Spinnaker [Distributed: Wednesday, September 20, 2006]

Silence has filled the courts and fields over the past few weeks at the University of North Florida, as teams have traveled across the state and country to compete in the 2006 season. The soccer team traveled to Alabama and South Carolina, the volleyball team played in North Carolina, even the cross country team left Jacksonville to run in Gainesville at the Gator Invitational.

Though the UNF fields have sat still, the scenes on the buses have shown life at its fullest.

Laughter, shouting, an occasional snore; if someone videoetaped the happenings on the Osprey buses, this and more, are what they would encounter. Life on the long road trips is full of flavor and unexpected events.

Senior soccer player, Lisa Taylor, commented on the recent adventures of the team's plane trip to Alabama.

"Excitement and adventures seemed to follow the team wherever we went," Taylor said. "At our layover in Atlanta, we landed with two minutes to make the next plane in a different terminal. I guess a pre-game warm-up sprint through the airport never hurt anybody, except maybe the poor people in our way. Imagine 22 screaming girls trying to squeeze their way through the closing doors of a concourse train."

The trip was also complete with a team ritual.

"Catchphrase always turns into a heated battle," Taylor said. "A team ritual, it's all our team needs to be entertained."

Amidst the running and card playing, the Ospreys also attacked the soccer field, taking home the tournament champion title. The team defeated the University of South Alabama and Nicholls State University to claim the tournament trophy.

"We brought home a new addition to our team, Mr. Trophy," Taylor said. "Everyone loved it in the airports, especially the security guard."

Other victorious Ospreys on the road were the members of the volleyball team, who traveled to North Carolina to play in the UNC Charlotte Classic. Though different than the soccer team's trip, the Ospreys ran into their own team experience on the road.

"During that trip, we had amazing plays on the court," senior volleyball player Emily Kohler said. "Allison [O'Neill] kicked a blocked ball perfectly to me for the set, letting me kill it for the point. Another time I jumped up, realizing the ball was going out and, split-second decision, I just caught it. The team still gives me grief about my interception."

Off the court the team bonded through board game championships and a Sudoku party during the long trip back.

"The road warriors returned," senior player Jenna Thomas said. "Our bus pulled into the UNF parking lot at roughly 5 a.m. and, as always, it was great to be back home."

Thomas shares the thoughts of many other athletes, who eagerly a wait their own beds.

"It's usually already Sunday night by the time we get home," junior tennis player Leonardo Gomes said. "Whenever we get back and are already so tired is my least favorite part of the trip."

Other negatives of a weekend on the road are missing Friday classes, not getting any sleep for fear of missing the action or story of the year, and the room, or lack there of, on the buses.

"My least favorite part is the feeling you get in your legs after being cooped up in the bus," junior cross country runner Nathan Holden said. "The feeling doesn't help you at all come race day."

However the positive aspects of team bonding and camaraderie outlook anything negative. With hours together on a bus, topics of discussion range from any and everything and this, according to many UNF athletes, can be the best part of the weekend trip.

"Spending time with my teammates and coaches is my favorite part," Gomes said. "We have a lot of fun on the trips. We spend so much time in the van that we end up talking about everything."

The cross country team agreed."Our favorite part of being on team road trips is the camaraderie," Holden said. "It's just fun to sit around and talk about a bunch of randomness or whatever the topic may be."

No matter the ups and downs of the trip, each team has the same goal once they reach their destination: to win. So far the Ospreys have achieved their goals, many posting winning records.

From the Cheap Seats

My wife used to be an avid sports fan, and we came to this realization the other night while watching football. She used to identify herself as a full-blooded Purdue Boilermaker and a Chicago White Sox and Bears fan. Unfortunately, she has been turned off by sports lately ever since pro athletes like Terrell Owens, Randy Moss and other obnoxious spoiled brats graced our television set.

