Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 1988)
e n Tuesday, March 8, 1988/The Battalion/Page 13 >adminton more than just 'backyard’ fun By Mary-Lynne Rice Reporter Since its origin in India centuries J shoulflfco, badminton has been popular round the world. At the summer rdogsiOlympics, it will be featured as a the A; spectator sport for the first time. Yet i bash only recently has badminton begun aml'sjto catch on in the United States as a d fori Rodi :he 19i impetitive — not only recreational ■ sport. About 40 tournament and recre- iional badminton players, members |af the Texas A&M badminton club, Hieet for weekly practice and travel to competitions at Southwest Con- feience and other area schools Jionthly. Expenses are covered by Jniversity funding for extramural oorts. Jck-off team list chopped lown to 65 Although badminton, a racquet and shuttle game, is often popularly perceived as slow-paced backyard recreation, a little competitive prac tice proves otherwise. “Most of our members are begin ners, but they expect some really competitive, tiring games,” said Rick Doan, senior engineering technol ogy major and badminton club pres ident. “They’re not surprised when they start to play, but some of them are amazed at the tournament play ers.” Many of the best players grad uated last year, Doan said, leaving the club with the challenge of re building its experience. Still, they have strong competitive players, he said, who brought A&M a first-place trophy in men’s singles and second place in men’s doubles at the tourna ment held here last fall. One tournament remains for the club. It travels to Arlington on March 19 to end its competitive sea son. Doan said he expects the club to fare well, with a chance to win men’s singles and doubles and women’s doubles events. “We can really compete in men’s singles,” he said. “With doubles, we’re still trying to work out the teams. The players are working on getting used to each other.” Junior business major Jerry Luna, a badminton player for two years and one-year club member and com petitor, won first place in Class B (college division) competition at Bay lor. But competition was not his rea son for joining the club, he said. “The only reason I joined was just to keep in tune with the bird,” he said. “I do go to tournaments and I play competitively, but I also need the playing time and experience.” Doan said most members of the club, like Luna, join for the practice and recreation. “The recreational players come up just to play around,” he said. “They’re looking for a night when they can just exercise.” If.: ip ru ot for e you it nia. F« aingtli! II win , “I lot ison.u ourna- ig tht in Bav- p will .s just; to By Joe Jimenez Reporter In a list posted at Kyle Field, 65 jarticipants survived the first cut for lext year’s 12th Man Kick-Off earn. Approximately 215 students tried >ut for the team last week, Chris Massey, a graduate assistant and the :oach in charge of the team, said. “We usually have about 200-240 itudents go out for the team," Mas- icysaid. “1 think we would have had note S iarticipate this year, but we ate notice put in The Butta- Monday, the members ran 40- /ard dashes and agility drills. The agility drill consisted of a iquare marked with orange cones at he corners. Each side of the Square measured 10 yards. Participants began at a corner and an backwards until they reached a orner. They would then sprint forward at an angle to the opposite left cor- aer. Next, they would run backwards o the next corner where they would :nd the run by sprinting to the op- aosite right corner. Massey said there is a misconcep- ion about 40-yard dash times. Speed is not all the staff is looking or, he said. s worsl school “Members need to have agility so g thaig they can go down and avoid the 230- »y Net pounders who are trying to block em,” Massey said. d beeC was St gain b Mye After; "eb. enfaH ) beer i a fa :sto.' Field hockey an unusual combo of warm- and cold-weather sports By Tom Eikel Reporter Field hockey is like ice hockey without the ice and soccer with out the leather ball and fan vio lence. In fact, field hockey is an excit ing, fast-paced combination of the two, and is one of the many extramural sports played here at Texas A&M. “It’s almost exactly like soccer,” acting club manager Asif Qure- shy said. Field hockey has the same player positions as soccer and uti lizes the same types of defenses. But instead of kicking the ball, wooden sticks are used. The sticks are shorter than those used in ice hockey, and the heads are much smaller, giving players greater control, he said. It’s a foul if the ball touches anything other than a player’s stick or hands. The ball used in field hockey is about the same size as a baseball, but it’s a little heavier, has a hard plastic cover and travels a bit fas ter, he said. “It hurts a little when they hit you,” he said. Even with protection such as shin guards, Qureshy said players do get hurt. Usually such injuries