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4L ^ Spontsi PamP< A candid i By Mike Chibbaro Sports Editor Lady Gamecock basketball coach and women's athletic director Pam Parsons: considered by many as the premier women's basketball coach in the country. On the court, Parsons is a dictator. She takes complete command of her team. Every move she makes is strategically oriented. She is intense, authoritative, and demanding. She demands the ultimate from her players and then asks for a little more. For some, Parsons' coaching methods mnv annpor tftft covaro Her winning record, however stands as undisputable revocation for anyone that may attempt to criticize her austere coaching style. Aside from being a coach, Parsons is a pioneer in women's athletics. Her understanding of sports, of people, and of life is imDressive She is a nerf#v?tinnict always seeking ways to improve her program, her team, and herself. In a mere three years, Parsons has transformed USC's women's basketball team into a national powerhouse. Before Parsons' arrival, the women's program was stumbling aimlessly through mediocrity. THIS PAST SEASON, the Lady Gamecocks finished the year ranked third in the nation. Despite last season's success, four members of the team may not be j - - -'"v"- -"": " Hp %^S{aMjC : :$$$? .< ". ? ? \ < 0' SkSssm&wS > .':i'<*$i:% ...instructing /^Summi I AH classified ads ore CASH-IN-ADVANCE. >1 Ads may be placed between the hours of 9 H a.m. and noon, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Monday | I through Friday in Room 313 RusseH House. | I Ad copy and check may be placed In campus I or city mail to: MEDIA BUSINESS OFFICE, Box | I 85131, USC, Columbia. SC 29200. j The deadline for Wednesday's summer | I Gamecock classifieds is Monday at 3 PM. For I I further Information caW 777-3888. j THfc GAMECOCK IS AN EQUAL OP I I PORTUNITY-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EM il PLOVER. I help wanted i ; WORK ?STUDY assistant needed in I September by Community Psychology I Professor. Hours flexible. Salary negotiable, i I Must be able to work independently, type, ! I and proofread carefully. Call Dr. Abe Wan iLdoraman, 2 4 PM, at 777 707 1. nauus nterview u returning this fall. Suzanne Woolsten and Jean Walling have transferred to Old Dominion and Rita Johnson has elected to foregc her senior year of eligibility. It is also not likely that Cheryl Autry will be returning because of academic deficiencies. In Parsons' three years at USC, over a dozen players have left the women's basketball program before their eligibility expired. When put into proper context, this fact is not as alarming as it might appear. The number of female athlotoc tVir?f TTCP linr. 1* !- ?? mmuvwu uiav uov iiaa ium u> uil equal footing with the national average. The University of Tennessee's women's basketball team, consistently one of the leaders in women's basketball, has lost about 17 players in the past three years. Parsons views the rash of transfers as a part of a "national epidemic" which is plaguing women's athletics. She discussed her loss of players from USC. "Sometimes problems of working together arise that just can't be worked out," she said in retrospect. "They usually stem from a lack of communication. "In no way do I deny making mistakes," Parsons said in reference to the departure of Woolsten and Walling, "but in looking back, I believe I did my best to do what was in the best interest of the girls. I wouldn't have done anything any different." PARSONS BELIEVES successful athletes must be mentally t .L nt- - '? 1 luugn. one says ner acuity to teacn I mental toughness to her players has been the catalyst for her success as a coach. Unfortunately, this quality is not acquired easily. "In an intense moment, sometimes I push a player to make her mentally tough," Parsons 7/i an intense momt player to make her me exolained. "Somptimps fhinac on taken out of context. A player maj take one cliche or one thing I sai( and harbor on it and use it to mov< on." Parsons admitted that then have been times when she feels sh< has pushed a player too hard "Sometimes I want it so bad foi them that I don't realize how hare I'm pushing. "Maybe sometimes I am to< blunt, but that is my style and that is what has made me a winner,' Parsons said. Perhaps the underlying reasor for the great number of tran sferring female college athletes is the lack of an AIAW rule which would force a transfer to wait one year before becoming eligible for athletics at a new school. The NCAA forces its transferring athletes to sit out one year before en Classif housing Roominnte Wanted: New, Furnished 3-BR House in West Columbia. Fireplace. Sundeck, 2 Baths, $100 & V\ utilities. Call Bob. Work 794 6610. Leave number if not In. HOUSE TO SHARE. 2 BR, 1 W bath house in South Beltline Area. Quiet neighborhood. Rent $1 60 month & ft utilities. Profer grad or law student. Call Jim Betts 787-6138 after 7 p.m. Neat quiet straight male grad. student needed to snaro beautiful homo with same Has 2 bedrooms end guest room plus swimming pooll In Forest Acres ? Ront is $200 a month and includes all utilities, even telephone. 