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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 1984)
Tuesday, October 2, 1934 Paga 10 Daily Nebraskan Osborne: Lack of ball control led to Orange c FLISll By Mike George Dally Nebraskan Etaff Writer Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne Monday called last week's 17-9 loss at Syracuse one of the three or four toughest assign ments" the Huskers will face this season. "This was not a spur of the moment, or fluke game," Osborne said at the weekly Extra Point Club luncheon. "This team was ready to play." The loss dropped Nebraska from the unbeaten ranks and out of the top position in the college football polls. The Huskers are ranked No. 8 this week by the Associated Press. Osborne said the Orangemen have been playing solid defense all season, holding Maryland to one touchdown and Northwest ern to a touchdown and a field goal. Rutgers defeated Syracuse 19-0 on Nov. 22, but Osborne said all of those points came as a result of fumbles. Osborne said time of posses sion was the biggest factor in Saturday's loss. Syracuse controll ed the ball for more than 36 min utes, while the Huskers held the ball for just under 24 minutes. Syracuse ran 75 offensive plays, while Nebraska ran just 57. "Syracuse hung on to the foot- Skateboard renaissance storms city with 'Melee' By Jonathan Taylor Daily Nebraskan Staff Writer Skateboarding bends the mind. Take the life-risking gymnas tics of a circus acrobat, enough energy to create life itself and combine them with the sense of bewilderment only the best magi cian can provide. Put it all on wheels and you have an inkling of what skateboarding is all about. The sport began in the mid sixties when a surfer named Hobie Alter built the first skateboard in California to tide him over when the waves were flat. Since then, the sport has flourished in Lin coln to something much more than "360s" and a way to go to the store for Mom. With more than 150 people in Lincoln skating in one form or another, skateboarding is the fad that seems to have never died completely. The sport has fought its way back from a time in the late 70s and early '80s when portions of land, across the country were pav ed exclusively for skateboarding. Such places, called skateboard parks, even existed in Omaha. But, according to Scott Bouw en's and Rich Flowerday, ramp owners and skate shop proprie tors bad management and poor park designs, coupled with the inability to insure skaters against injury, forced a majority of the parks to close. Just as the sport seemed to have the most strength, even as plans to. include skate boarding in the Olympics were rumored to be discussed, people began to put their boards in clos ets. For many, their only places to ride were being taken away. Then, skateboarding underwent a renaksar.ee period. People faced with having the equipment to skate but nowhere to do it took matters in their own hands. Groups of skaters became instant ball, and when it looked like we would get the ball, we were hit with a penalty," Osborne said. "There were two big penalties that let Syracuse keep their drives going: The holding call in the second quarter, and the 12 men on the field call in the fourth quarter. Nebraska also was hampered by injuries, but Osborne said that's something a team has to learn to overcome. "We had hoped Jeff Smith would be able to play for us. We had brought him along, and we had hoped he would have been healthy enough to play. Just before we took the field, Smith felt that he wasn't ready for play," Osborne said. Fullback Tom Rathman was knocked out on the opening kick off and injured his ankle. Rathman was held out of prac tice Monday and may not prac tice today. I-back Paul Miles dislocated hi3 shoulder, and Osborne said that he will not be available for four or five weeks. Quarterback Craig Sundberg was coming off a shoulder injury, and wasnt able to practice at full speed, Osborne said. "We had intended to use more of (backup quarterback) Travis Turner," Osborne said, "but we s s "x - .tfL J? i I A t V. I:, -j 1 ) " Dw WtwrtjfDalljf KcSras9(8n Dr CrausOcS!y NSmkta PaaeacalBBi broks exst (ls!t) vdtea epssors of the Pro Ekstsfeosrd rasap cosiest '.threw T-eMrta cad har c&stetcsrd cqoipsie&t ctiie rasp and tzta the wslttes crcid. At rijit, pro Mcsta NoSdcr files cfTarasp. carpenters, and soon skateboard ramps cfallses and forms, most of them U-shaped structures called half-pipes, popped up to accommodate the reborn interest Though Lincoln never had a skateboard park to begin with, the skaters in this city represent a prime sample of the renais sance attitude. Lincoln was basically a one ramp town with a Email group of skaters keeping the sport alive. But that was before professional skateboarders stormed the Mid west In the fall of 1&S3 to partici pate in the first "Midwest Mdee" ramp contest. That event, which took place on the ramp behind Fl&werdays home in the middle" of a quiet, suburban neighbor felt he lacked experience, so we went with Sundberg." Nebraska assistant Mark Mauer, who scouted Oklahoma State, said things won't get any easier for the Huskers this week. "Oklahoma State seems to have things going their way. They have been playing fine football thus far," he said. Mauer said Oklahoma State's offense is not very complex. "Rusty HHger, the Oklahoma State quarterback, seems to have a let cf experience. He can move the offense well. He has a strong arm, and goes to the short pass often," he said. "They have a very short quick backfield with Shawn Jones lead ing the offense," Mauer said. In Oklahoma State's win against Tulsa Saturday, the Cowboys gained 380 yards in total offense "The defense is very aggressive and strong. Oklahoma State had experienced personnel, with 10 of the 1 1 starters having prior experience," Mauer said. Osborne said the Cowboy8 re turn more starters than Nebraska, including most of their key play ers. "The talent is there. The defen sive line is back and they have a lot of speed and quickness in the offensive backfield." 11! . 41 V. 1- B .. - I hood, was the single most contri buting factor to skateboarding's renewed popularity, Flowerday Since the first "Melee" the num ber of skaters has "increased es . ponentislly " Flowerday said, with two skaters getting four more interested and four skaters intro ducing the spoil to 16 of their friends. Compared to surfing or skiing, Flowerday said, skateboarding m . basically inexpensive. A complete skate board will average around $120 while a full set of pads for the knees, elbows, hips, head and wrists costs about I1C0. But with .more people skateboarding, be ginners are able to buy used' equipment cheaper. 1 m AA. I ( f 'y Phc!o Cour&sy cf Syrtctut Cpcrti InfornsiSsn Cyraccsa back Jamie CoBviaScn iccks fsr russias nvera. Convinston lushed for 63 yards against the lingers. 3 i'i t L -J 1 Skateboarding b so popular, Flowerday said, because It is an individual sport, you dont have to be on a team to do it" Although competitions are good for the sport, Flowerday said another key to the successful pro press of the sport in Lincoln is that it isnt necessary for skate boarders to enter competitions to have fun. However, four amateur ramp contests took place this summer, three in Lincoln and one in Omaha, all cf which were spon sored by local skateboard shops. Each contest featured three div isions, 15 and under, Open B and Open A, which gave skaters of every skCl level a chance to show eff for a crovd and win prizes. ,1, a;. i ,1 V X 1 X it ? f '! .v v lit 5 H . a m . i ("5 ... ? f ".V X, X Eighteen professional skate boarders competed in Lincoln last week to the "Midwest Melee II." Hundreds of dollars in prizes were awarded as the pro skaters per formed for a crowd estimated at more than 350 people. Presently there are four rampa in Lincoln of various sizes. Flow erday ( said skateboarding is a much stronger sport now than in the past because skaters ars buMing ramps and supporting the sport, instead cf skatepark managers trying to make & buck. The immediate future of skate boarding in Lincoln U positive, Flowerday said, with plans being discussed to relocate or build a. ramp indoors for the winter months. C ' f- si li i t i i