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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 1998)
David Wilson Bullriding way of life for cowboy As he sat atop the 2,000-pound beast in the chute, Robbie remembered that he wasn’t supposed to be thinking. Not about which way the bull, Copen Lucifer, was supposed to turn. Not about when and how hard the ani mal might kick. Not about an eight second ride or a six-hour drive home. And definitely not about what would happen to his 150-pound frame if he was stepped on after falling to the dirt. So he tried not to think. He just sat. And waited. Copen Lucifer was also a bit anxious to get this dance underway. He jerked from side to side in the box, trying to wig gle the buck strap from his groin. Then the gate flew open. A week of mental preparation would come to an end in a matter of seconds. The bull kicked once, and spun right. Robbie leaned back toward the bull’s rear and grasped the animal between his legs to keep from being tossed over the top of the mighty beast. He gripped the rope strapped around the bull’s back with his right hand leaving his left hand to flail about. Two quick kicks and a 6-foot fall later, Robbie found himself in the dirt. Without time to regain his bearings, he raced to get out of the way of the now charging bull. Not quite an eight-second ride - maybe half that. What’s that mean for 19-year-old Robbie Newkirk? No prize money and a long trip home. But that’s the life of a professional cowboy. “It’s very disappointing,” Robbie said after his ride Saturday night dur ing the World’s Toughest Rodeo at Pershing Auditorium. “Especially when I know what I can do on a bull like that. I was sitting instead of react ing. I was thinking about what he was going to be like. Those first two or three jumps are always the key.” But don’t think Robbie didn’t know what was coming. He called ahead and did a background check on uopen Lucuer. For Robbie, this isn’t just a crazy attempt to get a rush. This is a way of life. As a senior at Dixon (Mo.) High School, he earned over $21,000 in rodeos last year. From the first time his dad forced him to ride a bull eight years ago, he’s only broken one bone. In his two-year career in the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association, he’s dislocated some ribs and been “knocked silly” a couple of times. But “you can’t let anything like that get in your way.” Not if you’re going to be a professional cowboy. You could see it in the dirt on his black hat, the shine of his buckle, the smile on his face and the crap on his boots: He loves this game. “This is fun. This is all I do. There’s nothing else.” David Wilson is a junior news editorial major and the Daily Nebraskan sports editor. Huskers trample Buffaloes By Shannon Heffelfinger Senior Reporter Paul Sanderford and the Nebraska women’s basketball team had little to say about a 78-53 win over Colorado Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The game was over before it started, and thoughts of the challenging final week that lies ahead filled the Huskers’ minds even before their 15th home vic tory of the season ended. The Huskers - who end conference play with games against Big 12 first and second-place teams Texas Tech and Iowa State this week - used the 11,465 fans who filled the Devaney Center to their advantage early in the game. “We got the opening tip, they stole it and that’s how it went for the rest of the game,” said CU Coach Ceal Barry, who credited the Buffaloes’ poor play to their inability to keep a slow tempo. But after the first three minutes of the game, NU (21-7 overall and 10-4 in the Big 12 Conference) hardly needed the support supplied by the largest crowd in the history of the program. Colorado missed its first three shots of the game and committed three turnovers in the first two minutes. And things went downhill from there. The Buffaloes trailed by 20 at the half and were never closer than 18 the rest or the contest. “Five minutes before the game, I looked at the crowd and what a great atmosphere it was,” Sanderford said, “and I told my assistants, ‘Welcome to the big time.’” The “big time” is exactly where Sanderford wants the Huskers to be. The dominating win over Colorado (10-14 and 4-10) means much more in the greater scheme of things than another mark in the win column, Sanderford said. The victory, along with Kansas’ and Baylor’s league losses Saturday, strengthens NU’s hold on the third place spot in the conference. It nearly solidifies the Huskers’ hope for a first-round bye in the Big 12 tournament March 3-7 and their hope for an NCAA Tournament bid. It was also only the