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(07/30/09 12:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For IU Athletics Director Fred Glass, football’s success is about more than winning and going to bowl games.“It drives everything else,” Glass said. “The reason IU is last in the Big Ten in terms of how much money we have to spend per sport is because we don’t fill Memorial Stadium. Getting football right is not only important for football’s sake, but it’s important for the entire department.”Glass spoke to members of the media Monday during the Big Ten Football Media Days about how he plans to do exactly that – fill the seats at The Rock.The biggest part of the plan, known as the North End Zone project, has been under construction since July 13, 2007, and was first developed by former IU president Adam Herbert, whose tenure ended in July 2008, and former athletics director Rick Greenspan before his resignation at the end of 2008.“It’s very exciting, but I can’t really take much credit for that,” Glass said. “I inherited all of it.”That doesn’t mean Glass has not taken the project under his wing. The project has been on schedule and is set for its debut Oct. 3 when the Hoosiers play Ohio State, Glass said.Along with extra seating, the North End Zone will house a 25,000-square-foot strength and conditioning facility (the biggest of its kind in the country) and a 22,000-square-foot academic advisement center for student-athletes. The Hall of Champions, a banquet area designed to attract corporations to the stadium, is another aspect of the North End Zone Project. The 425 seats in the area have already been sold-out for IU’s six home games this season.“We’re trying not to rest on our laurels though,” Glass said, expressing his worry that the new development would look like a “finely cut diamond on the end of a worn-out cigar band.” “Since I’ve been the athletic director, we’ve embarked upon spending close to $3 million to really upgrade the balance of the stadium so we can really live up to our promise that this is a new stadium.”In keeping with this strategy, Glass announced several other changes to Memorial Stadium in order to draw fans and recruits, including a new state-of-the-art sound system, repainting the stadium, the creation of a replica field in the South End Zone to be known as Knothole Park and other developmental changes.These changes, Glass said, will aim to give fans a “college experience” and create a sense of ownership for members of the IU community of their field. Glass said he tells his staff to “think Little 500” when it comes to the environment at Memorial Stadium.“It should be and needs to be even more of a collegiate experience,” Glass said. “We’re going to really work on that.”One example of this is Glass’ plan to allow greek organizations, dorms or other student organizations the opportunity to place their letters or symbol in the Knothole Park area should they purchase a certain number of tickets for the games.Glass admitted the best thing for filling the seats at The Rock is winning, and he said he hopes the team will get there soon and there is a sense of urgency in that department. However, he also said he knows he and his staff can help the situation.“I’m not going to sit back and accept that we, as administrators, can’t do anything to help drive attendance absent of consistent winning on the field,” he said.IU football coach Bill Lynch said his team could directly benefit from the new stadium perks.“We look at what’s inside that we’re going to use on a daily basis,” Lynch said. “What that’s going to do for our kids is unbelievable.”Lynch said he hopes the “wow factor” created by the new facility and the different stadium atmosphere will draw fans and help create more of a home-field advantage than his team has had in the past.“I guarantee, if you talk to our football players, they want to run out there in front of a big crowd,” he said. “They want to run out there in front of a group that’s involved and into it. I think everything that goes with it is important. They’re going to play better that way.”A strong home-field atmosphere is also important for recruiting, Lynch said.“You want to bring people into an environment where they want to come play,” he said. “You don’t want to bring them into an environment that’s stale and they’re thinking, ‘That’s not where I want to go play football.’”Students looking to experience these changes will not have to dig deep into their pockets. Like several basketball games during the last season, IU football game tickets for students will be $5, with another plan to allow friends of students from other universities to reap the benefits of the program as well, with a student ID.“This is college,” Glass said. “This is bands. This is cheerleaders. College kids being wacky. Let’s get them engaged and create an atmosphere that makes them want to come to the games.”Glass admitted some of the plans he has are risky, but he said it is a risk worth taking.“There will be some flops, but I’d much rather have a couple flops and be sort of out there than be way into our comfort zone and not doing the kind of things that I think really make a difference,” he said.
(07/29/09 9:55pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mark Deal will, like many, remember Jim Johnson, the former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator who passed away Tuesday at the age of 68.“He was kind of gruff on the outside, but you knew he really cared about you on the inside,” Deal, a member of the IU athletics staff, said. “He would kind of give you a little wry smile underneath his moustache.” Johnson had IU ties. He was the linebacker coach under Lee Corso from 1973-76. After that, he went to Notre Dame and led them to a national championship in 1977.Deal, a center on IU’s football squad during Johnson’s time at IU, knew him well, despite the fact that he coached players on the other side of the ball. As Deal said, “you’re close with all of the assistant coaches you play for.”Deal worked closely with the players Johnson coached. As a center defending the 4-3 defense IU ran at the time, he had to. And Johnson was never quiet about letting players know when they put up a good block against his linebacking corps.“If you did something good against the linebackers, he appreciated that as a coach,” Deal said. “Instead of screaming at his guys and being mad at them, he would compliment me on my play. He would take the time to compliment someone in another position if they did a good job.”Deal went on to coach at Wabash College after his time at IU. When he would come to recruit in South Bend, he would visit with Johnson, who was still coaching at Notre Dame at the time.“He was the best friend in the world to have ... Just like all of the staff was at that time,” Deal said. “That whole staff was like that.”Deal and Johnson remained close as Johnson made the transition to professional football coaching. At the NFL combines every year in Indianapolis, they would go out nearly every night after workouts and catch up with each other.“It was always, ‘Hey, how’s your family?’” Deal said. “He just was such a warm guy. That part of it was really neat. It was just a good relationship.”Johnson was the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles until a few days before his death, and, under him, the Eagles were ranked second in the league in sacks from 2000-08. He manufactured 26 Pro Bowl players and helped lead the Eagles to seven playoff contentions during his 10-year tenure.In 2001, he was diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Then, in January, he announced a tumor was the cause of back pain that kept him off the field during two playoff games in the 2001-02 season.Deal spoke with some of the other coaches who had been in contact with him, and they said he was fighting the cancer and doing well.“That’s why this was kind of a shock,” Deal said. “He was planning on coming back.”Still, there were signs that all was not well. Deal began to suspect there was a complication when the Eagles announced on July 24 that Scott McDermott, former coach of the Eagles’ secondary, would take over Johnson’s position.“You knew something was wrong then,” Deal said. “That wouldn’t be coach Johnson. If he was healthy enough, he was going to be out there, for sure.”As Deal suspected, all was not well. Just days after the decision was made, Johnson passed away.Deal, unlike many, will not remember Johnson most for his time in the NFL.Still, he will remember him as a coach.“It’s a sad day for, obviously, the NFL, and it’s a sad day for IU because he was one of IU’s great assistant coaches,” Deal said. “No doubt about it.”For more information, read Monday's IDS.