782-4685. :Touah rith the first ^?ma ^W *$$?? ...correcting becoming eligible. The lack of such a rule in the AIAW is a destructive force which is severely hindering the growth of many women's programs. Parsons said the present AIAW rule would not be changed until "enough people experience " the time, effort and money that goes into recruiting a girl and then experience losing that girl just when she is ready to begin the best years of her career." TO PARSONS, the essence of coaching rests upon one's ability to "deal with people." As a women's wt, sometimes I push a _ ' many luuyri. Pam Parsons i coach, Parsons has had to over1 comc additional obstacles in 1 learning to handle her players. She 3 said "people aren't used to having a woman lead women. "I can remember getting mad at r my mother for making me practice 1 the piano when I was young. I used to play the wrong notes in> tentionally just to anger her," t Parsons recalled. "But I can never 1 romomKflt" rfattinn viuviiiuvi iiiau ctt my father like that. Women have a i problem accepting other women as - leaders." i Although basketball has brought s Parsons much fame and prominence, she says, "basketball s should be just a part of your life, [ not your whole life. It's not my whole life." Looking for female roommate to share 2 BR apt. $107.50 and Vt utilities. Central air, carpet, pool. Call 798-3699. personals WET T SHIRTS, Aug 16th, 17th: white water rafting trip on Nentahalo River. Over night. $30/per., sign up at Travel Center, Russell House. ABANDONED. MISTREATED WHITE MALE DOG. NEEDS HOME. CALL 777 7353 OR 776 6884 Jim Honey, Your peasant uprising won't be enough to stop rne. It you continue on this course. I'll be forced to have Dr. Chuck spill his guts about the boost in the Upper Room. Sphinct about it, King Crab. - r". : " . " . : - ' - . - - "'* ' - < ; . sum lady of LJi "Student athletes should not be used or abused. I want my players to enjoy college life. I want them to be the best students they can be and I really want them to experience all parts of college life. I think if you take care of these things first then basketball will fall into place." Parsons views her coaching job as a multi-faceted position. "Women never had idols like men," Parsons commented. "They have never had any role models to pattern themselves after. I think girls need more tlian just a coach when they come here. A coach can be an important factor in their lives at age 18 and it is my philosophy as a person to be more 'Women .have a other women as leade than just a coach. I see it as a service to womankind to help these girls. IN HER THREE YEARS at USC, Parsons has witnessed rapid growth in women's athletics in the state of South Carolina. She is obviously pleased with the acceptance of her program by South Carolinians. "It is so gratifying and touching to see the kind of appreciation we have received for what we did last year," she remarked. "I think the students are a little r pr ni IFh ' fipfrP* I V BMBMmiinHnHHHHnnf services Lambda Alliance, an organization for gay men and lesbians. Write P.O. Box 50582, Columbia, SC 29250. Confidentiality assured. Professional typing service in my home. Leaal exoerience. Reasonable. 7 72-1 3flR FAST, NEAT, ACCURATE TYPIST. REASONABLE RATES CALL AFTER 5. 7822866 TYPING AVAILABLE: Prompt efficient sotvice Downtown location. 799 91 75. TYPING - IBM. PROMPT; PROFESSIONAL PROOFREADING INCLUDED. REASONABLE NEAR CAMPUS. - ? 799 7587. ?ssful SC sports behind in their acceptance of our program. I wish more of them would come out and see us because I think once they experience it they find it refreshing and exciting," she added. Parsons, however admitted that she was disappointed with the coverage of women's sports by the local media. "We finished in the top ten in swimming and we had trouble getting the least amount of coverage. I think all of the university's sports do not receive the kind of coverage you would expect from the local DaDers " In fighting for the advancement of women's athletics, Pam Parsons has faced many obstacles. One of the toughest obstacles she problem accepting rs' Pam Parsons has had to overcome is the frequent loss of an athlete to another school. Female athletes have departed from USC for a number of reasons. Some have left simply because they didn't find Parsons' style compatible with their own. It is no secret that Parsons is a demanding coach. But she does not make demands without offering a reward for the fulfillment of those demands. The most tangible reward Parsons offers her players is the thrill of becoming a win ner..the thrill of becoming a champion. ~ - ^ jgggBBBmmw^ HHHHHBHHHBHW m*-. ... cherishing the results Need papers typed? Call MRS MOORE at J 256 8623. J /?. / I \IT'S TIME ^ jta / roxr 1 d\ CLASSIFIEDS! H