Sports
Senior’s big toe lifts rugby squad
‘Little guy’ Graber getting his kicks in'a rough, tough game
It's a cold, breezy afternoon at
Southbank Field and while the
rugby players breathe frost and
hop up and down to keep their
toes from freezing, Jamie
Graber sets up a conversion
attempt.
Graber stands alone 25 yards
from the goal He steps forward
and boots the plump white ball
through the uprights and over
the fence behind the field where
it bounces up a grade and
almost reaches the freight train
that rolls past in the mist.
Graber excels at kicking He
takes care of the conversion,
penalty kicks and occasional
dropkicks for the Oregon rugby
team and in "a couple of games
early in the season his foot has
been the difference between
winning and losing," says
teammate Paul McCarthy
But the more fluid effort of
pushing, grabbing, tackling,
groaning, passing; and driving
for the line is the heart of
rugby’s 80 minutes of constant
action
Graber, a 5-8, 165 pound
senior from San Diego, is also a
wing forward, doing battle on
the edge of the scrum with
much larger folks.
"You're down at the bottom
of the scrum,” Graber says,
"and you just get covered with
mud Suddenly you get the ball
and there are 15 guys on top of
you You can’t panic. Some
times I wonder whether
somebody’s gonna drown down
there
“Contact is where it’s at The
bigger they are the harder they
fall. It’s really easy to hit those
big guys You got to make sure
you fall on them and not let them
fall on you."
Rugby players have the
reputation of being big and
mean But they’ll tell you that
aggressiveness and quickness
are more important than size,
and that the meanness is all in
good fun
“You'll have your arm around
a guy having a beer together 15
or 20 minutes after you've been
hitting the hell out of each
other,” says Peter Cribb, an
Austrailian with 15 years rugby
Senior wing Jamie Graber stretches to grab the ball in Saturday's rugby match between Oregon and the
Portland Pigs (above) Graber, whose kicking aided Oregon to its eighth win of the season, later takes a
breather from the contact in the 16-8 victory (upper right).
experience
"You beat the shit out of the
guy," says Graber. "You even
throw a punch now and then.
But as soon as the final whistle
blows, you leave all your
aggressions on the field
"I've never seen any aggres
sion carried off the field It's kind
of a tradition that the home team
has a keg for the visiting team.”
On Sunday morning after the
game, Graber says he's sore all
over, which tells him he’s played
a good game He talks about
taking a hot tub bath as if it’s the
Promised Land And he’s also
happy after beating the Portland
Pigs, 16-8, which brings
Oregon's record to 6-0 in league
play and 8-1 overall.
"The Pigs are big and just
pigs They’re known to get real
dirty and scratchy. A lot of
raking in the muck and that sort
of thing. They're the Pigs and
they live up to their name."
Graber played soccer for
years and played linebacker on
his high school football team
He kicked field goals for two
years at Shasta Junior College
in Redding, Calif. He tried out
for the Oregon football team this
year and says he had a good day
showing his stuff, but the Ducks
weren't interested
"My theory is that they found
out I was a senior and didn't
want to invest their time and
money on a senior."
Graber says he's going to try
out for the new United States
Football League within the next
few months. He'd like to do
some kicking when he gets out
of college
"It's gonna be tough to get in
the USFL There are so many
field goal kickers around That's
one of my main goals You got
to set goals for yourself " A
Spanish major, he says he'd like
to eventually go into interna
tional marketing.
“He's one of the best kickers
I've ever seen," says Cribb “His
greatest attribute is his consis
tency. He can kick from a long
distance as well close up. But
the times he misses are few and
far between Before training
he'll put in a good three quarters
of an hour practicing kicking.
He's not spasmodic Week after
week he makes six out of
seven "
Graber s surely got the heart
for the challenge, and the power
of leg to kick 50-yard field goals
Whether or not that leg carries
him to a pro career, one thing is
certain — he will go in kicking
and scratching
Story by Randy Malat
Photos by Mark Pynes
University Theatre Presents
A comedy by pulitzer prize winning author
LANFORD WILSON
... alkTkVrtVit.iriV ■■ VAfcYiYiYiYi’iVi —.
Fifth of July
Nov. 19,20 Dec. 1,2,3,4
Robinson Theatre 8 P.M.
UO Students & Seniors $3 25 General Public $5 00
686-4191
* Audiences are cautioned that this play contains language that
may be considered offensive by some people
Produced in cooperation with Dramatists Play Service Inc
Hours: 10 a m. to
Mon. Sal
PRE-SEASON
TUNE-UP
SPECIAL
Base Repair
f Flat I King
Custom Wot Belting >
Hot Was
NOW ONLY 9.95
I 3th G Lawrence Street—683-1300
Fresh Ground
COFFEE
25c
9 a m - noon
Mon. - Fri
mince
rOCEER’5
CAMPUS. 13th & Hilyard
Mon - Thurs - 9 a m. -11 p m
Fri -9a m - Midnight
Sat - Noon - Midnight
Sun. - Noon -11 p.m