(06/07/09 11:35pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>CHICAGO – A goal in the first five minutes of the U.S. Men’s National Team’s last contest against Costa Rica on June 3 was a dagger to the heart. But an early deficit in its matchup against Honduras on Saturday sparked the relentlessly aggressive U.S. team and launched it to a 2-1 victory.After giving up an early goal in its match against Honduras on June 6 at Soldier Field, the United States came back firing, keeping the ball in its attacking third for a good part of the second half and keeping the pressure on Honduras to force costly mistakes.“The most important thing for us was the response of the team after giving up the first goal,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “It showed a great deal about what these guys are all about. From that standpoint, it’s an important step for us as we keep on moving forward.”After the first goal of the match, struck by Carlos Costly and assisted by Wilson Palacios of Honduras, the team immediately went on the offensive.“It was a little bit of ‘Crap, here we go again,’” U.S. team captain Carlos Bocanegra said. “I think it was a good response by the team. We responded and showed fight.”The United States kept up the attack, and after a handball by Mario Beata of Honduras in the U.S. box in the 42nd minute, the United States got on the scoreboard thanks to a penalty kick by Landon Donovan.Bradley said Donovan’s contributions have been invaluable, and the team performs much better when he is active and constantly pushing the ball forward, as he did in the Honduras match.The United States came out strong in the second half by keeping the pressure on and forcing the ball into its attacking third through grit and scrappy play. The efforts won the team a corner kick. As the corner sailed past the Honduras line, U.S. midfielder Clint Dempsey made an attempt at goal, sending the ball on a low dribble across the grass, feet from Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares. Amid the confusion and mass of bodies, Bocanegra, with a head-first dive, cemented the U.S. lead, thrusting the ball forward into the right corner of the net with a header.“Clint did really well at the back post to just keep it alive,” Bocanegra said. “I was just there.”However, the Hondurans showed some spirit as well, coming close to scoring on several occasions during the second half.U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard proved to be too much for Honduras, though, as he prevented shots and directed his team’s defense toward the victory. His save in the 89th minute marked the last time the ball would enter his team’s defensive third via Honduran attack.The crowd of 55,647 – the second-largest ever for a U.S. team World Cup qualifier – was a sea of blue and white Honduran fans with red-wearing U.S. fans sprinkled among them. Despite the hostile, almost away-game setting, members of the U.S. team seemed unfazed and went about their business on the field. Bradley admitted the climate might have disrupted some of the players but said his team has been taught to control only what it can control and leave outside factors out of the game.“I’m sure it goes through some of the players’ heads,” Bradley said. “But, then again, it’s a packed stadium. It is what it is.”The team was proud of its ability to bounce back after a tough loss in Costa Rica.But, Bradley said the team needs to work on its play early in games and also on its road mentality.“There is work to be done,” Bradley said. “There are things that need to get better. “It’s very simple – you have to take care of your business at home, find ways to win some games away and know how in other moments to take a point away. We have to improve in terms of our mentality when we go away.”Howard said the team is right where it needs to be in terms of its second-place position in its qualifying group standings. He said the team’s best soccer is still ahead as the it moves into the second half of the qualification schedule. However, he also said claiming the first position in the group is the team’s goal, and the players would not be pleased with themselves should they not take that spot.“We’re still second, and we haven’t even yet reached our potential,” Howard said. “I’m happy, but not content.”
(06/07/09 3:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>CHICAGO - A goal in the first five minutes was a dagger in the United
States Men's National Team's last contest. This time around, however,
it turned into a spark.
After giving up an early goal in their match against Honduras Saturday
evening at Soldier Field, the US came back firing, keeping the ball in
their attacking third for a good part of the second half, keeping the
pressure on Honduras and forcing them into costly mistakes.
After the first goal of the match, struck by Carols Costly and assisted
by Wilson Palacios of Honduras, the team immediately went on the
offensive.
The US kept up the attack, and after a handball by Mario Beata of
Honduras in the box, they got on the scoreboard thanks to a penalty
kick by Landon Donovan.
The US came out strong in the second half by keeping the pressure on
and forcing the ball into their attacking third through grit and
scrappy play. Their efforts led to a corner kick.
As the corner came across the Honduras goal, Clint Dempsey made an
attempt at goal, sending the ball on a low dribble across the grass
feet from Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares. Amidst the confusion and
mass of bodies, US captain Carlos Bocanegra, with a head-first dive,
cemented the US lead, thrusting the ball forward into the right corner
of the net with a headder.
However, the Hondurans showed some scrap, as well, coming close to
scoring on several occasions during the second half. US goalkeeper Tim
Howard proved to be too much for them, though, as he prevented shots
and directed his team's defense toward the victory. His save in the
89th minute marked the last time the ball would enter his team's
defensive third via a Honduran attack.
The crowd of 55,647 present, the second-largest for a US team World Cup
Qualifier ever, was a sea of blue and white Honduran fans with
read-wearing US fans sprinkled among them. Despite the hostile, almost
away-like setting, the members of the US team kept their cool and
delivered.
The team was proud of its ability to bounce back after a tough loss in Costa Rica.
(06/07/09 1:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>CHICAGO - A goal within the first five minutes of play by Honduras and a penalty kick goal by Landon Donovan in the 43rd minute has the United States Men's National Team tied with Honduras 1-1 at halftime at Soldier Field.The early goal, struck by Carlos Costly and assisted by Wilson Palacios, put the US down from the beginning and on the attack. Despite several chances and keeping the ball on their side of the pitch for most of the half, the US could not muster a goal against the defense of the Hondurans during the first 42 minutes of play.Conor Casey of the US got a yellow card in the 20th minute of play and also missed an open shot at goal in the 21st off of a cross into the box. The US got another chance at a point in the 31st minute, but a diving stab by Honduran goalie Noel Valladares blocked the cross attempt by Jonathan Spector of the US and sent the ball forward once again.Then, a handball, courtesy of Mario Beata of Honduras, gave the US a penalty kick. Donovan capitalized, and the score was once again deadlocked.Keep checking idsnews.com for more updates.
