The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 80, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, September 18, 1992 Page: 17 of 20
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SPORTS
THE RICE THRESHER FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1992 17
Oilers lack the edge
needed to go all the way
by Stuart Krohn
For innumerable neurotic and obsessive reasons, I place my weekly
emotional and psychological health in the hands of the Houston Oilers.
I had been looking forward to attending the season opener for four
months as a first-time season ticket holder. 1 was also expecting a
decisive win.
As you can expect, I was pushed to the brink of suicide when the
Columbia Blue lost to Pittsburgh, spoiling for me a much-hyped "Super
Bowl Season." I was not alone in my psychosis, as 63,000 of my closest
friends joined me in a furious, savage chorus of boos condemning our
false heroes.
Why did I feel it necessary to kill boo^etuhe
.. . ,, ■ . best teams in
another or myself to vent my footbaii, with
the brunt of our
frustration? rage directed at
one of the best
0 quarterbacks in
the NFL? Why did I feel it necessary to kill another or myself to vent my
frustration? Because they should have won.
This overused phrase is thrown about quite a bit, especially when
talking about the Oilers. But as I thought about it, I realized no team
should win anything. It does not matter how much better your team is
supposed to be, because talent is rarely the deciding factor in any
competition. (Excepting the 63-6 drubbing my intramural football team
took last week, in which the talent gap was almost as laughable as the
score.)
The Oilers should have attacked Pittsburgh. They should have been
focused on taking care of winning at home. Yet they didn't have that
desire that they should have had.
The Oilers lost because they were afraid to lose. The Steelers won
because they wanted to win. It sounds ridiculous, but there is a crucial
distinction between the two attitudes. Somehow, the Steelers knew they
would win and actively sought that goal. The Oilers were under heavy
pressure not to lose and played timidly because of their fear.
Warren Moon showed the same timidity in his play. He threw some
beautifully ac-
But he could The O/fe/s lost because they were
look perfect on _ .
one play and afraid to lose. The Steelers won
then make 3
horrible mis- because they wanted to win.
take on the next J
I know he has
physical ability, but for whatever reason he didn't have the mental edge
needed to play consistently well.
This plague of poor execution when it counts has hounded the Oilers
before, as in their loss to the Broncos to end last season. Complacency
from taking a big early lead spelled doom for last year's team, and the
demon still haunts them.
Despite all this hype about the easy schedule and the coming of age
of this talented team, each game still has to be played. If the Oilers want
to go to the Super Bowl, they cannot have the unexpected losses against
second-rate teams.
This loss to Pittsburgh was only the latest in a series of games the
Oilers have lostin their history which keeps themfrom being considered
an elite team.
There are still several weeks left for the Oilers to work out their
problems, and I will still live and die with them each week. I hope I am
wrong, but I fqel like they are going to break my heart again this year.
Women join volleyball club
by Brian Sadovsky
Last year Kei Mu Yi, sponsor and
organizer of the Rice men's volleyball
club, had a great idea: a women's club
team. The idea won a following, and
now the newest members of the club,
re-named the Rice volleyball club, are
gearing up for their second season.
"We only had two graduates last
year, so our team is young. We also
have a lot of talented freshmen who
have become involved this year," said
Becky McCulley, co-captain of the
women's team.
McCulley and Heather Alexander
join Selena Conneally, Kathy Dy, and
Joy Yoder as the returning stars for
the women. A new force, DeniseTrial,
brings added depth to the team.
Alexander, the other co-captain and
co-vice president, feels the only prob-
lem is with lack of an experienced
coach to help the team in practice.
Meanwh ile, the men's team is com-
ing off their best year ever after com-
ing in fifth at regionals. Before last
year, the team had never even made it
to the regional level of competition.
The men are split up into two teams.
The A team consists of the best play-
ers who play in all the fall and spring
tournaments sponsored by the Un ited
States Volleyball Association
(USVBA). In addition, the A team plays
in the SIVA (Southwest Intercollegiate
Volleyball Association) competition
Killer workouts don't slow down crew
by Jenna Hutchins
Tired of watching sports and see-
ing one athlete get all the glory? Do
you want to witness the use of sport-
ing goods that cost more than your
car? Or have you just been dying to
know what an "erg" is exactly? Well,
welcome to crew.
