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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 19, 1982)
sports Battalion/Page'* sp I— A&M basketball team to host exhibition game TANKM 0 AIA spreads Christianity while competin Shelby Metcalfs team set to play Athletes in Action by John Wagner Battalion Staff For six months out of 12 — from November to April — the Athletes in Action USA basket ball team travels across the coun try, playing some of the nation’s toughest college basketball teams in their home arenas. Nothing unusual there. Many college coaches welcome the challenge of playing a top amateur team, without the pressure of conference races and playoff berths. For them, it’s a chance to evaluate their team in a game situation — without worrying about the won/lost column. But for the USA’ers, as the Athletes in Action team is nick named, there’s a more impor tant mission at hand than just defeating that night’s opponent. In fact, when the first half ends and the home team heads to the locker room, the USA’ers stay on the court and speak to the crowd. Their message? Christianity — as well as basketball. The AI A team uses basketball as a way to spread Christian beliefs to col lege campuses around the country. Saturday night, Athletes in Action will bring its traveling ministry to Texas A&M as the USA’ers meet the Aggies in G. Rollie White Coliseum. The ex hibition contest begins at 7:30. AIA began in 1967, the brainchild of David Hannah and a offshoot of an organization known as Campus Crusade for Christ. Campus Crusade is a non-denominational group that works with college students. Hannah, a Campus Crusade worker in Oklahoma, attended a CC-sponsored concert, and came up with the idea for a traveling basketball team that could help CC do its work all over the country. If music could be used to spread the world of God, Han nah reasoned, vyhy couldn’t athletics? He met with CC founder Dr. William Bright, and AIA was born. It’s been a successful venture — especially on the basketball side. Since their inaugural sea son in 1967, the USA’ers have been 392-195 for a winning per centage of .667. Last season AIA was 25-12, and so far this year they’re 5-2, including defeats of Maryland, Penn State and Oral Roberts. Those victories, coupled with two defeats at the hands of UCLA and Clemson, epitomize what AIA is all about. They play tough teams, and they play to win. Don Ott, assistant sports in formation director for AIA, savs the USA’ers’ rough schedule is important to their overall goal of reaching as many people as pos sible. “We want to be the best amateur team in the country,” Ott said in a telephone interview from AIA’s headquarters in Memphis, Tenn. “It’s important to us to be as good a team as we can be. If we come to Texas A&M (with a re cord ot) 7-0 after having beaten teams like UCLA and USC, then a lot more people will be in terested in seeing the game than if we were 0-7. “Being good helps us draw big crowds.” Having good athletes helps also. The USA’ers, coached by Wardell Jeffries, recruit players just like college coaches do. Many of their athletes come from teams that have played AIA, as in the case of Ralph Drollinger of UCLA and Terry Cummings of DePaul. Drollinger and Cummings were outstanding college ath lete who played for AIA when their college days were over. However, neither is with the team now. This season, Jeffries’ USA’ers are led by forward Dan Frost from Iowa and Steve Bontrager, a second-year player from Oral Roberts. AIA has a reputation for being a running team, and Coach Shelby Metcalfs Aggies are likely to see the USA’ers con tinue that tradition. For Texas A&M, Claude Riley, the Aggies’ all-America candidate at forward, will start with Roy Jones, Tyren Naulls and Reggie Roberts. Either Ro ger Bock or Jimmy Gilbert, both freshmen, will start in the mid dle to fill the position left vacant by four-year starter Rudy Woods. After meeting AIA, the Aggies will go north to take part in the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage. That tournament ansas coac only com] ke to the Ibthem Me back Eric Dick mQflel. “The closes Wardell Jeffries’ AIA has beaten Maryland,Oil; 11ICUU - ; tompanson |(ith SMU last |Noi as good, pi)ile get be begins Friday with the arid whei meeting the Clemson l%ejll. He’s defir Earlier this year, ClemsoaBs year th< rowly del _ , 69-ftHere's no cor ■ Holt/, and I Ra/orbacks wi Ik at Dicker: lied SMU t< Aggie gymnastf, set to host tn. Saturday rving. The Musta son 11-0 a right Southv town with th if they a tks, 8-1. Bn by Frank L. Christlieb Sports Editor Take away their still rings, pa rallel bars and pommel horse and they’re like basketball play ers without a hoop, baseball players without gloves or hockey players without sticks. Like any athlete, they’re com mitted to their sport, even though they play as an extramu ral sport rather than as a varsity squad. This weekend, they’ll participate in their only com petition of the season, so they’re as excited about it as a football player would be about the first start of his college career. Competing as a club sport, the Texas A&M gymnastics team has been a neighbor of success for several years. And once a full slate of competition begins in the spring, the Aggie gymnasts hope to find that this year's squad can boast success as a roommate. “Our team is looking very strong,” says team captain Mark Hartwell, a four-year team member. “We’ve got 16 team members this year and our per formers in the intrasquad meets we’ve held have already equaled last year’s best perforamances.” The Aggies host the Universi ty of Texas-Arlington Saturday at 7 p.m. in 307 East Kyle, with a charge of 50<Z for admission. The dual meet will feature all six Olympic events: floor excercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, pa rallel bars and high bar. Although the Aggies won’t compete in any more meets this t(j ( go to the C< semester, they’ve planned too, and Holt nl for the spring seme®Mks would b t hided on t hat slate are cot* Holt/ scum lions against six schools 1 noi fearful ( Texas Gymnastics Conleitftnrsday at t as well as Fort HaysStaterfc final wot sas and Memphis State. Texas A&M finished s in the TGC last season, Texas Tech placing first ani Texas Longhorns windiniBiat only le third. This season, Haiwm and that said, the Red RaidersmaywStopping I as formidable. B; running I “Boy, are they looking 1*11 be impera powerhouse this year,”lieBkerson is ji “It looks like they’re goinBew SWC c (turn) varsity pretty soon. Bid. On th< Hartwell has been the.kltehed for 1, leader in several events, ftididowns ; participates in the floorexenBds per can rings and vault. Other topi* James, wh members include Mark Mt*6yards and pommel horse; Jim i ps season, a rings; Mauricio Orozco. Bstangs and Galindo and Grant Laude#f44.7 yards “SMU is im but an o ,d.“And yet ssing team. parallel bars, and David Sew high bar. The Aggies also have wd arounders, which are gymU who must compete in all events at each meet. Jim Gil* Ray Moltz are Texas A&MjB * , 1 arounders. ;®IIllLl “We’ve gotquiteabitof(li| this year,” Hartwell said.‘'TiB|-» j-- the key to our strength JIB'11 W . got a whole new setofbadi and some real good fresh* Hartwell said the team#* like to become a varsitysqti^ the near future, complete coach and scholarships foi ^ Es r ecut 1 lv ^ athletes. But for now, thesB e ^ oot )a ^ 01 America See GYMNASTS pagejannounced tc The wri United Pr, OKLAHOI running t T was sele< SPECIAL Bam, compo pom 22 sch< |layers besidi |e on last 'e wide rece Michigt Roast-Beef and a Baked Potato with all iniington, h leman Davi irolina; del Ray Smith, nsive bad lemson. Rimingtor nd Award in’s outsta $2 49 the fixings for One package of free cookies to children under 1 with each order. Plus • All you can eat Salad Plate. • And a speedy, convenient Drive-Thru Window Even diets, enjoy follov be ck of lo\ 201 DOMINIK