(05/18/09 12:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With a spark in his eyes, a grin on his face and a confident tone in his voice, IU coach Tom Crean looked every bit like a man excited for the future of his program.Crean spoke to the media Thursday about recruitment, offseason training and what the program is doing to prepare for next season. Crean said Assembly Hall has an odd feel to it without the rest of the Hoosiers. The team is on what he called a “well-deserved” break to see their families and friends back home before coming back to Bloomington.“It’s really different not having the players here right now,” Crean said. “It’s an empty feeling in the sense of you don’t see many guys buzzing around the gym and things of that nature.”Crean said training is far better, and the team’s preparation last year was “not even in the same stratosphere” as this season’s is planned to be. Crean said he plans to put his players “on an island” so they can prove themselves individually. He said drills such as one-on-one matchups will help his players when it comes to “playing with a real purpose.” He said he wants his team to play hard on both ends of the court and work on the “absolutes” the Hoosiers need to succeed.“That’s hard to get, but that’s what we’ve challenged them to do as they go home,” Crean said. “Hopefully, that’s going to happen for them.”He said he is looking for increased competition in the roster as new players begin to mesh with old blood. He said he feels excited about the possibility of teammates pushing each other as they compete for minutes.“If a couple guys have some anxiety as time goes on about where they stand, that means we’re getting competitive,” he said.Improvement will be a necessity for the whole team as what Crean called the “minutes by default” end and competition for minutes begins. Crean is betting the competitiveness of his roster will encourage player development.“No better way to have that happen than to know you have someone sitting next to you who’s pretty good as well,” Crean said.He sees no excuses for his players not improving in the offseason.“We won six games,” Crean said of the 2008-09 season. “We’re not coming off a 25-win season. There’s no reason for anyone in this program to do anything but get better.”In a perfect world, Crean said all of his players would rise to the occasion and face their challenges in a positive way. He said that would create a stronger, more capable team with a chip on its shoulder that looks to prove doubters wrong.But this is not a perfect world; there will be bumps in the road.Still, Crean said he believes there will be some who decide to step up and take the reins for the young Hoosiers.“You can’t get anything great without tremendous competition, and that’s where your leaders come out,” Crean said.The coaching staff has also been put to work. On Thursday, they began studying film of games from Michigan State and Purdue and will continue to move through the Big Ten ranks and also take a look at other non-conference opponents.Despite the rigor of his job, Crean said he loves what he does and can’t wait for the fall.“It’s a great responsibility, but it’s a lot of fun to do it in Indiana,” Crean said.The Crean recruitment planCrean also talked about recruitment and the changes that have occurred. Recruiting, he said, is starting at a much younger age.“Once they become seventh graders, they’re prospects now, which is mind blowing,” Crean said.Crean said getting to those young players is ever more crucial as high school freshmen begin to have lists of what programs they want to play for and get offers even at their young age. Visibility, both as a university and as a program, must be rebuilt if IU basketball is to return to its former prominence.“If you’re not there, they know it,” Crean said.That is why Crean had many unofficial visits this year, with possibly more than 286 tickets going toward visitors seeing games.“I saw this year by far a larger number of younger players than I’ve ever seen as a head coach or an assistant,” Crean said. “I think that’s all part of what we have to do here right now.”There are three qualities Crean said he is looking for in a recruit: talent, athleticism and intelligence when it comes to the game.“The intelligence part has really got to be there,” he said. “You can be extremely athletic, you can be extremely talented, but if you don’t have a feel for the game and your basketball IQ isn’t coming forth, then you’re going to level off at some point.”Crean said there are two times he wants to watch a prospect play: a rivalry game and a game his team is supposed to win by a large margin. He likes to be able to watch the player from all angles, be it opposite or behind the bench, to see how the recruit interacts with his teammates and everyone associated with the team.It’s about more than basketball for Crean. He said he wants to get the full picture of what a recruit is like.“When you can really lock into somebody and talk to the teachers, the counselor, the janitors, the people in the lunchroom, I think that’s invaluable,” Crean said. “I think every recruit, you build a case study on. We’ve got to find out if this is a marriage. It’s a two-way street.”
(05/17/09 11:54pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Kyrie Irving is your everyday high school kid.“I live a normal life,” Irving said. “I’m a normal kid, just playing basketball.”However, “just playing basketball” has put Irving in a place most normal kids dream of.A five-star recruit ranked 21st in the nation, Irving has placed the Hoosiers among the top schools he is considering attending in the fall of 2010. A student at St. Patrick High School in New Jersey, Irving said he likes to have fun and keep the attitude light on and off the court.“I like to get loose and joke around with the guys,” he said. “I like to have fun.”Irving is interested in IU’s journalism program, which is one of the top programs in the country. He said he loves to write, but is unsure of what type of journalism he would focus on.Irving played in front of nearly 2,000 people at Assembly Hall on Saturday in a matchup against IU commit for the class of 2011 Matt Carlino during the adidas May Classic. He said he enjoyed the Classic thoroughly and the atmosphere was astounding.“The fan support is great,” he said. “The gym is just tremendous. ... I love every moment of it.”Another reason Irving is considering IU is the personality of IU coach Tom Crean.“He’s so energetic and so uplifting,” Irving said. “He just makes me feel good every time I talk to him on the phone and is always doing something productive for his team or for his family. I just love him as a coach.”Irving said his ability to “make everybody better” is his best on-the-court quality, and it showed in his game against Carlino. The recruit’s passing and his ability to lead his teammates to victory despite trailing early in that game showed the young man’s poise and strength as a floor general.Irving knows he has room to improve. He said his strength and midrange game are the areas he is looking to get better in during the upcoming season. Irving attributes his success in his sport to his father’s guidance.“Since I was in third grade, just working with him every day,” Irving said. “The reason why I am the way I am today and the type of man I am today is because of my father.”Irving has many fond memories, including playing one-on-one with his father, whom he couldn’t beat in a game until the 10th grade.“We used to have battles,” Irving said. “He used to beat me a lot, but it just made me stronger as a person and as a basketball player.”Irving said he would see himself as a point guard and “impact player” if he came to IU.He said he would do his best to “take the ball to the hoop” and use his poise and leadership ability to “bring IU back to the top.”
(05/17/09 11:52pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Dominique Ferguson is a quiet young man.His game is anything but.Ferguson began his first game of the adidas May Classic on Friday with a 3-pointer. He then took the ball in for an alley-oop slam later in the game. Ferguson posted up and took the ball from the 3-point line, showing he is the complete package when it comes to offense and defense. Ferguson said he is a different man when he takes to the hardwood.“On the court, I’m more intense, a little more energetic and a little more active,” he said. “Off the court, I’m quiet a lot. It depends on if I know you or not.”Versatility and his ability to create mismatches, Ferguson said, are the reasons he thinks IU coach Tom Crean began recruiting him. He said offensive rebounding and his ability to switch it up have made him the top-10 recruit that he is.“I can go inside or outside,” Ferguson said. “If someone small wants to guard me on the wing, I can take it to the post. If somebody big wants to guard me, I can take it to the wing.”Ferguson said he has been thinking of going to IU for perhaps the longest that he’s been thinking of going to any school, he said. Since his freshman year, IU has been on the list. Crean’s efforts have also helped IU’s cause, in Ferguson’s opinion. He said Crean has been recruiting him harder than any other program.“I think of him highly,” Ferguson said. “Every coach that you talk to will say the same thing to you. When I talk to Crean ... I feel comfortable talking to him.”Being a highly touted recruit does not come without its challenges, Ferguson said. He said he has had trouble staying close to friends who do not understand his love for the game.“People that don’t realize what my goals are in life and what I actually want to do, take it to the next level, I can’t hang out with them every night,” Ferguson said. “So keeping friends (is a problem).”Ferguson said his parents are the biggest influences in his life.“My dad played college ball,” he said. “He didn’t necessarily make it. My mom is kind of a single parent. She’s taking care of my little sisters by herself, so it’s motivation to want to go harder and makes me want to get to the next level more.”Ferguson goes to Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. Its proximity to IU gives the University an edge when it comes to recruitment, Ferguson said.“The first thing that comes to my mind is that my whole family could come to all the home games,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind going far away, but I also think it would be a big plus just to stay here.”
