Matt Miller/DN
TED HARRIS pert eras the still rings hi the MPSF Championships last weekend. Harris won the IndivMeal event
title with a 9.85.
Harris is Huskers’ ringer
One-event specialist dominates rings
By Gbegg Madsen
Staff Reporter
It’s taken most of the 1997 season,
J>iit Ted.Hanjs has, finally gotten com
fortable.
The senior Comhusker gymnast
from Kearney has regained die form
that earned him a third-place finish
on the still rings at the 1996 NCAA
Championships. And he’s just in time
as third-ranked Nebraska begins a
stretch run for the school’s ninth na
tional title.
“I had to change my set this sea
son,” Harris said. “So my set is much
more difficult for me than it was last
year. It’s taken me a couple of months
to get familiar with this set and really
get confident. But now, I am. So it’s a
good thing.”
The still-rings routine Harris per
formed his sophomore and junior sea
son was rearranged this year because
of new scoring regulations enacted by
the Federation of International Gym
nastics, which sets new international
scoring standards in every Olympic
year.
Harris said his new routine —
which he started practicing this sum
mer —was difficult to get used to.
In the first eight meets of the sea
son, Harris scored above 9.7 only two
times, a slight slump compared to
1996, when he scored above a 9.8 five
times.
But last Saturday in the Mountain
Pacific Sports Federation Champion
ships individual event finals, Harris
scored a season-high 9.85, which
earned him first place.
“One of the good things about
gymnastics is that these three meets
are the only meets that really matter,”
Harris said. “That’s the way we’ve
approached the entire season. If you’re
primed for these three meets, it doesn’t
matter what happened the rest of the
season.”
NU Coach Francis Allen said the
new regulations, which emphasize
strength over finesse, have been a dif
ficult, but not an insurmountable, ob
stacle for Harris.
“Some people, the new rules have
really hurt them,” Allen said. “For
other people, it hasn’t hurt them and
for just a few it’s helped. Ted’s in that
middle group.”
Allen said Harris has a good
chance of winning the still rings at the
NCAA Championships in Iowa City,
Iowa, on April 17.
The thought of winning the na
tional title on the rings or winning the
team championship has helped Har
ris to not think about the end of his
career.
“I try not to focus on the fact that
these last two meets are the last times
I’ll compete,” he said. “But I try to
lode at it like these are the last two ;
opportunities I’ll have to win.” |
Harris said the Huskers are in a
perfect position to win — both at the
NCAA West Regional Saturday in Al
buquerque, N.M., and the NCAA
Championships.
For Harris, winning a national title
would be a great accomplishment, but
a bittersweet ending to his career.
“I’ve thought about it a lot this past
week, and it’s kind of a weird feel
ing,” he said. “It’s kind of a sad feel
ing in a way. But it’s got to end, so I’d
rather it end well.”
Note:
Allen said Monday that he has de
cided to redshirt Nebraska junior all
arounder Jim Koziol.
The Omaha native had surgery,in
December to repair tom ligaments in
his right shoulder. He suffered the in
jury at the 1996 MPSF Champion
ships.
Allen, who had hoped to use
Koziol at Saturday’s West Regional,
said doctors advised him to redshirt
Koziol, who will have two years of
eligibility remaining.
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