The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 16, 1974, Image 8

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    Page 8
THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1674
SALE!!
T - SHIRTS
2 FOR PRICE OF 1
SWC disappointing in
weekend’s Texas Relays
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Standard
3200 So. College Ave.
P. O. Box 3667
Bryan, Texas 77801
By TED BORISKIE
Track and field, offspring of the ancient Greek
Olympics, holds a worldwide respect unparalleled by any
other sport.
A runner, a hurdler, a discus thrower, a pole vaulter
all have a unique aura of heroism about them, stemming
from their rich history. They have been immortalized in art
and legend. Jim Thorpe received his legendary status not
from his feats in football or baseball, which were enormous
indeed, but rather from his efforts as Carlisle College’s
one-man track team and from his world-stunning per
formance in the Olympics. Jesse Owens had the pride of an
entire nation resting on his shoulders as he proved the
fallibility and vulnerability of Hitler’s master race and
scarcely concealed frown appeared on Der Fuhrer’s lips.
What may be most important, however, is the amount
of faith the sports fan has in the effort of a track star. A
fumbled football or a bad pass on the basketball court can
bring moans of disapproval from disheartened fans, but a
trackman is always credited with giving his all to win. A
look of determined concentration as someone clears a high
jump bar or the grimace on a runner’s face as he races down
the final stretch assures the onlookers that the athlete is
doing his dead level best.
In the light of all this glorious heritage, it is sad to
note that the spirit of the Olympiad is dead at Texas A&M.
This past weekend at the Texas Relays, the A&M
track squad handed in what has to be their sorriest
performance at the Austin Relays in many years. In my
fifteen years of viewing the event, missing the relays only
three times, I can’t remember being so sorely disappointed
over the Aggies’ showing.
Perhaps the crowning blow came in the case of
A&M’s entry in the two-mile relay. Making the trip to
Austin were five runners capable of running the 880 in
under 1:55, although one of the five was there as a part of
another relay team. A member of the team became ill
Friday and decided he couldn’t run on the relay even
though the race wasn’t until the next day. The alternate
member felt he wasn’t in good enough shape to run a
half-mile and so Aggie plans for the event were scrapped.
By refusing to run in a relay race an athlete is
showing a tremendous lack of concern for many more
people than just a handful of frustrated sportswriters. He is
denying any seniors on the team the right to make their
final appearance in the most prestigious meet of the year in
the state. He is preventing all members of the team from
receiving needed weekly competition. Most importantly,
however, he is refusing all Aggie track fans, some of whom
traveled hundreds of miles to the meet, the privilege of
seeing their team in action.
This is in marked contrast to the situation in the same
race last year when Willie Blackmon left a hospital bed
Saturday morning to compete in the two-mile relay in
Austin that afternoon. Suffering from a fever and a throat
swollen from tonsillitis, Blackmon ran in the cold and rain
because he felt being on a relay team was an honor beyond
reproach. He sparked the team to a surprising third place
finish with an amazing leg of 1:50.5. Such is the stuff
legends are made of.
Unfortunately, Blackmon has graduated and so,
apparently, has effort. It would be foolish to suggest
anything like a boycott of the track team because it seems
the track squad has begun its own little boycott of the fans.
Baylor’s mile relay team set a
Texas Relays record of 3:06.6
Saturday but it was an overall
disappointing- weekend for the
Southwest Conference.
Prior to Baylor’s record-setting
performance, the SWC had man
aged only one first in national
competition, that coming only a
few minutes earlier with Texas’
Dana LLeDuc’s victory in the uni
versity division shot put.
Baylor had also set a relays
mark in the 480-yard shuttle
hurdle relay but the race was
restricted to Texas schools.
A&M qualified only two indi
viduals for the finals and could
qualify no team in any relays
event. Scottie Jones placed fourth
in the 120-yard high hurdles and
freshman Doon Riggs competed in
the high jump but couldn’t place.
The mile relay team posted a
good clocking of 3:12.6 in the
preliminaries but the time was a
couple seconds too slow to get
them into the fast qualifying
field.
Bill Newton showed signs of
coming back into form in the
javelin, throwing the spear 209
feet, but could not quite make the
qualifying mark. It was still a
considerable improvement over his
marks since sustaining a knee
injury three weeks ago.
