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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 1992)
SPORTS Olympic vacation enlightening for gymnastics coach By Nick Hytrek Senior Reporter The 1992 Summer Olympics was a chance for many to relax in front of the television and watch the world’s best athletes perform. For Nebraska men’s gymnastics coach Francis Allen, the Olympics was a chance to Icam something new. Allen, who has coached the Comhuskcrs to seven national cham pionships, coached the U.S. men’s gymnastics team, which finished sixth in the team competition. Allen said the trip to Barcelona, Spain, was good for him. “It was a neat experience, an edu cational experience,” Allen said. “It was a free learning experience. “It would be hard to miss the Olym pics because you Icam so much.” AI though he said he d id n ’ t observe anything totally new, Allen did pick up a few tips for training and prepara tion. “Professionally, it was a great out ing,” he said. “I didn’t Icam anything earth shattering, but I picked up some technique stuff and strength stuff.” And Allen said some of those things would show up in the Nebraska pro gram. “I’m going to modify our system a little,” he said. “(Other countries) do things wedon’tdo in the United Slates. Hopefully I’ll use some of those things.” The U .S. team practiced every day with the Unified Team, which won the team gold medal. Allen said the chance to work out with them was especially rewarding. “You learn a lot from watching the best,” he said. It was not the first time Allen was named coach of the Olympic team, but it was the first time he was able to assume the role. Allen was to coach the 1980 team at the Moscow Olympics, but a U.S. led boycott left the Amcricansat home. 'Excluding 1980, Allen said he had been at every Olympics since 1976 in Montreal. Allen said that as the coach of an Olympic team, his job didn’t involve much teaching. It was more a matter of meshing the personalities of eight gymnasts together. “As a coach, you try to make them feel better as a team,” he said. “You can’t change them, but the kids arc real responsive. They’ll do anything you ask.” The experience of coaching the Olympic team was enjoyable, Allen said. So enjoyable, he wants to do it again, possibly in 1996 at Atlanta. “I’d like to give it a shot,” he said. “We made mistakes this summer. I think I can do a better job.” But the weather might havccauscd Allen to not do as good a job as he would have liked, he said. The athlete’s village where the team stayed did not have air conditioning, and Allen said he thought the heal look its loll on the gymnasts. “It affected the ath lelcs a lot more,” Allen said. “The coaches could goout and move around but the athletes couldn ’ t,” he said. “The coaches could go out and sit in a nice air-conditioned restaurant or bar until itcoolcd down.” Other than the heal, Alien said he had a good time andBarcclona was a nice city. “It’s a pretty neat town,” he said. “It’s got everything in it.” ‘Class of impact’ impresses women’s basketball coach By Derek Samson Staff Reporter Editor’s Note: This is the second in a five-day series of stories updat ing five Cornhusker athletic pro grams and progress made during the summer. Tomorrow: Men’s basketball. Nebraska women’s basketball coach Angela Beck is impressed with the summer of basketball her relum ing players put together. Beck is just as excited about the five freshmen that signed with Ne braska last spring. "lhcy seem like a class of im pact,’’ Bock said. “I’m really pleased with these freshmen. There arc no duds in this class.’’ The list of recruits includes Tyra Aardcn of Hudson, Wis., Lisbct Brcndcn of Silvcrton, Ore., Kate Halligan of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dina Hasclip of Oregon City, Ore. and Stacey Randolph of WcbbCily, Iowa. “Kate won the Athlete of the Year, which is a great honor, especially in “-n’s ETBALL SUMMER RECAP Iowa,” Beck said. “She was a threc spori athlete and possesses some big time potential.” The summer was a busy one for all the players, including the incoming freshmen. “All the freshmen played pretty competitive all summer long. (The summer) has been very active and productive,” Beck said. Karen Jennings, a pre-season All American pick, has also stayed busy with basketball. She competed for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in June. “She has had a great summer,” Beck said. “She started for the na tional team alongside the country’s best. That means a lot for our pro gram. She is the premier player in the Midwest.” — DN file photo Nebraska outside hitter Eileen Shannon, shown in a match last year, is on pace to break the school record in kills and attacks. Hitter aims lor records By Jeff Singer Senior Reporter Nebraska volleyball player Eileen Shannon’s molto has been to speak soflly and let her play talk for itself. But over the past three years, Shannon ’ s play has been heard loud and clear throughout college vol leyball. Shannon, who is on pace to break numerous school records this year, . has pul hcrComhuskcr team ahead j of her individual success through- \ out her career. She said she was happy about her accomplishments, but her team came first in priority for the up coming season. “I want to help us win a national championship,”Shannon said. “I’d love to finish here with one.” A national title is one of the few awards that has eluded Shannon, who has helped the team build its Itebriihii Muiof outside hitter Elm Shawm b on pace to break the Corahmker school record in ciroor Uh and career attacks. Her embers throngh 479 1116 346 902 368 942 ScMfecri Sott Mifir/DN conseculivcconfercnce-liilc streak to 16 as well as being an All-Big Eight performer as an outside hit ter. Nebraska assistant coach Brian Bcgor said Shannon could some times be overshadowed by last year’s Big Eight Player of the Y car, Husker middle blocker Stephanie Thaler. “Eileen is kind of a floater and docs a lot of little things,” Bcgor said. “What a lot of people don’t realise is that when Eileen gradu ates, she’ll hold three or four Ne braska records.” Those records include becom ing Ncbraska’sall-timcatiacksand kills leader. Shannon needs 303 more attacks to put her name in the Husker record book as well as just 202 kills to catch Nebraska kill record-holder Virginia Stahr. As for being overshadowed by Thaler, Shannon said her team male deserved the recognition she has received and said Thaler had helped Shannon become a better player. See SHANNON on 10 Competition, success abound in NU athletics department You’re a freshman al ihe University of Ne braska. You’ve just picked up your student football tickets, and now you are fully prepared to witness the only competition worth watching on campus, right? Wrong. Comhusker football is not the only sport going on at Nebraska. And, depending on whose opinion you listen to, it isn’t even the most successful program. There arc several teams at Nebraska that have achieved national success and recogni tion. It’s just that the media do not give them the attention they deserve because they’re not big revenue sports. Granted, the Huskcr football program gets the most attention, pulls in a lot of revenue anc has had ils share of success. And when you’re new on campus, it’s a pretty safe bet you’ve heard of the pregame parlies before football games and how loud the Bob Dcvancy Sports Center can get at men’s basketball games. But you don't hear much about the other teams. I You don’t hear the names Stephanie Thater, Dennis Harrison and Kevin Coleman. You don'l hear about how the volleyball and women’s track team own the Big Eight. You don’t hear about wrestler Corey Olson pinning yet another opponent. You don’t know what you’re missing. When it comes to Husker athletics, you can go to almost any event and leave impressed — with both the team and the fans who attend. So where do you start? Well, the volleyball team begins play Sept. 1. Don'l begin to think this will be anything like high school volleyball. This is collegiate vol leyball at its best. I’m talking speed, strength and power. The volleyball team plays in the NU Coli seum, which is far and away the loudest build ing on campus during competition. The seating capacity is listed at 4,500 people, and once the Huskcrs get on a rol I, it can sound lifce tw ice that many. During the winter and spring, the men’s basketball team gets most of the headlines. However, if you don’t have tickets, there arc more than enough quality events to attend. The women’s basketball team is one of the best teams in the conference and getting better. In Karen Jennings, the Huskers have the return ing Big Eight Player of the Year and Meggan Ycdscna is one of the lop guards in the league. If you want to see the most successful pro gram at Nebraska in term of national titles, See HYTREK on 10