(05/14/09 5:01pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU basketball coach Tom Crean spoke to the media today regarding recruitment, off-season training and what the program is doing to prepare for next year Thursday.Crean said training this year is far better than last year and that their preparation last year is “not even in the same stratosphere" as this year's is.“We have a very good off-season program,” Crean said.He said points he hopes to emphasize this off season are strength and conditioning, shooting and defense when the players take to the gym on their own time.Crean is not allowed to be involved in the players’ workouts, but the strength and conditioning coach and trainer are allowed to provide advice and insight. Crean is also allowed to speak with players if they come to him.Crean also talked about recruitment and the changes that have taken place in regards to that aspect of college basketball. Recruiting, he said, is starting at younger and younger ages.“Once they become seventh graders, they’re prospects now, which is mind-blowing,” Crean said.As for off-season preparation for the 2009-2010 season, Crean said they started looking at game film today for Michigan State and Purdue and will continue to look at Big Ten teams and other opponents in the near future.Crean and his staff are now in the of making IU basketball into a program worthy of watching, and it starts with off-season recruiting as well as development of the program’s current players.“Our visibility has got to be strong,” Crean said. “It has to be really strong.”
(05/11/09 12:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Former Justice of the High Court of Australia Michael Kirby’s commencement speech fell on deaf ears Saturday, some members of the graduating class said, while others lauded his efforts and bravery to discuss his homosexuality on stage.“I didn’t care for the subject matter,” graduate Alicia Christie said. “I just didn’t think it was appropriate for the occasion. I listened to the whole thing, and I don’t know what the overall message was.”Although a Christian conservative, Christie said Kirby’s homosexuality did not lead her to disapprove of the speech. She said she found some good in what Kirby was trying to say and thought his personal story was powerful. She said he did well telling what IU has done for the world and showing his pride to be on stage in front of the 2009 graduates.“I admire that he was standing up in front of thousands of people and saying things that people really struggle with,” she said. “But he spent too much time talking about himself and how he admired Kinsey and how he admired Herman Wells rather than saying, ‘And here’s how this could be applied to you as college graduates.’”Sean Bullman, a student graduating for the second time from IU, said this and last year’s speeches were subpar. He said the message conveyed by Kirby was not appropriate for a graduation commencement speech, and while he was not offended by the message, he did disagree with its delivery.“His message has a time and a place,” Bullman said. “The time and place was not (Saturday). He did not do what he was supposed to do up there.”Christie and Bullman said they respected Kirby despite their opinions on his message.“He definitely deserves the acknowledgement that he got,” Christie said.Earlier in the year, IU President Michael McRobbie made a decision to remove student input from the decision of who would speak at commencement.IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre gave reasoning for this decision in an April 17 Indiana Daily Student article.“They don’t get to decide who gets the degree,” MacIntyre said, “just like they have no input in who graduates, either. There are some things that are probably not appropriate for student input.”Christie said she thinks the students should have a say in whom their commencement speaker is and that some of her friends felt the decision was slightly dictatorial.“I know that the people that I know just thought McRobbie called up a friend of his and said, ‘Hey, you want to speak at a commencement ceremony?’” she said.Bullman had a different opinion, however. He said he believes the choice of who should speak at commencement is an easy enough decision and that it does not require student input if the choice was focused on what the students want. But he said if there were some moderation of what the speaker has to say in some way, it would be better. “It’s not that complicated,” Bullman said. “It seems like a really simple thing, but I guess they’re not good at doing both of those things.”
(04/27/09 3:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As Caroline Brown of Pi Beta Phi sprinted down the home stretch in Friday’s women’s Little 500 race, teammate Liz Mackey said she had confidence in Brown.“I just knew she’d pull to the front and win the race for us,” Mackey said.She did. Pi Beta Phi won the race by about a bike length, and the hysteria began.The Pi Beta Phi sisters and fans jumped the fence by their pit and rushed onto the track. They cheered. They wept. And they danced around the track on their team’s victory lap, the first ever for Pi Beta Phi.Brown, who rode more than 70 of the 100 laps during the race, said the final sprint was similar to Miss ’N Out, a spring series event that tests the sprinting skills of riders. “You just make your move when you think it’s right,” Brown said. “I did it in the fourth turn and just gunned it for all I had. You don’t want to go through that line thinking you had more.”As the Pi Beta Phi chants echoed across Bill Armstrong Stadium, riders from other teams praised Pi Beta Phi for what they called a surprising performance. While the sorority qualified sixth in the race, favorites such as quals winner Teter and spring series winner Kappa Alpha Theta received the majority of the attention on race day.“They were under the radar, so no one was really expecting to watch for them,” said Teter captain Jackie Moeller. “They just did awesome. I’m really proud of them.”Other teams, such as Athena, which qualified 21st and finished 10th, were also pleased with their race.“We were just really smart with who we put into the race,” said Athena captain Olivia Yeagy. “We focused on everybody’s strength and weaknesses ... that’s really all. We rode our hearts out.”The wind was perhaps the most noticeable factor in the race. While some riders said it wasn’t as bad as it looked, others said they thought the wind played a major role in their race-day strategy.“The wind was really strong, and when you were out there by yourself it was really tough,” Moeller said. “We had to do shorter sets because we could only be out in the headwind for so long because it was just hurting our legs so much.”While the wind was strong, Brown and her team asserted themselves as the strongest. “We proved a lot of people wrong,” she said. “We rode a good race and a smart race.”As for next year, preparation has already started, Mackey said.“We’ll start training again tomorrow and see who has potential for next year,” she said on race day. “We’ll just train really hard.”
