Stiegeler
continued from page 7
national list. He finished third at the
Oregon Invitational and won’t com
pete at Saturday’s Oregon Twilight
because he needs the rest.
You wonder if the teacher’s got a
trick up his sleeve, a pop quiz for to
morrow’s class.
What will Stiegeler’s final grade
be, for himself?
Stiegeler stands six feet tall and
stocky. He looks like a linebacker.
That’s not a coincidence, because
his roots are on the gridiron. He
started throwing javelin in high
school to strengthen his all-star
quarterbacking arm, and his real
strength was in his kicking leg.
Even coming out of Coos Bay,
home of Steve Prefontaine and a rich
track history, Stiegeler ignored his
small amount of talent in the javelin
and focused on football. He went to
Oregon State with the full intent of
kicking footballs through goal posts
for the rest of his life.
“I went to OSU because there was a
good opportunity for me there with
Jose Cortez graduating,” Stiegeler
said. Cortez went on to kick for the
San Francisco 49ers. “Had I not left
Oregon State, I would’ve been the No.
1 kicker heading into the fall, although
they did have what’s-his-name com
ing in on scholarship in the fall.”
What’s-his-name was Ryan Cesca,
who went on to start and have a suc
cessful career at OSU.
Meanwhile, Stiegeler found himself
missing track. He missed the easy
practices, the long meets, the friend
ships that develop between athletes
who are forced together by boredom.
So he transferred to Oregon to focus
on javelin. Before he did, Oregon State
football coach Dennis Erickson sat
him down and offered some advice.
“Wherever you go, don’t stop
kicking,” the famous coach said.
“You have something that a lot of
people don’t have, which is a God
given, naturally strong leg.”
So Stiegeler took the coach’s ad
vice. He tried walking on to the Ore
gon team even as he was competing
in the javelin the next spring. But the
Ducks had another what’s-his-name
coming in on scholarship the next
fall, and there wasn’t space for
Stiegeler. The incoming kicker’s
name was Jared Siegel.
“I think he’s done an adequate
job,” a grinning Stiegeler said of
Siegel. “Slightly more than
adequate, maybe.”
Stiegeler soon found the mathemat
ics department at Oregon, and later
that love for math turned into a desire
to teach the subject in high school.
But as much as Stiegeler touts his
love for teaching, one current pro
fessor says he might be too smart
and too impatient to teach.
“My advice to him would be to gp to
graduate school in mathematics, and
try to do mathematics,” said Prof.
Shlomo Libeskind, a math professor
who has had Stiegeler in several class
es. “I think he could pull it off.”
Fellow javelin thrower Adam
Jenkins, too, said he feels scared for
Stiegeler’s future pupils.
“I wouldn’t want him to be my
math teacher because I know he’d
be using a lot of big words,” Jenkins
said, smiling. “He’d make a lot of
kids stressed out.”
Despite the words of caution,
Stiegeler isn’t likely to derail from
his track any time soon.
“I love to teach, whether it’s lead
ing a bible study or teaching in the
classroom, whatever,” Stiegeler said.
“I can’t help it, even if the coaches
want me to shut up sometimes.”
How good was Stiegeler before the
injury? He was the Lakers, rolled into
one body, of javelin. He won the NCAA
Championship at Hayward Field in
2001, and he might as well have been
hosting a tea party. He beat his nearest
competitor by more than 13 feet.
He had three throws before tearing
his ACL at the Texas Relays last year,
and he won the competition despite
the injury. His toss of 242 feet, 11
inches remained one of the nation’s
best throws all season. It was a sad tes
tament to a fallen hero, and Stiegeler
ended up pulling out of the NCAA
meet to make room for fellow Duck
Nick Bakke at the bottom of the list.
Stiegeler has been rehabilitating
his knee since he went down in
Texas. He had surgery on the knee,
and Oregon’s athletic trainers kept
him on a strict rehab program. He
threw a javelin for the first time after
winter break this year, and didn’t se
riously throw it until the Oregon
Preview over spring break.
“Competitions have been key for
me,” Stiegeler said. “It’s like baking a
pie. You can work on all the ingredi
ents, but until you throw it all to
gether, you don’t know how it’s actu
ally going to taste. ”
He’s still good. Maybe now he’s
more like the Sacramento Kings
Jeremy Forrest Emerald
Stiegeler said he's preparing to train for the 2004 Olympics this summer. He wants to make the 2004team and medal in 2008.
rolled into one body instead of the
Lakers. His best throw is 220 feet,
good enough to put him right behind
Jenkins on the national list.
