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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 1979)
the sports THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 8. 1979 Page 9 ft/pTnamka Powerfork, l iritv Renk risks life in bullring Eddie Dominguez 66 Joe Arcmiega 74 Houston youth’s life full of bull United Press International MEXICO CITY — It is amazing to ntch the change that comes over ;6-vear-old David John Renk when ihces a 700-pound wiki hull doing [best to jab its sharp horns into his nty. said,],,:. 1 '"formed lut fogetkei on for A ’as clear 5 Anglo-^ evolved into with Brit*- - icyforsontl ■ On the street, the blond, Houston led StatesnL;i out ^ wa ^ s ' n a permanent slouch, gangly 6-foot, 130-pound frame jientover like a parenthesis while his breaks into the shy and easy iile of an average American high S > iool junior. But in a bullring, in his glittering oreros “traje de luces,” his body pes elegantly stiff and his face be- r| nines a mass of harsh angles, his j quare jaw jutting out as his eyelids iood light blue eyes. His feet planted together in the >us pneumocj jlood-stained sand, David sets a ronto intheia my hand gracefully on his left hip i ndarchesout his stomach to trigger ~ five oftha he charge by the black bull in front i fhim, a “runt” at 700 pounds, filled 29p«i5ir Twisting his thin body like a piece delphia in Jo flicorice, David leads the bull past i dm with a classically drawn-out the Provincej »eep of the red cloth in his right lueculturetea and, finishing the series of passes ek to 10 days nth a blinding swirl of the cape. With the haughtiness that most of the diseasei ipanishand Mexican bullfighters are done last Ms ora with but which few Americans alloverM- an ever muster, David turns a stiff iost ill werei ackon the bull and struts to center The other!* ing to acknowledge the crowd’s ; pplause. s intensive® "Idon’t know why I change in the id. ■rena,’ David says later. “Bullfight- panada’s larsei a?is an art. You can’t explain what it ing the paries eels like to get out there in front of a )we, 68, befc :ests should ar the homes, From his conversation, it s obvi ous David has never questioned his love for bullfighting. It has made him the youngest American admitted to the Mexican union of professional novilleros — those who fight and kill bulls younger than the four years re quired for full “matadores. With a gentle shove from dad Fred, a Houston businessman who in his youth fought in a few novilladas and now writes for a bullfighting magazine, David is well on his way to his “alternativa,” the ceremony were he earns the right to kill full-grown bulls, his”doctorate in tauromachy. Fred Renk took his son to his first bullfights when David was 2 years old and the boy grew up around bulls and the men who kill them “like other American kids grew up around football and baseball.” “When he’d go to grammar school, he didn’t take cap guns or stuff like that. He had a little red muleta and a wooden sword and during recess he’d get the other kids to charge,” Fred said. Since his first professional novil- lada in 1977, David has appeared in 14 corridas and cut 12 ears as rewards while missing only a few days at Cyp ress Fairbanks High School in a Houston suburb. His last novillada was in a tiny ring before a small crowd in Chimal- huacan, a town of rutty roads only a cornfield away from Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico City’s worst slum. David appeared unnaturally calm as he snaked his limbs into his skin tight green matador’s suit with heavy gold embroidery, even joking that the small crowd was all right because “there’ll be no hail of rocks.” But his face hardened slowly as he paraded into the ring flanked by the three other novilleros of the day, in cluding Tracy Biser, a 19-year-old Houston youth making his first ap pearance as a professional killer of novillos. The face broke into a grimace momentarily as David’s one bull of the afternoon sauntered into the ring — a jumpy black animal that was obviously cowardly and had learned in a previous caping to charge not cloth but man. His jaw jutting out another quarter-inch, David walked to cen ter ring and calmly called to the bull, shuffling slowly toward it on stiff, spindly legs while shaking the cloth on his right hand to provoke a charge. Again and again the bull charged, each time following the cloth David swept gracefully from left to right WE RE SPREADING THE NEWS oert told repoi- >e looked into isiting Calgar. ri Toronto. Sk il Hospital Washingtons punch ‘like tivo-hy-four/ doctor says ronto General: )y hospital i- 3 minutes tinii 1 , United Press International HOUSTON — The severe facial juries Rudy Tomjanovich suffered Ities and chs ram a punch by a former Los ageles Lakers’ player resembled rase sustained by someone hit in leface “by a two-by-four,” a sur- m testified Tuesday, bee it in barroom brawls where a erson is hit by a two-by-four (board) by a flashlight,” Dr. Daniel G. falker said. “It is hard