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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1978)
Page 10 THE BATTALION THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5. 1978 Cross country runners unique I Meyer takes nostalgic trip By SEAN PETTY Battalion Staff Try to imagine running at least 10 miles a day, seven days a week at about a seven-minnte-per-mile pace. Imagine running 15 to 20 miles one of those days at a tough pace. Then, imagine going out on Friday and running a race where it is just as important if yon come in first or 101st While most students at Texas A&M were in bed or trying to re cover from Friday night, the Texas A&M cross country team was busy running a brisk 15 miles Saturday morning. Try doing that after going to midnight yell practice the night before Approximately 14 men run for the Aggies, who came in fourth in the Southwest Conference last year, being edged out by Texas Tech by one point. There is a uniqueness to cross country competition that most people do not realize- It is a team sport in every sense of the word. The worst runner on the team is as important as the best in a cross country race. A team can enter seven runners in a race but only five can score. Whatever place a runner comes in is the amount of points he gets, so the object of cross country running is to score the least points. This is ac complished by a team’s five runners finishing as high in the race as pos sible. Manfred Kohrs is the captain of the Texas A&M cross country team. He described the feelings and thoughts that go through a runner’s mind as he runs a typical 10,000 meter (approximately 6.2 miles) race. “The race is very team oriented because we all know that we all have to run well in order to win,’ said Kohrs, a senior from Plbug Mkuze, South Africa. “Not just me or Lane (Mitchell) or someone else, but everyone must push themselves all the way. “It is a very competitive race, especially if it is one with many schools. You have to run almost your maximum in every race. There is a lot of physical and mental prepa ration involved in a race. ’ Kohrs has also run track for the Aggies the last four years and said there is a difference between a cross country race and the 1,500 meter or 5,000 meter run. “In the 1,500 meters for instance, there is slightly less pressure than the cross country race because it is much shorter, ’ Kohrs said. “You have to be alert because you coidd lose the race in one lap if you wait too long. “The cross country race is a more controlled race, much longer and harder on the mind and body. But there is not the pressure to stay right with someone or take the lead immediately in cross country. You can stay back for a while and decide when you can make your move be cause you have to take the terrain into consideration in the race. You have to realize where the hills are or if you can pass on the flat area or catch a man going up a hill.” But the cross country runner must have a strong mental attitude because a lack of concentration can put a man out of a race. The cross country runner sets a grueling pace and the physical strain can get to him just like a marathon runner. “You have to develop mental toughness,’’ said Kohrs, “because there is a point in the race where you say “I’m hurting but I have to go on’ and if you can get by that pain barrier you can finish strong. But it’s tough to break through sometimes. ” The Aggie’s top nine runners are Kohrs, Mitchell, Tom Glass, Bick Huggins, Ken Wilkner, Keith Brat- ten, Ralph Havens, John Casmus and John Blvle. well also. “We all work hard and the suffer ing we all go through when we are running during the week brings us together so that we fight for each other. In a race, every guy knows that he must run his hardest and keep up just like in practice.” The Aggies have had two meets this year. A tri-meet here with Texas and Baylor and a five team race at Baylor. Kohrs said the team hasn’t run very well this year for two reasons. United Press International DALLAS — This is nostalgia Of the top nine runners on the team, one has a full scholarship (Kohrs), two are on partial schol arship and the rest are walk-ons who desire the competition and chal lenge cross country brings. “Bratten and Huggins have been running 90 miles a week,” Kohrs said. “Huggins is racing very well and Wilkner, a freshman, is running “The meets started earlier this year so we did not have a chance to work out hard before them, said Kohrs. “It also takes a few races to get competitive.” The Aggies will go to Fayet teville, Ark. for the Southwest Con ference meet Oct. 30. They can then advance to the district meet in Georgetown to qualify for the NCAA championship Nov. 11. They would then go to the NCAA cham pionship in Madison, Wis. Nov. 20. week for SMU coach Ron Meyer. Naturally he hopes to make it a winning week as well. Meyer’s Mustangs meet Ohio State in Ohio Stadium Saturday and that is where the SMU coach spent many