corazza at rcorazza@indiana.edu.
(10/29/04 5:19am)
It's hunting season, and the IU women's cross country team has a group of Wolverines in its cross-hairs. The Hoosiers will attempt to win their first Big Ten title in 14 years when they travel to the University of Iowa for the Big Ten Championships.\nThe Wolverines of Michigan, who currently rank fourth in the nation, stand in the way of the Hoosiers' title hopes. \n"Michigan is top dog, but I think that they definitely have weaknesses," said IU head coach Judy Wilson. "If we come home any lower than second, (IU runners) should be disappointed." \nThe team also expects competition from No. 11 Michigan State and No. 27 Illinois. \nIn the latest FinishLynx poll released Monday, the IU women rank No. 21 in the nation, marking the first time the team has been ranked all season. \n"It's nice to be ranked, but we knew we should have been ranked all year," said sophomore Jessica Gall. \nBefore the 2002 season, IU had not been ranked nationally since 1990.\nTwo weekends ago, the team's strong eighth-place finish in the NCAA Pre--National meet helped get them into the top 30 in the country.\n"Our race at Pre--Nationals showed that we can compete with a lot of the top teams," said senior and veteran member of the Hoosiers' top five runners Mindy Peterson.\nThe women will have the challenge of running on an unfamiliar course at Iowa. \n"We've never run there, but it's a golf course so it shouldn't be anything too surprising," Peterson said. \nThe team will fly to Iowa Saturday morning and then have a chance to run the course before Sunday's meet.\nSome members of the squad cut back on mileage during this week by about 25 percent, from 60 miles to 45 miles, in preparation for the meet. Coach Wilson hopes her large group of returning runners from previous seasons will lead to success at the championships. \n"It pays to have experience," Wilson said. "We have eight girls who have run at the national meet, which says a lot about this group." \nTo achieve first team All-Big Ten status, a runner must finish in one of the first seven spots. Second team All-Big Ten awards are handed out to runners in the eight to 14 positions. \n"I think we can have four in the top 15," Wilson said.\nIn the past couple of years, teams from the Great Lakes state have dominated the winners circle at the Big Ten Championships. Michigan has won the title the past two years. In 2001, Michigan State won the event, and in 2002, it was second to Michigan.\nRace time is set for 10:30 a.m. Sunday.\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Corazza at rcorazza@indiana.edu.
(10/18/04 5:20am)
Sophomore Jessica Gall and her teammates were looking to break their racing slump this past Saturday at the NCAA Pre-National meet.\n"We've had good workouts but we hadn't been running up to our potential," Gall said. \nWith their eighth place finish among a competitive field, the Hoosiers hope to have broken the slump but still know there is room for improvement. \n"I think they did good a job, but there were a couple of girls who were not feeling their best," IU assistant coach Sandy Tecklinburg said. \nIndiana State hosted the meet at its home course in Terre Haute. Because of the large number of participating teams, the meet featured two women's races. The Hoosiers ran in the 'blue' race at 11 a.m. with 36 other teams. The other women's race, the 'white' race, had 36 teams participating, following the 'blue' race at 11:35 a.m. \nWith their eighth place score of 309 points, the team narrowly missed the seventh place Princeton University Tigers by 4 points. \nGall ran in the top 30 for the first third of the race and then the eighth through 20th place runners broke into a pack and ran together until about the 4K mark. \n"I was in the top 15 and then a couple girls passed me at the end," Gall said. She finished 15th in a time of 21 minutes and 1.1 seconds. Seventeen seconds later junior Kelly Siefker crossed the line in a time of 21:18.6 to finish 27th.\nSenior Mindy Peterson, who has been battling a sore throat, had enough strength left to have a strong finish. \n"With a K left I heard people screaming I was in 83rd," Peterson said. \nShe then picked off several people in the last kilometer to finish 68th in a time of 21:54.3. \n"I was a little more fatigued than usual but it's encouraging that I pulled through," Peterson said.\nRounding out the top five for the IU women were sophomore Kristin Whitezell finished 76th in a time of 21:59.5 and junior Lindsay Hattendorf ran 22:22.5 to finish 123rd.\nWith its eighth place finish, the women beat several ranked opponents. No. 16 Baylor, No. 18 Columbia, No. 23 Idaho and No. 25 UCLA all fell victim to the Hoosiers. In the latest FinishLynx pole released Oct. 11, the IU women were not ranked. The newest rankings come out today.\n"I think we should be ranked, but being ranked isn't a huge thing," Tecklinburg said. "What matters is that we proved we can run with the teams that are ranked."\nStanford, who currently is the No. 1 team in the nation, won the race with a mere 49 points. Notre Dame, University of North Carolina, Brigham Young University and Georgia rounded out the top five. In the white division, the University of Colorado was victorious while the University of Michigan finished second and Arizona State University finished third. \nThe Hoosiers will take next weekend off and will not compete again until the following weekend Sunday, Oct. 31 in the Big Ten Championships. \n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Corazza at rcorazza@indiana.edu.