(04/27/09 3:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Pi Beta Phi rider Caroline Brown took the 2009 women’s Little 500 into her own hands Friday. Brown’s coach Tim Kolar called it “epic,” a “Hall of Fame ride.” Given that she rode about three-quarters of the race, most Little 500 fans might agree.Before Brown joined Pi Beta Phi, the team qualified last in a field of 33 that participated in the 2006 race. Now, in her second year riding, Brown is a Little 500 champion.Brown rode the final 10 laps for her team along with more than 60 others. As the teams began the last curve off the backstretch, with Kappa Delta in the lead, she saw her opportunity to break from the pack.“At Turn 3, I saw another wheel coming up on my right,” Brown said. “I just kind of knew, ‘It’s now or never. If I don’t go now, I’ll be boxed in.’ So I just went, and it worked out.”After bearing witness to Brown’s finishes of 11th in Individual Time Trials and second in Miss ’N Out, rookie Pi Beta Phi rider Liz Mackey was not surprised by her performance.“I kind of expected it out of her,” Mackey said. “I knew how good of a rider she is, and I just knew that she could do it.”Brown needed to see the race tape for the win to sink in, she said. She said she was shocked.“I was happy for the team,” she said. “Just looking over and seeing the faces of my teammates ... it was just an amazing feeling.”Brown rode the majority of Pi Beta Phi’s laps because of how good she felt. In those laps, she showed determination on the track in more ways than one.When her teammates were set for an exchange on the next lap, signaling with a single finger in the air, Brown would wave it off. Several times, she refused to come in for exchanges.“There were a couple of times in the video where you can see me telling my coach ‘no,’” Brown said.Kolar, who has coached Pi Beta Phi for nine years, said he was confident Brown could win the race for the team after she went back in on lap 90.In his time coaching, he said he has never seen a rider like Brown.“She’s just one of those girls that there’s nothing I could say or do that could make her better,” Kolar said. “She is self-taught and self-motivated. She just has that little extra that separates the good and great riders.”Although she was on the bike for most of the race, Brown credits her teammates for putting her in a position to win.“Nobody can ever say they won Little Five on their own,” Brown said. “It’s a team effort. I don’t care what anybody says.”
(04/24/09 5:09pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As brothers, Matt and Ryan Kiel agree they have a lot in common.They share genetics. They share memories. And they share a passion for cycling, especially in the Little 500.That passion was one of the main reasons Matt Kiel came to IU. His brother followed suit. Together, they formed Gray Goat Cycling, named for a bike shop in Indianapolis where the brothers work. They placed 12th in last year’s Little 500. Matt Kiel, a junior, rode for Kappa Sigma his freshman year and said that it wasn’t for him. When his brother came to IU, he said they were determined to ride together.“We had done a lot of racing together, so we were definitely looking to be on the same team,” Matt Kiel said. “We looked around at a few options and didn’t wind up liking what we saw, so we decided the next best thing was to make our own team.”As brothers, the Kiels said they have shared a love for cycling as long as they can remember.“It’s a passion – almost an obsession, really,” Matt Kiel said.Both brothers say they are team captain, even if the paperwork doesn’t show it.“We definitely share responsibilities,” Matt Kiel said. “He has his strong points and I have mine, but when we work together, we work together really well.”“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Ryan Kiel added. “He’s the perfect training partner. Even though we get into it just like brothers do, when it comes to cycling, we take it pretty seriously.”The brothers said they constantly push each other to do better and work harder.“If he’s going out riding, he’s always encouraging me to go, and it works the other way as well,” Matt Kiel said.Last year, Gray Goat was a team with no experience that still finished in the top 15. This year, along with Brian Holthouse, Chad Ranney, Zachary Trogdon and Nick Puaca, they hope to finish at the top.Holthouse, a sophomore, said he believes the team has experienced a shift in its mind-set going into race day.“Last year, we were young,” he said. “We were a new team and didn’t really know what it was all about. We hadn’t had that race day experience. Now that we have that experience and all want it a little bit more, there’s definitely been a mentality change.”The additions of rookie Miss ’N Out champion and 19th place Individual Time Trial rider Trogdon and coach Kim Gerbers have helped the team in this goal tremendously, members of Gray Goat Cycling said. The Kiels called Trogdon the “top rider on the team.”“I’ve worked hard for it, and the times say it, so I’m not going to disagree with them,” Trogdon said. “It puts a little pressure on me to perform, but I’m looking forward to it.”Gerbers rode in the Little 500 for four years and is a two-time All-Star Rider, according to the IU Student Foundation Web site. The team said she brings experience and organizational help to the team, which has been integral to its growth this year. She has provided the team with nutritional and workout programs and provided structure to a team that had none a year ago.“These guys are great,” Gerbers said. “They make my job easy. They have their heads in it. They just eat, sleep and breathe cycling. ... Their hearts live on the bike.”The team has faced some challenges, battling sickness and Matt Kiel’s ankle injury during the year.“That set me back about a week or so,” Matt Kiel said. “Luckily, I think I’m pretty much over that now. We just have to get everyone healthy for race day.”The other riders have benefitted from the Kiels’ work ethic and intensity.“It’s been great,” said Ranney, a senior who was on last year’s team but did not ride on race day. “They’re a real enjoyable group of guys. The Kiels push you a lot.”Off the track, this team remains a tight, family-like unit, Trogdon said.“It’s a damn good time,” he said.On race day, Gray Goat will start in the seventh position, putting them on the inside of the track, two rows from the pole positions.“We’re not in the best spot,” Ryan Kiel said. “At the start of the race, we’re not going to have a whole lot of room to work with.”The team will rely on its speed and track smarts to get to the front. Matt Kiel said the team trusts the wheels in front of them.“As far as exchanges and all the stuff on the track, we’re pretty set,” he said. “I think we’re about where we want to be.”
