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offer. 1/20<J cash value. Limited Delivery Where
Available. Expires end of semester.
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for $5.99
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offer. 1/200 cash value. Limited Delivery Where
Available. Offer expires end of semester.
Page 12AThe Battalion^Thursday, March 3, 1988
Soccer team thrives after
drop to extramural status
0 li
fen
in
By Stephen Masters
Reporter
In European countries, it’s easily
the most popular professional sport
around, drawing millions of fans per
season. In America, it’s more popu
lar indoors professionally, with
thousands of spectators. At Texas
A&M, the team considers 50 or 60 a
good showing.
The Texas A&M Men’s Soccer
Club was formed in the fall of 1982.
The varsity soccer program was
dropped during reorganization of
the athletic department after Jackie
Sherrill became athletic director.
Now the team is a part of the Texas
Intercollegiate Soccer League along
with six other teams.
Texas Tech, even though they
moved out of our conference. We
play them according to the football
schedule. Last year the football team
was at Tech, so we were too,” he
said.
The other teams in the League
are Southwest Texas State Univer
sity, Stephen F. Austin University,
Sam Houston State University,
Texas, Baylor and Rice.
Baldwin also claimed that thei A
shi[
te
“The coach was offered a Division
II bid, but he wanted Division I or
nothing, so he got nothing,” said
John Baldwin, president of the soc
cer club. “He left and they dropped
the varsity program so we became a
club team.”
Although the 16 to 20 member
team is primarily oriented for fall
seasons, they have competed in two
tournaments this semester and will
compete in two more — the South
west Conference tournament, which
they will host in early April, and
Southern Methodist University’s
Lotto tournament.
“Last semester we were fourth in
the conference tournament,” Bald
win said. “We lost to eventual champ
Sam Houston State in the semifinals,
2-1. They used to be a Division II
school but dropped to club status.
Most of their players were recruited
when they were Division II though
and they stayed on with the club
team.
“We don’t strictly play club teams
though. We played in a tournament
with Midwestern, a Division II
school, before school even started.”
players don’t always try out becaulMu
the team is organized as a clubijdia
stead of in the athletic departmej
He said some of the best players isi
ternational students, don’t try otT
because they think they don’t fit So
He stressed that everyone is lx -
come to try out for the team
The difference between athlei a
department teams and club teams (
simple to Baldwin.
“Basically, the main different! |
are money and publicity,” he sail tit
“We have one person workingintBe
extramural ol iic e loi us, but she® e
to cover all the other extramui
sports too. We put up livers aroui
campus, but it’s really hard to
people’s attention.”
hi
The work involved in extramural
sports took it’s toll on grades of the
players in the fall, Baldwin said.
“Last semester we played in too
many games, about 15 or 16, and
grades suffered,” he said.
The team receives a budget
$1,200 from the extramural offn
but has to earn additional nton
through fund-raisers because th
have to pay for travel, accomod
tions, tournament entry lees, refi
ees and any other possible teamt tei
penses. This does not leave mi
money for a coach.
“Last semester the Sam Houston
State coach devised a round-robin
schedule for the teams in the
League, so now we play according to
that,” Baldwin said. “We always play
“We had a lot of people show up
for tryouts, between 60 and 70 play
ers, but had to cut most people to
make the team more competitive.
Now we’ve got a problem with
grades, so anyone that has a soccer
background and is interested should
contact us through the extramural
office.”
“We don’t have a coach becac
we just don’t have the money,'
said. “This makes it even harder
us, because it's difficult to evalua
players while we try to get intosha
to play. We do have a strategy
what we want to do, hut we'dbea
better if we had someone on
sidelines to evaluate the team and
dividual players. I think that's tl
hardest part about being a di
team.”
Polo gaining in popularity at A&M;
players expound on game’s virtues
By James Johnson
Reporter
Admittedly, horses are usually
synonymous with Texas, but what
few may realize is that the equestrian
sport which Argentina has histori
cally excelled in is finally gaining
popularity in the Lone Star State
and at Texas A&M.
Collegiate polo, a ball game
played on horseback in an arena of
no specific diameters, is a team sport
consisting of three players. The tea
mmate’s purpose is to drive a ball
through his opponent’s goal posts
with long mallets during four peri
ods of play, similar to the game of
hockey. The only major difference
between regular polo and collegiate
(arena) polo is that regular polo is
played in six periods instead of four.
Because of more formidable
weather conditions, A&M, like most
other southern teams, gets more
practice time on outdoor fields.
According to Michael Ross, presi
dent of the A&M polo club, that
could sometimes serve as an occa
sional drawback since arena polo is
the standard type that is played col-
legiately.
“Since teams up north don’t have
as comfortable weather conditions,
they get much more practice in an
arena which gives them a distinct ad
vantage in competition,” Ross said.