(10/01/04 5:58am)
The east coast has plenty of competition. There's the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry or a Duke University-Univeristy of North Carolina men's hoops match-up. When the IU women's cross country team toes the line today in the Great American Cross-Country Festival in Cary, N.C., it'll witness firsthand the east-coast competitiveness. \nThe meet features a plethora of talented and top-ranked teams from the high school and collegiate ranks in 32 different races. The women's 6-kilometer race begins at 4:45 p.m. today. Normally at this point in the season, the Hoosiers run in the Notre Dame Invitational. \n"We wanted to try something different this year," said junior Jessica Gall, a two-time recipient of the Big Ten Women's Cross-Country Female Athlete of the Week award this season. "With this meet and how the schedule worked out, we don't have two meets in a row so we have more time to train."\nHopefully, the team's extra training has paid off. The Hoosiers will face some of the top teams in the nation this afternoon. \nNo. 2 Brigham Young University, No. 4 North Carolina State University, No. 9 North Carolina and No. 18 Duke will be in attendance to give the IU runners some excellent competition.\n"Those are four pretty good teams," IU coach Judy Wilson said. "As a team, we are going for a top five finish."\nMost of the 22 squads the Hoosiers face today represent states out east. The only exceptions are Northern Arizona University, Adams State College, University of New Mexico and Brigham Young. \nThe Hoosiers will get an added bonus from junior Lindsay Hattendorf who will be competing in her first major race of the season.\n"Lindsay has done really well so far and I expect her to be in our top five," Wilson said.\nSenior Mindy Peterson shares coach Wilson's excitement. "Her presence is a boost for team morale," Peterson said. "It's a whole different dynamic and she will help a lot."\nA squad of nine will represent the team in North Carolina.\nLast year, N.C. State won the festival with 45 points. In 2002, BYU came out victorious with a total of 50 points. The meet will be held both today and Saturday. All collegiate races will be completed today. Saturday's schedule of events will feature some of the top high school teams in the U.S.\n"It's good experience to run against some of the top teams in the nation," Peterson said. "The meet is a good jump start for getting into some of our tougher meets this season."\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Corazza at rcorazza@indiana.edu.
