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DN File Photos
TOP: BVUIA FISHER SWIMS the winning lap ef the 200-meter breast stroke
competition against Iowa State.
BOTTOM: DALHIA INGRAM COMPETES in the Triple Jump against Oklahoma
last Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
when it is stopped unfairly. Officials
keep athletes within some boundary,
which is their last and only connec
tion to the real world when the game
is going on. Otherwise, it’s all prison
basketball.
By the time the comeback is
complete, Nebraska has won game
two. And UT’s Big 12 quest is offi
cially over.
***
Colorado doesn’t waste any time
with its new fortune. Johnson bolts
up the middle for a big gain.
Moschetti hits an open receiver on
NU’s side of the field.
And on the sideline, Dan
Alexander prays for another chance.
But Moschetti seems determined,
and Coach Barnett marches up the
field with him, along with the rest of
the Buffs.
f* .■ -''51 ' wi :‘' ''
It comes down to this: a field goal
try of 34 yards from Jeremy Aldrich!
Moschetti goes over to the sidelines
and holds hands with a receiver. The
Husker bench stands up in unison.
Solich doesn’t crouch or put his
hands to his head. He just stands. The
fans clad in red mostly scream. One
visibly prays to God. The kick is
up...
***
The game’s been over for a while.
The media have had their ice cream.
The KU fans are resting easier, set
tling into their second half trend of
thirsting for an even bigger blowout.
But he with the misprinted name
isn’t stopping anytime.
Ffriend keeps going to the line
11, 12 ,13 times. KU isn’t quick
enough to stop him. Jayhawk center
Eric Chenowith, a preseason All
Athletes juggle their priorities
■ Classes, practice and
games leave them with
little free time.
By Derek Lippincott
Staff writer
- For Nebraska tight end Tracey
Wistrom, football is life; the rest is just
details.
There is no such thing as free time.
Every hour of his day is scheduled.
Starting at 8:30 a.m., Wistrom’s day
revolves around his classes and football.
He goes to Memorial Stadium and gets
treated for any injuries that might be
plaguing him. Then he goes to his 9:30
a.m. and noon classes before heading to
the stadium for seven more jiours.
Wistrom gets taped for practice
every day at 1 p.m., attends the team
meeting at 2 p.m. and then practices
from 3:30 to about 5:45 p.m. After prac
tice, Wistrom lifts weights, ices any
injuries, eats at the Hewit Athletic
Academic Center and arrives home
usually at about 7:45 p.m.
“I pretty much eat, sleep and play
football,” Wistrom said. “Here at
Nebraska, you have to pay your dues.”
Almost every student athlete at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln pays
those dues, regardless of the sport.
For Nebraska swimmer Adam Pine,
a typical weekday begins at 5:30 a.m.
He hits the water at 6 a.m., gets out
between 7:30 and 8 a.m., eats breakfast
and goes to class until 12:30 p.m.
He eats lunch and studies before
practice again from 2 to 4 p.m. He lifts
weights until 5:30 p.m., eats and goes to
class again at 6:30 p.m.
Pine said the combination of swim
ming and academics - no matter how
much time it took - was why he came to
Nebraska.
“When we have a break from swim
ming, I don’t know what to do with
myself with all the free time,” Pine said.
“What do regular students do?”
Although athletes’ days are filled
with the sports they play, academics
don’t necessarily take the back seat.
Freshmen football players have
study hall from 7:45 to 9:45 p.m. every
night, and athletes must maintain a 2.0
G.P.A. to keep their scholarships. Dead
Week is also taken into consideration by
coaches.
“Coaches are good about finals
week,” Wistrom said. “They back off
and shorten practice. Finals week isn’t
that bad for football players.
“The hardest time is during
midterms,” Wistrom said. “It seems like
professors all schedule tests for the
same week, and football practice makes
it tough to prepare for them.”
Many times, athletes also have to
miss class for an away event.
Freshman golfer Robert Arthur said
although golf practice may not be as
physically strenuous or time consum
ing, he misses about two days of class
per week during golf season.
Arthur said that although he does a
lot of his homework on road trips, it is
possible to fall behind in classes.
“At the end of the season, you start
to fall behind on homework, and you are
ready for a break,” Arthur said. "School —
is not too strenuous right now, but I can
see it getting a lot tougher my junior and
senior years.”
Despite the necessity for studying, «
the daily routine of athletes is strictly
monitored. Practices and meetings are
mandatory.
“Spending this much time in the
pool is something I’ve always done.
Ever since I was 16, I’ve been doing
this,” Pine said. “Being a student athlete
makes you manage your time better.”
The football team’s attendance is
monitored by a point system. If a player
misses or comes late to too many meet
ings or practices and accumulates too
many points, he could be suspended for
a game.
Wistrom said although the point
system is motivational, most players
know what it takes to succeed.
“(The threat of suspension) is moti
vation enough,” Wistrom said.
“Everybody here knows what it takes to
be successful’ There aren’t many prob
lems.”
American in some circles, is always a
step behind, always lagging.
Midway through the second half,
with Ffriend throwing elbows,
Kansas’ fans screaming at him for it
and Chenowith playing catch-up,
Chenowith finally fouls out.
Ffriend makes sure to find his
way out to midcourt, where
Chenowith is walking toward his
bench, and rub it in. Ffriend takes out
his mouthpiece, and starts shaking
his head up and down at the 7-footer.
Ffriend has earned this moment,
even though his team will lose.
At the time-out, Chenowith goes
back out to talk to the referees, as
does KU Coach Roy Williams. They
have the game in hand, but it’s never
too late to put a little extra leverage
on die fuzz.
***
No good.
Moschetti turns away in anger.
Husker players celebrate.
Frank Solich breathes out.
Dan Alexander stops praying.
And one NU fan screams, “There
is a God!”
***
Sanderford walks by and ambles
down the hall. A few minutes later,
he’s back, and before he even reaches
the court, he’s yelling out a different
play for his team to run.
“Vanderbilt! Vanderbilt!
Vanderbilt!” Sanderford yells. “Let’s
run that agin.”
***
Colorado made its field goal. In
overtime. And Nebraska had its own
chance to score and went for the
touchdown. This time Alexander
held on to the ball. And NU scored on
a one-yard plunge into the end zone.
The Huskers win.
Mike Brown and Eric Johnson
sprint off the bench like children,
holding one finger to signify, in real
ity, the national championship they
just lost a chance at because of the
closeness of this game.
Fifteen hundred miles away, a
freshman named Michael Vick
watches it on a big screen m
Blacksburg, Va., and winces at the
final score. The Virginia Tech quar
terback need not worry. Nebraska
had won, but this time, winning was
not enough. It lacked style points
required.
And in college sports, sofnetimes
style is what’s all about.
***
Thoom, thoom, thoom - air.
Ingram lands hard in the sand pit,
a long jump for her, probably her best
of the young season.
Except for one problem - Ingram
scratched on the board. The board
marker waves her red flag, and all
goes for naught. The jump doesn’t
count.
Ingrain gives a little shrug. She’ll
start the grinding process over in a
few minutes when she’ll again clap,
again take off, again jump and again
try not to scratch.
And do it until she gets it right, or
until her chances run out - like every
other athlete there is' '
Because this is theii
their bull, it will rage.
And that’s entertainment.
