fy, eprll 0, 1977
o group saddles up for a bronc -
By Jbi Kay
Saddle up!
The University of Nebraska Rodeo Association
(UNRA) will be hosting its 10th annus! inttrcoStgiite
rodeo today and Saturday.
An estimated 300 contestants from 22 colleges in the
seven-stats Great Plains Region of 'the National Inter
collegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) will be entered in
the rodeo. Production cost for the rodeo is $20,000.
Wait Gsniscn, a rodeo professional and former running
tack for ths Ddlaa Cowboys of the National Football
Lesa, will be in Lincoln this weekend to promote the
event.
Garrison is the director of special events for the U.S.
Tobacco Co. I!: travels the country to NIRA sponsored
events to promote them.
Because rodeo is a sport not recognized by the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), it re
ceives no financial support for member schools. U.S.
Tobacco is providing $100,000 in rodeo scholarships to
winning schools at the national finals.
"We're now in our third year of providing athletic,
educational scholarships," Garrison said. "Rodeo is a
sport just like football or basketball is and I believe these
cowboys and cowgirls should be recognized as athletes.
They should get the same opportunities as other athletes.
Garrison joined the NIRA one year after leaving Okla
homa State University. He went on to become a profes-
r
1
f
.. -
' " - '
A cowboy competes in tSie steer wrestling event at the Curwdl Rodeo. Fans wi3 have a chance to tee some cf
the best college performers at the tenth annual iatercoZc-hte rodso today and Saturday.
m - I
lusting wesKend
sional during his time with the Cowboys and said he
actually competed more at that time than he does now.
."I've been traveling for about two-and-a-half years
now," he said, "and 1 get to about 22 rodeos a year. There
are 10 regions in the NIRA and I'll visit maybe two rodeos
in each region. And I get to know the kids pretty well."
Garrison siid he was not familiar with" UNL s rodeo
team but that NIRA as a whole has doubled in the last
five years.
UNL equipped
"They have their own practice stock and practice
grounds and good equipment here," Garrison said. "And
they have per diem money to travel on, which is a good
thing."
tie added the UNL club was one of the largest he had
seen.
"75 to 80 people is a good size club," Garrison said.
'Texas Tech has 300 which is probably the largest, but
that's a rodeo-oriented area."
Mike Unterseher, president of UNRA, said that UNL
this year had one of its finest teams in the club's 17-year
existence.
"The six guys on the men's team are ranked second in
the Great Plains Region," Unterseher said. "Mick Knott,
Steve Huckfeldt and Andy Applegarth are the top three in
bulldogging in the region. And Mick is currently fifth in
the region in all-around competition."
The other members of the men's team are senior
Maynard Conroy, senior Tony Eppert and Unterseher, a
junior.
Women's team
He added the three girl's team of sophomore Karen
Chenault, senior Vicki Kennedy and junior Cheryl White
were among the best in the region in the barrel race.
"The barrel race is their only event really," Unterseher
said. "Karen is first in the region and seventh in the
nation. And Vicki and Cheryl are both in the top ten in
the region."
South Dakota State University is the event's defending
champion in the men's division and the University of
Wisconsin at River Falls is the defending women's champs.
There will be 10 events in the rodeo which begins
at 7:45 tonight with the opening ceremonies. The six
men's events include bareback bronc riding, calf roping,
Saddle bronc riding, team roping, steer wrestling and bull
riding. The three ladies' events are barrel racing, break
away roping and goat tying. .
The tenth event will be a feature called the wfldcow
ride. Teams of four persons from local radio stations,
television stations and UNL fraternities will attempt to
catch, saddle and ride a wild cow in a timed event:
Teams participating in the rodeo from the Great Plains
Region include Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Two of the
22 teases - Will advance to the NIRA finals in Bozemah,
Mont, in June.
Saturday's competition begins at 1 :30 pm. with the
finals starting at 7:45 p.m. at .the Nebraska State Fair
Grounds Coliseum. '
sasebail forecast is carbon copy of last year's playoffs
By Jim Hunt
With the start of the major league base
ball season Wednesday I thought it was
time to put my poison pen to my favor
ite teams for the 1977 season.
I think baseball fans will see the same
four teams, the New York Yankees, Kan
sas Gty Royals, Cincinnati Reds and the
Philadelphia Phillies, make the playoffs
again this year.
In the American League Bast the Yan
kees are by far the best team, and by all
rights they should be. Any team that
pumps as much money into buying a
championship team like the Yanks haw,
deserve to win the World Series.
The Boston Red Sox should finish
second in the American League East and a
distant second at that. With Fred Lynn and
Jim Rice the Red Sox have the hitting to
Detroit was expecting big things out of
Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, but 'The Bird"
will be sidelined for two months with a
knee injury so don't expect big things out
of the Tigers.
The Brewers should be their usual bad
again this year, and you cant expect much
out cf an expansion team like the Blue
Jays.
In the American League West I see the
Royals on top again, but the California
Angels should give the Royals a run for the
money.