(04/24/09 4:53pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In 2006, Kristi Hewitt decided to wing it.“We didn’t really know what we were doing,” said Hewitt, whose sister brought her in to create a Little 500 team. “We didn’t have a coach. We were just all athletic girls who wanted to do something fun and athletic – hence our name.”The next year, senior Jaime Boswell came in as a transfer student who ran cross country and was looking for a new route because of injuries she incurred while running. Her father was an IU alumnus who coaxed her into riding.This year, sophomore Allison Bickel and freshman Stefanija Puaca joined in. The team was complete, and Wing It was ready to fly.Or so it seemed.Hewitt broke her radius during spring break, just before qualifications. Boswell injured her hip on a ride two days before Miss ’N Out. Puaca came down with mononucleosis before Team Pursuit and has been deemed unfit to ride on race day.Despite almost having their wings clipped, members are ready to ride, Hewitt said.“We’ve definitely had a lot of adversity on our team,” Hewitt said. “That just makes you stronger. You have to work through it.”The women have faced many ups and downs this season, from placing second in qualifications, Hewitt’s first-place finishes in Individual Time Trials and Miss N’ Out and placing in the top five of Team Pursuit to the range of injuries.Still, they are prepared to compete on race day.“These girls give a lot of heart,” Hewitt said.When Boswell was hurt, she said her only fear was not being able to get on the bike and ride for her team, and she was not willing to let her last chance to ride in the race pass her by, no matter how much pain she was in.“I was terrified,” Boswell said. “That was the only thing rushing through my mind. But I knew that as long as they gave me a good diagnosis, I would be out there. I didn’t care if it was broken, if it was strained, if it was pulled. I was going to get out there as long as I could.”Wing It coach Tom Schwoegler said he has nothing but praise for the girls’ effort.“When I see these girls ... I see the faces of a lot of my other great riders,” said Schwoegler, who has coached 40 total men’s and women’s races. “They inspire me to be a better coach, and I try to inspire them. I couldn’t have been happier with these girls.”The results of their efforts have shown themselves on the track, particularly for Hewitt.“I have no doubt in my mind that Kristi is going to go down as one of the great riders in the history of this race,” Schwoegler said.The veteran riders said the team’s rookies have also shown improvement. Bickel, who will be riding in her first Little 500 this year, said she is prepared to perform.Puaca also said she will do whatever she can to inspire her team on race day.“I’m very disappointed because I was looking forward to my first year,” Puaca said. “Now I’m just focused on how much I can help the team and doing whatever I can do to help them prepare, especially Alli, since this is her first year, too.”Both Bickel and Puaca said their experiences with the team have been positive and said they will return next year. The team’s unity is one reason for the return, Puaca said.“It’s like they’re family to me now,” she said. “We’ve become one.”Hewitt and Boswell exemplify that family atmosphere. They have become extremely close both on and off the track, Boswell said.“When we first started, I thought she was the most intimidating of all the girls,” Boswell said. “As we got into it, I figured out that she is one of the most supportive people that I knew. ... It’s really been a treat to know her.”Hewitt said she is proud of her team and of the accomplishments she has had on and off the bike. She sees nothing but a bright future for her rookies and the team she helped form three years ago.“I think it’s an awesome experience,” she said. “After only three years being around, we’ve become a better-known team. I think we’ll have success for years to come.”
(04/24/09 4:50pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As the final sprint of the 1993 Little 500 began, Todd Hancock’s stomach was churning. All he had prepared for since 1991 came down to this: a quarter-mile push against one of the top riders in the field.Earlier that day, one of his Delta Chi brothers had shown him and his teammates a shirt – one that declared Delta Chi the champion of the Little 500.“It was certainly not in the bag,” Hancock said. “A lot of things could happen. So I was mortified by those T-shirts.”Almost 200 people were wearing that shirt underneath their clothes as he neared the finish line. The race was tight, with Ben Sharp of Cinzano trailing close behind. He and Hancock were, at the time, the field’s strongest riders.“That last lap was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever been involved in directly,” said 1993 Delta Chi coach Christian Long. “Everyone was on the edge of their seat.”They came down the home stretch. It was close. Very close. But Hancock pulled off the victory for Delta Chi.As clothes flew and the hysteria set in, Hancock said the moment didn’t really seem that profound. As the years went on, however, that perception changed.“I’ve done a number of national championships,” said Hancock, who has raced in about 1,000 cycling events. “I’ve raced in Europe. I’ve raced in South America. With Little 500, all three races ... were the three most memorable and spectacular races I’ve ever done. It is a big deal.”That win gave Delta Chi its eighth Little 500 championship, the most of any fraternity.However, in 2002, the Delta Chi international headquarters voted to close the IU chapter after a rush suffered what a Dec. 5, 2002, Indiana Daily Student article called “head injuries acquired from blunt force trauma.” The chapter had been on Level 4 probationary status before the incident.“We pretty much from a tactical point of view wrote off Indiana University as a Delta Chi home anymore,” Long said.In March of this year, the IU chapter of Delta Chi rechartered, even going on to win IU Sing. Now, members have the opportunity to return to the glory they once had as a Little 500 contender.Delta Chi Captain Scott Catanzaro, along with other members of the cycling team, qualified 29th for this year’s Little 500, rising from the ashes with little or no knowledge of the past of the once-storied program.“We had no idea what Little Five was all about and that we were such a big team in the past,” Catanzaro said. “We kind of walked in the door not realizing it. Once we realized that it had that history behind it, all of the alumni and brothers had support to try and get us back where we used to be.”Delta Chi alumni said they believe the new chapter is doing everything right, both on and off the track.“Every single guy that is a part of this new chapter is a pioneer,” said Adam Mincer, a Delta Chi alum and graduate adviser from 1994 to 1997. “We couldn’t be prouder of them. It’s symbolic that Delta Chi is back. They’re building their tradition now.”George Rambow, former rider and current president of the IU alumni board of trustees for Delta Chi, said he believes the new riders are some of the hardest trainers on the track – just as those who came before him were.“Our mantra is that we ride when no one else rides,” Rambow said. “We train harder than anyone else trains. If it’s raining outside, we ride. If it’s snowing outside, as long as there’s no ice on the road, we ride. If it’s windy, we ride. If it’s hot, we ride. There wasn’t a day that I wasn’t outside except for the coldest, coldest days of the winter, and then we were on the trainers.”Long said though the process will take time, the team has a chance to become a powerhouse program once again.“If they just find one or two or three riders that are above average each year, they could be a top-five, top-15 team every year,” Long said. “From there, it’s just a matter of putting all of the pieces together.”The members of Delta Chi have some big shoes to fill, to say the least.“Because of our rich history in the race, there’s obviously some pressure on us to do well from the alumni,” Catanzaro said.However, some see this as a blessing rather than a curse.“They have the benefit of saying, ‘We’re part of that legacy,’” Long said. “These guys have the chance to build off of a tremendous history.”Mincer said he has high expectations for the current brothers.“I think we’re going to see more trophies,” he said.Catanzaro has similar hopes.“We want to be competitive year after year,” he said. “Two, three, four years from now, we want to have a program that’s competitive year in and year out, always in the last lap, always in the top five.“Seeing where we’ve been in the past, it’s not out of the question to do that.”
