monday, april 6, 1981
daily nebraskan
page 9
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Hartung views victory as another rivalry battle
By Cindy Gardner
The duel is over, and now that the smoke has cleared,
Jini Hartung reigns over the world of collegiate gymnas
tics. The Nebraska junior retained his all-around title by
out scoring second place Bart Conner of Oklahoma
115.90 to 115.85 in the Thursday and Friday night
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Women claim top track title
The UNL women's track team rolled up 139.5
points en route to the championship of its own
invitational Saturday at the Ed Weir track. Kansas
was second with 125 points, followed by Minnesota,
Kansas State and Missouri.
Merlene Ottey and Norma Lee Murray led the
team to the title by placing first and second in the
200-meter dash and qualifying for the national
meet with times of :22.4 and :23.8, respectively.
Other UNL placers:
!00-meter hurdles: 3. Cheryl Zajic, : 14.4; 5.
Nancy Kindig, : 1 4.6. 400-meter dash: Paula Chace,
1:01.1. 100-meter dash: 1. Merlene Ottey, :1 1 .0; 2.
Norma Lee Murray, : 1 1.6; 6. Robin Mills, : 1 2.8.
400-meter hurdles: 2. Cheryl Zajic, 1:03.5; 500
meter run: 3. Sara Strieker, 18.03.4.
Shot put: 1. Karen Wood, 43-1. High jump: 1.
Sharon Burrill, 5-6; 3. Christy Lee, 5-6; 6. Sandra
Roberts, 5-4. Long jump: 1. Nancy Kindig, 19-3'4:
3. Sharon Burill, 18-7; 4. Chandra Roberts, 18-2; 5.
Cathy Seybold, 17-9'4. Javelin: 1. Kathy Kraaj,
127-4; 4. Nancy Kindig, 105-4; 5. Cathy Seybold,
103-9. Discus: 2. Karen Wood, 143-3.
The Cornhusker 400-meter relay team of Ottey,
Murray, Zajic and Mills placed first with a time of
:46.6. The 1600-meter relay team came in fourth in
4:12.9.
I
Gvmnast savs talent
crowds help team win
By Larry Sparks
Winning national championships has become a habit
for Francis Allen's gymnasts, but for No. 4 all-arounder
Jim Mikus, it was a new experience.
"It's just really exciting," Mikus said Saturday after
UNL had captured its third straight NCAA title. "This is
new to me. It's just really an experience you have to go
through."
Mikus, a freshman from Reading, Pa., wasn't able to go
through the meet in the all-around competition, though.
He has suffered from tendonitis for several weeks, and was
only able to compete in the floor exercise and the vault.
"I was disappointed," he said. "It was difficult, but I'm
just glad that Chuck (Chmelka), Scott (Johnson), Jim
(Hartung) and Phil (Cahoy)all did well."
" I thought 1 would have done well if I would have
been able to compete in the all-around but it didn't work
out that way," he said. "We still won and that's the key."
Mikus said the parallel bars were the turning point in
Saturday's team finals.
"We had a miss the first guy, and then the next guy,"
Mikus said, "Brandon Hull just went out and did a great
job and we just really did well on the p-bars from then on.
On the high bars, we put them (Oklahoma and UCLA)
away."
"I'm glad the other teams performed so well," he said.
"It's always good to beat a team when they're at their
best. Oklahoma and UCLA really hung tight."
The bitter rivalry between Nebraska and Oklahoma
exists largely because of OU Coach Paul Ziert, according to
Mikus.
"I get along with all of their guys real well but their
coach I just don't think he shows a lot of class," Mikus
said. "If he wants to say something, he should just come
up to everyone and say it instead of making cheap shots
from Norman."
"It just really started when we lost at the Big Eight
meet," Mikus said. "We didn't like that very much."
Mikus said much of Nebraska's success at the NCAA
meet was because of the enthusiastic crowd.
"Every routine, whether it was a hit or a miss, the
crowd responded well," Mikus said. "It just really picks
up a lot -especially in the finals."
It is a relief to have the championship meet over, Mikus
said, but there could be some more national titles down
the road.
"We just have to take them one at a time," he said.
"You never know what will happen next year. Somebody
else might get hurt. More than one person might get
hurt."
Mikus said. "If everyone stays healthy, I see no reason
why we can't just keep on winning."
sessions of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships.
"This is just another battle in the war," Hartung said
of his victory against Conner, "and the war is getting
tighter and tighter. Bart will beat me again and I'll beat
him again, but no one can take this one from me."
Hartung entered Friday evening's optional session with
.20 of a point lead over Conner, but the final decision
came down to his specialty event-the still rings. When
the rtOskers entered the arena to compete in the rings,
all of Conner's optional scores had been posted and
Hartung said when he looked at the board he really didn't
think he had a chance.
