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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2005)
Oregon Daily Emerald Thursday, April 21, 2005 “It just proves I was right.... I’m just glad I was an example of how to handle a situation without making it worse. ” Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield on not being punished after last week’s scuffle with a fan ■ In my opinion JON ROETMAN ROUGHING THE PASSER Reporters don't always make good There was a sense of uncertainty in the air. My teammates / co-workers and I entered the Student Recreation Center for our first dodgeball game of the intramural season, not knowing what to expect. Most of us hadn’t played since middle school, and even then it was unorganized playground-style, rubber ball warfare. Adding to our skepticism was the fact that we would be playing without the owner of ar guably our strongest throwing arm, as our 6-foot-3,240-pound colleague had female com mitments (shaking my head) to uphold. Regardless, the five of us pushed through our self-doubt and proceeded to the back courts for what we hoped would be a simple game of ball tag. Morale increased when we caught a glimpse of our opponents: a group of scrawny dudes, who, at first glance, looked like they couldn’t throw a ball through a wet paper sack. While our squad full of sports writers was n’t exactly oozing athleticism, we figured the arms of a former high school pitcher and a high school quarterback would be enough to get us by. Boy were we wrong. What we assumed would be an effortless vic tory quickly turned into a bloodbath in favor of the scrawny dudes. The tone was set on the very first throw of the game when my team mate accidentally deflected the toss off a ball he was holding straight into my shoulder. Six seconds into the game and I was already out. Nothing like getting off to a fast start. The little dudes, who had looked so harmless before the game, were suddenly peppering us with well placed throws, using strategy by hanging out by the end line nearly the entire se ries and promptly sweeping us out of the gym, three games to none. Insult was added to injury when I found out one of their players was a 2004 high school graduate. They were young, they were small and they kicked our asses. Let me guess, that scene from the movie “Dodgeball,” when the group from Average Joe’s loses to a collection of girl scouts is going through your head right now, isn’t it? The loss stung, but we used it as a learning experience. We knew what to expect for future matches. We knew that if you wanted to win, you had to lay back a little bit and not play with raw aggression and ego. We quickly put the information to use and swept our next opponent for the ultimate re demption. Considering that it was our first dodgeball experience in years, and we were playing without our best arm, we were happy with a split. With the first week in the books, the rest of the season could go one of two ways: Either we improve immensely with the return of our top gun, or we end up taking teams for granted and getting destroyed again. Stay tuned for the results. jonroetman@ dailyemerald, com ■ Women's track and field Oregon senior Rachael Kriz-Wallace, who is in her fifth season with the track and field program, reflects on a previous high jump attempt in practice at Hayward Field. Picture perfect Senior high jumper and budding photographer Rachael Kriz- Wallace has made her time at Oregon enjoyable for others and herself BY STEPHEN MILLER SPORTS REPORTER Not often does a person appear in front of a camera and also behind it. Not at the same time of course. Rachael Kriz-Wallace, an Oregon track and field athlete and aspiring photographer, is looked at by others as a unique individual; one who can create a joyful, everlasting moment and at the same time attract others’ focus. Teammate Sarah Malone described Kriz Wallace as “outgoing, loud and spunky.” Her sister, Megan Kriz, said: “She's squeaky clean. The girl’s just an angel.” For Kriz-Wallace, the magnetic personality just comes naturally, and knowing what to look for on the track and in the studio comes to her naturally as well. “She has a very good eye,” Oregon assistant coach Rock Light said. “When I ask her for an opinion about something, she’s not afraid to tell me. “She understands the high jump very well, and she has good technique herself. ” Kriz-Wallace’s knowledge and form in the high jump translated to a personal record of 5 feet 8 inches and a debut in the NCAA West Regional competition last season. The fifth-year senior has been on quite a journey since joining the Oregon program in 2000. She moved back and forth between the high jump and the javelin throughout her career, and competed in both events for two seasons. “My career as (a track and field athlete) has been quite amazing,” Kriz-Wallace said. “It’s been interesting; I’ve had four different coach es along the way.” This season, Kriz-Wallace is dedicated to her strongest event. “We’ve asked her to focus on the high jump,” Light said. “She loves the javelin, and she’s good at it, but we need her to do the high jump.” Kriz-Wallace knows where she can con tribute the most and what’s best for the team, so she is not entirely heartbroken by her coach’s decision. “I’m a little disappointed, but at the same time, I’m OK with it,” Kriz-Wallace said. “Focusing on one event definitely has its advantages. “Who knows, maybe for the last meet they might throw me in there and let me have fun with it.” Coach in training Kriz-Wallace has an appetite for having fun, TRACK, page 16 ■ Women's tennis Ducks' dominant 3 turn to Pac- 10's individual event Davina Mendiburu, Dominika Dieskova and Daria Panova will vie for a conference singles title BY ALEX TAM DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER In his three seasons at the helm of the Oregon women’s ten nis program, head coach Nils Schyllander has never enjoyed a finer season than this one. Oregon (16-7 overall, 3-5 Pacif ic-10 Conference) boasts three players ranked in the nation’s top 110 and is ranked No. 27 in the nation. Last season, Oregon finished with a 17-9 record and was a participant in the NCAA Tournament. However, Schyllander believes this year’s squad tops last year’s by a wide margin, because his players now have the experience TENNIS, page 14 Oregon’s Daria Panova starts her quest for a fourth Pac-10 singles title today as the No. 5 seed. Her first opponent will be USC’s Dianne Matias.