(04/24/09 4:35pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It began in 1971.It is a story of passion and conflict, of victory and failure.It is the story of a man who has led both men’s and women’s teams in 40 Little 500s. It is the story of a man whose passion for the Little 500 is surpassed only by his compassion for his riders.This is the story of Tom Schwoegler. Despite the efforts of his detractors, his name has become etched in the race’s history and, more importantly, on the hearts of most of those who have ridden for him and become a part of his life.This is the story of a legend.Schwoegler attended his first Little 500 in 1971 when he came to IU to see one of his high school friends race for Acacia.In 1972, he returned to IU to help Acacia’s mechanic learn how to work on the race bikes. After transferring in 1973 from Purdue University, he was a mechanic for the team in 1973-74. He became a member of the IU Student Foundation Steering Committee for the Little 500’s 25th anniversary in 1975.After graduating from IU, he worked with Acacia from 1976 to 1977. He returned to coach Acacia in 1982 and continued to coach the team until 2003. He coached Kappa Alpha Theta since the inception of the women’s race in 1988 and stayed with the team until 2006. He now coaches Wing It, featuring 2009s Individual Time Trials winner and Miss ’N Out champion Kristi Hewitt.During his time as coach, he’s seen the full spectrum of racing.In 1977 one of his riders was struck by a car and killed. He has won six championships since 1983 and coached eight Hall of Fame riders.Schwoegler said he’s made mistakes in races. He said he knows he’s not perfect. It’s the coaches that don’t know that fact, he said, who do a poor job.“I’d much rather take the bullet for a rider’s sake because I don’t want a rider to go through life thinking, ‘Wow, I failed. I failed my teammates,’” he said.Schwoegler said he has developed strong connections and is willing to do anything for those he has coached.“When my former riders call up and they go, ‘Listen, I need some help,’ I’m just like ‘Whatever it is, just let me know and I’ll be there.’ And when I need some help, I’ll pick up the phone and do the same,” Schwoegler said. “They’re a great source of strength for me.”One of those riders, Tim Bochnowski, who rode for Acacia and won a Little 500 championship with the team in 1991, stays in touch with Schwoegler and is a “confidant” for him.“There’s a lot to love about Tom,” Bochnowski said. “He’s a pretty passionate individual. I’ve never seen him put a half effort in ... It’s a way of life for the guy.”Many of his former riders agree no one comes close to having the compassion Schwoegler has for his riders.“Once he’s in your life and a friend, he is very loyal and will do anything to help you out,” Greta Hoetzer, a Theta rider from ’92-’95 and two-time champion, said.When Jaime Boswell, a rider for Wing It, went down in a crash on April 2 before Miss ’N Out, Schwoegler came to Bloomington from Chicago that night to make sure she was okay and drove her back to her house that night.“Even though he knew there wasn’t much that he could do while here, he was still adamant about being here to support me emotionally,” Boswell said. “It was really touching to know that Tom cared so much for me that he would sacrifice work and time to travel down here and be by my side.”Schwoegler has not remained a friend and mentor to all of his riders. In 2004, the Monday before qualifications, he was fired by Acacia via phone.“They expected me to remain with the team in a subservient role because the newly installed coach lived in Phoenix and could not be at the track until race weekend,” Schwoegler said. “As you might expect, I was not interested in doing that.”In 2006, he resigned from Theta at a team meeting. Some Theta alumni recommended he do so because of a lack of respect for the Theta tradition and for Schwoegler from several members of the team.“I think they took him for granted,” Hoetzer said. “I do not feel they respected him and what he had to offer for the team. The Thetas lost out on a rich tradition.”Anne Holterhoff Leonard, a Theta rider and race champion in 2000, said the resignation was rough on Schwoegler.“It was very hard for him,” she said. “He had coached this Theta team from the very beginning of the women’s race.”Schwoegler said he did not want to leave Theta or Acacia, but moving on was the best option.“In both cases, when I left, the programs had already lost something vital to a championship Little 500 program,” Schwoegler said.Former riders said they would support Schwoegler when it came down to race day.“I still hope the Thetas do well, but I think that most of his former riders are very supportive of whatever team Tom is coaching,” Hoetzer said.Despite his success on the track, Schwoegler said his greatest accomplishment has been teaching his riders to have the motivation and drive to succeed outside of racing.“If this was about 100 or 200 laps going around in a circle, I’d be sitting in the stands drunk,” he said. “It’s about testing your limitations.”The Little 500 legend has always taught one thing that is as ingrained in his heart as the Little 500 is.“You can do anything you want if you believe in yourself,” Schwoegler said. “That’s what I want them to believe.”
(04/24/09 4:29pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>He made a career of cycling before the race. He plans to continue riding later in life.But for now, he is on the sidelines.A brain hemorrhage and a skull fracture prevent him from competing in this year’s Little 500. But he still plans to be with his team April 25, helping in any way he can.He is Adam Bailey, a junior and former rider for Vicious & Delicious, a team of Jimmy John’s delivery men.Bailey was riding back from delivering sandwiches Feb. 27, a Friday night, when his tire got caught in a loose wire on the street.“I was half a block away from the shop,” Bailey said. “I don’t remember any of what happened.”The bike stopped – but he didn’t. He flew forward, and his head cracked into the ground, fracturing his skull and causing a brain hemorrhage. He was taken to the hospital soon after.His teammates at the time, seniors Vince Jennings and Brian Clark and sophomore Vince Razo, were the first ones to get to the hospital. They stayed with Bailey through the night as he slipped in and out of consciousness.“The first thing he asked about when he regained consciousness from his skull fracture was, ‘How long until I can start training again for Little Five?’” Jennings said. Antoine Huston, the team sponsor, also came to see Bailey.“They were really there for me,” Bailey said.Bailey was released March 1. He said he has mixed feelings about the incident.“I do feel lucky to have survived it, but I feel bummed,” he said. “I do feel like I let my team down.”Bailey will miss one of the biggest parts of IU’s tradition since its start in 1951. He will not get a chance to ride next year because he plans to graduate after the fall 2009 semester.“I was looking forward to the race,” he said. “The ride’s an experience. I hear it’s the experience of a lifetime.”After his release, Bailey stayed home for a week and a half. He was recently allowed back on the bike in a limited capacity – though not for racing – and has gotten back to schoolwork.“It’s been difficult,” he said. “I’m working through it. My professors are very understanding. They’re working with me.”But Bailey will not let his team down. He still plans to remain involved with Vicious & Delicious, though it won’t be on a bike.“I’ve been discussing with them the possibility of being a mechanic on the day of the race,” he said.Vicious & Delicious will miss Bailey on race day, Jennings said.“We would be a stronger team with him,” Jennings said.Bailey has an outgoing, positive and upbeat personality, Huston said. It is one of the qualities helping him through his struggle, and it allowed him to quickly establish connections with his fellow employees.“Within the first two days of hiring him, it was like he was there for a year like everybody else,” Huston said. “He just fit right in.”Jennings said Bailey has a lot of determination and drive to excel at everything he does. That determination has helped Bailey to get back on the bike and start riding again, albeit at a slower pace and with a helmet.“He always wants to get up and always wants to get out there,” Jennings said. “Going anything less than 100 percent is boring to him.”John Irmiter, the replacement rider for Bailey, said he didn’t know Bailey when he first started riding for the team because he worked for the Jimmy John’s on 10th Street, not Bailey’s Kirkwood Avenue location. But in the short time he’s known him, Irmiter said he has noticed Bailey is a very friendly person.“He’s been real supportive,” Irmiter said. “He’s come to quite a few of the track practices giving me tips and pointers from what he knows from riding.”Huston said the accident hasn’t changed Bailey much.“His personality is the same,” Huston said. “He’s still a happy person and tries to help out as much as he can.”Despite what happened, Bailey said the opportunity was more than worth it. From the fall cycling series to the formation of Vicious & Delicious to the new friendships, he said every moment was memorable.“I’ve loved all of it,” he said. “The experience of riding on the track, getting some of the knowledge of the Rider’s Council passed on to us, was excellent. Just spending time on the track was wonderful.”Now, Bailey helps Jimmy John’s by answering phones and still supports Vicious & Delicious.“He’s probably their No. 1 fan next to the guys’ girlfriends,” Huston said.Irmiter said he will ride with Bailey’s passion for the race in mind and try his best to fill his shoes come race day.“At least I’m there to represent him a little,” he said.Bailey was and will remain a bike enthusiast. While the Little 500 strengthened his enthusiasm for riding, he said he would ride even without the experience. Although he suffered a hard fall, he plans to get back on the bike and ride again.“It was an absolute passion before the race,” he said. “I’m an addict – my fix just happens to have pedals and wheels.”
