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TChc 6amccock Rugby to start spring season at Clemson by Michael Kerr The Gamecock , I The Carolina rugby team, coming off a promising fall season that showed major improvements from last year, will kick off its spring season Friday at Clemson. The Gamecocks opened the fall 2000 season with a surprising victory against the No. 1-ranked Citadel Bull dogs. Carolina then went on to gain victories over former North Carolina state champion Charlotte and Furman. USC also took second place in the South Carolina state tournament. Following die season, seniors Brent Keener and Jeff Kremlick and sopho more Dan Klingshim, were chosen to represent USC in the South All-Star 9 Tournament. They played for the Deep South All-Stars with players from Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. “It was agreat time,” Kremlick said. “It was a chance to have fun and play some rugby on a very competitive lev el.” Keener, the president of the USC Rugby Club, was nominated to play on the Southern All-Star team against teams from other regions of the country. Freshman Todd Curtis was select ed to play in an international under 19 tournament held in the Middle East. Curtis represented USC among the best young players in the world. This spring will be the culmination of last semester’s rebuilding season. “We’re trying to rebuild the win ning tradition of the ’80s,” head coach Howard Hunt said. “We need as many new players as possible to come out and join the club. We’re building on last season, but we need more play ers.” Hunt played rugby for USC from 1980-84. In these years, Carolina rugby was at its best, always competing for the Southeast title and almost always dominating rival Clemson. Hunt wants to bring this tradition back to the club. “When we go out on the field it’s not about whether we win or lose,” Hunt said. “It’s about how much fun we’re going to have winning.” USC will have its work cut out for it as it prepare for a tough season with league matches scheduled against Al abama, Geoigia Southern, Geoigia Tech, South region favorites Georgia, and Clemson. The Gamecocks will also play Fur man, Davidson and Northern power house Towson. “We’re going to take this season one game at a time,” Keener said “Fust and foremost, we want to beat Clem son the first week. After that, we’ll try to pile up victories every week and hopefully win the whole thing.” The entire starting side from last season will be returning, with seniors preparing to play their final season. And unlike other sports where one might ride the bench for three years before ever getting to play, everyone plays every week in rugby. USC fields a “B” team for less experienced players to leam the game. Everyone who comes out to practice will get a chance to play. “Rugby is a hard, intense game, but it’s also fun during and after,” said Hunt, who is also the president of the Car olina Olde Boys, a team of USC alumni. “It’s more than just a sports club, it’s also a social club.” The social aspect of rugby has helped it become the largest sports club at USC. This is another tradition Hunt and the team would like to see con. tinue. This season, the team is looking to get more exposure and more fol lowers. Practices are held on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 6:45 p.m. on the band field. Z Anyone is welcome and no expe rience is necessary. Games are played Friday nights or Saturday afternoons on the field adja cent to the P.E. Center. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com Track from page 10 Gamecocks secured both first and second places in the 400-meter, with Gerrald Pressley and Otis Harris finishing with times of 47.39 and 47.54, respectively. Otukile Lokute, who finished second at the Armory Collegiate Invitational, won both the 800-meter and mile events. Deandre Ei land, who also plays safety for the USC foot ball team, won the men’s 60-meter hurdles - in 7.94 seconds. He was followed closely by Corey Taylor, who came in second with a time of 7.99 seconds. The Gamecock athletes will be in action again Friday and Saturday at the ETSU Invi tational in Johnson City, Temi. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmaiLcom Baskets from page 10 1 -for4 and Boynton missed all five of his attempts. Saturday night’s performance was USC’s worse since Feb. 13,1999, when the Gamecocks shot just 24.6 percent from the field in a 7440 loss at Kentucky. This season’s previous low was at Providence Dec. 30, where Carolina shot 31.5 percent in another losing cause. With one of USC’s top offensive threats, Chuck Eidson, out for the season because of a tom ACL, the Gamecocks need someone to rise to the occasion. “Chuck (Eidson) did a lot of special things for us,” Kitchings said. “He’s a great player. You miss players like that and it changes your team around. “Someone has got to step up.” ^ Carolina also misses perhaps their best pure shooter on the team, Travis Kraft. Kraft has been out of action the past few games with a sprained foot. The sophomore has beat the Gators once already this season with a game-winning last-second shot at Frank McGuire Are na, but it looks now as if he will be redshirted. “It’s going to be another tough game,” Kitchings said of Florida. “I just hope we can get it together.” The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com Travis Lynn/The Gamecock USC point guard Aaron Lucas struggles to get by Auburn defenders during Saturday night’s game. National magazine prepares edition celebrating USC football’s turnaround by Kyle Almond The Gamecock In its preseason football magazine, Street & Smith picked South Carolina to finish last in the SEC. Page 104 of the magazine, to be ex act. Months later, after the Gamecocks had proven Street & Smith as well as oth er national publications wrong, page 104 was tom out, wadded up and thrown on the ground. Street & Smith executive editor Mike Kallay tore out the page Saturday, and in its place presented a 64-page, four-color commemorative magazine devoted en tirely to the Gamecocks and their out standing 2000 season. “The Gamecocks indeed had one of the most remarkable turnaround seasons in college football history,” Kallay said in a special press conference at Williams Brice Stadium. “They did a marvelous job this year, and we wanted to chroni I cle this outstanding performance with a special edition of our magazine.” USC put together one of the best turn around seasons in college football histo ry in 2000. A year after going winless in 11 games, the Gamecocks finished the_ season 84 and defeated Ohio Stale in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day. .The eight-game improvement was the best ever in SEC history. According to Kallay, this is the first time in the 60-year history of Street & Smith’s publications that the magazine has produced a special edition about a college or professional team like the one recently completed on USC. South Carolina head coach Lou Holtz said he was flattered by the publication’s decision to make a special magazine es pecially for them. “South Carolina is flattered and hon ored to have Street & Smith choose our program for their first special edition on a season,” Holtz said. “I can remem ber when I first started out in coaching, I could hardly wait to get my copy of Street & Smith because they did such a good job of covering all of the teams pri or to the season.” “I’d like to congratulate all of the writers and photographers who worked on this issue, because they have done a wonderful job of capturing our season. V&’re certainly pleased with our progress this past season, but our goal is to take it to another level.” Fans can pick up a copy of the mag azine next week, when the issue is ex pected to reach newsstands. The maga zine will be distributed throughout the state and southern North Carolina. It will cost $6.99 per issue. Additional copies can also be pur chased by calling Street & Smith’s cir culation office at 1-800-380-7404. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com i i Aerobics Instructor Training Comse i WHAT: A course to train YOU how to instruct aerobics WHEN: Fridays from 1-3PM % WHEBE: The aerobics studio in the Blatt PE Center *Classes begin Friday, January 26th . and are open to any USC student. *To register please call Jessica at 777-4687 or Laina at 777-1827 \-.-,-J t