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Friday, October 27, 1995 Page 6
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Nathan McKinney
Preparation,
patience keys
to flyfishing
Nearly all outdoor enthusiasts
at some- time become enthralled
with the graceful art performed by
an experienced fly fisherman.
Dazed by the confidence estab
lished with each accurate motion
of the fluorescent flyline, and mo
tivated by the movie “A River
Runs Through It,” many self-pro
claimed expert fishermen have
picked up the flyrod only to find it
a clumsy piece of wood incapable
of enticing even the dumbest of
fish.
The next move is to throw down
the long foreign stick and resume
the use of the more comfortable
bait caster.
But take heart, fishing with a
flyrod is not awkward and unpro
ductive if preceded by the right
amount of preparation.
The timing of this column is not
a mistake. To prepare for next
spring’s rejuvenation of life cel
ebrated on streams and lakes
throughout the country, the ex
pectant flyfishing person needs to
begin now.
Flyfishing is more of a philoso
phy titan a sport, and gaining the
right mental attitude takes time.
The first requirement is master
ing the vocabulary. Without a
finishing vocabulary, it will be
impossible to know the weight of
the rod required; whether to use
sinking or floating line; techniques
in the use of nymphs versus
dryflies; or even what to do with a
frayed tippet.
After the vocabulary, and pos
sibly the purchase of some gear
comes an often overlooked, but
possibly the most important ele
ment of building a flyfishing phi
losophy. The creation of flys.
As the winter snow barricades
sportsmen into cubicles of con
finement with insufficient space
to practice the fluid motions of
flyfishing, it’s time to relax by the
yellowish heat of a fire and suc
cumb to the guiding hand of na
ture.
Each rap of thread around a
lifeless hook can produce a final
product of hair, feathers, legs,
wings, life and soul. What is cre
ated can no longer be designated
an artificial lure. To the creator, it
has become a living, breathing
addition to the chain of nature,
destined to be consumed in a flurry
of underwater predation.
When the summer sun is finally
here, there will be nothing awk
ward about feeling the flow of the
water carrying the fly over the
haven of a fish, whose natural in
stincts dictate that it devour the
insect drifting overhead.
As the hook is set and the long
rod doubles over, you will sud
denly understand the meaning of
flyfishing. It’s feeling the pres
ence of the wild, and actually hav
ing a part to play within it.
McKinney basenlorlawstudentand a
Daily Nebraskan coluinnbt
Cleveland still alive after 5-4 win
CLEVELAND (AP)—This could
be the start of the ultimate comeback.
Orel Hershiser and the Cleveland
Indians, just one game away from
losing the World Series, beat Greg
Maddux and the Atlanta Braves 5-4
Thursday night, cutting the Indians’
deficit to 3-2.
Albert Belle’s two-run homer in
the first inning, in addition to a
brushback pitch to Eddie Murray that
led to a rare, bench-clearing incident
in the Series, energized Cleveland
early.
The Indians, who made a habit of
rousing rallies all year, went on to
beat the best pitcher in baseball, send
ing the Series back to Atlanta.
Maddux stopped Cleveland on two
hits in the opener, but Hershiser
outpitched the three-time Cy Young
winner this time, allowing five hits
and two runs in eight innings.
“It was an unbelievable game,”
Hershiser said.
The Braves still have two more
chances to win their first title since
moving to Atlanta. Game six will be
Saturday night, with Dennis Martinez
starting for the Indians against game
two winner Tom Glavinc.
Hershiser, who walked one and
struck out six, is 8-1 lifetime in the
postseason, with four wins coming
this year.
Jim Thome, who singled in the go
ahead run in the sixth inning, hit a
solo homer in the eighth to give Indi
ans a 5-2 lead. Ryan Klesko homered
for the third straight day—a two-run
shot off Jose Mesa with two outs in
the ninth. But Mesa earned the save
by striking out Mark Lemke, ending
the fourth one-run game of the Se
ries.
Maddux, signed by the Braves last
year to help bring them the champi
onship they’ve chased without suc
cess, clearly was not as sharp from
the start.
He walked the second batter of the
game, Omar Vizquel, after walking
no one in the opener. With two outs in
the first inning, Belle homered into
the Atlanta bullpen in right field for
the second straight day.
That brought up Murray, and on
an 0-1 pitch, he was knocked down
with a high fastball.
Murray took a couple of steps out
toward Maddux and pointed at him as
plate umpire Frank Pulli got between
them. Both benches and bullpens then
emptied, though no punches were
thrown.
“I think it fired us up,” Thome
said. “I think it fired up the crowd.”
Tough teams help NU
gear up for Final Four
By Mitch Sherman
Senior Editor
The Nebraska volleyball team has
had just about all it can take of the
Big Eight Conference.
The Comhuskers have hardly bro
ken a sweat since
an Aug. 26 loss to
Stanford, win
ning 17 straight
matches — all
three-game
sweeps — and
outscoring eight
conference foes
360-140.
The No. 1
ranked Huskers,
18-1, are ready for a challenge. And
they’re going to get it. Saturday’s 7
p.m. match against Iowa State at the
NU Coliseum and next Wednesday’s
home match against Kansas State are
tune-ups for Nebraska’s three-match
preview to the NCAA Tournament.
