IO______ __
WcdNEsdAy, OcTobtR 17, 2001
Sports
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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