result from being hit with the sticks. Field hockey is similar to ice hockey with the exception, of course, that players run instead of skate. As in ice hockey, each team has a heavily padded goalie, most of whom wear masks, he said. In field hockey, the goals are 7 feet tall and 14 feet wide. Goalies have sticks too, but rar ely use them, Qureshy said. He said most shots blocked are from the knees down. Goalies are the only players al lowed to kick the ball. Some of the same rules used in ice hockey and soccer are used in field hockey as well, such as those for offsides and passing. As can be imagined, rules that penalize rough play are strictly enforced. “You get a couple of warnings, then you get kicked out,” Qure shy said. One or two dirty players can be found on every team, he said. “We used to have one, but he’s gone now,” Qureshy said. “He was a real expert at this. Five min utes into the game he’d be sitting on the bench. “But he was good to have on your team,” Qureshy said. Field hockey can be played ei ther indoors or out, but rules dif fer between the two. When playing indoors, there are seven members on each team, and unlimited substitution is al lowed because the pace is faster and players don’t have much time to catch their breaths. Indoor matches last 30 minutes and have fewer high shots and passes. Games played outdoors have two 35 minute halves and 11 members per team. A&M’s field hockey club cur rently has 13 members. The next cut should be annouced by noon today. Approximately 40 students should be on the list posted at Kyle Field, Massey said. The 40 will participate in the spring training with the scholarship athletes. Spring training will begin on March 21 and last for five weeks. Practices during the five weeks will be held Monday through Thursday, with the Monday practice at night. “We’ll have a late practice on Mondays because of labs,” Massey said. The number of participants who will make the fall practices has not been decided, Massey said. “A lot will depend on how well these guys look in the spring,” he said. “It also depends on how many Coach SHefrill wants to take.” Sixteen of the remaining 65 are members of this year’s team. To make next year’s team, current members must go through try-outs again, Massey said. This is the first year Jeff Mink, a junior biomedical science major from Waco, is trying out for the team. “This is a great tradition at A&M,” Mink said. “No other major institu tion in the United States has a pro gram like this.” rt and sha- iage- are- who ;nto, uel- med ; was oiild and Lu- Rus- the and e. the itate Sets jers. is. e, d on 1 ’ by an ind. eep- ime 2 at Ible SIGN UP! INTRAMURAL/REC SPORTS SPORT: DIVISION: DATE: TIME: PLACE: Volleyball Triples Co>Rec A, B, & C By March 8,1988 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Intramural Office • 159 Read Building TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY IM REC SPORTS DEPARTMENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH © 1986 General Motors is proud to sponsor your campus intramural/ recreational sports. JOIN THE FUN Read the information above and sign up with your Intramural/Rec reational Sports Department today! EVERYONE CAN PLAY All students, staff and faculty are eligible. CHEVROLET PONTIAC !! Oldsmobile BUICK (i GMAC FINANCIAL SERVICES CM /I HUGHES ELECTRONICS General Motors..'.'sharing your future” ClNEPLEX ODEON AND PLITT THEATRES S2 50 TUESDAY. ALL SHOWS AT SELECTED THEATRES. CHECK SHOWTIMES. POST OAK THREE 1500 HARVEY RD. 693-2796 1HE*S HAVIMQ * BABY (PG-13) 7:20 9:30 HOAPCA3T MEWS (R) ttOH (PG) CINEMA THREE COLLEGE AVE. 693-2796 —OOWSTBUCIt (PQ) ACTION -JACKSOH (R) MOVIMO (R) Need Cash for Spring Break? We pay cash for gold, silver, old coins, diamonds Full Jewelry Repair Large Stock of Diamonds Gold Chains TEXAS COIN EXCHANGE 404 University Dr. 846-8916 ihJ /s CORN arawfl ftfl<§>IRIE Hrs. 10:37-7:03, M-Sat. (near Hasting’s) Culpepper Plaza 693-7221 thru March 31,1988 BUY ONE GET ONE i Buy any size bag of regu lar or flavored popcorn and receive a 2nd bag of equal of lesser value ab solutely i 2.50 ADMISSION 1. Any Show Before 3 PM 2. Tuesday - All Seats 3. Mon-Wed - Local Students With Current ID s 4. Thur - KORA "Over 30 Nite" SCHULMAN 6 2002 E. 29th 775-2463 THREE MEN AND A BABY pq 7:1* 9 r.ss W FATAL ATTRACTION r 7:18‘J .Jk'ZSM $ DOLLAR DAYS $ DIRTY DAHCM po-is £21 ’ OVERBOARD pq-is 7:18 ■ 8:48 | THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN r £21 EfMie Mirpfcj’s RAWr 7 .25 | fcS6 1 * DENOTES DOLBY STEREO PLAZA 3 226 Southwest Pkwy 693-2457 7:3$ PQ KM ‘SWtTCHMG CMAMELS *8000 MORNWG VIETNAM r 7:23 MS *A NIGHT IN THE UFE OF JIMMY REARDON r MANOR EAST 3 Manor East Mai I 823-8300 'FRANTIC r AID 600 CREATED W0M8I r 'SHOOT TO UU r *41 7:* fc* Here's A Real , Spring Break! | Save 25% on O.P." Shirts, Shorts, & Swimwear! Liven up your break with these bold and brassy screen-print T’s! Hot new color combos and neons. S,M,L,XL. Reg. 13.00. IM/REC SPORTS AUTO EXPO