daily nebraskan
thursday, november 30, 1978
sports
page 10
Injuries to six gymnasts hamper team's progress
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By Ed McClymont
The 1978-79 UNL Women's gymnastic
season can be summed up so far in one
word-injuries. Six of the team's perfor
mers have been slowed by injuries varying
from ankles to elbows.
The three upperclassmen of the squad
senior Peggy Liddick, and juniors Patty
Carmichael and Chrissy Robertson-have
all been hurt at one point in the season.
Liddick has been out with a knee injury,
Carmichael with an ankle injury, and
Robertson with a back injury. The casualt
ies figured in the Huskers' fifth place finish
in the five team Midwest Open in Chicago,
and a tie with Minnesota in a dual.
"It's been a real problem with all the
injuries we've had," Head Coach Judy
Schalk said, "although we just had an all
around poor performance at Chicago."
Lost top all-arounder
The team also is suffering from the loss
of Jeanne Concannon, who dropped out of
school.
"She was the top all-arounder for us last
year as a freshman," Schalk said. "We
would have been super this year with
Peggy, Chrissy, and Patty had Jeanne stay
ed out for the team."
The Huskers will be counting on strong
showings from five freshmen-Marcia
Austin, Martha Clark, Vicki Harvey, Karen
Madsen, and Tammy Pawlichka-to repeat
last year's Big Eight Championship.
Next semester, Schlak says her squad
will be joined by Renee Reisdorff, whom
Schalk calls the "top gymnast in the state."
Reisdorff will be on full scholarship when
she graduates from Omaha Bryan High
School this month.
Presently, UNL is gearing for the Rocky
Mountain Open at Colorado State later this
month.
"It's a prestigious meet," Schalk said.
"We finished second last year and we'd like
to do that good again this year."
Upcoming meets
Schalk figures the team probably will
peak about the time of the meet, but could
be thrown off again by the semester break.
This year's Big Eight meet is February
16-17 at the University of Colorado, and
will be a close race again.
"It's strictly up for grabs," Schalk said.
"All the Big Eight schools competing have
fine teams. It should be closely matched."
Following the Big Eight Championships
is the Regional meet at Iowa State. Qualifi
ers proceed to the national meet at Penn
State.
UNL's next contest is a triangular Sat
urday with Oklahoma State and South
Dakota State. The meet begins at 2 p.m. at
Mabel Lee Hall.
"The level of competition is improving
quite a bit," Schalk said. "We need to get
more interest generated."
University intramural sports
crowd into recreation areas
Photo by Mark Billingsley
Junior Patty Carmichael prepares for the women's gymnastics team's next dual
against Oklahoma State and South Dakota State this Saturday. Carmichael is one
of three upperclassmen on the squad this year.
The UNL intramural season is beginning
its third stage of the 1978-79 year with
men's volleyball and handball, and
women's basketball, acting as the major
team sports for the winter.
"The programs have run real good,"
intramural director Gale Wiedow said.
"The weather played a big part in that
because we didn't have much rain or
snow."
There have been few problems this year
organizing games, according to Wiedow.
The biggest problem seems to be finding
enough space for purely recreational activ
ities. "We're getting in intramurals okay as
far as facilities, but then there is no place
for recreation sports to play," Wiedow
said. "I personally believe we need more
space for recreation, but we're still five
years down the road as far as making any
recommendations for additional
buildings."
This year there are 100-150 paid stu
dents who are officiating and supervising
the intramural program. There are an
additional 30 studenst who supervise the
facilities and grounds.
This year 80 sports are being offered
UNL students and six sports for the UNL
faculty. One of the biggest problems is
the quality of officiating and forfeiture
of games, Wiedow said.
"We have to hire people with little or
no experience as far as officiating, and any
training they have is usually on their own.
"Forfeitures have been reduced because
of the enlarged playoff system, but it is
still a problem because of the waste of
officials, equipment, and maintenance
when nobody shows up to play."
Wiedow also said the number of stu
dents participating in intramurals has
dropped this year.
Bowl bucks fill Big Eight coffers and expense accounts
By Val Swinton
Some Husker fans still are complaining about the Oklahoma-Nebraska
rematch in the Orange Bowl, but for
many people, the news is as sweet as Florida citrus. The
other Big Eight schools probably are quite pleased that
two conference teams will be playing each other in a
major bowl game, for financial reasons if nothing else.
"Good Lord, yes," said UNL Sports Information Di
rector Don Bryant. "It's a gold mine for the Big Eight."
Estimated gate receipts confirm Bryant's statement.
Big Eight officials are estimating tiiat each team will earn
over one million dollars as a result of the game. The
money is not sent to the two schools, but given to the Big
Eight Conference, which gives expense accounts to the
two schools, then divides up what is left among all eight
teams in the conference.
Divided eight ways
Nebraska and Oklahoma will receive about S33 1 ,000
apiece for expenses, which should leave close to
$1.5 million to be divded eight ways. However, since
Kansas State is on probation for recruiting violations,
one third of its share will be deducted and redistributed
among the remaining seven teams.
That's a far cry from the money Nebraska received
last year when the team traveled to Memphis, Tenn. for
the Liberty Bowl. According to Dick Fleming, Director
of University Information, the school received only
SI 25. 000 for expenses.
As a tribute to the quality of football in the Big Eight,
two other teams will also be traveling to bowl games
this year, contributing further to the conference coffers.
Bowl bucks
Missouri will go to the Liberty Bowl this year,
earning about S3 15.000 for the Big Eight and Iowa
State travels to the Hall of Fame Bowl, which means an
additional Si 75.000.
Sending four teams to bowl games is about average for
the Big Eight. According to Bill Hancock, Director of the
Big Eight Service Bureau, three teams went to bowl games
last year, and four the year before.
But the best year, according to Hancock, was in 1972
when five teams were picked for bowl games. That year
Oklahoma went to the Sugar Bowl, Nebraska played in
the Orange Bowl, Iowa State went to the Liberty Bowl.
Missouri was picked for the Fiesta Bowl and Colorado
played in the Gator Bowl.
But even though this year is not the best year in terms
of the number of teams playing in bowl games, it may
well be the best year in terms of money received from
those games, Hancock said.
"Payoffs have increased greatly since then," Hancock
said, referring to 1972. And he added, "Television money
is up quite a bit."
Expense account
The expense account Nebraska receives this year is evi
dence of how much more profitable it is to play in a bowl
game this year than in the past. Fleming said Nebraska's
figure of S331 ,000, which includes expenses and mileage,
is about SI 00 ,000 more than six years ago.
Who goes to Miami on the Nebraska expense account'.'
According to Fleming, over 500 persons from UNL will be
receiving an expense paid trip to the Orange Bowl.
The players, coaches, managers and trainers, of course,
will be making the trip, as well the band and the cheer
leaders. In addition, the regents, the governor, and the
administrative staff from the university are entitled to go.
Two waves
Members of the administrative staff can take one other
person on the expense account, but because of an At
torney General's ruling, the regents and the governor will
have tu pay out of their own pockets if they take
someone else
According to Bryant, there will be two "waves" leav
ing for Miami next month. The first wave, consisting of
tiie team and coaches, leaves December 24 The second
wave which includes the rest of the 500 persons, leaves
- M()St the people will be in Miami for four to
six days. Two planes have been chartered for the trip,
which means some will be making the journey on
commercial flights