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Opinion
The Battalion
Page 5
Admiring Armstrong
Americans should recognize Texan cyclist as the epitome of heroism
T
he credit belongs
to the man who
is actually in the
ena, whose face is marred
y dust and sweat and blood;
ho strives valiantly.” Theo-
ore Roosevelt’s comment
lould apply to Lance Arm
strong, who recently won the
our de France for his sixth
Lme, the only man in history
tp have done so. In a time
sguS w he n most public figures typically serve as poor
imirodii role models — an adulterous ex-president ped-
I ling his memoirs, rap stars selling the “thug’
MIKE
WALTERS
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a ^ G ® life as glamorous and various artists glorifying
iyi 'ca| classless life of depravity — Armstrong stands
s a shining monument to the glory of heroism
nd triumph.
“1 believe that the man who works the hardest is
le man who deserves to win,” said the 32-year-old
exan. It’s a simple statement, but it’s accurate,
bu won’t hear Armstrong talking about luck or
he trains 12 months out of the year, and
ams every bit of his victory.
It would be amazing just knowing that he had
von the Tour six times, but his victory over
ancer is just as remarkable. Only eight years ago
e was diagnosed with a deadly form of testicular
ancer that spread to his lungs and brain, and he
as given a less than 50 percent chance of living
rough it. But even then, Armstrong made it a
ositive thing for his life. When asked about the
rdeal, he told The Associated Press that it served
s a “wake up call” to remind him that everyone
as “an opportunity in life and in sports. In that
ense, it was a good thing for me.”
The firmness of his beliefs and his consistent,
nabashed honesty shone through when someone
sked him, at a Stanford panel his cancer founda-
[ion sponsored, how his belief in God helped him
Ihrough as a patient. “Everyone should believe in
jomething,” he replied, “and I believed in surgery,
rhemotherapy and my doctors.”
Cancer certainly wasn’t his first introduction
[ohardship. His mother was 17 when he was
)orn, his biological father left them only two
/ears lafer and he was later abused by a stepfa-
[her. But rather than use those hardships as an
excuse to limp along through life on charity,
/hining about how disadvantaged he was, he
fumed to cycling to channel his emotional pain
|nto a physical exertion that has led him into the
)ages of sports history.
ale, reacJ
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i black.
Sadly, as with all heroes, there are those
who are shameless. Greg LeMond, formerly
America’s greatest cyclist, has publicly accused
Armstrong of using EPO to fill his blood with
oxygen-rich red blood cells, allowing him to
master the mountains on the Tour. Knowing
there will always be critics, Armstrong seems to
take even those accusations in stride. “Arm
strong gets tested for every known drug in
his system about as often as rain falls in the
Northwest,” Oregonian columnist Kurt Robin
son said. “To go through rigorous chemotherapy
treatments, drugs that push the body to limits
unimaginable, then to take performance-enhanc
ing drugs would be senseless.”
The only drug Annstrong lives from now is his
own passion and his motto, “Live Strong,” which
has been emblazoned onto yellow wristbands he
sells to raise money for his cancer foundation.
The fact that he incorporates the best technol
ogy says something important, too. His bike
team uses the best and most updated equipment,
including wind tunnels, biological monitoring
of training and diet and the best bikes to race
with. The mastery of nature through the use of
tools is one of the most important things that
makes man’s life on Earth a possibility, and
Armstrong uses this philosophy to help him train
and ride for success.
Given the adversity Armstrong has faced
— from a poor upbringing to cancer and accusa
tions — to think of people demanding handouts
and reparations seems an insult to what Arm
strong proves is possible to a man of determina
tion. He embodies the true American ideal — an
undaunted individual who makes his own way
through hard work.
“Man is not made for defeat,” Ernest Heming
way once wrote. “A man can be destroyed but
not defeated.” Armstrong has shown that he
refuses to be either. For those who may feel like
their dreams are out of reach, he is a fantas
tic figure who can inspire them to greatness
and achievement, if they only have the will to
choose such things.
IE
Mike Walters is a senior
psychology major.
Graphic by Grade Arenas
MAIL CALL
EJA&M admissions
j wlare not racist
In response to Mike Walters’ July 27
column:
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In his column, “Too abstract for
Aggieland," Mr. Walters manages
to insert a casual assertion of rac
ism in the University's admissions
policies. Half of our freshmen are
admitted by top 10 percent high
school class rank, another third
are admitted by virtue or proper
curriculum, sufficient class rank
and sufficient SAT score, and an
other sixth are admitted by indi
vidual review in which race is, by
University policy, not used.
Similarly, race is not, by policy,
a factor in admissions decisions
tor transfer or graduate students.
Perhaps Mr. Walters missed the
controversy caused by the Uni
versity’s decision last year, in the
aftermath of the Supreme Court
decision on the Michigan case, to
not use race as a factor in admis
sions decisions.
Words have power. With that
power, the press also has re
sponsibility. Assertion of racism
's serious business — such as
sertions should not be made in
Passing and without substantive
factual support.
William L. Perry
Vice Provost
Bush embarrasses
White House
In response to George Deutsch's
August 3 column:
Let's be honest, most readers
would rather have the wife of a presi
dential candidate use the phrase
"shove it” than the vice president
use the “F” word and be proud of it.
