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daily nebrsc&m
Wednesday, march 31, 1070
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By Jinillmt
I taker aJkround gymnast Larry Gerard w3 have
seyrral tfir for him it the NCAA Championships
in Philadelphia this weekend, and he taxi ens of those
things is confidence.
Confidence is important to have in a meet Lke this
Gerard said. .
MI have about the same outlook for this meet as I
did for the Big 8 (Conference) meet, he said. "Ill just try
to hit aH my routines. I should be able to hit all of them,
and if I do, I should do welt I'm going into the meet,
looking to win."
Itaker gymnastics coach Francis Allen said Gerard,
this week's athlete of the week, has a good chance to win
in the itbnal meet, but one man he has to beat is senior
teammate Gene Mackie. Gerard and Mackie were the top
two finishers in the all-around competition at last week
end's Big 8 meet.
Gerard tallied 105.45 points in the all-around at the
DouIJer, Cob., meet, which UNL won for the first time
in 12 years. He was the only individual winner for the
Huskers, placing first in the high bar with a score of
18.875. He also finished third in still rings, fifth in vault
ing and sixth in parallel bars.
Besides Gerard and Mackie, Allen named Tom Beach
of the University of California-Berkeley, Kurt Thomas and
- ' ' ' 1 - i i i i i
Photo courtasy of Scott S2Mt
Sophomore gymnast Larry Gerard competing in the floor exercise at last week's E: 8 Conference meet.
Doug Griffin of Indiana State Univentiy, Gene Valin
of rcnmyh-arJa State University, Yesha Tomita of Long
Beach State University and Peter Kormman of Southern
Connecticut as the favorites in the all-around. Mackie
finished fourth in the event in last year's NCAA meet.
Ody two mistakes
Gerard said he was pleased with his performance in
the Big 8 meet. He said he made only two mistakes-one
each on the parallel bars and the pommel horse.
. Allen said the sophomore from Lincoln will be looked
at more favorably by the judges, since he won the
Midwest Open in Chicago earlier in the season.
"The judges are going to look at us and say that we
have great individuals and a great team, and that is going
to help us," Allen said.
He added that Arthur Gander, a member of the Federa
tion of International Gymnastics, and the head judge for
the Summer Olympics in Montreal, called Gerard one of
the most impressive young gymnasts from any country.
Allen said that was "quite a compliment" because Gander
is what he called the most influential gymnastics person
in the world.
Fit for Olympics
Gerard also received a letter Monday to fit him for
Olympic uniforms if he makes the team at an Olympic
trial camp later this spring.
"Last year I didn't think I had a chance of making the
Olympic team," Gerard said. "I was aiming more for the
1980 Olypis, but it just all fit together this year.
"I've seen a definite amount of improvement in all
areas since I got out of high school, especially in the side
horse," he said.
Gerard said he thinks he has a good chance of taking
individual titles in the high bar and the still rings at the
national meet.
Other athlete-of-the-week nominees were baseball
pitcher Kirk Eymann, junior from Papillion, basketball
guard Darcy Williamson, freshman from Arapahoe,
trackster Pam Koontz, freshman from Lincoln, swimmer
Bryan Moss, sophomore from Omaha, and Softball third
baseman Sue Hansen, senior from Omaha.
n op-notch tennis team to test talent
IS I
By Scott Jones
UNL's women's tennis team, which coach Gail Whit
aker called her best team ever, will play at Concordia
Teachers College at Seward today and William Jewell Col
lege and Stephen's College Saturday at Liberty, Mo.
Whitaker, in her fourth year at UNL, said her teams are
"getting stronger every year, there's no question about
it." . - .
"Every year we have to cut somebody who was on the
team the year before."
Whitaker will get no argument for her "best ever"
claim from Doane College. UNL, which was 5-3 in dual
meets last year, shut out Doane, 9-0, in its season opener
March 18, even though Kathy Hawkins, last year's No. 1
player, didn't compete.
Hawkins was a starting guard on the Husker women's
basketball team and began practicing with the team
Monday.
Whitaker said Hawkins, a junior, and sophomore Joyce
McVicker should be UNL's top two players with sopho
more Vickie Maseman filling the No. 3 singles position.
"Hawkins and McVicker have both been state cham-
OX
one
assball 'slaves' reluctant
to refuse $20,000 chains
By Jta Zskwski
Professional baseball spring training games have begun,
but this does not mean the players-owners controversy
over the reserve clause has been settled. Far from it. Com
missioner Bowie Kuhn ordered the camps opened to
players so season opening games in April wouldn't be
delayed.
