1
By Jeff Smith
Oregon Daily Emerald
You see them everywhere.
Strolling down campus. Eating in
the EMU. Sitting two rows down
from you in class.
And many of them are usually
sporting some sort of Oregon athlet
ics apparel, such as a sweatshirt,
sweatpants, hat, etc.
They are, of course, Oregon athletes.
You might seem them, recognize
them and think nothing else. Or
maybe you secretly whisper into
your friend’s ear, and tell your buddy
who he/she is and how great a game
they had the other day.
But have you ever wondered what
it means to the actual athlete to be
who they are? To walk into a situa
tion and immediately be known as
that “sports player.”
Well, we here at the Emerald decid
ed to go to the athletes and ask them to
define what being a part of the Oregon
athletic program means to them.
Our survey included a wide range
of “local celebrities” in order to best
present a well-rounded point of view.
Jenny Mowe, senior,
women’s basketball center
Jenny Mowe admits that there was
a big adjustment for her back in the
fall of 1996 when she came into Eu
gene as one the most decorated Ore
gon recruits ever. She was coming
from tiny 1A Powers High School in
teeny, yet enchanting Powers, Ore,
—population 740.
She was one of only seven girls
who graduated in the same class.
“Yeah, it was hard at first with so
many people here, and everyone
would always be staring at me because
of my height,” said the 6-foot-5 Mowe.
Mowe certainly did have options
Emerald
Not only a force behind the plate, senior Kelly Planche puts up numbers at the plate.
coining out of high school. The center
could have gone to Connecticut or
Georgia—both perennial powerhous
es —but she chose Oregon. Why?
“By far, just the fan support and
the way the community responds to
women’s basketball,” said Mowe,
who was seen last year on a 40-foot
poster on the outside comer of
McArthur Court. “When you com
pare it to other Pac-10 schools, it’s
ridiculous. UCLA only averages 500
fans per game. We get 5,000. ”
Mowe enjoys all the sports, but
wishes they were more recognized
by the public.
“The biggest change I would
make would just to get all of the ath
letes more involved in the commu
nity,” Mowe said. “The awareness
factor is so crucial to each sport.”
Chris Carnahan,
sophomore, men’s golfer
“I hate to say it, but I grew up in
Beaver country,” Chris Carnahan said.
“But I’ve always been a Duck fen. ”
Carnahan was raised in Albany,
and earned all-state honors during
his junior year of high school at West
Albany in 1997.
He was recruited by such schools
as Notre Dame and Indiana, but he
knew there was something special
brewing down here in Eugene, and
he wanted to be a part of it.
“Honestly, the relationships be
tween all the sports is really special
and very unique,” Carnahan said.
“It’s an honor to be a part of it. I think
the program is perfect.”
So perfect, in fact, that he wouldn’t
want to alter it a bit.
“I wouldn’t change one thing,” Car
nahan said. “This is everything I ex
pected it to be and even more so. All of
the sports are together as one here. ”
He points to his freshman living
situation at the University Inn as one
of the key reasons why the Duck ath
letic program is so tight-knit.
“By having all the athletes in one
place, it gave us all a great chance to
bond,” he said. “Everyone genuinely
cares about how people are doing in
their sports. It’s pretty rare in college
these days to see a golfer hanging out
with football players, but that’s what
happens here.”
As evidence to that, he points out
that his roommates are current foot
ball team members Rasuli Webster
and Adam Kennybrew.
Kelly Planche,
senior, softball catcher
It wasn’t the prototypical begin
ning for a softball player, but Kelly
Planche wouldn’t change a thing.
Back when she was 11 years old,
her dad put her on the baseball team
because he wasn’t sure about the
softball system.
“I was the only girl on my team
for two years and then I played soft
ball,” said Planche, who grew up in
Encinidas, Calif. “It forced me to
learn the game and play at a higher
intensity and there’s no doubt that’s
why I’m here today. ”
And you better believe she’s grate
ful for the opportunity to play colle
giate softball in one of the toughest
conferences in the country.
“I feel so fortunate to be here,”
Planche said. “I had never been to
Oregon before my recruiting trip and
I felt so comfortable here.
“Being an athlete here means that
I get to represent my school by doing
something that T love. What’s better
than that?”
The only hrng she’d change
would just be a little more support
for other sports besides football and
basketball.
Marshaun Thicker,
senior, football wide receiver
A big part of Oregon athletics is
tradition. Anybody who has walked
through the Casanova Center and
looked at all of the trophies, pic
tures, medals, etc., can attest to the
fact that the Duck history is loaded
with great athletes.
For Oregon football’s starting wide
receiver Marshaun T\icker, that’s one
of the reasons he is proud to be a
Duck.
He knows that a lot is expected of
him when he goes out on that play
Free Tickets for UO Students
Oregon
and
**To pick up your FREE football ticket* show your student ID card at either the
Casanova Center (Mon.—Fri., 9-5), EMU Ticket Office (Mon.«Pii. 9-7, Sat. 10.4, Sun.
12-3) or at Autzen Stadium on ^ame day (subject to availability).
•^To receive FREE volleyball admittance* show your student ID card at McArthur
Court immediately prior to the match.
** Student ID also ^fcets you free admission to all soccer ^ames. Carnes played at
Pape Field located next to the Casanova Center.
009776
SOCCER
Home Schedule
Sept. 17 Montana
Oct. 1 Florida St.
6 Arizona St.
8 Arizona
20 Oregon St.
27 Washington St. 3:00pm
29 Washington l:00Pm
l:00Pm
l:00Pm
3:00Pm
1:00pm
3:00pm
FOOTBALL
Remaining
Home Schedule
Sept. 23
30
Oct. 21
Nov. 11
UCLA
Washington
Arizona (Homecomimg)
California
for complete student ticket information,
call the duck ticket office...
