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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 1979)
Portland Ob »n war December 21. 1979 Pag 9 Play ping pong for exercise and fun Sports Talk by Ron Sykes Sports Editor The 24th edition o f the Far West Classic unfolded last Tuesday night with the favorite OSU Beavers facing the Idaho Vandals. OSU w ill send some talented players into the contest, but one certain to emerge as a strong all-tourney guard is Mark Jeffrey Rad fo rd , 6-4, 189 lb s., 20 years old (G ra n t,P o rtla n d ). M a rk has been selected the past two years in a row on the Pac 10 honorable mention aJI-con- ference lis t.. . . He teams up with Ray Blume to give the Beavers one o f the outstanding collegiate guard tandems in the n a tio n ... .M a rk was selected along with teammate Steve Johnson, last year to play on the USA team that toured China and Europe. . . . He was also selected honorable mention all coast by U P I. . . Radford has been very consistent during his initial two seasons at OSU. M ark scored consistently in the 20s during his playing days at Grant, but while starting every game since his Frosh season, the 6-4 student has yet to score 20 points or more for OSU. Radford is a deadly shooter but has toned down his offense to concentrate most o f his energy toward defense and team play. Radford has definite pro qualities. In fact B o sto n ’ s then coach Dave Cowens on a scouting mission last year to see a Washington State player was impressed with Radford and said, " I can't believe that guy {Radford] is only a sophomore." The Boston red-head was quite im pressed with M a rk’s overall game. But don't concede this 24th classic to the highly ranked Beavers. Remem ber Clemson from the always tough Atlantic Coast Conference, with that big front wall, 6-10, 6-10, and 6-10. That’s a lot o f beef for a college team. Oregon’ s Ducks under second year coach Jim Harvey w ill only survive the first round and that against N orth Carolina. Charlotte is not a shoo-in. Give it to the Ducks by 3 points. If Harvey ever wakes up and starts his best guards Richard Wright and Barry Walker, then the young Ducks just might begin to show some potential. Harvey has yet to play the pair togeth er for any time at all. Mark Radford, OSU's talented guard, goes for the ball Richard W rig h t, the 5-9 transfer from Old Dominion has shown steady improvement and adds both sppe and outside shooting to the Duck attack. W right and Walker could become a dynamic duo. Fuelish questions Right or wrong? To save gas, i t ’ s best to: - T u rn on the air-conditioner rather than open the car windows. -W a rm up your engine fo r only 30 seconds before driving o ff. Right, on both counts. According to the U.S. Department o f Energy, i t ’ s more fuel-efficient to tu rn on a ir-c o n d itio n e rs in late- model cars rather than open the w in dow s. A t speeds o f 40 m .p .h . o r more, the wind drag from open w in dows results in m ore gas consum ption than using the air-conditioner. W arm engines do perform best, but keeping an engine running fo r more than 30 seconds does no good. It takes 20 minutes o f warming up to reach maximum efficiency. It's bet ter to keep the engine only running a half-m inute or so before you drive o ff. The engine warms up as you drive. S hort trip s o f five miles o r less amount fo r 15 percent o f the mileage on U.S. cars, but consume over 30 percent o f the gas. Why? Because the trip is over before the engine begins to operate at peak efficiency. In its "D riv e for Conservation,” the Energy Department is sponsoring a travelling exhibit that w ill visit 125 cities over the next year. Visitors can clim b in to a car mounted on a special platform and follow audio-taped in structions that show how to cut gas consumption dram atically. C o n s e rv in g gas n o t o n ly saves money but also curbs car exhaust, a m ajor cause o f air p ollution, says the Oregon Lung Association. To con tinue the fight against pollution and lung disease, answer your Christmas Seal letter. I t ’ s a matter o f life and breath. N F L p la y o ffs this weekend___ Take Dallas over Rains. Steelers easily over Dolphins. Philadelphia to whip fampa by six. Take San Diego to beat an injury-ridden Oiler team. When w ill Coach Jack Ramsey return Lionel Hollins to his rightful place in the starting lineup? And when w ill he fin a lly realize that A b d u l Jeelani is more productive than the current Bobby Gross? And when will Kevin Kunnert return?— he is really missed now and will be valuable down the stretch to relieve a tirin g Torn Owens. And when w ill this NBA mad ness ever end? See you next year. To all tny readers, “ Have a happy one.” I t ’ s the season o f holly, mistletoe and ping pong tables. Jim Scott, coach o f the Portland Com m unity College men’ s table ten nis team, thinks more people may be buying table tennis sets and starting to learn the game in December than any other time o f the year. Scott has a few tips on equipment and how to play the game: - D o n ’ t th in k it is n ’ t a to u g h sp o rt. S cott loses fiv e pounds in three hours o f play every Wednesday evening. - A ta b le th a t fo ld s away w ill probably be used more than one that doesn’ t because it w on’ t get loaded down as a catch-all table fo r other hobby equipment. - The thicker the table, the higher the ball w ill bounce when it hits. Scott suggests buying regulation 3/4 inch th ic k tables ra th e r than the thinner ones. - An adequate home table can be made using sawhorses to hold a sheet o f 3/4 inch plywood. - Table tennis raquets with sand paper fronts and backs are inexpens ive but they are illegal in tournament p la y. B uy a ra c q iie t, p id d le o r bat(those are all correct names) with rubber cushioned by a thin layer o f sponge fo r a quieter game and higher bounces. - W ear c o m fo rta b le , n o n -s k id shoes when playing w ill make one less like ly to slip and able to play longer. - Inexpensive ping pong balls cost more in the long run because they crack i f they are hit hard, as in a slam Play. Scott has been teaching table ten nis classes at PCC fo r the past seven years, as w e ll as co a ch ing . ‘ ‘ R ecreation sh o u ld be the m ain reason to play table tennis fo r most people” , Scott said. " I t ’ s fun, but you can get a lot o f exercise. “ A tough game can be so grueling that I lose about five pounds each night I play.” Scott said table tennis builds muscles in the p laying arm and wrist, both shoulders and in the c a lf muscles o f the legs, and, i f players assume the correct posture, in the waist. “ To get exercise in the game you have to play to w in. I f you stand there with both feet fiat on the flo o r and d o n ’ t move around then you w o n ’ t get any exercise and y o u ’ ll probably get bored with table tennis, to o .” Scott said players should crouch near the table with bent knees ready to move laterally to get in to a good position to meet the ball. “ You d o n ’ t want to be reaching way out fo r the ball, but to move with the b a ll.” Scott recommends any book by fo rm e r n a tio n a l c h a m p io n D ick Miles as a guide to im proving home table tennis play. Early AMERICAN M U _ _ _ ’W totteut i • n 3 r m A course in table tennis taught by S cott w ill be o ffe re d w in te r and spring term at the Sylvania Center b e g in n in g M o n d a y , Ja n u a ry 7th from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. A good sport fo r persons o f all ages, Scott’ s oldest student was 6 years old and seven and eight yea olds have accompanied their parent to the class. SPORTS HOUR JOE'S PLACE 1801 N.E. 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