Tuesday, July 17, 1984/The Battalion/Page 9
Sports
A&M swimmer
describes LA.
Olympic trials
of Mon-
By KAREN GILES
Reporter
He trained four hours a day, six
days a week for one race, and in less
than 60 seconds, it was over.
“It’s every swimmer’s dream to go
to the Olympics, and mine was for
‘84,’’ Chris O’Neil, a member of the
Texas A&M swim team said, as he
placed his glass of orange juice on
the coffee table next to the past
three issues of Swimmer’s World
magazine, Lite magazine’s special
iQlympic edition, and a brochure
r if Jack- ■featuring the newest designs in rac-
rith Car-H ingsuils '
More than 500 swimmers com
peted to make thier dream come
[true this summer at the U.S. Olym-
i pit Trials held at the Indiana Uni-
jj T Hversily Nalatorium.
I II H “It was the most intense meet I’d
ver been to in my life,” O’Neil said.
_‘You can stand behind the blocks
Hand actually feel the electricity. Even
Hlhe director of the meet said the U.S
'Olympic trials are more intense than
he Olympics, since 50 guys are com-
icling for only two spots in each
ace, and the U.S. team probably has
the best swimmers in the world.”
I O’Neil, a stocky bleached blonde.
Hooking more like a body-builder
Khan the typical long, lean swimmer,
psaid he’s participated in various
$$wim meets where he’s been under a
nothing like
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l O’Neil’s roommate, Rick Parker,
also a Texas A&M swimmer, said
that O’Neil began to get restless
about two weeks prior to the trials.
“He’d loss and turn a lot,” Parker
said. “He seemed like he was in a
sort of a daze. I guess he was concen-
Iraling. I know the race was on his
mind.”
| O’Neil confirmed Parkers' obser-
|valion. He said he’d lie awake at
night, staring at the walls, trying to
weep his mind off the race. This
a public and must have been hard to do, since his
Orleans toi bedroom wallpapering consists of
it Service-- two U.S. Swimming Long Course
or Deparffl|
es — disagi
icthod ofs
80 comp
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it is a coni^
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•ring area'-
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iey by avoid*
evaluators
Championship posters, an ‘83 Sports
Festival poster, a couple of “girlie”
posters (they’re wearing swim suits),
and a 20 gallon fish lank.
“I guess the restlessness is all a
part of the preparation,” he said,
flexing his bare feet. “Every swim
mer prepares himself for his race
differently. Some, like me, tell jokes,
I guess to relieve the pressure, and
others sit quietly with their head
rested between their hands, sort of
meditating. But about an hour be
fore I went up to the blocks, I felt my
mouth go dry.”
O’Neil said he intermittently
splashed water into his mouth from
the pool, and paced around trying to
keep himself calm and his mind on
the up-coming race.
“When they called my name to
step up to the starting block, it felt
like my heart was in my throat,” he
said. “But you know it’s funny, at
that moment, I couldn’t wait to swim
because it was the best I’d ever felt.”
He said the race went by fast—ex
actly 55.51 seconds. When he
touched the wall, he immediately
looked up at the digital time clock
through his fogged goggles. Unfor
tunately, he was two-tenths of a sec
ond off the top eight qualifying
Limes for the finals, but was ranked
12th in the nation.
“At first I was dissapointed, all
that work blown by two-tenths, but
after I stopped moping, I realized
I’d bettered my time, and moved up
in the rankings. Most of all, I re
member what a relief it was to have it
over with. It really was like a huge
weight had been lifted from my
shoulders.”
Rather than watch the top eight fi
nalists from his race, battle it out on
the final night of the trials, he chose
to eat out with his parents. His
coach, Mel Nash, stopped him and
advised him to stay and watch. “I
told Mel it would hurt, but he said I
needed to hurt. I really didn’t want
to stay. The last thing I wanted to
see, at that point, was the eight guys
Photo by DEANSAI'I'C)
Chris O’Neil confers with Texas A&M head swimming coach Mel Nash.
that beat me compete for the two
available spots on the Olympic team,
but I stayed. I was very impressed
with their swimming, and I even got
to see Pablo Morales break the work!
record with a 53.38. My old friend
Matt Gribble came in second, and
David Cowell is the alternate for the
team.”