However, according to Hartung, the Huskers have
some fast adders.
"I think it was Jim Mikus who told me I needed a
9.75 to win," he said.
In order to help assure that 9.75 Hartung made a
decision he said was against what he normally would do.
Although he usually ends his routine with a full twisting
double-back somersault dismount, he opted for a some
what more consistent ending Friday night. Hartung said
the decision to conserve was his.
"Francis (Coach Allen) tells me to do what I want as
long as I do good," Hartung said.
While Allen and the crowd anxiously waited to see
if Hartung had made the right decision, Hartung said he
had his eye on the judge's lips. After the first judge
posted a 9.7, Hartung said he saw the other judge saw
9.8, and at that point he knew he had repeated as the
all-around champion.
Winning the all-around title a second time tied for what
Hartung considered his greatest moment in gymnastics.
The other moment at the top of his list came Saturday
when the Huskers won their third consecutive team title.
Allen said the all-around title was a "milestone" in
Hartung's career.
Now that he's on top, Hartung said, he still will try to
improve.
Lincoln praised as gymnastics capital
By Larry Sparks
If Kurt Thomas had his way, Nebraska would become
the permanent site for the NCAA gymnastics meet. The
former world champion from Southern Illinois, known
across the country as Mr. Gymnastics, said Lincoln makes
a perfect host for the event.
"This is pretty much the capital of gymnastics,"
Thomas said. "It's just tremendous the support you give
them out here. I'd vote to keep the meet here every year."
"It's a disadvantage for the other teams coming in here
but I don't think any other school could ever support it
the way Nebraska has," Thomas said.
He found at least one explanation, though, for the
support the Cornhusker fans have shown.
"I've been in Lincoln since Monday and I can tell you,
there is not a whole lot else to do here," Thomas joked.
Thomas, although retired from gymnastics competi
tion, is keeping in touch with the sport by coaching at
Arizona State and working for ABC Television. Thomas
was pulling double duty at last weekend's meet. The Ari
zona State team was in the competition and ABC also was
taping a special to be broadcast June 7. He said he doesn't
miss being in competition.
"I just don't have the itch anymore," Thomas said. "I
achieved everything I wanted to achieve and I'm content
with what I'm doing now."
Thomas, whose favorite events were the floor exercise,
high bar and pommel horse, said the two major changes
made in the NCAA meet this year were both successful.
Dropping all the compulsory and optional scores and
starting with a clean slate for the finals makes a better
meet for the fans, he said.
"It makes it more exciting, although it will hurt a team
like Nebraska," he said. "The most consistent team is
usually going to win."
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Applications for
Daily RJebraskan
Editor in Chief for
the fall 1981 eemester
now are being accepted.
Deadline for applications
4:30 p.m. April 7
Applicants should be familiar with the
Guidelines for the Student Press adopted
by the NU Board of Regents (copies a
vaijable upon request).
Submit application and resume to the
Daily Nebraskan Business office, 34
Nebraska Union.
UNL does not discriminate in its academic admissions or
employment programs and abides by ail federal regulations
pertaining to same.
Moving the one touch warm-ups to the track area also
makes the meet more enjoyable for the fans, according to
Thomas.
"It's fantastic not to have warm-ups on the floor,"
Thomas said. "They really bore the crowd and they
lengthen the meet."
Thomas had to complete against Nebraska's Jim
Hartung and Oklahoma's Bart Conner during his college
career. He said the rivalry between the two is definitely as
strong as it is played up to be in the press. He added, how
ever, that a rivalry in gymnastics is different from any
other sport.
"Everybody wants to be No. I and those guys (Conner
and Hartung) are so close," Thomas said.
"But in gymnastics, you don't fight against each
other," he said. "You work against the apparatus. If you
worry about each other, then the apparatus bites back.
We're really superficial friends."
Although Conner will graduate this year, Thomas said,
Hartung won't be able to run away with the all-around
title next year.
"I think (UCLA's Peter) Vidmar is right behind him,"
Thomas said. "No one is really ever going to walk away
with it."
Having a name in the sport, according to Thomas, can
work both ways on an athlete.
"If you hit your routine, they will give you everything,
but the people know when you break," he said. "The
crowd does have an influence."
"Having a name is by far an advantage over not having
a name," he added.
Thomas said gymnastics is an up and coming sport,
adding that the teams and individuals are improving all
over the nation and especially at Nebraska.
"Francis (Allen) does such a fantastic job with the pro
gram here," he said. ' Nebraska has so much depth and
Jim (Hartung) just keeps getting better."
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