Oregon Daily Emerald
Hiesday, November 16, 2004
“After the album comes out, I’m going
to make sure all of my time is focused
on winning a championship. ”
Indiana Pacer Ron Artest on the Nov. 23 release of his album
■ In my opinion
BRIAN SMITH
LEFTY SPECIALIST
Battle plans
for Pit Crew
shirt prove
unnecessary
I was prepared for the worst on Sunday.
It was something that I had been dread
ing yet looking forward to for more than
a week.
I was ready to experience some emo
tional highs and ethical lows.
I had been working on my elbowing
technique for the past week, crafting the
most efficient move possible.
Why, you ask?
For those of you who don’t know, Sun
day was Pit Crew Shirt Distribution Day,
and I was ready.
You see, I’d done it before. I had been
there, and I knew what to expect.
So, I took the memories from my previ
ous experience and prepared accordingly.
I had rations (a bottle of water and
a Powerbar).
I had on comfortable shoes (Adidas).
I had reading material (“Arcadia” by
Tom Stoppard).
I had patience (debatable).
And lastly, I had a ticket and a student
ID (essential).
I was ready.
The game on Sunday was at 3:30 p.m.
and experience dictated that I get to Mac
Court a minimum of three hours early. I
know there are dedicated students who
make a camping trip out of waiting for
these shirts, and I applaud them, but I
couldn’t do it.
With a couple of reliable sources saying
that the line was already starting down
15th Avenue, I got there at 12:45 p.m., ex
pecting the worst.
However, when I arrived, there was no
line. People were already walking back
with shirts.
What?
Tlims out the method was changed to be
the first 800 or so students who showed up
got a shirt instead of however many kids
could absolutely cram into the student sec
tion 90 minutes before the game.
It took ten minutes to fill out the con
tract, get in and get out with a shirt.
I felt numb. What had I missed?
I missed catching a football in the
streets.
I missed the fact that I got more study
ing done in line than on most normal trips
to the library.
I missed the small tent city and the ro
tating bathroom breaks.
I missed the pounding on the doors and
the general animosity toward the security
guard keeping them closed.
I missed the elation when that very
same guard made a move for the door.
I missed the crush of trying to get in,
wondering if the girl in front of me thought
we were dating, or furthermore, wonder
ing if I should purchase a matching ring set
for the guy behind me.
I missed the uncontrollable urge to yell,
“Moo.” (Explanation: Being crushed in a
SMITH, page 10
Erik R. Bishoff | Photographer
Oregon goalie Matt Nuernberg blocks a shot from College of the Canyons’ forward in the Ducks’ 3-3 tie with the Cougars on Friday night Nuernberg
earned his first shutout of the season Saturday night in the Ducks 3-0 win over the Santa Clarita, Calif., community college.
Ducks by Cougars
Down by a goal with 12 seconds left in the third period Friday,
Oregon captain Ted Martin scored, earning the Ducks a tie
BY BEAU EASTES
DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER
Playing without team captain Mike Torn
abene and starting defenseman Mike
Boggs, the Club Hockey team scraped
together a win and a tie this weekend in a se
ries the Ducks admit they may have taken a
bit too easily.
“We played horrible,” senior forward and
club coordinator Justin Keeland said of the
Ducks’ 3-3 home tie Friday night against the
College of the Canyons. “We took them a little
lightly ... and deserved to lose.”
The Ducks (5-1-0, Pacific-8) will finish the
regular season without Tornabene as he is at
tending an ambassadorship program in Rus
sia. Roley, one of the team’s most experienced
defenseman, sat out the non-league game
with an unspecified injury.
The Ducks rebounded Saturday night
against the community college from Santa
Clarita, Calif., by shutting the Cougars out 3-0
in the second game of the series.
“We let Friday get away from us,” Keeland
said, noting that the Ducks brought a greater
sense of urgency to the ice following the tie.
Junior forward Jeff Knebel opened the
game up with a goal at the 2:47 mark of the
first period, and Oregon never looked back.
Knebel added another goal in the second, and
junior forward Justin Savich also scored, seal
ing the Duck win.
“Communication was really good,” said
freshman goalie Matt Nuernberg. “After Fri
day’s game, we knew they were legit.
“The defense helped out. They picked out
guys in the front.”
Nuernberg blocked all 40 shots from the
Cougars in his first shutout of the season.
According to Keeland, it was Nuernberg's
play that kept the Ducks in the game in their
sloppy Friday night performance.
HOCKEY, page 10
■ Duck wrestling
Webster gives outstanding' performance
Ducks claim three titles, four consolation titles and monopolize
Most Outstanding Wrestler nominations at the Cowboy Open
BY SCOTT J. ADAMS
DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER
The Oregon wrestling team avenged its early
season loss with a strong outing at the 32nd an
nual Cowboy Open on Sunday in Laramie, Wyo.
The Ducks won three different weight class titles
at the 18-team tournament and claimed consola
tion titles in four other weight classes.
Standout juniors Shane Webster and Joey Bra
camonte aided Oregon, winning the 174 and
165-pound weight classes, respectively. For his
unprecedented performance, Webster was
named the tournament’s Most Outstanding
Wrestler. Finishing behind Webster in votes
were Bracamonte and Scott Barker, giving Ore
gon a top-three sweep of the MOW voting. Bra
camonte earned the tournament’s award for
most falls in the least amount of time. The addi
tion of Webster and Bracamonte to Oregon’s
starting roster for the tournament was an im
provement from Friday’s 30-16 loss to the Cow
boys — neither wrestled in the duel because
they could not make weight. Barker, a transfer
senior from St. Louis, rounded out the first-place
finishers for Oregon by taking home the 197
pound title.
Webster climbed his way to the top of his
weight class with little difficulty. In each of his
four matches, Webster tallied major defeats of
19-4 (first round), 21-10 (quarterfinals), 12-4
(semifinals) and 15-4 (finals). Webster handily
defeated Ttavis Koppenhafer of Adams State for
the title.
Bracamonte followed a similar path to first
place as he raked in four technical fall decisions
in five matches. His closest margin of victory was
a 5-3 decision over TYavis Peak of Chadron State.
Following a forfeit victory in the first round,
Barker swept the competition in flawless form
by recording three technical falls in his final
matches. Barker’s quickest victory came in the
quarterfinals against D.C. Hazen of Colorado
School of Mines. Hazen’s technical fall against
Barker came in the second minute of the match.
Consolation champions for Oregon included
juniors Skyler Woods (141), Martin Mitchell
(131), Chet McBee (184) and sophomore Chris
Dearmon (Hwt.). All three placed third in their
weight classes and caught the eye of their head
coach Chuck Kearney.
“I am proud of our third-place finishers,”
Kearney said. “They lost matches they were ca
pable of winning, but responded in a big way.”
As for his team’s performance in the
WRESTLING, page 10