Jones was the highest SWC
finisher in his event but Riggs
watched Baylor’s Kevin Delorey
and Texas’ Wyatt Tompkins clear
7-0 to provide the conference with
a new top mark.
In the open shot put, the much-
heralded battle between world
record holders A1 Feuerbach and
George Woods never came off as
indoor champion Woods scratched
on all three of his preliminary
tosses. Not wishing to disappoint
the crowd, outdoor record holder
Feuerbach made it a onoe-man
event and set a new relays record
of 70-1% outdistancing runner-
up Sammy Walker by more than
eight feet.
Mike Slack provided a bit of
history as he ran the first sub-
four minute mile in Texas Relays
history and only the second
in the state as he took
the Jerry Thompson mile with a
time of 3:69.7. He broke Wes
record
Part
Wednt
|3°. 1
crea.su
aftern
of she
Santee’s 19-year-old
4:00.6, a mark which hasthij 84 •
ed many a fine runner over
years. His best outdoor mile
fore Saturday was a 4:06,
Perennial college power Ta
Southern was impressive |
first foray into major univn
competition as TSU won ij
sprint medley relay and 880j
relay Friday, finished in a ij
heat with Baylor in the miletti
to share the winning time if
finished second in the 440.]
relay.
Dwight Stones won the
division high jump as ex|
tying the meet record of 7-1,
the spotlight belonged to b'j
Dean Owens who won the unitjj
sity division event with a j
of 7-2.
Dallas Hillcrest schoolboy
sation Bill Blessing got his6
taste of major league competil
as he competed against si
quartermilers Larry Jones
Maurice Peoples in the open iL,
yard dash. Primarily a hurtB^
Blessing ran a 47.6 to placet®
behind Jones’ 46.2 and Pec[J
45.8.
is
The Opera and Performing Arts Society
presents
ITZHAK PERLMAN, VIOLINIST
“Whatever he plays is infused with
singing vitality and executed with
virtuoso authority .’’—Peter G. Davis,
The New York Times
Exclusive Management,
Hurok Concerts, Inc.
April 29, 1974
8 p.m.
Rudder Center Auditorium
Tickets at Rudder Center Box Office
Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Telephone 845-2916
OPAS is a functioning committee of the Town Hall Committee of TAMU.
Netters plan
busy week
Four days of tennis, three of
them in Southwest Conference
play, face the Aggies this week,
They play TCU in Fort Worth
today, Wisconsin here Wednesday,
Baylor here Thursday and Texas
here Saturday.
Coaches Omar Smith and Rich
ard Barker have not announced
lineups but among those likely to
play are Bill Wright, Bill Hoover,
Dan Courson, Charles Emley,
John Kirwan, Mark Silberman,
Tom Courson and Kermit Smith.
All of the home matches start
at 1:30 p.m.
mx
| ■ ,
-#gg«a^pl S |
- ...
I®
H!
HSIl
m
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
TOWN HALL SERIES
in cooperation with
RESIDENCE HALL ASSOCIATION
*
"V
presents
THE EAGLES
G. ROLLIE WHITE COLISEUM
SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 1974 — 8:00 P.M.
^ %
Reserved Seats
A&M Student & Date $3.00 Ea.
General Public $5.00 Ea.
General Admission
A&M Student With Act. Card FREE
A&M Student Date $2.50 Ea.
General Public $3.00 Ea.
Town Hall Season Tickets Honored -A ,
“V e V v ‘
TICKETS *
ON SALE NOW ^
RUDDER CENTER BOX OFFICE 845-2916
OPEN 9-4 MON. - FRI.
mrnm
■ . v>;
V:V;
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: $
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Bill
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111
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m- mm
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’’Vw.vA "'’v ;
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■ : ■ ■ y -r - • v - ■ •. ■' ■
Were you born to fly?
Not everyone is. It takes a blend of brains, drive and
dedication. We’re looking for men like this for the
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If you measure up, we’ll teach you all the skills
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You get an aeronautical education and a career. And
we get another born flyer.
See the Navy Officer Information
Team in the Memorial Student Cen
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If you’re going to be something, why not be something
special?