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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 1996)
NovemberZ S The Battalion D A B T C f' il li Page 7 Thursday • November 21, 1 996 d from Pas jh the fraten or the costi ises, the plei ve any com the crimina s involved in a face sanetii ie University, ivak, coordit dicial servio us face a vi n do anythii to expulsion ie (Universin tuions manui dents' cases by five criten e seriousnesi <vill be deten contributin fumstancesj i. The sit! II then be: or violation : j ses haveotij >e used as, determin “To fight together for the Aggie dream, we’re the 12th Man on that fightin’ Aggie Team 99 The embodiment of a sacred Aggie tradition, 12th Man Kickoff Team makes daily sacrifice By Matt Mitchell The Battalion I Ihey are the envy of every Texas A&M student in the stands. They said, mosiJB- attend every practice and every mctionwi ‘Ome game as members of the Texas t will get >&M Football Team. Most importantly, ntion. bey are the living symbol of the most sa- testion we red of Aggie sports traditions, notion have®or the members of the 12th Man ationalim] acl off Team, just being a member is ielphimur;e#ard enough. md not toil® This is my fourth year out here and ; said. wouldn’t trade the experiences for the dents in (j ^orld,” senior James Muniz said. “I’ve ive a "leitHpe so many good friends out here m the Coni n d met so many different people and enter stat ' e ople from other schools. Just the )lation the ee hng of running out on the field with of commit! 0.000 people watching, you just can’t len havethr x P ,ain it- it’ 8 the most unbelievable hedule a i# e ii n g i’ ve ever had in my life.” ;nter. Ifthe Ironically, A&M wasn’t Muniz’ first in that titr. ditional sac aid althou: ases will bt vidual ba:; he opportt ;roup with a f the Cor # et to disc choice in colleges to attend, but his fa ther graduated from A&M and insisted that he give it a shot. With the promise of a transfer if he didn’t make it, Muniz tried out for the team. Sure enough, he made it, and has been a member of the team ever since. Family ties are a recur ring theme among the 12th Man members, including senior Russell Kallus, whose sister was his fami ly’s first Aggie and con vinced him to enroll with stories of Aggie hospitality. “She’d come home on the weekends and bring home a lot of stories about A&M and the great tradi tions that were here and how everybody made you feel like a part of a family,” Kallus said. “I guess that’s the main thing that brought me to A&M. I hadn’t played foot- “Those guys are invaluable for us. They play a vital role in our preparation for our opponents.” Shawn Slocum Special teams coach Dave House, The Battalion ball since I was a seventh-grader and I did n’t want to give it up yet. “Throughout high school, I knew I wanted to play college football some where and I knew I want ed to come to A&M after hearing the stories. I came on as a walk-on and was one for three years and this is my first year as a 12th Man.” Sophomore Chad Frantzen turned down the chance to play for smaller schools to attend A&M. “Coming out of high school I had a chance to go to small schools, but I liked A&M. I came here, but I missed [football] so much that I tried out in the spring. I walked on and made it and then made it as the 12th Man this year. This is my first year, so it’s been real exciting. It’s been a really great experience, overall.” Contrary to popular belief, the members of the 12th Man Kickoff Team do not just practice kickoffs and then call it a day. “It’s pretty much the same as every body else — we’re out here all the time,” Muniz said. “We come out before prac tice and do all the special teams stuff. We work out with the team and go about an hour and a half every day. We come out here early on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and do 12th Man drills before everyone else gets out here so we can get some work in, and then go to regular positions and practice with them.” Special Teams Coach Shawn Slocum said the 12th Man Team’s commitment to hard work and daily effort are an impor tant part of the team. “Those guys are invaluable for us,” Slocum said. “They do a lot for us other than just covering kickoffs. They help us in practice every day and they play a vital role in our preparation for our opponents.” Slocum said that the members of the 12th Man Kickoff Team do not get any free rides just because they are part of an A&M tradition. “We put them in a position on the kickoff coverage team, and we expect them to perform like we would any body else,” Slocum said. Just being able to perform is gratifica tion enough for the members of the 12th Man Kickoff Team. “You get such an adrenaline rush,” Muniz said. “To not even hear what everybody’s saying, but to just feel every body yelling. You feel it more than you can see and hear it. It’s just incredible.” The 12th Man members get a special feeling just walking around campus. “You’re pretty well-respected because you’re representing the student body,” Frantzen said. “When they see you around campus, they won’t know you, but when they see you on the field, they know. It’s like you’re what everybody wants to be but can’t, and that’s a real thrill.” A&M in-line hockey team quietly earns a national reputation ould not coi Tiber otsttn By Dennis Ramirez The Battalion ost students do not realize it, but there is a “dominant force” lurking around the Texas A&M campus and in the Southern Wegiate Hockey League — a team in the hunt ir a national championship. ■Boasting a No. 7 national ranking, the i&M In-line Hockey Team is in its second ““emester in the new hockey conference ding with nine other teams from around IP exas ’ including the University of Texas and L C,Cd exas Tech University. Kecause the club team has only existed at * Tuxedt’dkM for three years, it has received little of 111 spotlight. But according to team coach nd defensemen Mike Holzer, the team is bet- er structured this year and has gained a trong reputation so far. 1‘Last year marked a start for not only the lew league, but also the team here at A&M,” fdlzer said. “This year, the league is better or- [agiized and offers a number of better teams o compete with. nzes 3th on “As a team, we are much more serious this year, from official tryouts to intense practices, the team has gained a reputation around the league as being aggressive, physical, and a strong team.” The team itself consists of 17 members who practice just twice a week because of in adequate facilities in the Student Recreation Center. The team must travel an hour to The Woodlands to hold practices. Junior offensive player Kris Cravens said the team had been able to overcome this to move forward in accomplishing its goal. “Although we have a variety of different guys with different personalities, we all have the same goal and desire and that al lows us to be a true team,” Cravens said. “To do our best as a team and to improve our skills would be the main goal, but the underlying goal would be to be good sportsmen and represent A&M well.” The sport is unique in that players must have the ability to play hockey with in-line skates in an ice-free rink. With the excep tion of having one less person on the rink, in-line hockey is organized along the same lines as ice hockey. “It is faster paced and high scoring,” Holzer said. “There are a few different rules, but for the most part it is the same with the main difference coming in the fact that there is minimal contact.” The team has experienced much success in its short existence, qualifying for the na tional tournament in its first season last year. This season, the team has attended two tournaments, finishing second in Austin and winning the Sam Houston State University Really Late Tournament. The team has high expectations of improv ing on last year’s nationals appearance. “Last year, we won the Southwest region and finished No. 7 in the nation,” team cap tain Mike Post said. "We are striving to finish better, because we want to know how good we are. We have the skills to contend and know its just a matter of how we measure up with the best teams in the nation.” See Hockey, Page 8 Dave House, The Battalion Forward James Stenson, a junior BANA major, slips one past goalie Kris Cravens, a junior journalism major, Wednesday. All 6" Chicken Subs (Smoked, BBQ & Chicken Salad) Only $1.99 Save up to 30%! For a limited time only. Albertson’s Center Randall’s Center 2205 Longmire 693-6494 607 E. University 691-2276 TISTTs The New Traditional Students “Formerly SOTA - Students Over Traditional Age” Open to all students, faculty, & staff over the age of 24. Provides support and fellowship. Community service, social events, & participation in campus activities! A voice in administrative decisions on issues of particular concern to students over the “traditional” (18-24) age on campus. General Meeting - Thursday, November 21 7:30 P.M., 228 MSC Drawings for $25 MSC Bookstore Gift Certificate for all members in attendance! 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