Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2001)
IO______ __ WcdNEsdAy, OcTobtR 17, 2001 Sports 1 tóHsÉrwìse©jaa - - :5^ PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY DICK CLOUSER Lori Free spikes the ball against the Cougars' opponent as Julie Dancer and teammates look on. NICK BARRON Staff Writer This past weekend, the Cougar volleyball team clawed its way to second place in their own tourna ment, the Clackamas Crossover, and improved their overall record to 19- 10. The Cougars slammed all teams who crossed its path en route to the championship match against Spo kane Community College. Clackamas overpowered its first three opponents, leaving only Lane Community College in its path to the championship match, a team that Clackamas lost to earlier in the sea son. The fact that Clackamas had previously lost to Lane seemed un believable, as the Cougars domi nated this match. The victory over Lane left only the Cougars and Spo kane to fight over first place in the Clackamas Crossover. The championship match started with Spokane taking the lead, winning the first game, 26-30. As the second game progressed, Clackamas made one attempt after another to even the games at one each, but Spokane successfully di verted all Cougar attacks and won game two. The start of the third game left the Cougars with their backs against the wall, needing a victory just to be able to continue the match and fight for first place. From the moment the ball was served to begin the third and ulti mately final game in the match be tween Spokane and Clackamas, Spo kane took the upper hand. Despite the valiant efforts of the Cougars, when the dust settled, it was Spo kane clasping the first place trophy, leaving the Cougars with second place. Despite Clackamas’ loss to Spo kane, the Cougars made another step forward from their dismal be ginnings earlier this year. Coach Kathie Woods had this to say about her team’s performance on Friday and Saturday: “This past weekend was a huge step for us, both physically and mentally, because we were struggling.. .for the first half of the season. I really feel that for the first time we are showing who the Cougars are, and what they repre sent.” What the Cougars represent is a team who is finding its groove, just as the essential part of the season nears. The Northwest Athletic Association of Commu nity Colleges Championships are just three weeks away, and the Cougars cannot let any matches slip by them, as every opponent is a potential stepping stone to the tournament. In spite of the progress Clacka mas made in the tournament, Coach Woods says that there are things that her team needs to im prove upon. The errors that the Cougars made were what hurt them in their match with Spokane, and according to Coach Woods, those are fixable. Three Cougars, Sarah Entenman, Lori Free, Jeannette Lee, were hon ored with Tournament All-Star sta tus. Free committed 71 digs, seven straight aces and 43 kills for the tour nament. Entenman was perfect in serves, and Lee had 46 kills to her credit The CI ac I ìamas P rìnt Athletes of the Week Jeannette Lee Sarah Entenman Jeannette was chosen for the All-Star team for the Clackamas Clackamas Crossover Crossover and Is an All-Star team, she emotional spark for her exhibits a leadership teammates. valuable to her team Not only was Sarah picked for the Intramural Flag Football Tuesdays 12:00-12:50 Track Field YOU CAN STILL JOIN For more information: 503-657-6958 X2418 Child care ker needed Kind, fun lovln giver needed for a five year is inquisitive a Hours: After Days: hours a day week wego If interested please fax resume to: 503-638-6748 Locati ATTENTION SOCCER FANS! NICK BARRON Staff Writer We all need something in our lives that is larger than our own existences. For me, growing up in small town Missouri just an hour and a half from St. Louis, that some thing was baseball. Even at a young age, I always knew that my heroes wore Cardinal red, just as I did to every game at Busch Sta dium. I remember watching the 1987 World Series, the dazzling play of Ozzie Smith and the reju venation of my Cardinals through out the 1990s. Baseball has always been more to me than just a game, the St. Louis Cardinals more than just a team. In May of 1998 I was a recent high school graduate, with a di ploma in one hand and a girl in the other. I watched daily as Mark McGwire chased down Roger Maris’ record, knowing that I had been given the chance to witness greatness in the making. I heard all of the arguments and debates about corked bats and juiced base -balls. Yet despite some people’s attempt to disprove what I was watching every night on televi sion, I knew in my heart that McGwire was going to surpass 61 home runs, and he was my hero for it Now we rest in the autumn of 2001 and Mdt>wire’s record is no more. A grumpy, conceited and distant player, Barry Bonds, has accomplished what some say could never be done. Through out this summer I desperately prayed to the baseball gods that Bonds would not surpass McGwire’s home run record, all to no avail. (Because of this I will always despise the season just passed, although my Cardinals are in the post season, I won my fan tasy baseball league and the Car dinals have Albert Pujols on (heir team, who is the best rookie in years.) None of that matters now, be cause my hero was proven human this year, and for that I can never forgive Bonds. Now when I listen to sports com mentators and fans argue about juiced bats and corked balls, I agree with every word that is said. There is no way that Bonds could have done what he has without a ball that is closer to a tennis ball than a base ball, or a bat that contains in its shell a lining of cork. There is no one in this world who will be able to tell me that Barry Bonds accomplished what he did in September without cheating, because he took my hero’s record, one that McGwire deserved and earned. I watched on television in 1997 as McGwire signed a nice contract,' but for far less than he could have earned with another team, and do- nated millions of dollars of his own money to charity. I remember that day in which a large hulk of a man shed tears for a friend who was abused as a child and then imme diately signed a check to charities that work to prevent other children from suffering as his pal had. From that moment on I knew that McGwire was not the prototypical athlete. I realized that he knew that he was just a man, and for that he became so much more to me. So as some people celebrate Bonds’ home run record and any thing with his likeness flies off store shelves, I will shed a tear. I will weep for what was stolen from my hero. I will be sad for those who believe in the good guys. In this season that is now climaxing towards the World Séries, the bad guy won. And unless Mark McGwire recaptures the home run record, I will always believe in corked bats and juiced baseballs. If you are interested in soccer, there wil be a meeting of the soccer club on Oct. 19. It will be held in Randall Hall in room 101, @ 2 p.m. For more information call Stefan at 503-657- 6958 X2247
