Spinnaker [Distributed: Wednesday, September 27, 2006]

"I hate to lose more than I like to win."

Losing is not something 28-year-old Courtney Shealy is easily accustomed to - a mindset that is already rubbing off on members of the University of North Florida women's swim team.

It could be the fact that she's won two Olympic gold medals, competed in both volleyball and swimming at the University of Georgia and won NCAA Co-Female Swimmer of the Year in 2000. Or that she managed to graduate cum laude in 4-and-a-half years. Whatever the reason, the swim team is rising to the occasion of being coached by a former Olympian.

Having an Olympic gold medalist on the pool deck has helped the team strive toward a tougher work ethic, senior Chelsea Lewis said.

Lewis, this year's team captain, said she can tell the team, as a whole, is working harder than last year. "Knowing she's won gold medals and that she's watching us makes us want to work and push harder," she said. "She's a great role model."

Shealy's accomplishments don't stop at the pool. Throughout college, she competed in both volleyball and swimming, becoming the first Division I athlete to participate in two sports in the same day. And she spent four years attending swim practice in the mornings and volleyball practice in the afternoons.

Now she is exploring careers geared toward the business side of sports and gaining experience coaching college swimming alongside head coach Beth Harrell.

"It seems Beth is already rubbing off on her [Courtney]," senior Loran Roycraft said. "She [Courtney] is developing a coaching style similar to Beth, and practices are really becoming intense.

The rest of the women's swim team coaching staff need not be overlooked. Diving coach Melisa Hyams took first in the 3-meter diving event in the 1996 Olympic trials and fourth in the event at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. And Harrell once held American Records in the 200-free relay and 50-butterfly.

Shealy said she is looking forward to helping the team achieve best times and develop good team chemistry. But when she's not coaching, she looks forward to working in the developmental office with Associate A.D. of External Affairs, Rick Granger.

Before coming to UNF, Shealy acted as a motivational speaker for NCAA, Coca-Cola and Arby's. She has spent hundreds of hours speaking to children about hard work and goals. Her drive led to her being the youngest recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the most prestigious award given to civilians in the state.

Shealy is currently engaged to be married and is working on obtaining University of Florida vs. University of Georgia football tickets. Here's what she has to say about college athletics:

What is your advice to college athletes?
1. Dream big and work hard. Success comes with hard work.
2. Play fair. Don't do drugs, have respect for coaches and teammates.
3. Have fun. You're only half way there when you set your goals. Have fun getting there.

How did you handle competing in two sports in one day?
After swimming in the mornings and practicing with the volleyball team in the afternoons, my body just got used to all of the activity.

Where do you get your competitive drive?
I think it's a personality trait. My parents were both athletes in high school, but they didn't compete in college. They always told me to do my best and didn't push me. I think because I tried to do my best it made me competitive. It was in my personality.

What is your advice to athletes that feel burnt out?
To have a life outside of your sport. Whether it's a second sport, a club or a church group, it's important to know other things besides swimming. That's why so many athletes retire and come back years later. It's because they don't know anything else.

How did you manage to keep your grades up while playing two sports in college?
I went to class and absorbed a lot. I tried to play catch up and stay on top of things. I wrote my papers as soon as they were assigned and studied.

What was it like living with your teammate and Olympian Kristy Kowal [silver medalist in the 200-meter breastroke]?
We had the same goals and were in the same spot, so we had a good support system. We wouldn't let each other give up.

Soccer takes first River City Rumble point

The University of North Florida women's soccer team took home the first point in the River City Rumble standings against their cross-city rival Jacksonville University.

The Ospreys played at JU's Ashley Sports Complex in front of more than 400 fans which were almost evenly split supporting both teams. The Ospreys won the game 3-1 in the first conference game for both organizations. The Ospreys are now 7-1-0 and 1-0 for the Atlantic Sun Conference and the Dolphins are now 5-4-1 for the season and 0-1 in conference standings.

"We got up, and we just got pumped from the beginning," said freshman forward Caitlin Kovacs. "We both wore matching outfits with shirts that had a design we created. We also brought pom-poms and noise makers."

This is the second time the Ospreys and Dolphins have met on the field and the first time the Ospreys came away with a win. Last year, during the River City Rumble's first season, the Dolphins came away with a 2-1 win.