to imagine i bt an injury of this severity could «ecaused by a fist. rolling dor.l "j t wasn ’ t j ust a B rea k It was like ver lava tb e gg S Hell shattering. You put it days ago am ^ together like a jigsaw puzzle. Walker testified at the trial of a lowing straifl 44 million damage suit by Tom- irnazzo, five movich and the Houston Rockets ago, Fornaffi ^j ns t the Lakers, whom the plain- thefirsterupa J responsible for the punch ning theirfo ^ erin it Washington during a ;tered the»* )tc. 9, 1977, game at Los Angeles, ires of their p The surgeon testified Tom janovich, who missed the rest of the 1977-78 season but returned to play in 1978-79, will suffer lingering ef fects of the injury throughout his life. “When he flies, he’s going to feel pain in his sinuses, in his cheeks and possibly between his eyes from the pr'esSufe effects,” Walker said. “We don t have proof positive that a leak (of spinal fluid) from his brain has been sealed off. It could open up 30 years from now. Walker said the leak from the hole — caused by a facial bone forced through the skull by the force of the punch — increases the risk of infec tion, of meningitis, in Tomjanovich s nervous system. Washington has said he hit Tom janovich because he thought the Rockets’ captain was rushing to hit him. Tomjanovich has said he was dents claimed heir village ide, as it had" nilarly endaiu riarwootf AFFORDABLE LUXURY Man and nature have created a new dimension of luxury at Briarwood Con temporary garden apartments. Private patios or balconies, recreational facil ities, virtually maintenance free. Pre-lease now for fall. • 9 month leases available • 2 Bedroom 2 Bath leasing Special (furnished or unfurnished) • Open Mon.-Fri. 8 to 6, Sat. 9 to 4 • Roommate list available Call Now For More Information 1201 Hwy. 30 Huntsville Hwy. 693-3014 or 693-2933 and then toward his back in an ele gant twist to bring the animal into position for the next charge. A couple of show-off stunts, two more series of well done passes and a perfect kill with one sword thrust to the hilt earned him an ear and the “Golden Ear” trophy awarded to the best novillero of the day. And the blood? The red river that gushed out of where the bull’s body had been pricked with lances, ban- of the art. derillas and swords? “The blood is part David said. “We give the animal a chance to live. If he’s noble enough, we give him an ‘indulto,”’ literally a pardon to remain alive and breed more brave bulls. “These animals that they raise for beef have no choice. They are raised for beef and when their time comes, that's it. We give the bull a chance to live and make an art form out of it.” moving to break up a fight between Washington and the Rockets’ Kev- kunnert. As a result of the punch, Washing ton was fined $10,000 and suspended for 60 days by NBA Commissioner Lawrence O’Brien. Washington cur rently plays for the San Diego Clip pers. Both the Rockets’ and Tom- janovich’s lawsuits, being tried si multaneously, are against the Lak ers. Both hold the team responsible for Washington’s action. Tom janovich seeks $2.6 million damages, the Rockets $1.8 million. Walker said during the three months he treated Tomjanovich that his patient showed courage. “It started to bother me when he didn t report any pain over a long time,” Walker said. “He was really a stoic and I confirmed that in talking with other doctors.” IB&M B00KST0R has a wide variety of paperback books for all to enjoy Fiction Best Sellers Mysteries Magazines Westerns Comic Books Collectors stamps and supplies Largest selection of science fiction in the area 3602 E. 29th St. Bryan MSC Summer Programming Committee presents Freestyle Frlsbee Demonstration & Clinic Thursday, Aug. 9 11:30-1 p.m. MSC Fountain Collections & Contest hosted by Disc Association of A&M IfheH mem are back/ If you want the real thing, not frozen or canned . . . We call It “Mexican Food Supreme." Deltas location: 3071 Northwest Hwy 352-8570 BALLROOM Snook, Texas The Finest New Dance Hall in Texas presents Thur.,Aug. 9th Billy Joe Shaver Friday, Aug. 10th... Colbey Joe Farraday & The Lost City Riders Sat., Aug.11th... Gene Watson coming soon... Connie Cato. David Allen Coe. The Flying Burnto Brothers And more Only 15 minutes from Bryan-College Station,3 miles west of Snook on FM 60 (Intersection FM 60 & FM 3085). £ Buya^^ 1514 oz. Drink m sst Keep the K “Biarwanf Taco Villa confirms - the Hungries are back! Those stomach-growlers who devil your appetite, captured and bonded on sparkling party-time glassware in lively fiesta colors. Eight different glasses. Eight different Hungries: Beauregard, Irving, Harley, Sigmund, and all the gang in a wild assortment of colors. Next time the Hungries strike you, strike back. Grab a tasty Mexican spe cialty at Taco Villa: burritos, chalupas, guadalajaras, taco-burgers, hambur gers and more. Top it off with a Coke. . . and keep the glass for your own collection. saaes you From the ‘1>Unt&l£S' 614 Villa Maria, Bryan O TACO VILLA. INC.. 1979