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Sports
The Battalion
Page 3 • Wednesday, July 21, 2004
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Olympic dreams
Five Texas A&M graduates attempt to grab gold at summer games
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By John Lowery
THE BATTALION
For most students in College Station, step
ping across the stage and receiving that degree is
an exciting but scary moment. As with most big
transitions in life, the profound questions abound:
Where will I go? How long can I make rent work
ing at Fat Burger? Now that 1 have this great liberal
arts degree, will my parents let me live with them
for another twenty years? And for an extraordinary
few: Can 1 take home Olympic gold?
This summer, a handful of former student
Aggie standouts will be traveling to Greece to
compete in the 2004 Olympic Games. All have
one thing on their mind: winning the gold.
Chris Pinnock, a four-time All-American hur
dler will be representing Jamaica in the men's
110-meter hurdles in Athens. Pinnock moved to
the United States when
he was a teenager and has
been running since the
age of sixteen. Pinnock
transferred to Texas A&M
from Barton County
Community College and
was able to compete for
two seasons as an Aggie.
Pinnock captured the Big
12Championship his final
year, making him the sec
ond best hurdler in school
history. He also left with
the Big 12 record in the
110-meter hurdles with
a time of 13.38 seconds
— a task Pinnock said is
his greatest accomplish
ment up to this point in
his career. Pinnock said
he is proud of his heri
tage and is proud to have
been an Aggie, but isn’t
sure if one outweighs the
other in his life.
“Which is stronger,
J don't know exactly,”
Pinnock said. “Only that
I want the world to know
I am a proud Texas A&M
Aggie and a Jamaican.”
Pinnock said he
believes his chances of
getting gold are good,
because he is the athlete that “shows up and shocks
people when it counts the most.” Pinnock said his
desire to represent his country and alma mater is a
priority and assured the A&M population he would
give a Gig’em on television if he won.
“Representing Jamaica at the Olympics is
something that Chris Pinnock has aspired to do
for a long, long time,” said A&M hurdles coach
Abe Brown in an interview with The Eagle. “I’m
extremely proud and excited for him.”
Fellow Aggie track athlete Angeles Pantoja will
also be competing in the Olympics this August.
Pantoja was recently placed on the Mexican nation
al track team. The multitalented Aggie is a two-time
Big 12 Champion in the 1,000-meter run, 2002
Mexican National Champion and is among the top-
10 all-time performers at A&M in the 800 meter.
Pantoja holds records in the indoor 800- and 1,000-
meter runs and the indoor distance medley relay.
Former A&M volleyball standout Stacy Sykora
will also be vying for the gold this summer. The
two-time All-American was recently given a spot
on the U.S. Women’s team, making it her second
appearance as an Olympian. Although medals
alluded the team in the 2000 games, rankings
suggest she and team U.S.A. have a good shot at
capturing a medal this time around, as they are
pre-ranked in second place.
Sykora has been participating in tournaments
in Asia and Italy preparing for the Olympics and
said being on an Olympic team is no easy task.
“Everything has been difficult in all aspects,”
Sykora said. “I have given my life to the sport. I
don't get to see my family, my nephew grow, my
dog. I am out of the country practically all year
except for a few months. English becomes my sec
ond language. I could not narrow it down to one
thing that is difficult; it is what I revolve and what I
• A&M record holder in
100-meter backstroke
• 2002 Big 12 champion
in 100-meter backstroke
• 2nd in NCAA
championships in
100-meter backstroke
• A&M record in
100-meter freestyle
• 2002 Big 12 Wlale
Swimmer of Meet
• 2nd in A&M history in
' 50-meter free a'nd
100-meter backstroke
• 11-time All-American
• 2-time Big 12 champion
in 1,000-meter run
• A&M record for indoor
800-meter run
• No. 3 all-time perfctt*mer
in BOO-meter hiirdl'es in
A&M history
• A&M record for indoor
1,000-meter run
• 4-time All-American in
110-meter hurdles
• Won Big 12 Title in
senior season
• Set Big 12 record time
in hurdles with time of
13.38 secs
• No. 2 high-hurdler in
A&M history
have revolved my life around for four years.”
A&M head volleyball coach Laurie Corbelli,
who coached Sykora for four years, said she has
high expectations for her former athlete.
“To be a two-time Olympian is very special,”
said Corbelli in an interview with The Eagle. “We
expected Stacy to be on the 2000 team given the
situation of the program and with the creation of
the libero position, but for her to keep up her high
skill level and be considered one of the best libe-
ros in the world is an awesome accomplishment.”
Represent ing A&M’s swim team, former students
Matt Rose and Riley Janes have also earned spots
on their home country Canada’s Olympic squad.
The two competed in the preliminary 100-meter
backstroke with another former student Robbie
Taylor. Rose won the trial in 55.70 seconds, with
Janes coming in a close second at 55.72, and Taylor
following with 57.00. Rose and Janes both quali
fied, but Taylor’s time
was not good enough to
make the team.