(09/07/04 4:50am)
If sophomore Jessica Gall were a motorized vehicle, she'd be a full-sized pick-up truck with tons of horsepower. If she were a prize fighter, she'd be Rocky Balboa. And if Gall were a brand of paper towel, she'd most definitely be Bounty. \nWhat does Gall have in common with all these aforementioned items? They all can take a beating and yet still remain as tough as they come in their respected arenas.\nGall's arena is the cross-country course and the track. Riddled with a quadricep injury at the beginning of last cross country season, Gall redshirted and focused on her track season. \nDuring the indoor campaign, Gall started out slowly. In mid-April, she tweaked her Achilles tendon and was forced to take a week off and then train lightly the following week. \nEven though she missed a significant chunk of training during an important part of the season, Gall was still able to come back strong and had two impressive finishes at last year's Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She finished fourth in the 10,000 meters in a time of 35 minutes, 14.87 seconds. In the 5,000, Gall finished third in 16:56.34.\nIU coach Judy Wilson was particularly impressed with her performance at the meet. \n"To take those two weeks almost completely off and still do as well as she did, that girl is tough as nails," Wilson said.\nWilson also has been impressed with Gall's off-season training regimen.\n"Last year around this time, we were wondering if she was even going to run. This year she is way ahead in her training," she said.\nAlthough this season is still young, Gall finished first for the Hoosiers in Friday's Indiana Open. Not everyone competed for the squad, but Gall was happy to get out on the course again.\n"I love to race, and it gave me the opportunity to get the competitive juices flowing," she said.\nGall has not only been leading the Hoosiers through her running, but also in the classroom. The women's cross country team boasts the highest cumulative grade point average of all the athletic teams at IU. Gall's 4.0 GPA certainly helps the team's overall standing. She is currently majoring in political science and plans on attending law school.\n"Jess is one of the most driven and determined girls on the team, and this is reflected in her success in the classroom and in her running," said senior teammate Mindy Peterson.\nWilson also points to the long amounts of time her athletes have to compete as another reason Gall stands out against a crowd. \n"Sometimes people don't realize how much these girls have to compete," Wilson said. "They have three seasons, cross-country and then indoor and outdoor track. That is eight to nine months of competing, not to mention offseason training. It's a lot different than any other sport."\nGall's teammates are confident they can accomplish big things this season with her healthy. \nSophomore Kristin Whitezell is one of those teammates.\n"She is one of the most supporting and focused person I've ever met," Whitezell said. "With her, we'll accomplish great things this season."\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Corazza at rcorazza@indiana.edu.
(04/28/04 4:38am)
The IU women's club lacrosse team finished the regular season April 15 at home with a dominant 17-1 win against Taylor University. With the win, the team concluded its regular season with a 7-5 record and finished in third place in its division of the Women's Collegiate Lacrosse League. The league consists of 53 teams divided into seven divisions from the Midwest.\nIn order to make the 12-team playoff tournament, the team needed to either win its division or receive an at-large bid. Strength of schedule is also a determining factor for whether a team makes the playoffs. However, the team, which made the playoffs last year with an 8-2 mark, did not advance this year. \n"We had some key losses to Miami of Ohio and Dayton in our division kept us out of the playoffs," freshman Anne Johnson said.\nThe team traveled to Michigan and Truman State during the month of March for two different three-game series. At Michigan, the team fell to the Wolverines 11-2 and Illinois, 9-8 in overtime. Their lone win came against Ball State in the form of a 12-1 victory. \nAt Truman State, the Hoosiers defeated Washington University at St. Louis, 6-4, and then also amassed victories against Truman State in overtime, 5-4, and St. Louis,14-0.\nIn April, the team continued its road trip, traveling to both Dayton and Miami of Ohio. The team had wins over Hope College, 10-1, and Cincinnati, 8-1. They fell to Dayton, 3-2, Pittsburgh, 7-1, and Miami of Ohio, 8-3. \nThe Hoosiers were a very young team this spring season -- mostly comprised of freshmen and sophomores -- and had only one senior and one junior on the squad. They encountered many teams with more seasoned players, yet the Hoosiers did not let that get to them, sophomore captain Melissa Goepfrich said.\n"Playing against older players on other teams doesn't bother me or the team -- it doesn't faze us," she said.\nGoepfrich, along with teammate Robyn Freedman-Schnapp, led the team in points and goals scored for the Hoosiers. \nFreedman-Schnapp led the team with 11 assists and 24 goals for a total of 35 points. Goepfrich added 14 goals and eight assists to round out her point total to 22.\nThe team also participates in a fall season aimed for fun and recreation. It usually enters a tournament and play about three games. As far as next season is concerned, assistant coach Lisa Weber is hoping to retain a lot of the young team. \n"As a club sport, sometimes it's hard to keep players from year to year due to academics, sororities etc.," Weber said. "I'm hopeful everyone will come back and I think that they will." \n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Corazza at rcorazza@indiana.edu.
