Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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■ CLARY Continued from page 9 and everything is promising going into halftime. However, the favored team takes over in the third quarter, wearing down the underdog and eventually puts the game away. It may shock you, but the question of which underdog will come through is just one reason college football is so great. What’s the fun in watching the best team get beat all of the time? We watch because of the possibility and the sheer hope that an upset could happen. But in the end, we want a good story, a good finish, a good season. And I hate to break it to everyone, but having a top 10 with six small schools or long-shots is not that thrilling to watch. We want to see the best teams play, and every once in a while, we want to see them lose. We want them to see the best lose to us. Each week, we watch the top teams play, not just because we love football, but to see good football. How many of you would rather watch Texas vs. Oklahoma instead of Syracuse vs. Boston College? I know I would, and ABC, CBS and ESPN agree. But the one thing we all want to see is our team be the big surprise. OK, we all want to be number one, but there are 117 Division One college football teams and only 25 are ranked. If you’re not there to start, you want your team to be the big story. Lucky for us, we have that chance this year. I believe the Gamecocks have all the tools to be that great story this year — a legendary coach in the late stages of his career, young unknown talent and a team with something to prove. Don’t be surprised to see the Gamecocks not only upset teams on a big time stage this year, but to end the year in the top 15. I want to be the team that upsets the big dog. I want to be the team that shocks the world. I want to be the team that brings down the goal posts, and after this year, I want to be the team the other teams hunt for. After watching the game Saturday night, it’s great to know that as the years go on, college football and the greatness behind it will never change. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu Don’t forget to listen to columnist Ryan Clary every Tuesday night on "Your Sports Show," broadcast on WUSC: Columbia 90.5 FM from 6-8 p.m. Clary will update you on upcoming USC sporting events as well as any sports topics you want to talk about. i ■ OLYMPICS Continued from page 9 her Gamecock career, ran the third leg of the race and set a record national time of 41.73. “What an honor to run for my country and set a national record. 1 am just so thrilled right now for Jamaica,” Bailey said. Coach Curtis Frye’s USA 4x400 meter relay team didn’t fare as well as Bailey and her Jamaican teammates, as the women botched a baton pass ending their run at a medal. “It’s a bittersweet night tonight,” Coach Frye said. “It is great for Aleen to win a gold medal for her country, but bittersweet doesn’t capture the way I feel right now because of the USA 4x100 meter relay. The joy I have for Aleen and Terrence tonight is matched by the pain I have for the USA relay.” Terrence Trammell added another runner-up finish to this list of accomplishments, taking home the silver medal in the men’s 110-meter hurdles. Trammell won the silver for the second consecutive time, taking home the same finish in Sydney in 2000. “I’m not disappointed. There’s only two other people in the world who have a medal” from this race Trammell said. The Gamecocks took the track and field competition by force. Earlier in the games, Tonique Williams-Darling took home the gold in the women’s 400 meter, while USC volunteer coach Melissa Morrison took home the bronze in the women’s 100 meter hurdles. Bailey also performed well in her other events, posting a fourth-place finish in the 200 meter and a fifth place in the 100 meter. Comments cm this story ? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu ■ STADIUM Continued from page 9 In 1996, Florida upgraded McKethan Stadium by adding 1,000 seats. Auburn recently completed a $2.3 million renovation of Samford Stadium, where 630 chair-back seats were added down the right and left field foul lines, bringing the total number of chair-back seats in the facility to more than 3,200. The school installed a new drainage system in 2003 and added a new Strength and Rehabilitation Center in January. Samford was ranked number one among college stadiums in 2003. Dudy Noby Field, home to the Mississippi State Bulldogs, boasts a 7,200 seat capacity, including 4,300 with chair-backs. Construction in 1998 yielded 18 additional skyboxes and 600 more seats. The Bulldogs have twice recorded standing-room only attendance of more than 14,000. Arkansas added 2,600 chair back seats and eight new luxury boxes to Baum Stadium prior to last season. According to information provided by Arkansas, the stadium can accommodate up to 9,000 spectators. Of the 5,000 seats at Sarge Frye Field, approximately 2,000 are chair-back. In any case, a team that has reached three straight college world series is probably long overdue a better venue to play in. In 41 home games this past season, the average attendance was 3,881 people. In 29 road games on the season, the average attendance was 6,727. One can only wonder how many top recruiting classes a program can sign with a sub-par facility in the SEC. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu ‘Carolina’ salute rallies fans for season’s start The first “Salute to Carolina” is scheduled for Wednesday at the Colonial Center. The event will be a sneak preview of the 2004 USC football season and promises to be a terrific way to send off the Gamecocks for their season opener Saturday at Vanderbilt. Students are invited free of charge. Students are also invited to come listen to the “Lou Holtz Call-In Radio Show,” which will take place at 7 p.m. in the atrium of the arena. Students may enter the arena beginning at 7:30 p.m. and get ready for the main event that begins at 8 p.m. Speakers will include USC President Andrew Sorensen, Athletics Director Mike McGee and USC head football coach Lou Holtz. The 2004 varsity team plans to attend, and a few of the seniors will speak on behalf of the team. The USC band will perform while Gamecock cheerleaders and Cocky entertain the crowd. Head coaches from USC’s other varsity sports will also be in attendance. Fireworks and two special videos will also be shown. Make plans to attend “Salute to Carolina” on Wednesday at the Colonial Center and show your support for the Gamecocks. Quarterbacks shine in final scrimmage The USC football team had a 90-minute scrimmage Friday to prepare for Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks went through the scrimmage just as they would have done on game day. Dondrial Pinkins completed 11 of 13 passes for 188 yards while Syvelle Newton was 4 of 6 for 57 yards and Blake Mitchell was 10 of 12 for 147 yards. Quarterbacks coach Skip Holtz was pleased with the play of his quarterbacks. “The quarterbacks played pretty well in the scrimmage,” Holtz said. “Everything was live and they took a few good hits. I think we have a few good weapons on offense.” De’Adrian Coley, who had been playing linebacker, was moved to defensive end, and defensive coordinator Rick Minter said that has been a positive move. Coley is backing up George Gause at one of the end positions. =1 CASH FOR YOUR NOTES Visit LeConte 117 for more info, or call 777-6142 Office of Student Disability Services - a university sponsored service - SARAH ZILINSKY/THE GAMECOCK Freshman keeper Laura Armstrong makes a save in Friday night’s game versus Georgia State. Armstrong recorded a total of five saves in a shutout in the first start of her career as a Gamecock. ■ SOCCER Continued from page 9 throughout the game, the offensive chemistry stalled at times, leading to missed opportunities in the second half. Sophomore forwards M.A. Foster and Jessi Swaim provided the offensive spark early, creating chances all over the field with inventive play. Freshman Courtney Cobbs capped a solid debut with a great breakaway chance nearing the end of the first half. Panthers goalkeeper Alexa Pasquarelli had a career-high 10 saves on the evening. Despite solid play and chances coming from the front line early, the game’s lone goal came not from a forward, but from right fullback Sarah Lentz moving up from her defensive position to make a brilliant 30-yard strike. “It felt good to put our team on top” the senior co-captain said, “so many times we played so hard and came so close, it was a good feeling.” Lentz was aided on the play with an assist from freshman Ashley Kirk. Two days later, Carolina traveled to James Madison to take on the Dukes in Harrisonburg, Va. In a hard-fought match against a tough squad, the Gamecocks came away with a loss despite a gutsy performance. The Gamecocks rallied twice from a one-goal deficit to force the game into two overtime periods. James Madison junior Kim Argy netted the game winning goal in the 'second overtime, lifting the Dukes to a 3 2 victory. The goal was Argy’s 11th game-winner in her career, moving her to a tie for second place on James Madison’s all-time list. For USC, junior defender Jackie Welch opened up the scoring on a penalty kick after a foul brought down M.A. Foster inside the JMU penalty box. However, the tie was short-lived, as JMU took another one-goal lead just 11 minutes after Welch’s strike. Freshman Courtney Cobbs then continued her hot debut for Carolina by scoring her first collegiate goal in the 83 rd minute following a well-placed through ball by freshman Erin Sullivan. In the end, it was a JMU corner kick with barely 1:30 remaining in the game that gave JMU the victory. The Gamecocks now must travel to Greenville to face in-state rival Furman. The Gamecocks lost last year’s match up in the Graveyard, and are looking to return the favor to a Paladins squad that finished last season at 15-5-2, winning the Southern Conference regular season title. The Lady Paladins are picked to repeat in the SoCon this year after returning nine of 11 starters. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium in Greenville. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockspmts®gwm.sc. edit Triumphant Olympics close with pride, relief By STEVE WILSTEIN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS . ATHENS, Greece — Efharisto! A nervous world learned the Greek word for thank you and repeated it endlessly at an astonishingly successful Athens Olympics that quelled fears, surprised skeptics and honored the birthplace of the games. Efharisto, Athens, for architectural masterpieces of arenas that showcased record performances. The fountain sprays, reflecting pools and soaring arches. The undulating, giant white Wall of Nations that caught the whispering wind, bringing music to our ears and smiles to our faces. Efharisto for the thousands of security forces who stood guard day and night, keeping terrorism away. An undercurrent of danger, a sense of tranquility. We saw guns everywhere, _11 1 • •TtUIVVU 111 pv_CIV.V.. Fireworks and spectacular lighting kicked off the closing ceremony Sunday night, a two-hour extravaganza of folk dancing and music; in the Olympic tradition that summed up the glee and relief the games brought to Greece. Afterward, thousands of athletes marched into Olympic stadium, waving their arms and flags, snapping photos of each other, hugging, and basking in the cheers of 70,000 fans. A full moon lit up the sky, adding an extra sparkle to the night. Not quite as high above the celebration was the white security blimp, keeping a watchful eye on the all the action — as it did throughout the games. “You have won,” International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge told the people, who responded with a roar. “You have won by brilliantly meeting the tough challenge of holding the games.” He was right, even if they started slowly the first week with empty seats and vacant plazas as many Greeks iuuk uicir noiiuays. aiiu iiigmcucu tourists stayed away. The second week saw the games transformed. The Olympic stadium was packed each night for track and field. Basketball, tennis and beach volleyball rocked. There had been no shortage of worries that Athens would not be ready for these games. As. late as March 2000, the IOC considered moving the Olympics out of Greece, possibly to South Korea. “It’s always nice to underpromise and overdeliver,” said Jim Easton, an American IOC vice president. Athletes who finished their events partied, roaming the Plaka, Syntagma and Omonia squares. It w!is Greece at its rollicking best, a spirited fusion of visitors from all countries, and of all colors and ages. It reminded us again, at a time when we need all the reminding we can get, that the Olympics celebrate humanity’s highest aspirations, the universal quest for peace and the exalted qualities of body, mind and spirit that transcend cultures. Efharisto, Athens, for coupling the ancient with the new, putting up with years of jarring construction, spending billions beyond your budget, and giving us a glimpse of your future as a sophisticated, modem city. “The world discovered a new Greece,” said Athens 2004 president Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, who made it all happen with her fierce determination to overcome construction delays and avoid an international humiliation. These games took us to their origin in Olympia, the mythological home of the gods, to watch the shot put, to Marathon to stand on the spot where uic iau: got lib name. We trod like pilgrims to a shrine up the dusty stones of the Acropolis to gaze with awe at the Parthenon. Our imaginations did the rest, letting us feel the spirit of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle; Pericles and Alexander the Great; Hippocrates and Herodotus; Euclid and Pythagoras — that brainy bunch who laid the foundation for our culture. The scourge of sports — steroids, stimulants and other drugs intruded but didn’t spoil the games. A record two dozen athletes were caught, seven lost medals, and there could be more to come. “Each positive test is a bleeping for us because it’s eliminating the cheats and protecting the clean athletes,” Rogge said. “The more we find, the better.” There were scandals and controversies, as always. Greek sprint stars Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou broke then countrymen’s hearts — and angered many — when they pulled out of the games after questions over missed drug tests and a motorcycle crash the night before the opening ceremony. Three gymnastics judges were suspended after it was determined South Korean Yang Tae-young was scored improperly, costing him a gold medal that went to Paul Hamm. Even the final event, the men’s marathon, was marred an hour before the closing ceremony when a defrocked Irish priest bolted from the crowd and grabbed the leader, Brazil’s Vanderlei de Lima, about three miles from the finish. De Lima recovered and finished, but had to settle for a bronze when a protest by his track federation was rejected. These Olympics saw the rise of China as a sports superpower as it positioned itself for the 2008 games in Beijing. The United States, buoyed by the brilliance of swimming star Michael Phelps but embarrassed by the mere bronze of its once-vaunted men’s basketball team, won the most medals. Americans beat their target of 100 by three, 35 of them gold. The cauldron of the Olympic Flame was slowly lowered, symbolically lighting the torches to be carried around the world to the next Summer Games. At 10:48 p.m., Athens’ flame was extinguished, singers took the stage and volleys of fireworks arain lit up the sky. And, fence more, Athens, Efharisto! PAUL CHIASSON/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Fireworks light up the Olympic stadium Sunday during closing ceremonies of the Olympic Summer Games in Athens, Greece.