“It helped a lot that
we had each other there,”
said Rose about his old
teammate Janes’ pres
ence at the trials. “We
could root each other on
and give moral support.”
Newly named A&M
head swimming coach
Jay Holmes said he
was ecstatic when he
heard the news of Rose
and Janes making it to
the Olympics.
“It’s really a price
less feeling,” Holmes
said. “Any time you
make an Olympic team,
you’ve really accom
plished something.”
Holmes said he won’t
necessarily be wearing
Canadian colors but that
he will be rooting for
Rose and Janes.
“They both did so
much for our program
that all Aggies should
be rooting for them,
as well as any other
Aggies over there,”
Holmes said.
• 2-time All-American
• 2nd in A&M history in
kills and digs
• Set 23 A&M single
match, Big 12 season
and Big 12 career marks
• Led Big 12 with 4.37 digs
per game senior season
Graphic By: Andrew Burleson • THE BATTALION
Is Franchione a problem solver or problem dodger?
T
exas A&M always seems to be on
the top of new scientific studies.
Animals have been cloned, RNA
has been mapped and new developments
in agriculture are happening all the time.
Perhaps with so many scientists around
campus, A&M should spend the money
to bottle up head football coach Dennis
Franchione’s charm.
After hearing Franchione speak Monday
night at the Brazos County Coaches’ Night,
felt a lot better, as did many of the former
students who 1 was seated with. A near
euphoric feeling came over me, but that might be better attributed
to the pre-dinner cocktails.
After pumping the audience full of mouthwatering food and a
few jokes, Franchione helped many forget about a 3-7 season that
included losses to the tune of 77-0 and 46-10 for just a few hours.
But after dreams of Kyle Field danced through my head and
my dose of Franchione had worn off, I began to wonder if a big
sheet had been pulled over my eyes and others’ and if I had been
lulled into simply believing what was told. It was time to review
the nights’ events.
Franchione touched on nearly every aspect that plagued Aggie
football last season, so it was no surprise that he spoke for more
than 30 minutes.
The biggest question that has been on many Aggie football
jd(jiffs fanatics’ minds is whether junior quarterback Reggie McNeal
would be ready for the season. McNeal had surgery on the rotator
cuff in his throwing arm at the end of last season and missed most
of the spring drills.
encetl With big smile and his even-tempered voice, Franchione answered
cca0 f the question.
“He has been throwing a lot, some
times even twice a day,” Franchione
said. “Reggie is stronger and more pre
pared for this season than ever before.
I will be disappointed if he doesn’t take
some major steps this season.”
Franchione went on to address the
topic of freshman quarterback Stephen
McGee, whom many believe may vie
for the starting job in the 2005 season,
if not earlier.
“As you all know, we are very high
on Stephen McGee,” Franchione said.
“I don’t believe we'll be able to red-
shirt him. I believe he will have to play
for us sometime this year.”
Wait — does that mean Franchione
doesn’t trust McNeal? It seems
Franchione thinks McNeal will
implode at some point during the sea
son, prompting him to insert McGee.
Franchione said his reasoning was
that McNeal hasn’t played a full sea
son due to injuries, a better-to-be-safe-
than-sorry statement. But why wouldn’t
Franchione redshirt McGee for a year,
letting him get the experience he might
need before being thrown out to the Big 12? Sophomore Ty Branyon
has a year of experience and proved in the Maroon and White game
that he can handle some pressure.
Franchione continued on to the offensive line, defensive line and
which players he believes will make an impact this season. And once
he had covered the whole team, Franchione announced a decision on
Evan O'connell • THE BATTALION
Head coach Dennis Franchione speaks at Reed Arena
on Monday night for the Brazos County Coaches' Night.
the players’ uniforms.
Franchione told of how much he enjoyed
the movie “Miracle” and that he was taking
one of the philosophies instilled by U.S.A
hockey coach Herb Brooks.
“Until we start playing for the name
on the front of our jerseys, we won’t have
names on the back,” said Franchione, tak
ing a line from the movie.
The audience seemed to be wowed
by the move; it worked for the 1980
Olympic hockey team, why not for the
Aggies? The only concern from some
of the older Aggies was whether they
would be able to keep up with who was
who on the field if players had no names
on their backs.
But the questions came up again in
the morning: Is A&M football model
ing itself after Disney movies? Was
Franchione going to begin drawing up
plays from “Remember the Titans” or
“Little Giants?” Although on second
thought, it might make for some enter
taining games.
But, maybe that’s delving into deep
of a thought over all this. The fear of a
losing season is instilled into us from last year, and it’s a pain we
don’t want to experience again. Franchione has assured Aggies that
it won’t reoccur, and we should be inclined to believe him. The
Aggies can't be much worse, after all. All Aggie fans really need
is a prescription of Franchione to hold them over until September.
Another dose would help me right now.
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