(04/20/04 4:40am)
Don't get me wrong, I think Dave Chappelle is a funny guy. A veteran of the comedy club circuit since the age of 15, he certainly knows how to make an audience laugh. A consistent viewer of the second season of Chappelle's widely popular Comedy Central program, "Chappelle's Show," I've laughed as hard as anybody at his parodies of Rick James, Prince, Gallagher and Lil' Jon. But as Chappelle said his final goodbye and thank you to the audience Sunday night at the IU Auditorium, I couldn't help but liken his performance to "Elimidate" or "The Fifth Wheel." There was an unhealthy amount of dirty sex talk combined with the feeling this kind of material is unoriginal and been done before.\nWithout human genitalia, sex, porn and an assortment of four-letter words, Chappelle might have had a difficult time filling out his repertoire of jokes. He talked about masturbation's contribution to society as well as his personal preferences on porn. His jokes and punch lines were at times rather hilarious, but after a few minutes of him talking about masturbation, the jokes ran stale. The sexual humor jokes also weren't very original. Many comics use these as their 'bit,' and I can't help but think Chappelle just overused them. Vulgarity and sexual humor are used on his show but work better in this arena because they are curtailed by the network executives and the Federal Communications Commission. Working within the confined space of what's appropriate for cable, Chappelle doesn't dwell for an extended period of time on these subjects like he did Sunday night.\nHe did digress from these subjects, and this is where he shined. When Chappelle brought up his thoughts on the war with Iraq, he quipped, "I started to protest the war, but then I saw what happened to those Dixie Chicks. If all that happened to three white girls, I thought 'they'll tear my black ass apart.'" He also made mention of the Elizabeth Smart abduction, gave his thoughts on Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," and told of his apparent encounter with Native Americans in New Mexico and Michael Jackson's current situation. Most of these subjects were attacked with what Chappelle does bes -- a blend of racial humor that can be borderline offensive. \n"I heard on the news that we made progress in Iraq because we changed their money. Saddam Hussein is no longer on their money. Our money should be like that. Right now it's like baseball cards for slave owners. All we got is Lincoln on the fives, fives and pennies for everyone," he said. "How can George Washington write in the Constitution 'All men are created equal' when he's asking his slave to get him a sandwich?"\nAnother thing that makes Chappelle's somewhat racially-charged humor work is his delivery. He does an excellent job of changing his tone and inflection to get a laugh. There is something about when the way he raises his voice that is just, well -- downright hilarious. The highlight of the night was his encore. The house lights were turned on and the audience got up to leave, but as soon as everyone was standing, Chappelle reappeared. He didn't seem to come out with too much set material. Instead, he played off the audience, which was yelling catch phrases from the show, such as Lil' Jon's "Whhhaaaat" and "Okaaaay." \nChappelle told the audience to stop using his own jokes against him and tried to put those members of the audience in their place. Of the set material he did have were some 'your momma' jokes that again incorporated some sexual humor. Perhaps, Chappelle summed up my feelings best when he said, "I know these jokes are corny, but they're just so funny"
(04/14/04 4:34am)
Volunteers and community leaders were honored Monday at the Student Recreational Sports Association annual honors banquet. As it has every year since 1975, the SRSA held the event Monday in the Tudor Room of the Indiana Memorial Union. The members were treated to dinner at 6 p.m., and the awards ceremony followed at 7 p.m. \nThe SRSA handed out close to 50 awards and scholarships spanning its entire department. Employee awards were handed out in aquatics, facility support, fitness and wellness, informal sports, intramural sports and member services.