And last weekend he lost. He lost
an outdoor javelin competition for
the first time since April 28,2001.
“I should’ve thrown an easier
throw to win the meet, but I was re
ally trying to get my timing back and
so I was forcing some big throws,”
Stiegeler said. “But last weekend my
timing started coming together. I
know I can clean it up a little bit and
get some bigger throws.”
Even losing didn’t dent Stiegel
er’s resolve.
“Getting the confidence back is
big,” he said. “You don’t always know
what you can do until you do it. I now
know that I can throw 240 feet, no
problem. And my body didn’t break
in half. I’m happy about that.”
After the collegiate season is done,
Stiegeler will focus on making next
year’s Olympic squad. He has modest
Olympic goals, depending on your
definition of modest. He only wants to
make the Olympic team in 2004, then
medal in the 2008 Olympics.
- P | ^ . - , 'MMM - -- / ft
Stiegeler file
Born; John Augustus Stiegeler on Feb, ! 7,
! 980 in Coos Bay..
Before Oregon; As a. senior at Marshfield
High, finished third at state meet in javelin.
But nrimary focus was football, Spent a year
lacekicker at OSU before transferring
i nuaiiea ninth at 2000 Pac*10
Championships before exploding for Pad 0
and NCAA titles in 2001, Tore left ACL in
2001, and returned to competition at
Oregon Preview. His best mark this season
The injury will force Stiegeler to
start training in August rather than
September or October, which is
what he’s used to. That just means
it’ll take longer for Stiegeler to
shoot for the stars.
Jenkins said Stiegeler is always
thinking. Always thinking, always
learning and always teaching.
Those three qualities could propel
him to the same kind of success he
had two years ago, success on a na
tional stage that is set once again for
the senior from Coos Bay.
He’s always teaching, this teacher
turned kicker turned javelin thrower.
After an interview in front of the
Bowerman Building on Wednesday,
Stiegeler turned to the interviewer.
“I’dgive that a 9.5,” he said.
Then Stiegeler, always the
thinker, thought about it.
“Well, at least a 9, anyway.”
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Horoscope by Linda C. Black
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (May 2). There
are a few things you'd like to get this
year to fix up your home. Don't dig into
precious savings. Use your natural tal
ents instead.
To get the advantage, check the day's
rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most
challenging.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) _ Today is
a 7 _ Don't spend your money on toys
or on drinks for your friends. Don't
spend much of it on anything now.
Bring more of it in.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) _ Today is
an 8 _ You may have the minority opin
ion, but that doesn't mean you're
wrong. You don't have to use a lot of
words to win the argument, either.
GEMINI (May 21 -June 21) _ Today is a
5 _ Frustrations mount, as something
that usually works doesn't. Don't give
up. Something you thought wouldn't
work might work after all.
CANCER (June 22-July 22) _ Today is
an 8 _ When you take care of others,
they usually take care of you. Try that
again while setting up your agenda for
the day.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) _ Today is a 6 _
You're looking good, but don't push
your luck. Be very respectful to authori
ty figures. You're not fast enough to
outrun them.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) _ Today is
an 8 _ Others look to you for advice,
and well they should. They have their
own areas of expertise, but they can't
match you at yours.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) _ Today is a
5 _ Yours is the sign of partnerships,
and a partnership comes in handy
now. If ends are not quite meeting, ask
a partner to kick in.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) _ Today is
a 7 _ Get involved in a technical sub
ject. You could make your workload
easier and have more time to play with
your friends. Eventually.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) _
Today is a 6 _ Continue to push past
your limits, just for the fun of it. You
might as well _ it's the only way to
enjoy a difficult task.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) _
Today is a 9 _ A close relative is
encouraging you to invest in a joyful
excursion. You don't have to feel guilty.
Allow yourself to be persuaded.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) _ Today
is a 5 _ New problems are demanding
to be solved. Well, actually, they're old
problems you've been avoiding. Decide
and move on.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) _ Today is
an 8 _ Practice staying cool and calm,
even if there are distractions. If you can
really focus now, you'll have time to
goof off tomorrow.
105 TYPING/RESUME SERVICES
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CATHOLIC CAMPUS
MINISTRY
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Daily Mass M-F, 5:15PM
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—
ECKANKAR
Once we accept responsibility for
ourselves, we no longer
unconsciouslv react to the emotions