The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 14, 2005, Page 11, Image 11
Volleyball takes one more loss
with coach’s unexpected bow-out
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CHARLIE DAVENPORT/THE GAMECOCK
Volleyball coach Kim Hudson huddles with her team during a match
this season. Hudson coached the Gamecocks for 12 seasons.
By MIQUELJACOBS
STAFF WRITER
Former USC football coach Lou
Holtz is not the only coach out of the
door as the Carolina community
accepted another resignation from a
first-class head coach. Kim Hudson,
mentor of the volleyball team,
announced her resignation Thursday
afternoon in an unexpected twist to
conclude the season. After 12 years
guiding the Gamecocks, Hudson
departs as the school’s all-time
winningest coach with 226 victories.
The decision to resign was not one
that was foreshadowed or expected. As
last season’s team had no seniors on the
roster, there was plenty of optimism
regarding the state of the team.
However, that opportunity will be dealt
to another coach, one whose first action
as coach will be to check the morale of
the players.
Team captain Sarah Morgan, a
junior outside hitter, responded to the
resignation as caught off guard by the
decision. Speaking for herself, she did
not believe that any players knew of the
upcoming decision.
“I was surprised. I don’t think that
anyone had any idea,” Morgan said.
Following successful stints at West
Texas State, Northern Arizona, and
Carolina, Hudson commented that
while she enjoyed coaching and being
around players, it was time to tend to
the goals that she had been neglecting
while coaching. She thanks the
administration, the fans, and USC
athletics director Mike McGee for their
continued support throughout her time
at Carolina.
“I cannot say enough good things
about the University of South
Carolina,” Hudson said. “Coaching
here has been a terrific experience. I
could not have asked for better
support from the administration and
fans.
I have other goals that have been
neglected over the years and it is time
to focus on achieving those goals and
challenges. It truly has been a great ride
at Carolina. It’s been a great place to
work.”
Carolina sports information
reported in late November the dismissal
of players Katelyn Panzau and Caitlin
Withers after an unspecified violation of
team rules. Morgan reaffirmed
Hudson’s remarks and ruled out team
problems as having an affect on the
decision.
“Her decision to leave was entirely
based on personal reasons. There were
things that she wanted to do and we
support her. The team new why (the
players were dismissed) and it was a
decision that we understood.”
The South Carolina volleyball
program flourished under the
guidance of Hudson, a former SEC
Coach of the Year. Taking over in
1993, she guided the Gamecocks to six
NCAA Tournament appearances.
Carolina only had one appearance
before then.
“Kim Hudson has done a terrific job
as our volleyball coach,” USC Athletic
Director Mike McGee said. “She took
over a program that was down and
brought it to a high level of
respectability not only in the SEC, but
. nationally, as well. On behalf of
Gamecock athletics, I’d like to thank her
for a job well done and we wish her all
the best.”
Next season’s team returns three
seniors, four juniors, and three
sophomores, a core group of players with
intentions to regain the elite status
established by Hudson. Despite being
surprised by the loss of the coach, Morgan
hopes that the team takes the positive
experiences learned from Hudson and
relays them into success next season.
“I don’t anticipate anyone leaving,”
Morgan said, noting that the team
hasn’t met since the decision has been
made. “(Coach Hudson) was a great
teacher, not only on the court but off
the court. She was a mentor and a great
person to be around. It’s (upsetting)
that Nicole Miller and I won’t be able
to play our last years with her because
of who she was. We’re going to miss
her.”
Comments on this story ? E-mail
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MLB revamps policies
By BOB BAUM
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — With some
of its biggest stars under suspicion and
lawmakers demanding action, Major
League Baseball adopted a tougher
steroid-testing program that will
suspend first-time offenders for 10 days
and randomly testi players year-round.
The agreement was hailed by baseball
management and its union Thursday as
a huge step forward but was criticized by
some as not going far enough because
the penalties are less harsh than those in
Olympic sports and amphetamines were
not banned.
“I’ve been saying for some time that
my goal for this industry is zero
tolerance regarding steroids,”
commissioner Bud Selig said.
A first positive test would result in a
penalty of 10 days, a second positive test
in a 30-day ban, a third positive in a 60
day penalty, and a fourth positive test in
a one-year ban — all without pay. A
player who tests positive a fifth time
would be subject to discipline
determined by the commissioner.
“It’s more for our protection than
anything else,” Boston pitcher Tim
Wakefield said.
Under the previous agreement, a first
positive test resulted only in treatment,
and a second positive test was subject to
a 15-day suspension. Only with a fifth
positive test would a player subject to a
one-year ban.
No player was suspended for steroid
use in 2004, the first season of testing
with penalties.
“We’re acting today to help restore
the confidence of our fans,” Selig said.
Since the old agreement was reached
in 2002, baseball has come under
increased scrutiny about steroids.
Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary
Sheffield testified before a federal grand
jury investigating the Bay Area
Laboratory Co-Operative known as
BALCO. President Bush mentioned the
steroid problem in last year’s State of the
Union address.