O’Neil said he was glad he stayed
that night, since only two years ear
lier he had raced against Cribble at
U.S. Swimming Nationals in the lane
next to him, and “got to see a lot of
white water” come from his feet.
The trials began Monday, June
23, but for O’Neil training started
years earlier.
After completing basic training at
the age of four, O’Neil progressed to
a summer league team at seven, and
finally at fourteen, he swam for the
Huntsville Swimming Association in
Alabama under coach Fran Norris.
He had planned on following his
brother to Auburn, but was offered
a scholarship at Texas A&M, and
says he feels like he made the best
decision.
“The academic and the athletic
programs at A&M are excellent,”
O’Neil said. “I went on a lot of re
cruiting trips, and A&M’s programs
were definitely the best supported.
I’ve never seen an athletic dorm that
compares to Cain, and the training
table (board plan) there is excellent.”
O’Neil said the U.S team is ex
pected to do very well in Los An
gelos. “West Cermany, Canada and
a few South Americans will be their
big competition, but it’s too bad ev
ery country won’t compete,” O’Neil
said a little dissapointedly.
He said he sometimes considers
dropping from the competition, es
pecially after losing at the trials. “I
know it sounds corny, but when I
really get down about my swimming,
I read this poem on my wall,” O’Neil
said, as he unhooked the framed
motivator.
It’s no wonder it inspires him. It
reads:
If you think you are beaten, you
are.
If you think you dare not, you
don’t.
If you like to win, but think you
can’t, it’s almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellows will;
It’s all in the state of mind.
Life’s battles don’t always go to the
stronger or faster man;
but soon or late the man who wins
is the one who thinks he can.
For O’Neil, the rest of the sum
mer consists of “gunning for Senior
Nationals” in Ft. Lauderdale Aug.
15-18, then back to school for the
fall session.
“Even though I lost, I’m really
glad I went,” O’Neil said conten
tedly, after reading over the
poem.“It’s something I can tell my
grandkids. But I’ll be honest with
you, I’d love to be in L.A. right
now.”
Olympics
showcase
boseboll
United Press International
LOS ANCELES — The pitch,
first delivered by U.S. Olympic base
ball coach Rod Dedeaux nearly a
half-century ago, arrives in Dodger
Stadium July 31.
Dedeaux, USC’s coach for the
past four decades, has spent the bet
ter part of his 69 years attempting to
get Olympic officials to proclaim
baseball a full medal sport in the
Summer Caines.
Though baseball will only be a
demonstration event during the
Carnes and the powerhouse Cuban
team joined the Soviet-led boycott,
Dedeaux is confident a gold medal
will be awarded when the world’s
best convene four years from now in
Seoul, South Korea.
Baseball has been a demonstra
tion in the Olympics before — fea
tured in St. Louis in 1904, in Stock
holm in 1912, in Berlin in 1936, in
Helsinki in 1952, in Melbourne in
1956 and in Tokyo in 1964.
“Baseball is called a demonstra
tion sport but it’s not a demonstra
tion,” Dedeaux said. “This is for
real. It’s a regular tournament. This
is the first time baseball will actually
be contested in the Olympics.
“This will be the greatest single
event to promote the sport of base
ball.”
Eight nations will take part in the
round-robin tournament July 31-
Aug. 7. Doubleheaders are sched
uled each day.
Dedeaux, the winningest coach in
college baseball history with 1,284
victories and 11 national champion
ships in 43 years, said pitching could
be the strength of his team.
Of the 16 pitchers in camp before
a round of cuts were made June 18,
eight were chosen in the first round
of the major league’s free-agent
draft and all 16 went in the first
three rounds.
“Of course, I’m sorry Cuba won’t
be in the tournament,” Dedeaux
said. “But it’s still going to be a good
field and will still do a lot in further
ing the sport of baseball.”
A turnout of more than 400,000
fans is expected at Dodger Stadium.
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tyantaiUc Pla*ief
This widely acclaimed lilm combines animalion,
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July 16
Recti
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Story ol racial tensions as a while boy lalls in love with a
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Oldinany People
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Gene Kelly. Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor
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A journalist's wife and father search lor him in the
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A simple tale that successfully attacks a complex issue
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On a bel, Protessor Henry Higgins attempts lo turn a
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