Some say owners coerced Kuhn into making the order.
Baseball already is losing ground to football in national
popularity. The management needed those exhibition
game results and photos to send to snow-packed northern
cities and fan the flames of interest that always die over
the winter. They could iH afford to further alienate a
dwindling corps of fan support.
At the heart of the issue is the reserve clause, which
binds a player for life to the team that signs him to a con
tract, unless traded. A recent court ruling declared Andy
Messersmith and Dave McNaHy free agents since they
played a year without signing contracts, in effect voiding
the reserve clause. The owners are up in arms, claiming the
decision will destroy basebafl.
They're cot drab
But baseball team owners are not dumb. Apparently
they have banded together and secretly agreed not to
offer Fort Knox to Messersmith for his signature. It is
rare for owners to remark they can't afford 20 wins a year
from one of the game's premier hurlers. Someone eventu
ally will sign Messersmith, but you can bet it won't be for
what he originally was asking. As for McNaHy, not too
many teams are taking a stab at a guy who once hic
cupped for 39 consecutive days.
The owners are making offers, some foolish, some very
viable. Charlie Finley, Oakland Athletics owner and one
of the game's innovators, produced an interesting sugges
tion. Let everyone be eligible to jump teams once, but
after that a player is bound to his team for life. Sounds
feasible to me.
But the players don't want any part of it. They want
freedom from the "oppressive" reserve clause to end their
"slave status." Who are they trying to fool? Any guy
making $20,000 a year or better playing baseball is far
from what most Americans would consider a slave.
Joe Morgan of the Cincinnati Reds recently signed for
$200,000 a year. That doesn't include commercial
endorsements, speaking engagements or other subsidiary
income. Shake off those heavy chains they placed on you,
Joe.
Saturation point
Everything has a saturation point, including contract
wars. It looks like owners have decided not to get into a
bidding game over free agents who won't play by their
rules. And as salaries escalate, the fans suffer because they
invariably end up paying for their heroes five Cadillacs.
I personally don't back the players all the way this
time. It seems each professional sport has a strike threat
every three or four years; the end result being increased
salaries. Players are overpaid now and it must stop
somewhere.
As George Blanda put it, you know what is in a
contract when you sign it. If you don't like it, don't sign.
But players do, because they know it is a great way to
earn a living. Besides that, too many other potential slaves
out there in society would like to make 20 grand a year
playing baseball.
pions and have had a lot of tournament experience,"
Whitaker said. "They're head and shoulders above every
body else." " a
Senior Helen Glover will be the team's No. 4 singles
player, Whitaker said, with three players-senior Barb
Scribner, junior Sue Rapp and sophomore Meg Shaney
felt still competing for the final two singles positions.
, At Doane, freshman Julie Porter won her singles match
and sophomore Chris Marcum joined freshman Sharon
Rase for a doubles win. Whitaker said the trio might see
action against weaker opponents.
UNL is "hoping to do well again" against Concordia
today, she said, but could have a tougher time in the tri
angular Saturday.
UNL beat William Jewell two years ago but lost last
year's dual match.
"We're expecting them to be super," Whitaker said. "It
was close last year, and with McVicker back this year, it
will be a close match."
McVicker, whose brother Mark was an all-state basket
ball player at Hastings mis year, sat out two years before
rejoining the team again this year, Whitaker said.
: '-ff sports
Student football tickets for the 1976 season are on
sale through Friday at the South Stadium ticket office.
The ticket office is open from 9 ajn. to noon and from
1 to 4 pan.
The $20 season ticket includes admission to six home
games next fall. Only full-time students may buy tickets
this spring. Seat location will be determined through
a lottery.
Persons wishing to sit as a group should send a
representative with student identification cards and $20
for each person in the block.
Three Husker coaches reportedly are under considera
tion for head coaching positions at other universities.
Head basketball coach Joe Qpriano is reportedly one of
six candidates remaining for the head job at Michan
State University. Football defensive coordinator Monte
Kiffin has expressed interest in the head football job at
the same school. Basketball assistant Lonnie Porter
is among 123 applicants for the vacant University of
Colorado head job.
Entries for several intramural events are due this week
at the Recreation Office, 1740 Vine St. Horseshoe
doubles entries are due at 5 pan. today. In tennis doubles,
co-recreational entries are due at 5 p.m. today with
women's entries due at 5 pan. Thursday. Scotch foursome
golf doubles entries are due 5 p.m. Friday. For more
information, call Gale Wiedow, 472-3467.