Wednesday, march 2, 1977
paga 10
daily nebraskan
UNL swim team hopes to rise from
depths
By Jim Kay
The UNL men's swim team is planning
for one more big splash, according to coach
John Reta.
The Husker swimmers are preparing for
the Big 8 Conference swimming and diving
championships Thursday through Sat
urday. UNL is hosting the event at the
Sports Complex. Reta said he is expecting
an improvement over last year's seventh
place finish for UNL
"We certainly hope we improve," fceta
said. "We have some outstanding invidi
duals and all we really lack is depth. I'm
looking for our times to drop.
"It's mostly psychological now. It's up
to the individual. He cant choke and he
has to relax. Mental attitude and rest are
important all week long."
Reta said UNL looks stronger in all
areas this season, adding that he is looking
for good individual performances from
several swimmers.
"Pat DiBiase is the defending Big 8
Champ in the 100-yard breast stroke,"
Reta said. "He's a steady and consistent
swimmer. And Bryan Moss held the 100
and 200-yard breast stroke records as a
freshman."
Reta also cited good performances by
Randy Crowder and John Derr in the
butterfly, Paul Duxbury in the 50-yard
freestyle, Rich Maack and Brian Hartford
in the backstroke and middle distance
swimmer Pat Murphy.
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Super athlete': hims.Tut
DiBiase. an Omaha senior, said he also
was looking for the Huskers to improve on
last year's performance.
"As a team we're looking to get out of.
the cellar," DiBiase said. "I'm optimistic
because I think we can do it.
"We have more quality swimmers this
year. Personally, I would like to hit my
best times ever in my events. If I do, I
should finish near the top."
DiBiase will swim the 100- and 200
yard breast stroke for UNL at the Big 8
meet. v
"I'm defending champion in the 100,"
DiBiase said, "but the 200 is probably my
best event. Tve had more success with it
in dual meets so I'm more confident
swimming it."
Reta said he expects several Big 8
records to fall at this weekend's meet
because of the new pool.
"I think well see new records as evi
denced by the state high school meet last
week," Reta said. "The waves dissipate
and the water is much calmer, which leads
to faster times."
Iowa State University, defending Big 8
swimming champ, and the University of
Oklahoma will be the favorites to win,
Reta said, but he added that UNL will play
a spoiler's role.
"These kids have done everything I've
asked them to do this year," he said.
"They've worked real hard because they
knew they had to work hard to succeed.
They have been receptive to the harcLwork.
They've really done a super job."
Fitness requirement at BYU
cuts into students' TV time
By Mike McCarthy
If some UNL and Brigham Young
University (BYU) students had a fitness
contest, chances are the Lincolnites would
come in an exhausting second.
Not that BYU students are inherently
more fit, but the school does require all
students to take a one-semester fitness
program.
A brainchild of Phillip Allsen of BYU,
the program sends more than 3,000
students through the program in one
semester, and about 7,000 for a year.
Allsen, whose visit to UNL is sponsored
by the Physical Education and Recreation
Dept., is a physical education professor .
at BYU and director of the "Fitness for
Life" program. , :
Allsen said BYU students are evaluated
on three areas before their fitness program
is determined.
A student's flexibility and strength,
weight training and oxygen intake dictates
how fit the person is, he said.
The intensity and duration of exercise
the person can handle is also important,
he added.
TV substitute
"All I ask is that the person tears him
self away from the TV from 30 to 45
minutes to exercise," he said. 'The average
person watches four and one-half hours of
television everyday. You are as smart as
you are obese for watching that much
TV."
Allsen said once the student knows how
much physical activity it will take to
become fit, he can determine what physical
activity he wants. At BYU, a student also
is required to fill out a contract of their
physical activity, he added.
"If a person signs a contract, they are
more prone to do it," he said.
Allsen said our automated society
reduces our workload and the on' v;y to
remain fit is through physical activity.
Allsen said most persons are hard
pressed for an answer to their actual fitness
and they need answers, he added.
The person who goes snow skiing all the
time, then moves to Miami Beach becomes
lazy, he said. Some other physical activity
must replace snow skiing, he said,
"Weight and height charts are not a
good indicator of fitness," Allsen said. "In
many cases a decrease of weight doesn't
necessarily mean fitness."