\nOne of the biggest awards of the night, the Jill Behrman Emerging Leader Scholarship, was handed out by Behrman's parents, Eric and Marilyn. This is the fourth year the scholarship has been awarded and only the second time it has been awarded to two recipients. \nThe Behrmans review all the applications for the award and give their input to the committee that eventually decides the winner. \n"I am amazed at how many things the students are involved with through SRSA on top of all their schoolwork, jobs, etc.," Marilyn Behrman said. \nThis year's recipients of the $1,000 scholarship were sophomore Ryan Hunley and senior Stacy Dixon.\n"I was really surprised because others involved in the SRSA were more deserving, but I'm really gracious for the award," Hunley said.\nThe SRSA also awarded Amanda Sater with the Wildermuth Recreational Sports Scholarship. She also received the Richard F. Mull Scholarship for her work in aquatics. \nAnother two-time winner was Lauren Conley. She was named the Marketing and Sponsoring Volunteer of the Year and the Intramural Head Official of the Year, while Corey Bitzer was given the award for Female Intramural Athlete of the Year. \nJennifer Wood was named the Female Athlete of the Year and Outstanding Senior Leader through her play in club sports. \nRecreational Sports director Kathy Bayless presided over many of the festivities Monday night. \n"It's amazing to watch these individuals grow and change from their involvement freshman year to senior year," Bayless said. "It's a real win-win situation for us. This night is all about non-stop good news.\n"Whoever gets these kids (out in the workforce), I hope they understand what type of truly extraordinary kids they are getting," Bayless said.\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Corazza at rcorazza@indiana.edu
(04/07/04 5:13am)
Out on the Student Recreational Sports Center's tennis courts this spring, you won't find the Williams sisters, Anna Kournikova or Andy Roddick. Instead, members of the IU tennis club will be out on the courts polishing their skills. \nOne of those members is club Vice President Jon Lamb. Lamb said if you like tennis, the club offers a great value.\n"The courts at the tennis center cost $20 an hour to rent," Lamb said. "We play at the courts four times a week for an hour-and-a-half in the winter. So the cost to join the club definitely makes sense to pay if you like tennis. It's a great deal." \nThe club is open to any student or faculty members, as well as people not associated with the University. It offers two free visits at the practices to prospective members to see what the club has to offer. All sorts of skill levels are represented on the team and are invited to join.\nThe club is rather diverse. It boasts members from India, Ukraine, Pakistan, Russia, France, Korea and Italy. The team started traveling about four or five years ago. Each semester, the club schedules around six to seven matches. Next year the club plans to go to the National Collegiate Club Tournament, club President Neville Batiwalla said. \n"So far, we have gone to Ohio University, University of Kentucky and have participated in the Midwest Regional at the University of Wisconsin-Madison," Batiwalla said. \nAs far as matches at home, the club has played host to Northwestern and Miami of Ohio. \n"It's fun when we invite another team to come play us because after our matches, we'll hang out and socialize with the other teams," said Vice-President Brian Wilson. \nThis semester, the club tennis team consists of approximately 65 active members. This is up from the fall when they had around 55. To join, the club charges $50 for one semester or $90 for the entire academic year. \nThe club also offers a summer session, which will cost $25. These dues cover the cost of balls, matches, practices, drills and travel. Fundraising programs, such as selling T-shirts, has also been a way of financing the team. \nIn addition, the University also supports the club with cash and supplies it with indoor court times during the winter at the IU Tennis Center. At the center, practices are usually held from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night. In the fall and the spring, the team practices from 4 to 6 p.m. every day at the SRSC tennis courts.\nThe tennis club is also a great way to get in shape, said Batiwalla. \n"It's a great cardiovascular workout, and the sport can even make you smarter with the strategy involved," Batiwalla said. \nFor more information about the IU tennis club, visit its Web site at http://mypage.iu.edu/~iutennis/ or contact them through e-mail at iutennis@indiana.edu.\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Corazza at rcorazza@indiana.edu.
