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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2005)
Oregon Daily Emerald Wednesday, April 6, 2005 “I will be back!” Injured giants slugger Barry Bonds during Opening Day in San Francisco on Tuesday ■ Club Sports PaMing Paradise The University's Kayaking Club offers students an inexpensive way to enjoy Oregon's waters BY ASHLEY GRIFFIN OUTDOOR RECREATION REPORTER Local kayakers have as many reasons to enjoy their sport as they do trip destina tions. They turn to kayaking for outdoor exploration in natural and undeveloped envi ronments, to learn technical skills and to chal lenge their individual strength. It can be a serene experience on Oregon’s lakes or an un believable thrill ride down the white-water rapids of the state’s many rivers. “Kayaking is an incredible sport. It takes you so many places, and you get to experi ence so many things that most people never even dream about,” said senior Karl Moser, who started the University’s Club Sports Kayaking Club four years ago with his friend Trip Jennings. “Kayaking allows each individual to push their limits, and it offers endless adventure.” Though water often has a mind of its own, and kayakers need to acquire many skills, the sport isn’t as difficult to learn as it seems. Any student can pursue it with the right amount of training and enthusiasm. “Kayaking is a sport that everybody can en joy. Oregon has thousands of rivers, all of varying difficulty, and paddlers can always find rivers that match their skills,” Moser said. “That being said, kayaking can be a dan gerous sport. The risks that paddlers take are 100 percent up to the individual. The sport can be very safe and enjoyable as long as you paddle with friends, carry the necessary safety gear and learn the requisite skills before you take on too much of a challenge.” Karyn McMullin-Roy | Courtesy Senior Karl Moser does what he calls a “backwards inverted" trick on his kayak. Moser started the University’s Club Sports Kayaking Club four years ago with his friend Trip Jennings. The Kayaking Club offers University students an inexpensive opportunity to enjoy the sport. Instructor and six-year kayaking veteran Annie Dochnahl said students need to learn how to read the water, navigate rapids, roll a kayak and take care of their fellow kayakers before they challenge open water. Luckily, University students have plenty of opportunities to acquire these skills. The Kayaking Club welcomes individuals of all skill levels, provides free access to boats ^nd gear, and connects students with fellow kayakers. Their training schedule follows Ore gon’s rain patterns. In the fall, they meet at Gerlinger Pool to learn basic skills and prep for Eugene’s rainy season. Winter term finds team members in cold winter waters for advanced freestyle and creeking trips. In the spring, they take several trips to the Willamette and McKenzie rivers. They also enter an annual kayaking competi tion on the Clackamas River near Portland at a spot called Bob’s Hole. The Outdoor Program also provides stu dents with the opportunity to discover kayak ing. In the program’s series of kayaking pool sessions, students can learn and practice the sport’s basics. While a staff member is pres ent to offer informal tips, there isn’t a formal instructor for the class. Outdoor Program Director Dan Geiger suggests bringing along an experienced friend to help teach kayaking skills. “New kayakers must learn how to Eskimo roll, or at the very least, how to safely wet exit, before attempting to paddle on the riv er,” Geiger said. “This takes practice and hands-on assistance, as the roll is not very in tuitive and difficult for some to master. Most new kayakers learn in the pool, as it is warmer and easier to practice than on a quiet stretch of river or lake.” With the right knowledge filling their heads, and a hard helmet protecting them, KAYAK, page 10 >#?*.- GOT* Danielle Hickey | Photo editor Oregon first baseman Beth Boskovich, assistant coach J. Gaudreau and the rest of the Ducks travel to Corvallis today to take on the Beavers at 4 p.m. ■ Duck softball Streaks collide in Civil War Oregon has won 13 of its last 15 games and hopes to end No. 16 OS Us 18-game winning streak today in Corvallis BY CLAYrON JONES SPORTS EDITOR The Oregon softball is team riding a hot streak. The Ducks have won 13 of their last 15 games, including a sweep of defending national champion UCLA on Saturday. But Oregon State is riding a streak of its own — an 18-game winning streak — and the Ducks will need to keep their momentum going if they plan on beat ing the No. 16 Beavers in Corvallis today at 4 p.m. The Beavers (24-6 overall, 3-0 Pacific 10 Conference) are fresh off a weekend in which they beat No. 7 UCLA once and No. 17 Washington twice, earning Oregon State both the Pac-lO’s Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week. Oregon State pitcher Brianne McGowan was perfect last week with a 5-0 record and has won 17 consecutive outings for the Beavers on her way to earning the award. During her five wins last week, the Reno, Nev., native had a minuscule 0.88 ERA with 39 strikeouts. Four of her five wins were complete games, and in her win against Washington , she became the fourth player in Oregon State history — and the fastest — to get to 20 wins. McGowan also did it with the bat, hit ting a pair of home runs and tying a ca reer-high with four RBIs against the Huskies. The Beavers’ main threat at the plate last week, though, was junior first base man Vanessa Iapala. The San Diego, Calif., native hit .538 this week, smack ing three doubles and knocking in four RBIs while scoring six runs. She is now second on the team in hitting with a .369 batting average. But the Ducks (22-10, 2-1) aren’t too worried about their rival to the north. “We’ve seen what Oregon State has,” Oregon pitcher Amy Harris said. “They’re coming at you with a sopho more pitcher that didn’t get a lot of innings last year, but we are just going to stick to the game plan and see what they can hit and adjust to that.” And not many have been hitting Har ris of late. The junior from Eugene has allowed a mere three runs in her last 57 innings, leading to her team-best 1.04 ERA, eighth in the conference. She also leads the team in wins (11), innings pitched (107.2) and strikeouts (105). Oregon's offense it has been spear headed by the production of leadoff hit ter Lovena Chaput. The freshman, a week after being named Pac-10 Player of the Week, went 4 for 9 combined against the Bruins and Huskies with a home run, a triple, four runs and two RBIs. The weekend lifted her batting average to .340 on the season, fourth on the team. Another hitter commanding the con ference’s respect has been first baseman Beth Boskovich. The junior is hitting .294 this season, but hasn’t had a lot of chances to hit as she has been walked 19 times, tied for third in the conference. Those walks — plus the four times she has been hit by a pitch this season — have translated to the conference’s lOth-best on-base percentage at .457. Oregon head coach Kathy Arendsen has gone 4-4 against Oregon State since arriving in Eugene in 2003; previous to her arrival, the Ducks had lost nine consecutive games to the Beavers. But Oregon still commands a 75-67-1 advan tage in the matchup’s history. claytonjones@dailyemerald.com