Loss of lean cells
Allsen said persons who diet can lose
weight but they have a decrease of lean
body cells. A person who is training also
can lose weight but increase lean body
ceils, if they have a balanced diet.
"Ninety-five per cent of persons over
50 are obese," said Allsen. "Even the old
lady in a nursing home is obese,, even
though she doesnt weigh much. She
doesn't get any exercise so what she does
have is fat."
"Our program works and its cheap,"
Allsen added. "We try to get persons
hooked on it so when they decide to stop
exercising they will have withdrawal
symptoms. They will then realize the need
to exercise and return to their program."
Allsen also advises the Dallas Cowboys,
Seattle Seahawks and BYlTs football
teams.
"I write strength and running programs
for them to increase speed and endurance
with the idea to increase strength and
speed," he said.
"Fullbacks, for instance, 'are just like
missiles. The greater velocity the better.
IH take the fullback three and one-half
yards back from the line of scrimmage and
with greater velocity he can hit the hole
faster. He isjust like a de.stroyer."
glory despite injury
By Rod Barn!
Both Husker track teams were fortunate this year in
capturing the two top high school athletes. However, the
female athlete wasn't so lucky. t
The UNL men's track team features Nebraska's 1976
PrepJJoy Athlete of the Year, Scott Poehling and
women's team has Nebraska's 1976 Prep Girl Athlete of
the year, Sondra Obermeier.
Obermeier won the first award from both the Lincoln
Journal Star and Omaha World Herald.
However, Obermeitr has not been a featured performer
this season. : " - -
She has been out since the Huskers first meet with
pulled thigh muscles.
"The injvy has just been slowly hanging on,"
Obermeier said. "Hopefully I'll be ready to compete at
the Kearney State Invitational March 17."
Despite competing in just one meet, Obermeier put her
name in the UNL record book, high jumping 5 ft. 2 in.
The old record established last year was 4 ft. 10 in.
In last year's girls high school state track meet in North
Platte, she won four gold medals. Competing in class B she
won the 100-yard dash with a time of 11.5 seconds, the
220-yard dash in 25.6 seconds, the high jump with an
effort of 5 ft. 3 in. and the long jump with a leap of 19
ft. 5 in.
The long jump effort, a state record, also was the top
effort of the entire meet, winning Obermeier the overall
gold medal in the event.
UNL's records in the above events are 1 13 seconds in
the 100-yard dash, 25.6 seconds in the 220-yard dash and
17 ft. 6 and one-half in. in the long jump.
However, the team will count Obermeier in more
events than just the long jump and high jump.
Obermeier will run in the sprints and the sprint relay
for the Huskers. She also said she has been working out in
the hurdle event
"I've never tried the hurdles before, but that's an event
that I have to work on because it's in the pentatholon,"
she said.
Obermeier competed, but lost, in the pentatholon
(hurdles, long jump, high jump, shot-put and 200-meter
run) last summer trying to qualify for the United States
Russian National Meet
She said she would try to qualify again this summer.
She also mentioned that the 2O0ixeter run has been
changed to the 800-meter run this year.
"Sondra's a super athlete for a freshman. We don't
want her to risk reinjury, and we need her in the jumping
events more than anything," Frost said.
Many Aurora athletes end up going to Kearney State.
The Antelopes women's track program won the state
college title last season and beat the Huskers in a dual
meet earlier this season. But, Obermeier said she had no
doubts about coming to UNL.
I came down here because I figured in the years to
come Nebraska would become stronger than Kearney,"
Obermeier said.
"I think Nebraska has more to offer in the long run in
schooling too."
Obermeier's main concern, she said, is her education,
but she. said she thinks athletics is a vital part of her
education.
epiiu Si iwi w
An organizational meeting for persons interested in the
backpacking trip to Grand Gulch, Utah, will be at 3:30
today in the UNL Recreation Dept. office, 1740 Vine St.
The trip will be March 18 through 26.
Dan Hyslop and Mark Woita will represent UNL in
table soccer at the Association of College Unions Inter
national (ACU-I) Table Soccer National Championships,
April 17 and 18.
The meet, which wifl be at the Playboy Towers in
Chicago, will include 15 other ACU-I regional doubles
team winners.
Both Hyslop and Woita are juniors majoring in business
administration and have been playing table soccer for a
combined eight and one -half years.