(03/31/04 5:37am)
Here in Hoosier country, IU students are traditionally used to successful sports teams on the basketball court or the soccer field. But a sport with much more popularity on the east coast -- lacrosse -- has recently made a name for itself in the Midwest.\nThe IU men's club lacrosse team received a No. 19 ranking in United States Lacrosse Men's Division Intercollegiate Associates third edition of its top-25 poll. After an impressive 8-6 victory over then-No. 8 University of Florida, IU received enough votes to receive its No. 19 ranking.\nIn addition to its victory over Florida, IU has posted wins against Iowa, Washington University, Purdue, LSU and Oakland University. The Hoosiers' sole loss came at the hands of No. 10 Florida State in a 13-8 loss. \nTo what do the team and coaches attribute all this success?\n"I think past IU lacrosse teams have had talented players, but this team has meshed well together and become a real talented team," said defensive coach Will Knight.\nThe Hoosiers have received help on the offensive end from an abundance of talented freshmen. Midfielders Jason Bowman and Brian Vogel, along with attacker Matt Hof, are among the top point leaders on the team. Attacker Chris McManus is the points leader on the squad. In a recent 12-6 home victory over Oakland University, McManus had seven goals and two assists for a total of nine points. \nSenior captains Brett Aprati and Jon Hatton have also contributed on the offensive end for the Hoosiers.\n"It was a goal of ours to be ranked since the beginning of the season," said coach Jeff Robertson. "The team has put in a lot of hard work, and it's paid off. "Overall, our defense has been real solid, and the freshmen up front have really helped out." \nSenior captain Brian Adams is a leader for the Hoosiers on defense, said freshman Matt Hof. \n"Adams is our anchor -- the focal point of our defensive family," Hof said. \nSophomores Chris Kunkel and Pete Moor aid in keeping opponents away from the net. Lacrosse games are usually very high-scoring. IU has kept all but one of its challengers under 10 goals, with the exception being 13 against Florida State. \nSenior goalie Steve Brown has also shown solid play guarding the goal. In IU's victory over LSU, he posted a shutout, a rarity in the sport. So rare, in fact, that it was Brown's first shutout in the 11 years he has been playing lacrosse.\nUp next for the team is a trip to Kalamazoo, Mich., to play Western Michigan Friday. The following weekend it will travel to Oxford, Ohio, to play the No. 21 Redhawks of Miami-Ohio and will also compete against No. 5 Michigan. \n"Michigan will definitely be our toughest test of the year. We are going to need an all-around game in order to beat them," Brown said. \nBrown and some other teammates have also donated their time Monday through Thursday nights to teach the basics of lacrosse to high school students. They have started a combined Bloomington North and South High School lacrosse team, which will play its debut game this weekend in Indianapolis. \nAs far as the post-season is concerned, to make the final USL-MIDA 16-team national championship tournament, IU will need to win its Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association conference tournament or receive an at-large bid.\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Corazza at \nrcorazza@indiana.edu.
(03/24/04 4:32am)
Seniors Mandy Madden and Erin Sparks have had their plates full at IU for the past four years. \nTake Madden for instance: she has refereed for intramural basketball and flag football, as well as indoor and outdoor soccer. At one point, she was the Fitness/Wellness Strength and Conditioning Consultant at the Student Recreational Sports Center and the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. She has been the intramural supervisor since her freshman year. She is currently an intramural head official for soccer, informal head supervisor at the HPER, an hourly office service assistant for member services at the Division of Recreational Sports and is IU's first-ever undergraduate assistant for intramural sports. \nOn top of all this, she also has found time to be a member of the IU women's club soccer team for three years. \nSparks is equally busy. She is the president of the Student Recreational Sports Association and, for the past two years, has been club sports director for Spirit of Sport. She is the co-founder of the swim club and has been vice president of it for two years. She has been a writer for Recreational Sports' Get Away magazine and is the president for the advisory council for aquatics/informal sports/equipment operations through the Division of Recreational Sports.\nSo what has all this time-consuming involvement in intramurals and recreational sports led to for these two students?