“1 will be surprised if over time this
doesn’t take care of the problem virtually
completely,” union head Donald Fehr
said, speaking by telephone from Los
Angeles.
“I just hope it’s the Cadillac of all
policies because that’s what major league
baseball needs. There’s no doubt we
have a problem,” St. Louis Cardinals
manager Tony La Russa said.
The old deal wasn’t due to expire
until December 2006, but the union
took the rare step of renegotiating a
major section of its labor contract. The
new rules run until December 2008.
“It appears to be a significant
breakthrough,” Sen. John McCain said
in Washington.
McCain, who had threatened
baseball with legislation, said that is no
longer necessary, though he would have
preferred a 10- to 15-game suspension
for a first offense and a permanent ban
for multiple positive tests.
“I would have liked to see
amphetamines added to this list,”
McCain said.
Health and Human Services
Secretary Tommy Thompson
commended players and owners.
“Not only is this good for the game
and for the sport in general, but
professional athletes are role models to
millions of youth and aspiring athletes
across the country,” Thompson said,
“and this step shows that the long-term
health consequences do not outweigh
any short-term gain.”
Still, it wasn’t good enough for
World Anti-Doping Agency chairman
Dick Pound, a member of the
International Olympic Committee since
1978.
“Basically, instead of havirjg to hold
up the liquor store five times before you
get a one-year suspension, you only have
to hold it up four times,” he said. “But at
least there’s some penalty incurred the
first time that you’re tested, and that’s a
step forward.”
In addition to one mandatory test
each season, players will be randomly
selected for additional tests, with no
limit on the number, and for the first
time will be subject to random tests
during the offseason. In addition,
diuretics and many steroid precursors
were added to the banned list.
However, WADA’s Dr. Gary Wadler
called the new policy “somewhat
disingenuous” and “a Band-Aid.”
As in the previous deal, a player
who tests positive will be targeted for
more tests along with those who
within the previous 12 months give a
joint management-union panel reason
to determine there is “reasonable
cause.”
Wadler specifically criticized the
failure to address amphetamines, which
many in baseball consider to be a far
greater problem than steroids.
“Amphetamines, better known as
'greenies,’ have a long tradition in
baseball,” Wadler said. “For them not to
ban it raises questions.”
The issue of amphetamines came up
during the talks between owners and
players, said Rob Manfred,
management’s chief labor negotiator.
“Our focus, as Don said, was really
performance-enhancing substances in
terms of muscle building,” Manfred
said. “Stimulants are a complicated area.
Are they performance enhancing? How
should they be regulated? That’s
something that we’ve put to the health
policy advisory committee to look at
because we weren’t prepared to deal with
it.”
Human growth hormone was added
to a longer list of banned substances, buf
it will be found only when science
determines a way to detect it in urine
samples. Currently, it can be found only
in blood tests, which will not be
conducted in baseball.
“We had a problem and we-dealt
with the problem,” Selig said. “I
regarded this as not only a health issue,
but certainly you could say it was an
integrity issue in this sport.”
The agreement was approved by
owners Thursday but still must be voted
on by players.
1 don t believe it s appropriate to
search anybody_— either his home, or
his garage, or his trunk, or his bladder or
his bloodstream —_without getting a
court order showing probable cause,”
former union head Marvin Miller said.
First-time offenders are suspended
for at least four games in the NFL and
for five games in the NBA. WADA’s
code, which has been adopted by most
Olympic sports, says the “norm” is two
year bans for a first positive test and a
lifetime ban for a second, unless there
are mitigating circumstances.
Selig would not address what action
baseball would take, if any, against
players who had been found to be
using steroids in the past. Baseball
officials have said repeatedly that they
didn’t plan to penalize players for
admissions of use prior to September
2002, when the initial agreement took
effect.
“I have consistently said we’re not
going to engage in any conjecture,” Selig
said. “There has been a lot of conjecture
but there have been no players that have
been convicted of anything.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu
Briefs
Carolina goalkeeper
to go professional
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan has
decided to forgo his final two years of
eligibility at USC and will turn pro.
Guzan has signed an MLS contract
and will become part of a group of
developmental players entering the
league. Developmental players do not
count against a team’s roster or salary
cap. The 6-foot-4-inch standout was
in California on Jan. 8-11 for the
MLS Player Combine.
Guzan was named to College
Soccer News’ All-Freshman team last
season after starting every game and
posting eight shutouts. As a
sophomore, Guzan was named
second-team All-American and was
one of 15 semifinalists for the
Hermann Trophy, given to the
nation’s top college soccer player.
MLS holds its SuperDraft today at
noon. It will be broadcast live on Fox
Sports World.
■ BASEBALL
Continued from page 10
of the majors with second round pick
Kurt Suzuki from Cal State Fullerton.
Melillo and Powell are set to play for
the Stockton Ports (High A) but look
for them to end their season with the
AA Midland (TX) Rockhounds.
Don’t miss parts two and three of
this series to find out where the rest of
the draft classes of 2004, 2003 and 2002
have ended up.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu
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