Crew came to Rice in the same
fashion as other club sports, which
have become the norm for the week-
end warrior or even the serious high
school athlete as a way to become
involved in competition while still oc-
casionally cracking a book.
Four years ago, a crew was formed
as another way to kill yourself for fun,
and the response was rather slow.
The first years were lean. In 1989,
there were barely enough rowers to
fill two boats. But as the first few came
to join and then stayed with the club,
the team at Rice has grown. Rob Atkins,
the captain of this year's group, is
quite satisfied with the turnout this
year. With about 50 participants this
year, there are more than enough
athletes to fill six crews of eight
The club is now looking into buy-
ing another "sweet" boat, so named
because each rower has only one oar,
not because they cost over $10,000
apiece.
"Even if we got the whole univer-
sity club budget, we couldn't buy a
boat," Atkins said.
It is sometimes hard to justify this
expense, considering most new re-
cruits come into the sport with no
prior experience. But Lillian Cho, a
freshman crew team member with
some rowing experience, disagrees.
The only way you can really become
a better team is obviously to practice
on the water. Another boat allows the
team to train more rowers, enter more
boats in races, and increase team size,"
she said.
The crew has land workouts every
day in addition to trying to get each
rower on the water three Limes a week.
In the boat, the main focus is on tech-
nique.
"No matter how much adrenaline,
you've got to focus in to your tech-
nique," Atkins said.
At the novice level, this technique
will be enough to win races. Strength
becomes a factor at the higher levels.
For this reason, rowers often are found
in the gym working out with ergo me-
ters. This is the source of the term
"erg," frequently heard among the
members of crew club.
This fall, the crew will be compet-
ing in several head racesofabout3(XX)
to 4000 meters in length. Major events
in the south are usually held at Town
I^ke in Austin. Coincidentally, Rice's
biggest rival is the University ofTexas
at Austin. As there are only three par-
ticipating teams in the SWC, there are
not many opportunities close to home
for students to see the crew in action.
Atkins hopes that will change this
year.
"We are trying to have more simple
head-to-head races to make up for
lack of big regattas," he said. "We
would like to have them here at Clear
Lake so students can come and see
us."
Crew is not the sport for a couch-
cushion coach. Races are described
as "anaerobic hell," and the athletes
find it to be an enormous time commit-
ment
"The workouts are tough," says
novice rower Chris Bachers, "but once
we get on the water, it's all worth-
while."
tournament.
The B team plays in all the USVBA
tourneys but not the SIVA competi-
tion. It is made up of all the remaining
players not on the A team However,
the B team is not far behind and can
still fare well against other schools.
The men lost many of their stars
last year and have only three return-
ing starters on the A team. Andy
Cunningham, the men's vice presi-
dent, returns along with Robert
SzafranskL Dave Jung, who is cur-
rently injured, will join the team after
a brief recovery period. The most note-
worthy newcomer is Chris Kwoh.
Cunningham predicted that this
will be a rebuilding year, but that the
team should still do well. "We lost a lot
of players, but we got many young
people this year with raw talent to be
improved for the coming years," he
said.
Yi, in addition to being the faculty
sponsor, is also a key player on the B
team. With a talent for setting the ball,
Yi often leads practices, organizes
schedules and helps coordinate
matches with other schools.
In add ition to their frequent games,
the volleyball club practices three
times a week.
The practices are the most impor-
tant part To be on the team, players
have to make almost all the practices,"
Yi said. They're informal, but very
necessary in order for our team to
excel."
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We -were the first to ride zvithout training wheels.
We were the troop that sold the most cookies.
We were the state math champs.
2x2+{4y/3x2y-z4} —Ayl/3
4x2-'z2
We were leaders in student government.
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Kim, Leezie & Carson, Chad. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 80, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, September 18, 1992, newspaper, September 18, 1992; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245818/m1/17/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.