Team’s success could leave coach hairless
By Hope Nealson
Emerald Contributor
The coach of the Astros, a
seventh-grade baseball loam,
has a deal with his team: Win
the Little World Series champi
onship and they get to shave
his head.
The team hadn't won two
games in row all season, so
coach Jason Spohn didn't have
a real rnasor to worry.
Now he's worried.
■'Considering we were 4-8, I
told these guys I’d shave my
head if wo won, expecting to
win the first round but lose the
next one." said Spohn, n Junior
at the University
The Astros are one of 350
teams that have been compet
ing in Kidsports 37th annual
Little World Series baseball and
softball tournament.
The tournament started July
10. with about 20 teams com
peting each week until the July
26
- The non-profit sports organi
zation. Kidsports, will be hand
ing out morn than 700 medals
to the first- and second-placed
winners, said program director
Brenda Beaton.
All teams play at the start of
the tournament, based on their
season record and their grade,
they play through single elimi
nation until a game is lost.
So far. the underdog Astros
have won all three of their tour
nament games, and need only
one more game this Thursday
to win their division in the Lit
tle World Series tournament.
The Astros are more sur
prised than anyone about their
success.
Astro shortstop, 13-year-old
Jesse Haley, said he didn't ex
pec:! the team to win.
“I thought wo'd lose our very
first (tournament) game, but ap
parently wo didn't," Haley
said. "We got it togelhor more,
got our heads in the game, and
JW.A
Astros Jo* Lowry, Jesse Lichtenstein, Mikael Lund end Daniel Applegate (left to right) take part in the
Kidsports Little World Series baseball and softball tournament going on in Eugene until July 26.
played smart."
Thlrtoon-yaar-old Mikael
Lund attributes the team's un
expected success to motivation
"Wo were a losing team, but
wo can win when we have to,"
Lund said. “Plus wo get to
shave Jason's head."
Spobn said he surely didn't
expect to win when he made
the hot with the kids.
"Wo hadn't won two games
in a row all season, and now
wo'vo won throo." ho said,
"and I'm on the verge of a bald
head."
Deaton said the tournament
is one of Kidsports few fund
raisers for the organization,
which organizes different
sports teams yearly for first
through eighth-grade fwiys and
girls.
Beaton said the S3S registra
tion fee for the baseball am)
softball season only covers
about a quarter to half of the
season expenses such as the
field upkeep, the equipment,
and the uniforms
Renton said the projected
costs for this year’s tournament
worn about SIS,()()(), with ox
period income from tho tournu
inont reaching $14,400.
So wtial about the Astro's
( hancoH for an uprol this
Thursday'
The loam's pilchor. 12-yoar
old Luke Mong. is oplimislii
"Now wo'ro praclicing ovory
day, so i think wo can do il
Coach Spohn agreed. saying
"I'm pretty confidont well
win At least my head is."
Upward Bound still fighting for federal funding
By Meg Dedolph
Emerald Contributor
The University's Upward Bound program
was cut this year due to a lack of federal
funding and insufficient private support.
The 27-year-old program sought to help
academically talented students attend col
lege who met federal low-income standards,
who were the first in their families to gradu
ate from high school, or who may have had
drug use or gang-relatod problems.
These students were aided through a
combination of summer programs and
classes, tutoring and financial aid.
The program tried to raise enough money
through private contributions to fund this
summer's activities, but fundraising efforts
fell short, and the program was officially
canceled for the summer just a few days Ire
fore the 45 summer program participants ar
rived on campus.
Efforts to reinstate the grant began shortly
aflor the funding cut was announced on
May 31 of this year State Representatives
Los AuCoin, Ron Wyden. Peter Del-a/io and
Mike Kopetskl expressed support for the
progrant, as did University President Myles
Brand.
Ann Larsen, one of DePazlo's press assis
tants who deals primarily with education
issues, said the grant reviewers were not
government employees this your, but were
volunteers drawn from various federal pro
grams that aided disadvantaged and minor
ity students.
Larsen said she thought these reviewers
may not have been as abjective because
they all led similarly oriented programs.
The University and the Upward Bound
program asked that the grant be reviewed
aguin, and Poarl Hill, the director of the
program, wrote a rebuttal countering every
‘It’s a shame they had to
close down the summer
program. It’s depressing.
You see sometNng that
works, and then It's out'
— Ann Larsen,
aide to Rep Peter Del a/o
criticism that the reviewers used in their re
jection of the grunt.
The rwviuwors objected to the format in
which the grunt was written und presented,
saying that the "applicant did not appear to
follow the application guide which made it
difficult for the render to follow." Hill re
plied that the information the reviewers
sought was included in the proposal, if not
in the exact place the reviewers expected it
to he.
The variety and wide scope of programs
that Upward Bound presented for students
was also criticized The reviewers claimed
‘ho variety of programs did not enable staff
to meet the specific needs of program par
ticipants
Hill responded by saying Upward Bound
was diXflgnod to provide a variety of ser
vices to the students who participated, in
cluding academic development, career
guidance, and both personal and academic
counseling, which allowed the program to
meet the needs of u larger number of stu
dents
The reviewers also criticized the number
of target schools from which the Universi
ty's program drew, saying the students
came from too many different schools.
Hill said that while in an urban area,
working with a small number of target
schools was appropriate, in an area 11Or
egon. which )i<is a lower population densi
ty. working willi u larger numiier o( target
schools is a method that proved effective
during the 25-year history of the program
Larsen said the results of the second re
view will Im- available sometime in the next
several weeks.
She also said ut first she was less optimis
tic about the possibilities of the grant Iteing
reinstated until she read Hill's letter anti
saw the packets Hill had assemble.
"She specifically responded to every
point (the reviewers made)." Larsen said of
Hill's letter.
Larsen also said reinstatement of the
grant depends on how much money Is
available over the next year, und that she is
not certain "how often they turn thoso
(funding decisions) around."
“It's a shame they had to close down the
summer program." Larsen said. "It's de
pressing You see something that works,
and then it's out."
Should funding efforts fall, Larsen said
the University might bo able to get another
grant for the Upward Bound program if It
decides to shift the focus of the program to
one that emphasized math and science, be
cause programs such ns these are currently
in demand.
Laraon also added that because programs
are funded on a three-year cycle. Upward
Bound could also seek government funding
for fiscal year MXM
At least four other universities have expe
rienced funding problems similar to the
University with Upward Bound programs
that have all boon in place since the late
imiOs These universities included the Uni
versity of Iowa, the University of Massachu
setts and UCLA.
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