I can't say I blame her - they don't exactly paint a positive picture of today's sports industry. Pro athletes are now making obscene amounts of money, while the true role models in "real life" professions sometimes have to scrape to get by. Who's to blame for the way society has spun out of control? Many athletes tend to feel entitlement, since they are coddled from an early age the moment they show some gifted abilities whether it be from parents, teachers, justice system, "friends," etc.

However, it can't just be the athletes. This country was built on capitalism, and they are simply getting the most they can get in their very short careers. After all, sports is entertainment, and they are paid to entertain the public.

The franchise owners definitely have some fiscal responsibility here, to keep their wallets closed when high priced free agents come knocking, asking for outrageous contracts. The market will always dictate player value; you are worth what someone is willing to pay you. Are the sports agents culpable? No, they are simply the middlemen, and an easy scapegoat for the mess we're in now. Where does that leave us?

I like to counter with the positive stories of self-less athletes giving back, like Warrick Dunn and Derrick Brooks. Reggie Bush's heart was in the right place when he offered to give a portion of his jersey sales to Hurricane Katrina efforts. It was a really cool gesture for the NY Giants to all wear FDNY and NYPD ball caps on the sidelines as a Sept. 11 tribute. Barry Zito of the Oakland A's has started a great program called "Strikeouts for Troops," where many baseball players donate money for every statistic gained to war-wounded soldiers. But for every positive story we hear about, the national media gravitates towards five negative stories. Why?

Sadly, the true answer to the blame question turns back to ourselves, the sports fans. We are thoroughly entertained by the most outrageous and obnoxious behaviors (regardless of ethical or moral values), and the national media feeds off this hunger in this sensationalized information overload era. As long as we let them, we will be led like sheep to the hungry wolf. That's why we will always see stories of what Terrell Owens had for breakfast this morning before riding his bike. We watch like we're hoping for the proverbial train wreck, waiting to see when and where his star will fall. It's a shame that real human interest stories just aren't interesting anymore.

The opinions offered here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the university or its Athletics Dept.

In the Osprey Spotlight: Soccer player, Michael Frost

Despite tearing his ACL during the 2005 season, the Osprey goalkeeper is back on the field

While some people might roll over and give up after tearing a knee ligament, men's soccer junior goalkeeper, Michael Frost, saw it only as a challenge.

Frost's season was cut short when his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tore with just four games left in the season, one of them being against cross-town rival Jacksonville University.

Through his tough time, Frost was able to prevail with the help of his teammates, friends and family.

"The boys on the team got me through it," Frost said. "Also, the coaches speaking to my family back at home made me confident I'd be able to recover. You just need to look at it as a challenge. The guys in the training room, Mark, Jim and Big Jon were pretty patient with me and were willing to put in the same hours that I was."

Although he was confident he would be returning, it was hard for Frost to sit back and watch the action from the sidelines.

"It was very difficult. I missed the last four games of the season including a road trip to Tennessee," Frost said. "Not being on the trip with the boys was tough and missing the last game at Jacksonville University really hurt."

After tearing his ACL, Frost had no doubts that he would be back on the field blocking soccer balls from hitting the back of the net.

"Most athletes my age can come back normally within nine months," he said. "The thing you tend to worry about is tearing the same knee again. That was my big concern." The goalkeeper is back in action this season and has much to look forward to.

"As a team, I am excited to see us improve on last season and to get the job done in close games which we struggled doing last year. Individually, I just look forward to each and every game," says Frost.

At a game against Missouri State University. Frost grabbed five saves during 95 minutes of play. His stops assisted in the Osprey's shut-out.

Frost also tallied three saves when the Ospreys faced off against the University of Central Arkansas. The Ospreys lost the match but Frost was able to keep the score 3-2.

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Frost enjoys doing anything that takes very little physical activity in his free time.

He also enjoys the best nightlife that Jacksonville has to offer, listening to Aussie music and giving plenty of "stick,"slang for teasing, to the other boys on the team, particularly his German teammate because he can't speak English.

As a young child, Frost looked up to many athletes.

"I could reel off a list of Australian Rugby League players no one ever heard of but there's probably not much point," Frost said. "Hopefully someone has heard of Eric Cantona and Peter Schmeichel, two Manchester United legends."