The Royal's weak point will be their
pitching staff again this year. The failure
of Stew Busby to come back from his
injury last year puts a lot of pressure on
Dennis Leonard and Paul SplittoriT. How
ever, the bats of George Brett and Hal
McRae should be enough to offset any
pitching weaknesses. .
The Ciiitornia Angels is another one of
those teams that tried to buy a champion-
bi ship. With the addition cf Joe Rudi and
OUnOS 130551)7 Grich t0 t Pitching of Frank Tan
ana and Nolan Ryan the Angels WO defin-
i itely give the Foyals trouble.
The Texas Rangers should finish third.
The addition of Bert Campaneris at short
stop wD help fill a portion the Rangers
haw needed he'? with for a long time.
Tmins fceth
f-Lnnescta is rry pick for the fourth
slot. The Twins hava the LittL-g tut id
need tome pitching help end a owner
that realizes it is tha 1970s.'
The Twins will be followed by the Chi
cr;o Whit Sox, Olknd Ai and the
Cincinnati v.l mcls it thr?e fa a rcw
fa the National Lesbos West iph this
season. The Rcis Live nor? team tdznee
r;tfa this yesx thn airy other team in base
ball and will prow it ever the 162-garr.s
Ml w-r - to
Los Angeles has a new manager in Tom
my Lasorda, but the same result. A second
place finish will be the end result for the
Dodgers.
The Dodgers wEl get off to another
fantastic start before making another swan
dive into second place. Tough luck, Dodger
fans.
An improving San Diego club will finish
third in the National West. With a pitcher
like Cy Young award winner Randy Jones
the Padres are on the move.
The Atlanta Braves are my pick for
fourth with the Houston Astros finishing
fifth.
Not- even the presence of BUI Madlock
and the pitching of John "The Count"
f.Sontefusco will be able to keep the San
Francisco Giants out of the cellar.
Greg Luzinski and Steve Carlton should
combine talents to lead the Philadelphia
Phillies to their second consecutive
National League East title.
The FhUHes, who almost lost a big bad
last year, will have -to watch out for the
Pirates once again this year. A healthy
Wlie Stargdl, along with Al Oliver, will
keep the Pirates close to the top in the
east.
The New York Mets are my choice
for third place and they should be followed
by St. Louis Cardinals with Lou Brock
trying to break Ty Cobb's record for career
stolen bases. Brock needs only 27 steals'
to become the record holder.
. Once again this year it will take more
guts than brains to be a Chicago Cub fan.
The Cubs, who traded away Matlock, are
destined for fifth again this year.
The Montreal Expos probably will be
the ceEar dwellers again this season but we
haw to keep the Canadian teams together.
ires-day trip no v
lion
contend for the title, but the big question
mark is their pitching staff.
Luis Tiant and Fergle Jenkins are not
getting any younger. Ibwcwr, if LZ1
Campbell, a refuse from the Twins,
docs i good job ia the bull pen, it will
L3XS
really he!? the
The Baltimore 0;!:!:s are my rick fcr
third place. If Lee K:y and Al Eisiry
perform well the Oxides wll da weU.
If the Cric!: filler the C:v:!"i
Izdtezt thcJ be rlsht behind tUm. With
FJco Carty mi V,v,t5 Gubad, the Ixiizna
' could turprixa ifsw people.
The rest cf the Amcxtea Le:.jus Eaa
, shs'Ji be t-3 tsrpxis with Detroit, VJ-
4;-! sl-J Toronto
UNL tennis coach Jim Porter is trr.?l
ing to Colorado for a three-day weekend
beginning today but it isn't a vacation.
Porter and his team will play four
matches in three days against Colorado
schools beginning at 2 today with a match
against the Air Force Academy (AFA)
team in Colorado Springs. Saturday the
Hudcers wO play matdas aplnst Colorado
Cc!l? Li t!ie morris 3 and Southern Colo
rado CcZsgz in the afternoon. They wind
r'jy i-'lrst the Uni'.trsiry of Colorado
(CUj in Eaiiler ca
wun;y ncrruni.
Porter said the concentrated n
.V
er of
catccet m-odi net be a hindrance to his tiea.'
economical too. Well be going to this type
cf thing more ia the future."
Porter added that AFA ."always has a
strong team and Colorado is one of the
roost improved teams in the Big S Confer
ence. "I also heard that Southern Colorado
is strong."
The Kuskers are off to one of their best
starts in recent years with a 10-6 record.
Porter said with some consistency the team
could irnprow more.
"VeVs been improving steadily and pa
eraTy playing well" Porter rdd. "We've
been erratic and inconsistent at trrcs tut
we a soon be r hying p to cur apablli-
teim.
IZZZCn, l.Z u s DSCOmLt
to ccncrr.trste matches cn weekends. You
c:n tt fa a lot mere matches and its mere
L. , t , . . lis added that the play cf tophomorss
,e w been dcjr.3 this kind of thing 1 Fh3 Voos and Daa Slobcth was one cf the
m, he t:J. "It's bscommt comrnoa ms-'or reasons for -the imrrovernent.
mspr reasons for -the improvement.
"The play cf the $8 two his been c.t
itinding so fir this y;;j," Pcrtcr