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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 1996)
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For WIcDon- —2678. up a sin- 1 —tool year Express, " the fall — sions "■“exas MONDAY July 8, 1996 No one is immune from jersey-v/earing etiquette I ’ve no ticed a disturb ing trend at sports are nas, college campuses and just on run-of-the- mill city streets re cently: Peo ple with no concept of sports are wearing sports jerseys as wardrobe enhancements. Jersey-wearing, contrary to what you may think, is not a fashion statement. Instead, it is a powerful commitment the fan makes — not only to the team and the layer whose jersey adorns is body, but also to all other sports fans in the world. There are certain codes we sports fans live by and we don’t take too kindly to the general public impeding on our turf and trying to make jersey-wearing something trendy for everyday life. Let me lay down the rules for you: 1) Know the player and the team. If you have on a Seattle Sonics Shawn Kemp jersey, most sports fans will make be tween five and seven assump tions about you — unfair as they may be. The sports fan, upon seeing your jersey, will automatically assume you know Kemp’s life time stats, have an opinion about why Kemp was left off "I realize it's damn hot outside, but an extra shirt worn underneath the jersey will win you new friends and con vince people you are fairly normal." Dream Team Ill’s roster, know exactly which dunk they are talking about when they spout off about the “Reign Man” and can recite lyrics from any Seattle-based grunge band on the spot. If you venture into a sport ing arena, the array of expect ed knowledge increases expo nentially into areas including high school prom date and fa vorite cartoon character. 2) For God’s sake, wear an other shirt underneath it. I am perfectly willing to accept a lot of excess hair on the bodies of Hakeem Olaju- won, Clyde Drexler, etc., when I go watch the Houston Rockets play. My seats are usually be tween 40 to 60 miles away from the action on the court, and only through the power of binoculars do I ever happen upon those un pleasant armpit areas. You, oh unshaven one, are not a professional athlete. I did not pay money to stand in line behind you at McDonald’s or watch you fling your arms skyward while en joying the thrills of the Texas Cyclone at Astroworld. I realize it’s damn hot out side, but an extra shirt worn underneath the jersey will win you new friends and con vince people you are fairly normal. It is a necessary evil in the jersey-wearing game. 3) Prepare yourself for the athleticism of sports fans. Being an old defensive end myself, when I see someone with a Troy Aik- man, Steve Young or Dan Marino jersey on, I get into a three-point stance and go looking for blood. If you’re going to be wear ing that Cowboys All-Pro jer sey, you better have a foot ball mentality and go scram bling for your life when I charge you in front of the Chemistry Building. See Georgandis, Page 4 NICK GEORGANP1S GUEST COLUMNIST Page 3 Southwest Shootout Seventy-two teams demonstrated their basketball talents at the 1996 Whataburger Basketball Classic By Colby Gaines The Battalion I f you are looking to beat the summer heat and basketball suits your taste, then you should check out the competi tion when the 1996 Whataburger South west Shootout reconvenes this weekend. Approximately 72 girls basketball teams congregated over the holiday week end in one of the largest and most excit ing tournaments of its kind in Texas. Beginning last Thursday and running through Sunday, 13- to 15-year-old girls from across the state competed for gold, sil ver and bronze medals at Bryan and A&M Stew Milne, The Battalion April Owen (#34) of the Houston Hornets attempts to block a shot by Kristen Cook of the Texas Express. The Express went on to beat the Hornets 50-35. Consolidated High Schools. The teams are comprised of athletes from summer basketball leagues and come from cities as far away as Amaril lo to compete against some of Texas’ best basketball talent. Anne Luce, whose daughter plays on the Texas Express team, said the tourna ment’s talent level is great — especially since 500 girls try out for the Express’ 12- woman roster each year. “This team placed 9th in the nation last year out of 62 teams [at nationals],” Luce said. “We’ve already qualified for nationals this year in Nashville.” Luce said the tournament is a great opportunity for the participants. “It is a very positive experience,” Luce said. “It gives the girls a lot of self- confidence. They get a chance to work together, get exposure [to recruiters] and build relationships. “Most of the girls are really good stu dents, and the coaches stress school first.” Tournament