Frost will head out on the field Sept. 24, defending the goal from any oncoming shots from Longwood University. The game begins at 1 p.m.

An international flair on tennis

Bryan Bunn

University of North Florida tennis players are calling Jacksonville their home away from home, after leaving their families from varied locations around the world. Of the 19 Osprey players, 13 hail from outside of Florida: eight on the men's team and five on the women's. The group ranges from countries in South America to Israel.

With such a high number, the question arises about how these players arrive to Jacksonville and settle at the University of North Florida. Why play tennis in the United States? The answer to that question, according to freshman Ben Smith, lies in the seriousness of collegiate athletics.

"The college program in America is much better," Smith said. "Tennis is big in London but the university teams are not as serious."

Smith joins players from Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic, Mexico and Israel, all eager for the competitiveness of Division I tennis. The piles of audition videos sent into Head Coach Igal Buberman from players around the world showcase the interest from international players.

"The recruiting process involves just as many players coming to us, as us going to them," Assistant Coach Julie Stoppelli said. "We receive lots of e-mails, phone calls, even letters and video clippings of interested players."

The coaching staff also travels to watch the playing ability in action.

"We recently went to Mexico," Stoppelli said. "We watched the final rounds of the Mexican Nationals. It helps to see them actually play."

Many of the recruited players also receive financial aid to assist them in the American dream.

Like any other university sport, athletic aid is awarded to a large number of the teams, as well as national funding from the players' home countries.

Students from America also receive scholarships from UNF, and are as highly recruited as the rest. The outcome delivers a diversified team, complete with varied backgrounds and experiences.

Ospreys to face rival dolphins

The first River City Rumble point is up for grabs for 2006-2007 season

The women's soccer teams of Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida are getting ready for the second annual SunTrust River City Rumble they will play at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22 at JU.

Both the JU Dolphins and the UNF Ospreys earned a pair of wins last weekend.

The Dolphins won their Friday night match-up against Elon University 3-2 and then won their Sunday game against the University of Baltimore-Maryland County 2-0.

The Ospreys also played Friday, winning 2-1 against the College of Charleston in South Carolina and then playing a shut-out game against South Carolina State University Sunday with a score of 5-0.

Senior Osprey midfielder Courtney Forson scored three goals over the weekend, two of which came against SCSU.

The Ospreys lost to JU last year 2-1. Not only is the game vital for River City Rumble standings, but it is also the first game of the Atlantic Sun Conference season for both teams.

With a deep bench and regular rotations of players, Coach Mike Munch and the Ospreys have a long list of players who could possibly make major contributions to a winning game.

Players that could make an impact include offensive most valuable player honoree, freshman forward Katelin Swift. Fellow teammates who also distinguished themselves earning all-tournament team honors at the KELME Port City Classic include Jessica Ericksen, Amanda Wallace and Elizabeth Gowan.

For the Ospreys to win, it will be about ball control, both efficient ball movement and passing and continuously attacking the goal.

On paper, the Ospreys have all the advantages of taking the game against the JU Dolphins.

Sophomore goalie Rachael Howard has already collected her second shut-out game of the season and with strong defensive plays, the Dolphins could have a hard time getting anything to net.

For the Dolphins, there's also the added factor of home-field advantage. The last Dolphins game had an attendance of 267 fans with a home-field average attendance of 200.2 fans.

Print Edition

SPORTS

On the road again

From the Cheap Seats

In the Osprey Spotlight: Soccer player, Michael Frost

Despite tearing his ACL during the 2005 season, the Osprey goalkeeper is back on the field

An international flair on tennis

Bryan Bunn

Ospreys to face rival dolphins

The first River City Rumble point is up for grabs for 2006-2007 season

Sports in Brief

Forson named Atlantic Sun Player of the Week

Cross country places top-10 in Gator Invitational

Mascot try-outs postponed due to lack of auditions

Men's soccer prepares for season home opener

Flight Schedule

Osprey Scoreboard

Intramurals