More instances of embarrassment
that this administration has brought
upon itself include the proclama
tion of “Mission Accomplished,"
the statement that America will find
WMDs in Iraq and Bush’s require
ment to have Cheney by his side
before being questioned by the 9-11
Commission. As for Heinz Kerry’s re
marks long ago, there are a couple
of items that Republicans love to for
get about: Bush’s use of cocaine in
college and his conviction of driving
drunk in 1976.
Finally Mr. Deutsch mentioned the
theatrics of the Democratic National
Convention. More of a “production
straight out of Hollywood” will be at
the Republican National Convention;
the kind that Republicans have used
before In fact, noting Bush’s less-
than-stellar performances in public
speaking, Republicans will need the
atrics to hide their lack of talent.
Andy Herreth
Class of 2004
Student athletes represent A&M,
must be held to high standards
JIM
FOREMAN
A s representatives
of Texas A&M,
Aggie football
players are held to a
higher standard than
most students. Unfair as
it may be, their actions
reflect on the entire
University, especially
the student body. For
this reason, Coach
Franchione’s dismissal
of Nick Rhodes should
go without question, and steps should be
taken to prevent further embarrassments.
Since the beginning of his first football
season in Fall 2003, Coach Franchione
has had to deal with several legal mishaps
involving his players; Rhodes, of course,
being the most recent. There was also
the incident last March involving Cole
Smith and Geoff Hangartner. Hangartner
was arrested after failing a sobriety test
and charged with driving while intoxi
cated. Smith received a citation for public
intoxication. Prior to that were the two
arrests of Tate Pittman in October and
November of 2003. The first was for
driving while intoxicated, the second for
indecent exposure.
While a player is placed under mandatory
suspension if he is charged with a felony,
dealing with misdemeanor charges is left
to the discretion of the head coach. Pitt
man was suspended indefinitely from the
team for violating the University’s code
of conduct. He chose on his own accord to
leave the University. Smith and Hangartner
were suspended until they fulfilled certain
requirements including community service,
multi-cultural counseling and an alcohol
awareness course. Nick Rhodes received
two charges of assault, which led to his
dismissal by Franchione. Although his
decisions may seem harsh, in each case the
action taken was necessary to avoid criti
cism and to discourage other players from
behaving in similar ways.
For the sake of A&M’s reputation,
each case must be handled without bias
or favoritism. According to a report on
CoachFran.com dated March 22, 2004,
Franchione uses three phases of disciplin
ary action — probation, suspension and
dismissal. In some cases the first phase
may be skipped. In extreme cases the first
two may be skipped. Since Franchione
has made his methods very clear, players
should be well aware of the consequences
of their actions.
In the case of Smith and Hangartner,
immediate action was essential due to the
police report that received national atten
tion. In that report the officer
stated that witnesses claimed
the players were yelling racial
slurs at the passengers of another
vehicle. Whether the allegations
were true, had the players not
been disciplined. Aggies would
have been marked as racists.
According to Collegesports.
com, the University of Miami
recently signed a new recruit,
Willie Williams, only to find
out that he had a long history
of felonies and misdemeanors.
Had the university run a crimi
nal background check, Wil
liams would never have been
considered.
Unfortunately, like the
University of Miami, A&M does not do
criminal background checks, primar
ily because most new recruits are still
under 18, and therefore their records are
inaccessible. One would think universi
ties would be able to gain access to such
information, and steps should be made to
enable universities to do so. As it is now,
recruiters do speak to the player’s family,
friends, school counselors and church
ministers to get a feel for his character.
A good gesture, but one has to wonder
if recruiters might be tempted to look
the other way on a few minor issues in
exchange for a good player.
Lt. Mark Langwell of the College Sta
tion Police Department said the number
of arrests involving football players has
not varied significantly over the past few
years, nor is it excessive when compared
to the total number of A&M students
arrested in College Station. Of the 10 play
ers arrested, few of them were on major
.charges. In fact, many of A&M’s players
should be commended for their positive
influence. In the eyes of the media, good
deeds go unnoticed. Scandals always make
the headlines, and the headlines determine
A&M’s image. Therefore actions should
be taken as soon as possible to prevent
future disturbances.
Currently the Athletic Department re
quires student athletes to take a drug and al
cohol awareness course
and requires random
drug testing. Unfortu
nately, these actions
do little to influence
the athletes’ abilities to
make good decisions,
and more needs to be
done. Poor judgment
seems to be the major
error of each of the foot
ball players who were
arrested in the past year.
If something is not done
players will continue to
get into trouble.
Luckily, Franchione
and his staff are looking
into a program called
“Building Champions with Character.” The
program will teach players how to handle
situations and to stay out of trouble. CSPD
is also talking to the Athletic Department
about an ethics training course for student
athletes. Both programs will be necessary to
keep players under control.
It would seem the Athletic Department
and Franchione are handling players’
indiscretions rather well, and preventing
them is a work-in-progress. However,
one’s behavior, being an act of free will, is
solely established by the individual. There
fore, it is the responsibility of the player to
represent A&M both on and off the field,
which is why the Athletic Department
must join the athletes in putting their best
foot forward.
Jim Foreman is a junior
mechanical engineering major.
u
One has to
wonder if recruit
ers might be
tempted to look
the other way on
a few minor issues
in exchange for a
good player.