director Gordon Loucks said last year’s event in Waco brought in more than $1 million to the local econo my, and the tournament continues to grow each year. “This tournament began nearly five years ago with eight teams,” Loucks said. “Now it has 160 teams. Meanwhile, it brings in nearly 1,000 people who stay a few nights. Needless to say, this tourna ment has been very successful and is con tinuing to grow.” Gordon said the tournament was moved to Bryan-College Station be cause the community provided many volunteers and more college exposure than Waco. “This tournament was easy to coordi nate because this town has a lot of com munity awareness,” Gordon said. “Basi cally, the people here come together re ally well.” “Having the tournament here has been neat because the girls have been able to tour the [A&M] campus, as well as meet college kids,” Luce said. Eager spectators last weekend caught a glimpse of the talented players invading the area this month. This week, 88 teams will compete in the 16- to 18-year-old di vision beginning Thursday and continu ing through Sunday. More than 100 college recruiters are expected to be on hand through the cham pionship round Sunday. “This tournament is host to some of the best talent in Texas,” Gordon said. “[This] weekend, recruiters will come from Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma to see these girls compete because they are the future of female collegiate basketball. “If people come out, they can expect the best.” Reading, Writing and Olympics "It's great to be out here because the kids really look up to you since you / re an athlete." - Lydia Herrera, former A&M shot-putter By Ray Hernandez The Battalion J ust 11 days before the opening ceremonies at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, the College Station community hosted its own version of the event Friday — “The Summer Olympics at Rock Prairie.” The games, located at Rock Prairie Elementary School in College Station, brought together Rock Prairie Elementary schoolchildren and student ath letes from Texas A&M to demonstrate events at the Summer Games. The day included exhibits of many Olympic events such as basketball, track and field, weightlifting and softball. Lydia Herrera, a former shot-putter and graduate of A&M, loved the event because it gave her an opportunity to talk to kids about her sport. “These events are really fun and cool because you get to talk to kids about the shot put,” Herrera said. “It’s an event that no one really knows about.” Herrera said she enjoyed representing the athletic community. “It’s great to be out here because the kids really look up to you since you’re an athlete,” Herrera said. "I think we as athletes have the responsibility to use our status in a positive way with kids.” Michael Green, a first grader at Rock Prairie, thor oughly enjoyed the day and the many activities that were available. “The whole day was good,” Green said. “The ath letes are cool.” Dawn Boothe, an assistant professor of veterinary medi cine, enjoyed taking her son and daughter to the festivities. “It’s great seeing the kids interact with parents, teachers and athletes,” Boothe said. “The day is wonderful,” she said. “The end of the (school) year is near and the kids get to be outside for awhile and learn about the Olympics at the same time.” The event used an Olympic-based curriculum the schoolchildren have been working on for the past cou ple months. The children have been studying subjects such as the history of the Olympic Games, the symbolism of the Olympic icons and the geography of countries participat ing in the Atlanta Games. Ann Ganter, the organizer of the event and a first- grade teacher at Rock Prairie, said the school’s students have covered a lot of ground in their studies. “The students have been studying everything about the Olympics,” Ganter said. “They know everything about the Games ranging from its history and the admis sion of women as participants to its foundation. “They also know everything about all the various icons such as the torch, the rings and the development of this year’s mascot.” Starlet Licona, academic coordinator at Rock Prairie Elementary, was happy with the results of the event. “I am extremely pleased with the turnout,” Licona said. “The kids have meshed well with the athletes.” Licona praised the involvement of A&M and Associate Athletic Director John Thorton in the event. “Without Thornton and Texas. A&M (athletics), this event could never have happened,” Licona said. Thornton said he enjoyed the opportunity to give back to the community. “The event is a great chance to do something positive for the community,” Thornton said. “It affects the athletes and the students, and they both get something out of it.” i l l \ 1 I I I i \ i I