an autumn afternoon as a lad. When he was growing up in Westerville, Ohio he sold Ohio State football programs as a boy scout. He could not see his fa vorite team play any other way. Meyer recalls he would sneak into a restroom at 9 a.m. on Saturdays and stay there until crowds began to fill the stadium three hours later. “I remember standing on toilet seats so I would not be caught by the guards,” Meyer said. “You’ve got to really want something bad to stand on a toilet seat for three hours. "] guess 1 wanted to see the Buckeyes pretty bad. Meyer will have one of the best viewing spots in the house Saturday and his Mustangs go to Ohio with what appears to be a legitimate chance against the na tion’s 14th-ranked team. “People seem to be maligning Ohio State because they had a hard time beating Baylor, said Meyer, referring to the Buc keyes 34-28 triumph over the Bears last Saturday. “Well Baylor is a good football team. Ohio State actually shut it down with time running out or they might have scored again so the score is a little deceiving.” Nevertheless Meyer does not think the Buckeyes are tin* same club that whipped the Mustangs last year in Dallas, 35-7. “I don’t think they are as good as they were last year, he said, “but they are still a good football team. They are better than we are. I think their loss to Penn ' State (19-0) hurt them.” SMU had a week off tu ready for Ohio State and MeJ thinks that helped his club, ' We needed some time ton over some bumps and briij s he said. “Our morale is god think. We played a pretty football team in Penn State weeks ago) but we got beat, kids have bounced hack, tlioii and I think we will he ready play a good game against t State.” SMU quarterback Mike who threw seven intereepti against Ohio State last year,f ( he has something to proveii one. "All my life I’ve heard k great it is to play at Ohio Stall he said. "One of the reason came to SMU was so I could great teams like Ohio State. “I threw seven intercepts against them last year so this! 1 ,ASlll OIAll.t'l I’m out to show them bow a SMU reallv is.” Royals tie series. Dodgers win opener Golfers in Louisiana The Texas A&M golf team shot an even par 288 Wednesday in the first round of the Jim Corbett In vitational in Baton Rouge, La. The Aggies are currently in ninth place in the tournament that is leahoma State with an 8-under-par 280. For the Aggies in the opening round Steve Bowman shot 69, Dave Orgin 70, Doug Ward 74, Jay Kent 75 and Brad James 79. The three- day, 15-team tournament will con tinue through Saturday. The Cow Hop RESTAURANT United Press International KANSAS CITY — Larry Cura, once scorned by former Yankee Manager Billy Martin, had his re venge Wednesday with 6 1-3 in nings of strong pitching and got the Kansas City Royals even in the American League playoffs by spark ing a 10-4 rout of the New York Yankees. Sixteen hours after their most embarrassing performance of the season at home, the Royals bounced back with a 16-hit attack that fea tured a rare two-run homer by Fred Patek and two RBI apiece by Frank White and Darrell Porter to send the best-of-five series back to New York tied at one game each. While the Royals bats came to life after being silenced on two hits in a 7-1 loss Tuesday night, it was the stellar pitching of the left-handed Cura that kept the Yankees in check for most of the game. Cura, a former Yankee once called a “batting practice” pitcher by Martin, had been roughed up by the Yankees in four previous playoff appearances, but this time he came prepared to get even and mes merized the Yankees with off-speed pitches before tiring in the seventh. By the time the Yankee bats got going had built a 5-0 lead against Ed Figueroa and Dick Tidrow. That cushion proved to be enough as Marty Pattin and Al Hrabosky pro tected the lead over the last 2 2-3 innings. Not that the Yankees didn’t scare the Royals. The Yanks had 12 hits of their own, including a perfect 4-for-4 by Chris Chambliss, but this time the Royals didn’t fold when the pressure was put on them. After the Yankees scored twice in the seventh to close the gap to 5-2, the Royals applied the crusher with a three-run outburst in their half of the inning to take command of the game. It was Patek, the bearded little man who plays so well in post-season COW PIES (HAMBURGERS) & FRIES ‘‘AN AGGIE TRADITION" 846-1588 Chanello’s IT’S A DOG’S LIFE. And they have p-i-z-z-a this big!! Better not tell Dropsy, Tommy Rich. 301 PATRICIA ST. FAST FREE DELIVERY 846-3768 This is to Introduce You to One of Our Leading College Protector Representatives. Thomas Associates Insurance Agency Local Office: 520 University Dr. East For An Appointment Call: 846-7714 m PROTECTIVE LIFE® INSURAINICE COMPANY MOIVIE OFFICE - BIRIVHIMCMAIVI, ALABAMA play, who came up with the big hit. Facing Tidrow in the seventh in ning, the Royals went away from their singles attack with a long-ball barrage that began when Pete LaCock laced a double off