\nThey are both recent recipients of this year's William N. Wasson Student Leadership and Academic Award. This award is handed out annually by the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association to 24 undergraduate students and 12 graduate students throughout the country. According to NIRSA's Web site, the purpose of this award is to nationally recognize outstanding students who are active participants of, volunteers for and/or employed by the Department of Recreational Sports on NIRSA Institutional Member campuses. Some other qualifications for the award include maintaining a GPA of 2.75 or better and having volunteered on campus or in the community.\nBoth Madden and Sparks were thrilled to receive the award.\n"This is a big honor for me. After everything I've done the past four years, it's great to see I'm being recognized for all of it," Madden said.\nSparks said she felt honored as well.\n"It's exciting because I know this is a very prestigious award through NIRSA," Sparks said.\nBoth girls were nominated by employees at IU who were instructed to write an essay of no more than 800 words about the person they were nominating. NIRSA splits the country into regions, and four undergraduates from each region are selected for the award. \nHaving two students win from the same school is very rare. Sparks and Madden will be honored, along with IU, at the Opening General Session of the NIRSA Annual Conference & Recreational Sports Exposition to be held in April in Albuquerque, N.M.\nStacy Hall-Yannessa, director of Intramural and Club Sports, nominated Madden. \n"I knew that Mandy would be a great candidate for this award because she has experience in many areas of recreational sports, which is unusual," said Hall-Yannessa.\nKathy Bayless, director of Campus Recreational Sports and assistant dean of the HPER, has worked with and witnessed Sparks' daily involvement in her endeavors. She feels Sparks has a real dedication to "non-athletes," those who may not be as competitive or skilled. She continually provides them with proper programming, services and facilities. \n"Erin is one of those individuals who has been totally engaged and committed to serving students and finding ways to improve the quality of their experience in recreational sports," Bayless said.\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Corazza at rcoroazza@indiana.edu.
(03/03/04 4:23am)
For the fourth straight year, the IU Tae Kwon Do club is gearing up for its own tournament. The competition starts at 12 p.m. Saturday. Club teams from DePauw, IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, University of Wisconsin-Madison and two club teams from Purdue are all scheduled to compete. \nAlso, black belts who have graduated from IU are invited to come back and participate in the festivities. \n"Before, we only invited Purdue and DePauw to compete and hang out with us," club instructor Randy Wilson said. "Then we decided to invite more clubs, and this year will showcase the largest amount of competitors we have ever had." \nThe tournament will be two-fold. The first event in the program is a forms competition.\n"Forms competition involves a sequence of planned skilled moves, whether it be a block, punch, kick, evasion move or counter move, that are put together in a specific pattern. The higher the rank (belt color) the harder, longer and more intricate the moves are," club president Theresa Conway said. \nSecond, there will be a sparring competition. Sparring consists of two opponents combating each other. To score a point, one must get a clean kick or punch in above the waist of their opponent. In the lower divisions, kicks to the head will not be allowed. All other divisions are instructed to use light head contact. \nIn Olympic Tae Kwon Do -- which just became an Olympic sport in 2000 -- as well as state, regional, national and international levels of competition, hard contact is commonplace. At the tournament this weekend, this will not be allowed. \nTheresa Conway said the tournament will be safe and feature friendly competition.\n"We want to make first-timers as well as everyone else less nervous for their individual performance," Conway said.\nClub instructor Tom Heitger said he agrees because, for beginners, this tournament won't be intimidating or threatening.. \n"The point of the tournament is to promote intercollegiate interaction for now and the future," Heitger said. "Another perk of the tournament is the low price. The fee is only $15." \nAt most tournaments, competitors can expect to pay $50 to enter and even more money for each additional event, Heitger said. \nIn between the forms and sparring, club instructors Wilson and Jim Thomas will be giving a demonstration. Thomas will be showcasing Hapkido self-defense techniques. Hapkido is a type of self defense that teaches how to defend oneself against opponents armed with guns and multiple opponents who are armed with weapons. \nAfter that demonstration, Wilson will be doing a sequence of board breaks using kicks. He will then finish with brick breaks with his hand.\nJunior black belt Lauren Burch sums up what the tournament stands for.\n"This tournament stresses having fun and challenging yourself to see how well you can do as an individual," Burch said.\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Corazza at rcorazza@indiana.edu.