He added that polo is one of the
more expensive sports on campus,
mainly because of the use of live
stock and the numerous forms of
protective equipment such as polo
boots, knee pads, mallets, and hel
mets.
However, he predicts the costs of
the sport to possibly decrease in the
future since some cattle prices are
falling.
Over recent years, the sport has
also undergone a great expansion at
A&M, according to Ross.
“When I started here in 1981,
A&M was essentially the only South
west Conference team,” he contin
ued, “and since then, the conference
has added SMU, Texas Tech, and
the University of Texas.”
The four teams are joined by Col
orado State University and Tulane
to comprise the nation’s central divi
sion.
Ross foresees the 1988 men’s and
women’s teams as pretty confident
about their upcoming seasons. The
Aggie men’s team won the SWC and
Central Division title last year.
Itended the season in the nation’s
top five behind the University of
California at Davis, a perennial
power who won the championship
last year. The women’s team was not
quite as successful, but are working
very hard this season and are
looking competetive, Ross added.
Kristin Matlack, a Fort Worth
freshman said, “I’ve been riding
horses all of my life and I wanted to
continue doing something associated
with them.
“I figured anyone could swiD§ J
allet,” she laughed, “and eif I
be
mallet,” she laughed,
though the club only currently M
about 25 members, it’s a goodwaB
meet people and have fun.” I q
Currently, the men’s teameoii';M arr
of Vicente Borrero, l orn Hams
Wesley Sinor, while Donna ShiflMo 3
Portia Branson-Swales, ReneSewB t0 |
and Matlack will represent the \ at 4(j
en’s team. I pj.
In addition to the sport’s extimigs
mural schedule, the polo dubaBdi
plans to introduce the game to]
community. Toward the end B“j
March, the group plans to hoi p h | ie
benefit fund-raiser at their 1 ho| es
game-site in Freeman Arena, locaB q
on Turkey Creek Road. pj w
tOiw
During the benefit, a demonsirL p ar
tion of the game will be given ai L t ) 1(
with pony pictures available forB“p
youth of the community. p,. w;
Both teams practice on the AiB
polo field on Mondays from G-i 1 ]
the evening. Ross added that theij
ganizational meetings are heldt
every third Wednesday for
ested competitors.
He knows that once the sponl
exposed to the public more, peojfc
will come to appreciate the ex nua |
ment of polo just as he hasinB e agi
past. Bmt;
“The sport itself is addicti'Bakii
Ross concluded, “I’ve played I n 0
football, baseball, and basket
teams before, but I enjoy polo m g] 3a
than any other sport.” B 2A
N
first-t
Bell hot over move from outfield to DH
No
with t
35-0,
DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — George
Bell, one of baseball’s most volatile
players, swaggered onto the practice
field for the first time Wednesday,
still angry at the Toronto Blue Jays
decision to make him a designated
hitter.
“After the season I had, I come
here and have no job,” Bell said.
“That’s hard. But spring training is
long. We’ll see what is going to hap
pen.”
Bell, the last Toronto player to ar
rive in camp, met with Manager
Jimmy Williams for 15 minutes prior
to practice. Neither revealed what
was said, but the DH situation clearly
was not resolved.
A day earlier, Bell said, “There’s
going to be a bomb explode” and
openly challenged his manager.
“We’ll see who lasts longer with
our organization — him or me,” Bell
said. “I think we fight.”
Bell, who is from the Dominican
Republic, backed off that harsh crit
icism Wednesday, but would not
apologize for what he said. Nor is he
ready to accept the switch.
The Blue Jays plan to move Bell,
the American League’s Most Valu
able Player from left field to DH.
That would keep him fresh, and en-
Millai
Th
able Toronto to get one of its youw )e j n
outfielders into the lineup, theteB q c
says- Mesqi
As part of the plan, Lloyd MoseBme
will be shifted from center field« 7^
left. Moseby is complaining abB arc |
the move, and that’s another matiB j n
“I think time is a healer,” WilliaflAustii
said. “But that may be wishful thiBome
ing in Bell’s case.” Bnvil
It might take more direct act® [ ai
from Williams, who last year jguard
Bell’s respect by slamming a batlijrcer-li
helmet at his stars’ feet following Wear,
Dm
altercation.
Bell recently signed a three-yei| 0 rth
$5.8 million dollar contract.
The Economics and Safety of Nuclear
Energy: A Public Forum
Presented by TAMU Green Earth Society
Thursday March 3, 1988 at 7:30 pm
Memorial Student Center room 201
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
Bryan Baker
President of the Committee for Consumer Rate Relief
Jeff Pruitt
Gulf States Electric Utilities
Stephen Fenberg
Editorial writer for Houston Post and Houston Chronicle
Tom Smith
Texas State Director of Public Citizen
Dr. Frank Iddings
Professor Emeritus, affiliated with the Committee for Energy Awareness
Dr. George Zabaras
Expert in gas-liquid two phase-flov