A week from Saturday, the Husk
ers travel to Austin, Texas, to play
seventh-ranked Texas. The Huskers
return home to play host to No. 14
Notre Dame three days later, and on
Nov. 12,22-0 Florida, ranked No. 3,
visits the Coliseum.
“It’s perfect for us,” senior Christy
Johnson said. “We have never had
three matches like that right before
the NCAA Tournament.”
Johnson, an All-American setter
from Millard North, said she had
been savoring her fifth and final sea
son in the Nebraska program. Her
value to the Huskers, coaches around
the Big Eight have said this fall, is
difficult to put into words.
“In my opinion,” Colorado coach
Brad Saindon said, “she is the one
that makes this team go. She’s the
spark. Without Christy Johnson, this
team is not what they are. Luckily,
they do have Christy Johnson.
“I think she is terrific. I’d take one
just like her. I’d take her clone. I’d
take her cousin. I’d take her sister.”
Just because Nebraska hasn’t been
playing top-notch competition over
the past month, Johnson said, is no
excuse for sloppy play on the court,
during matches or practices.
“As one of the seniors, we take it
upon ourselves to raise the level,” she
said. “If the team has a bad practice,
it’s our fault.”
Johnson, the Husker captain, said
she would rather not run over Texas,
Notre Dame and Florida without feel
ing some pressure. She said she would
be pleased if one of the three matches
were extended to five games.
Nebraska has not played a five
game match since Nov. 27, 1993, a
loss to Colorado in the Big Eight
Tournament. Johnson redshirted that
season.
“I would really like to have that
experience under my belt before we
hit the Final Four,” she said.
Thoughts of life after volleyball,
Johnson said, have begun to creep
into her mind as her final college
season begins to hit its stretch run.
“I have thought about it a little bit
lately,” Johnson said. “It’s a little bit
scary, because I don’t know what I
am going to do when I am done. But
I am excited because I feel like I have
learned so much that I can take a team
there with me.
“I can teach them. I’m excited that
the final year I am playing we have
one of the best teams Nebraska has
ever had. We can really do some
thing special here in my last year.”
Jon Waller/DN
Nebraska setter Christy Johnson attempts to block a ball
earlier this season. Johnson, the Nebraska team captain,
said this Husker team has a chance to be among the best in
school history. ' r
Meet should bring out best
By Vince D’Adamo
Staff Reporter
After a one-week hiatus, the
Nebraska Comhusker men’s and
women’s cross country teams are
back in action. Both teams travel
to Lawrence, Kan., today for the
Big Eight Cross Country Champi
onships.
The meet is at the Rim Rock
Farm, beginning with the women ’ s
race at 3 p.m. and followed by the
men’s race at 3:45 p.m. Nebraska
coach Jay Dirksen said this meet
always brought out the best of each
runner.
“The quality is unbelievable,”
Dirksen said. “There’s always a
high standard of competition at
this meet.”
On the women’s side, Dirksen
said top-ranked Colorado was a
formidable foe. The Buffaloes also
catch Dirksen’s attention on the
men’s side, along with defending
national champion Iowa State and
Oklahoma State.
The Huskers, who did not have
a meet last week, are anxious for
the meet, Dirksen said.
“We really worked hard a week
ago,” he said. “But we took it easy
this week.”
- The Husker men are hoping for
a strong finish, said Dirksen, who
looks for team captain Brady
Bonsall to rise to the occasion.
“We’d like for him to finish in
the top 10,” Dirksen said. “Brady
will definitely be ready for the best
runners.”
Balazs Tolgyesi, Alex Lamme,
Mike Mason, David Olson, Lou
Petricca, Aaron Scheer and Jim
Vance will join Bonsall at today’s
meet. Bonsall and Tolgyesi fin
ished 16th and 17th at last year’s
conference meet. Dirksen said he
was optimistic about the team’s
chance.
“Our men have been running
well,” Dirksen said. “I think we
have a real good chance.”
On the women’s side, Nebraska
is looking for its seventh confer
ence title in the past nine years.
Nora Shepherd placed first in the
Huskers’ last meet. She finished
11th at last year’s conference meet.
Also competing are Christina
Blackmer, Sherri Bonsall, Sherri
Elwood, Sandy Fein, Heather
McMahon, Lindsey Miller and
Melissa Wilson.
“Our women are running the
best I’ve seen them run all year
long,” Dirksen said.
Soccer team
hopes to end
on sunny note
From Staff Reports
The 10-6 Nebraska soccer team
looks for a bright ending to its season
this weekend in sunny California.
Southern California will put its 7
7-1 record on the line, playing host to
the Comhuskers today at 4 p.m. Ne
braska will play at UCLA on Mon
day.
USC has a 4-0-1 record at home
this season. Nebraska is 2-3 away
from Lincoln.
After last weekend’s wins over
Brigham Young and Texas, the Husk
ers moved up three spots to fifth in
the Central Region rankings. South
ern Methodist, Texas A&M,
Vanderbilt and Colorado College are
ranked ahead of Nebraska.