the right field fence. Clint Hurdle, a rookie appearing in his first playoff, followed with a triple and, after pinch runner Willie Wilson was thrown out at the plate, Patek drilled a home run into the left field seats. It was only Patek s third home run of the season, hut he raised his hatting average in post season play to .389. In Philidelphia, Steve Garvey slammed a pair of homers and drove in four runs while Davey Lopes added a two-run blast to highlight a vicious long-ball assault Wednesday night that carried the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 9-5 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game of the National League cham pionship series. In taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of- five series for the National League pennant, the Dodgers battered Larry Christenson, the Phillies’ starter, for seven runs on seven hits — five of them for extra bases — in 4 1-3 innings. The four home runs by the Dod gers tied a National League cham pionship series record, set by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1971. Garvey, the Dodgers’ hottest hit ter down the stretch when he hit .430 in September, climaxed a four-run third inning by walloping a th ree-run homer over the left field wall. He added a solo shot leading off the ninth — his fourth in cham pionship competition — lor the Dodgers’ final run. Lopes started the third inning up rising with a double. Mike Schmidt, who knocked in the Phillies first run with a sacrifice fly in the second, kept it alive by letting Bill Russell’s grounder skid through his legs at third for an error. Reggie Smith fol lowed with a line single to center that delivered Lopes. Garvey then connected for his first homer ol the game. The Dodgers continued the bom bardment of Christenson in the fourth when Rick Monday led oil with a towering triple that caromed off the wall in deepest centerfield. Two outs later, Lopes drilled his homer over the 371-foot mark in left for a 6-1 lead. Another triple to the centerfield wall by Garvey with one out in the fifth finally finished Christenson but reliever Warren Brusstar was greeted by Ron Cey’s single for another Dodger run before getting Dusty Baker on an inning ending double-play grounder. Yeager added to the Dodger when he homered in the Rawly Eastwick, the third Pht phia pitcher who was makin first appearance in three weeb I 1 . NL Championship Seria Oct. -1 — Los Angeles 9. Plijiadelpliji Oct. 5 — Los Angeles at Pliiladelpl* p.m.(CDT) Oct. 6 — Philadelphia at Los AngrkJ p.m. Oct. 7 — x-Philadelphia at Los Angrig p.m. CX't. H — x-Philaddpliia at Los Angtl* p.m. AL Ghampionsliip Seriei Oct. 3 — New York 7. Kansas City 1 Oct. 4 — New York 4, Kansas City 10 Oct. 6 — Kansas City at New York, 2J Oct. 7 — x-Kansas Cits' at New Vat; p.m. Oct. 8 — x-Kansas City at New Y«t p.m. x-if necessary The World Series will opei 10 at 8:30 p.m. in the hoine| the National League champio Admission rules statyj MANOR EAST MALL Texas at Villa Maria M-F 10-8:30 Sat. 10-6 779-6718 Due to questions which arose during admission to the Texas A&M-Memphis State football game Saturday in Kyle Field, the A&M Athletic Department has issued a set of stadium regulations for all fans. "Most of these rules have been in effe leti L't for a long time, assistai tic director Wally Groff sai couple have been necessity the new seating arrangmei hope our fans will become av reulations and abide by til here are the Ky le f ield a y^SHIN sion regulations: Th 1. /CARROLLS BASKET* AND WICKER 707 Complex 846-7847 WICKER BACKGAMMON WICKER TRUNKS 99 passed All pat ions, includingchifc must have tickets for admissi# TAMU students with sh tickets must have current cards. a Alcoholic beverages art 3. permitted 4. Ice chests are not permit Stadium seats in excess ed, Sun Theatres 333 University 846-9808 The only movie in town Double-Feature Every Week Open 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Sat. 12 Noon - 12 Midnight Sun No one under 18 Escorted Ladies Free BOOK STORE & 25c PEEP SHOWS on to ru Senat the 19" House-5 list of c vc 74-f] D-, to t I . •.* a ropriatio inches are not Penmtted.^ 6. Exit passes are emergencies. levensvi The public address sysii e a not available for announce® 1 except in emergencies. Gates open two hours | want th A quart size plastic contaii j^dly quart thermos will be pernii Groff'said in explanation of ml Ice chests cannot be per* ® 8 kickoff 4. for several reasons. rules prohibit bottles or cans! athletic events. The large conli get in the way of other peoph ice chest can be used to conf cohol.” The new regulations wi printed on large signs which" . displayed at each of the Kyle gates.’ ■'♦I earl of thj com pa he said >il Uni little while and Cl s< see tl as t Confej ^seyei John k 7 ’’Vi ei Presi ging j> Camp and Is, for pe E said If “Wh betwee deney divider; David Newsv sponde DeF v ersity a fflee dtirirm Def dent ( Washii fended Jectof Ca; smell f Pened Porten The