second time in the last 12 meetings that the Huskers have come out on top against the Buffaloes. Those factors make the win all the more sweet for NU’s seniors, All American Anna DeForge said. Daniel Luedert/DN NEBRASKA SENIOR Jami Kubik, bottom right, and sophomore Naciska Gilmore, bottom left, reach for a rebound during the first half Sunday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. “For so many years they’ve just beat us down,” said DeForge, who led both teams with 25 points on 10 of 15 shooting and 15 rebounds. “To cause that frustration for them feels good.” Now, the Huskers turn their atten tion on reaching Sanderford’s “big time” goals. A victory over either Texas Tech Wednesday or Iowa State Sunday would enhance both NU’s Big 12 Tournament seed and NCAA Tournament aspirations. “We have two top 25 teams to end the season, and those are the kind of teams we’re going to have to beat,” Sanderford said. “We’re a much different team than we were six weeks ago. We’re more confident, and people understand their roles very well.” NU defeats Colorado as Lue breaks slump By Sam McKewon Senior Reporter BOULDER, Colo. - Nebraska point guard Tyronn Lue couldn’t have picked a better time to come out of a shooting slump Saturday against Colorado. After making only 41 of 89 shots in his previous five games, Lue shot 60 percent from the floor against the Buffaloes, scoring 31 points in a 79-71 Gornhuskerwin. It was the fourth time this season Uue has reached the 30-point plateau and the second time this season against CU. -1 And Lue couldn’t have been more pleased about his performance. “It was time for me to have a good game,” Lue said. “I haven’t played well for a while. I was focused since Friday to play.” When a crowd of 5,802 fans at the Coors Events Center watched CU cut Nebraska’s 35-22 halftime lead to 55 50 late in the second half, Lue helped to deliver the final blow. Taking a backdoor pass from guard Please see WIN on 8 OSU pins a loss on Huskers By Sarah Dose Staff Reporter As a team, the Nebraska wrestlers didn’t beat Oklahoma State. But three wrestlers won where they needed to, NU Coach Tim Neumann said. In a 25-19 loss to top-ranked OSU Sunday afternoon at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, seniors Brad Canoyer (134), Temoer Terry (158) and Ryan Tobin (190) won their respective matches to ensure top seeds in the Big 12 Tournament. “We thought coming in, we had a chance to win the thing,” Neumann said. Top-ranked Terry, who went up against second-ranked Hardell Moore, won a tie breaker to defeat Moore. Entering overtime, the match was tied 1-1 and neither Terry nor Moore scored in over time. Moore won the flip for the tie breaker and chose down, but Terry rode him the full 30 seconds for the win. Terry, who hurt his shoulder in the third period, said he was confi dent going into the match. “The only time I was really ner vous was when I lost the coin toss at the end,” Terry said. OSU Coach John Smith said he thought Terry deserved to win. “Temoer Terry is not going to give you a match,” Smith said. “You have to go out there and earn it. “If you can ride someone for 30 seconds after seven minutes of complete battle, there’s no ques tion. You deserve to win.” No. 12 Canoyer pinned sixth ranked Jamill Kelly in overtime, but Canoyer said he was just look ing for a win. “I wasn’t looking for a pin,” Canoyer said. “I wanted (the take down) to get the win, but he ended up on his back.” Smith said he was not happy with Kelly’s performance. “I was very disappointed at (Kelly’s) effort at the end of the match,” Smith said. “You fight, you scratch, you claw. Whatever it takes, but you don’t go to your back and you don’t get pinned.” Redshirt freshman Brad Vering (177) lost 3-4 to OSU’s Mark Munoz, which will make him a sec ond seed for the Big 12 Championships. Vering and Munoz have gone back and forth in their matches, but now Munoz has the advantage. They will be on opposite sides of the bracket in the tournament. Neumann said the team would finish the rest of the week with two practices a day and then taper off before the tournament on March 7. mam NU sweeps three from Panthers By Andrew Strnad Staff Reporter Bring out the brooms again. For the second time in two weeks, the Nebraska baseball team was involved in a three-game sweep. This time it was the Comhuskers on the winning end as they took a double-header from Wisconsin Milwaukee Saturday before defeat ing the Panthers 6-2 Sunday in front of 309 fans at Buck Beltzer Field. Nebraska boosted its record to 3 3, behind the right arm of sophomore pitcher Chad Wiles. 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