<34-4^ **4-4-6 If (hearing impaired)
VOLLEYBALL
Home Schedule
Sept. 19 Oregon St. 7:00Pm
24 Portland 2:00Pm
Oct. 6 Arizona St. 7:00Pm
7 Arizona 7:00pm
22 UC Riverside 7:00pm
27 USC 7:00pm
28 UCLA 7:00pm
Nov. 9 Washington 7:00pm
10 Washington St. 7:00pm
ing field every Saturday wearing the
green, yellow and white jersey.
“I think being a Duck is all about
just coming out and performing,”
said Tucker, who is one of the main
go-to guys down the field in Oregon’s
potent passing attack. “Being a Duck
and being a wide receiver has me
coming out here and trying to match
up with those great receivers of the
past.”
The Chula Vista, Calif., native
went to Southwestern junior college
after high school and was looking
for just the right Division I school to
continue playing the game he loves.
“I think the University of Oregon
has always established themselves as
having good wide receivers and that’s
one of the major things that attracted
me here,” Tucker said. “I mean, the
fist goes on and on. You have Patrick
Johnson, Damon Griffin and Tony
Hartley, and then you have so many
guys before that. When I’m through,
it’d be great to have my name men
tioned alongside those names.”
Lacy Erickson,
freshman, women’s golfer
Without a doubt, Lacy Erickson
will tell you, Oregon is a premier
athletic school.
The Austin, Minn., native got a
first-hand look at athletically gifted
Michigan in her recruiting visit and
still had this to say about the rainy
school out west that led her away
from her hometown area.
“This, right here, is the best athlet
ic program that I’ve ever seen,” Er
ickson said. “Michigan is compara
tive, but I strongly believe that
I
Oregon has a much better program.
And then for me to be a part of it is
something I’m so proud of.”
With success comes pressure, she
admits, but that’s something that she
expected.
“Yeah, I think sometimes the fun
gets neglected a bit because the in
tensity level is so high,” Erickson
said. “But it certainly does raise your
game and when you reach that level
of balance between intensity and
fun, it’s amazing.”
Oded Teig, sophomore,
men’s tennis player
Being an athlete at Oregon re
quires spending most of your free
time outside of the classroom in your
particular sport.
It means missing out on seeing
that big movie on the night it opens
because you’re in Washington for a
tournament. It means not hanging
out with your friends after class be
cause you have practice.
And that’s just fine with Oded
Teig, the sophomore from Holon, Is
rael who chose to come to Oregon
“because I was looking for a good
school that has both academics and
tennis at a high level. ”
“I am happy and proud to be an
athlete,” Teig said. “It means sleep,
eat and dream as an athlete. It takes a
lot of time, determination and hard
work on and off the court, but you
can’t compare the feeling after a big
win to anything in the world. ”
Teig didn’t know much about Ore
gon, but after talking to coach Orris
Russel he decided to give it a try and
he has no regrets. He loves it here, but
he would change one thing if he could.
“I would spread the amount of
scholarships between all the sports
more equally,” Teig said.
Luke Jackson, freshman,
men’s basketball forward
The decision was a tough one.
When you’re a two-time Oregon 3A
state player of the year in basketball
there are bound to be high profile
schools wanting to entice you.
For Luke Jackson, the choices were
Arizona, Gonzaga, Utah and Oregon.
The Creswell native knew he wanted
to stay on the west coast, but had no
idea he’d be going to the school that
he followed his whole life.
“Eugene is really an ideal town for
me and I think deep down I’ve al
ways wanted to come here,” said
Jackson, who is one of four key re
cruits who helped Oregon earn the
number one recruiting class on the
west coast. “To be a Duck is some
thing that I take a lot of pride in. I also
enjoy it because I don’t feel like a
small person in a big school. I imme
diately feel a part of the community. ”
Jackson admits it was intriguing to
leave Oregon and try something new,
but he knew there was something
unique about Duck athletics.
“I was drawn into it, and I’m glad I
was,” Jackson said. “The excitement
of playing at Mac Court will just be
awesome.”
Katie Crabb, senior, cross
country runner
It’s been a dream come true for one
of the most recognizable Oregon
women’s track and cross country
members.
Emerald
A signature Oregon athlete, wide receiver Marshaun Tucker signs autographs for fans.
“When I was in high school I always
wanted to someday be a runner at Ore
gon,” said Katie Crabb, who attended
Pleasant Valley High in Chico, Calif.
“When I first walked onto Hayward
Field on my recruiting visit I was like,
‘ Whooooa! ’ So to me, wearing the Ore
gon uniform is veiy special. And when
I walk around in different cities with
Oregon clothing, I get a lot of respect
and compliments. It’s really neat.”
Crabb admits that she was drawn
into the Oregon program by the rich
track history, but says that since she’s
been here it’s been the “support net
work” of the entire athletic program
that has enchanted her.
“There is a chemistry amongst
teams and it takes a lot to facilitate an
athletic department,” Crabb said.
“It’s a combination of the dedicated
student-athletes, a staff that is will
ing to put in the long hours necessary
and the fans for coming out and giv
ing us their support. ”
Last spring was Crabb’s final out
door track season, and this fall she
competes in her final cross country
season before wrapping up her col
legiate career with the indoor track
season in the winter.
“It’s sad in a way because these spe
cial times go by so fast,” Crabb said.
Any regrets or anything you
would like to see different in the
years to come?
“Hey, don’t fix anything that’s not
broken,” she concludes.
K I R I U M
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The Oregon Daly Emerald, vour Independent student Newspaper, serving the INI enmmmny tor over 100 years.