(04/24/09 4:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After months of preparation, the riders for the women’s Little 500 said they look and feel ready for Friday.“We’re just going through all of our strategy and all our scenarios,” said Kristen Metherd, captain of Kappa Alpha Theta. “We’re just focusing on everything we can do to win.”At 4 p.m. Friday, 31 teams will compete in the women’s Little 500, a 100-lap race that has been part of the IU tradition since 1988.Sonja Arnesen of Gamma Phi Beta said she felt ready for the event, for which she’s been training all semester. “It comes up really fast in the end,” Arnesen said. “It’s nerve-wracking but really exciting at the same time.”Arnesen said her teammates are as prepared as they can be for the race.“There’s always things that can occur during the race that you’re not expecting, or little things that can throw you off,” she said. “Hopefully, we’re prepared for what comes.”Metherd said the atmosphere of the race is unbelievable and greater than words can describe. But her team is looking to make the race as routine as possible.“Our team just feels so ready for the race that it really just feels like any other day with a million other fans in the stands,” she said.Metherd said winning the spring series adds pressure for her team to perform, but they are ready to do so.“It hasn’t really set in yet that we’re wearing white on race day, which is pretty cool,” Metherd said. “We earned it.”As a rookie, Kappa Delta rider Katie Laplant said she doesn’t really know what to expect.“I only know what my teammates have told me,” Laplant said. “I’m sure it’s a lot different actually being out there. There’s a lot going on and a lot of distractions.”Metherd said she is counting the minutes until the race.“We’re just ready to go on Friday,” Metherd said. “It’s all we’ve been thinking about for the past year.”
(04/24/09 2:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Army Women made its way through the spring series as quietly as possible for a sixth-place team. “I like that no one has noticed us before,” said Army Women rookie rider Hannah Calvert. “People don’t have confidence in us. We’re not a name that’s been around for years. I feel like that’s kind of fuel to the fire.”Originally a team of ROTC women, Army Women had five riders in the top 40 of Individual Time Trials and two in the Miss ’N Out semifinals as well as placing sixth in Team Pursuit.Members of the team said they are excited for the race Friday.“It’s what we’ve been training for all year,” said team captain Liz Davis. Team members said they feel ready for the hysteria of race day, and they hope to use the energy and adrenaline generated by the crowd to propel them through the race.“The energy is insane on race day,” Davis said. “I think the biggest thing is the energy of the crowd.”Davis said she feels the mind-set of this team is different from those of teams she’s ridden with in the past.“I think we are all really serious about it,” Davis said. “I think that everyone has the mentality that they’re not going to spend all this time training and working for something that they’re not going to succeed at.”Rider Lauren Sewell said she thinks the team could accomplish its goal and do its best if it sticks to the game plan.“We all have a role to play,” Sewell, a rookie, said. “We have to do our part and do our job.”The team has three rookie riders, who are going into the race hoping to perform to the best of their ability.“I don’t want to get the mentality that because I’m a first-year rider, I can be pushed around by other people,” Calvert said. “I just want to have the confidence in myself that I’ve been practicing this whole semester.”Davis said she believes her rookies can get the job done. She said despite their inexperience, they have already become strong riders and even topped her at times.“I don’t think that being a rookie is a weakness,” Davis said. “You can be just as good as a senior rider.”Davis said she is looking forward to race day and trying to earn her team the respect she believes they deserve.“I think we’re strong this year, and I think that we’ll prove them wrong it they have doubts about our team,” Davis said.
(04/17/09 4:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Little 500 spring series events will wrap up Saturday with Team Pursuit, an event designed to test the depth and overall strength of each team.Team Pursuit is a race in which four members of two teams ride simultaneously. The men’s portion of the race has 15 laps, while the women’s has 12.The goal of Team Pursuit is to complete the alotted laps in the fastest time possible by using drafting and endurance strategies.“It’s fun,” said Liz Davis, the captain of Army Women. “I think it’s a really great way to see how your team is collectively and how you guys work together. Everything else is an individual event. Team Pursuit is a really good way to work together as a team.”There is no specific strategy to Team Pursuit, riders said. It is all dependent on the makeup of the team.“It’s just trade poles and go like hell,” said Charles Thayer, a rider for Wright Cycling.Team Pursuit shows a team’s depth because riders must work as a team for the entirety of the race to do well. This is enforced by the rule that the finishing time for each team is set by the third rider to cross the finish line at the end of the race.“I think that the teams that do successfully on Team Pursuit day are definitely teams to keep an eye out for on race day,” said Ariana Breckner, Delta Sigma Pi rider.However, Kenny Parks of Team Major Taylor said Team Pursuit isn’t as important to his team, which finished second in last year’s Little 500.“We don’t have any big plans for Team Pursuit,” Parks said. “Our team, from top to bottom – there’s a huge gap. We’re just going to go into it and kind of take it easy, to be honest. We’re not going to look to do very well in it.”For rookies, Team Pursuit will be the first time they ride with their teammates on the track in a competitive setting.“I’m definitely apprehensive about keeping up, considering this is the first series event I’ve been out there with the rest of the team, but I’m mostly just really excited,” said Chelsea Shelburne, a Delta Sigma Pi rookie. “As long as we communicate, it will be fine.”Davis said she is looking forward to her favorite event.“I think it shows tactical skills about your team – how you race together,” she said. “The whole idea of Team Pursuit is to put together the fastest twelve laps. ... I think it just really comes down to tactics.”