Page 10
THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 1979
Gun sounds for 52 nd Texas Relays toda
By SEAN PETTY
Battalion Sports Staff
You’re sitting in the stands of
Texas’ Memorial Stadium. As the
sun sets over the state capitol, a cool
spring breeze barely ruffles the flags
at the open end of the stadium. The
large crowd is standing, yet an eerie
calm sets in while one man controls
all the action in the huge stadium.
The man holding the crowd
spellbound speaks, “Runners take
your marks... get set... ” And the gun
sounds. Nine human beings explode
out of the blocks striving to break a
little white string 100 meters down
the Tartan track. Within a matter of
10 seconds all the tension that was
built up is over. The crowd, broken
out of its spell by the gunshot, buz
zes in anticipation of the next event
of one of the biggest track and field
meets in the country, the Texas Re
lays.
The big event that hypnotizes and
electrifies the crowd each year is the
Invitational 100-meter dash. A field
of nine of the fastest men in the
country climbs into the blocks in
race for the gold. It was last year in
lane nine when Texas A&M’s Curtis
Dickey, who had just been in a foot
ball scrimmage the day before, led
the field from start to finish to claim
the title.
And now, one year later, Dickey
and the rest of the Aggie track team
will be in Austin to compete in the
52nd Texas Relays. Once again,
Dickey is favored to win the In
vitational 100-meter dash that will
feature sprinters Bill Collins, his
brother Don, Ed Preston, Wardell
Gilbreath, Wylie Turner, John Gar
rison, Cliford Wiley and Dickey’s
conference rival, Johnny “Lam”
Jones.
Dickey will not only run the In
vitational 100 meters (which will be
run tonight) but the collegiate 100
meters and 400-meter relay as well.
And all this after a week of football
practice.
“I think Curtis can take both
100s,” said Aggie track coach
Charles Thomas. “Curtis is strong
enough to come out and win both
races even though he’s been in foot
ball all week.
While most eyes will be on
Dickey and the 100-meter dash, ap
proximately 2,000 athletes from 200
schools including high school boys
and girls, junior college men and
women, and university men and
women will be competing for team
titles which are voted on instead of
won by points.
There will be teams from the
Southwest, Pac-10, Big 8, Big 10,
Western Athletic, Missouri Valley,
Southeastern, Big Sky, Southwest
ern Athletic and Southland Confer
ences along with 34 women’s teams.
The Texas A&M women’s track
team will head to Austin with im
provement on its mind.
“I think everyone is going to do
well,” Aggie Lady coach David
Williams. “This is the best competi
tion we ll run against this year and I
think our times should come down.
“I figure Vickilee (Coburn) and
Early (Douglas) should do well in
the discus but we re really keying on
the two-mile relay. This is the first
time we ll put these four girls to-,
gether and I expect them to do
well.
Coach Thomas takes the defend
ing SWC champions to Austin look
ing for strong showings from the
400- and 1600-meter relay teams.
T think if we can get out of the
preliminaries in both events we ll
place in many finals,’ Thomas said.
“But you may draw a tough prelimi
nary field, run a great time and not
make it to the finals. We’re hoping
Steve Willis is going to be able to run
his best in both relays. He’s been
hurt recently and is still a little sore.
Thomas is expecting big things
from many of the Aggies who are
doing well individually this season.
“I think (pole vaulter) Randy Hall
has a good chance,” Thomas said,
“but with this field, he could clear
18 feet and get fourth.
“Tim Scott will be against some
tough competition in the discus and
Jimmy Howard should be pushed to
do his best in the high jump because
a lot people who have cleared seven
feet will be there. ”
The Aggies are not quite at their
SWC championship form but
Thomas is encouraged with the
team s improvement.
“If we can get our field men and
runners doing their best on the
same day, we re going to be real
good” he said. “I feel good about the
shape we re in and we re gradually
improving. We re just wort
the conference champions^
now.
The meet will start on Friij
a.m. and Saturday at 2 p
Memorial Stadium in Austin
(HOW/ Do YOU X (UH... WHERE.’s
\spellJ (The diltiomary
m\Ns
i©r (30QB1
IBQQH I SI
EM
HI
ini a’
TE-XAS AtM-
Hoke. of
THL world's
1A.OST CROWDED
PARKIf-JG,
Lots
SO, MOW THAT WE S/E J
found a PLACEj Howy
DO WE G.ET THE >
DOOR.S OPEN?/
"—UNROOY
DEDICATED
TO WORK FDR
A SOLUTION!-
BRAD
SMITH
FOR V. P
student
SERVICES
FAMOUS EX-COP
FEELS GOOD KNOWING
LITE BEER IS BEHIND BARS,
LITE BEER FROM MILLER.
EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED
IN A BEER. AND LESS.
2X2/ dp
jij 979 Miller Brewing Co . Milwaukee. Wis
Swilley tackles
blue cows in spring
United Press International
DENTON — You can ask Min
nesota Vikings offensive guard De
nnis Swilley about his football
career if you want to, but he’d really
rather talk about blue cows and
aluminum chickens.
The 6-3, Pine Bluff, Ark., native
will begin his third season with the
Vikings this summer. In the mean
time, Swilley is a senior art major at
North Texas State University and
can be found in the art room on the
NTSU campus, working hard on a
wooden sculpture of a blue cow.
He’s also sculpting a chicken from
aluminum.
Swilley switched from Texas
A&M to NTSU because he wanted
to go into fine arts. Few of his fellow
students know of his career as a pro
fessional football player.
He says he preferred not to play
pro ball in Minnesota or Green Bay
because of the frigid temperatures.
He recalled when his agent
with the news he’d beenpid
the Vikings, he was "so
knocked a hole in my rooi
door.”
Swilley guides the conva
hack to his art.
“I didn’t really get invohi
art or school before, ” said Si
“because for such a long pa
time, all I did was football
interest in art but I neverpi
it. Now it’s all I want to
like a kid in a toy store.”
Check the
Battalioi
Call
845-261
Spaghetti Dinner all you
can eat for 025
Comes with salad and garlic toast.
Every Sunday Evening 5-10
in the Aggieland Inn
NOW LEASING FOR SUMMER
AND FALL. OPEN WEEKENDS.
Barcelona
APARTMENTS
NEWLY REMODELED!
ALL UTILITIES PAID and
Individual Heating and Air, CableT.V.,
3 Laundry Rooms, Swimming Pool,
Security Guard, Party Room, and
Close to Campus. 693-0261
700 Dominik, College Station