"The biggest motivating factor was talking about last year," said coach Mike Munch, "The team knew that they had to play with more effort in order to win this game."

Fans, family and friends came to fill the stands to capacity to cheer for their respective teams.

The Ospreys jumped to a 1-0 lead off a goal from freshman forward Kaitlin Swift. Kovacs later followed up with a goal of her own with an assist from freshman midfielder Courtney Strickland, making the score 2-0 at the half. The Dolphins then tried to rally from behind scoring their own goal in the second half.

The Dolphins were organizing their plays better before Swift nailed another goal during a penalty kick. Swift narrowly missed her first career hat trick on yet another shot attempt at the goal in the 83rd minute of play.

"It was awesome to play on their field," said Swift. "There was just a lot of energy that helped us during the game. It just felt great to win the game on their field."

In the Osprey Spotlight: Tennis player, Leonardo Gomes

What do you get when you combine a tennis player from Brazil with a guy who's favorite quote is "what's shakin' young buck?" That's right, it's none other than senior tennis player Leonardo Gomes.

Tennis has not always been Gomes's first love, however.

"When I was about nine or 10, I was really into soccer and tennis in Brazil. My dad came up to me and said 'Son, if you want to be good in something, you have to give up one of those sports and take the other one seriously," Gomes said. "At that time, my dad was really into tennis and it seemed like the smartest decision. I quit soccer, although I still love to play, and started to play tennis every single day."

After Gomes dropped soccer, he soon became quite skilled at tennis and even started to win tournaments.

"I won my first state tournament when I was 10 and traveled by myself for the first time when I was 12," he said. "I took a plane from the northeast of Brazil to the capital Brasilia and I was pretty scared, but at that time I knew I wanted to be a tennis player. Since then, my life has been about hitting that little yellow rounded thing."

This being Gomes's fourth year here at the University of North Florida, he has had many highlights on and off the court throughout the years.

"Inside the tennis court, the highlight of my career for sure was the national title match against the University of West Florida in the '04-'05 season," Gomes said. "Too bad we lost, but we finished the year second in the nation in Division II. Outside the court, I have to say it was meeting all different kinds of people these last three years. I met people from every place you can imagine. After I graduate from North Florida, I can pretty much go anywhere for vacation."

Gomes has also had to deal with various injuries this season but he keeps an optimistic attitude.

"I want to finish my last year the best way I can," said Gomes. "I've been having a lot of problems with injuries, but I think if I can overcome that, I can play an unbelievable season. We have a very strong, united, hard working team, and I'm sure we can get anywhere we want."

When Gomes is not hitting that little yellow rounded ball, he enjoys sleeping and resting as much as he can. He also likes to hang out with his friends and girlfriend, listen to good music, go to the beach, eat in good restaurants and watch a comedy movie.

If Gomes could describe himself in one word it would be "adapt."

"Since I turned 14, I had to get used to living away from home, away from close friends and all that stuff," Gomes said. "When I was 18, I moved here and left every member of my family back home. It's hard to live away from those you love the most. I try to go home twice a year, and every time I go home it's like I recharge my batteries. It takes some time, but you end up learning. It is something I recommend for everybody to do. If you have the chance to live in another country for awhile, do it. You learn so much that you have no idea."

The men's tennis team plays in Jacksonville Sept. 30 in the Palencia Invitational.

From the Cheap Seats

The world's game needs to heat the fever in the States

They call it the "beautiful game" in Brazil, known simply around the world as 'futbol'. It's a game that tests endurance, toughness, and patience if you're watching on television.

And it's a game that captured me this summer.

I know I just committed high treason to the football/baseball/basketball brotherhood, but I'm going out on a limb, and if any of you so called "football jocks" want to take me on, bring it, because it simply is the "Best Damn Game in the Land."

I have always maintained that the reason that the United States isn't, and never will be, competitive in world soccer is that our best athletes don't play the game.

Take Terrell Owens, Reggie Bush, Derek Jeter, Mike Modano, Jeff Gordon and Tiger Woods and put them in shin guards, and you've got one leather ball juggernaut, begging the question: Why don't all these stars trade their current professions for the sweat and blood of the soccer field?

Simple: There's no money!!

Sure, Freddy Adu landed his big million-dollar deal and some of the top performers make seven figures, but the vast majority of American soccer players are making minimum professional-athlete wage.

There are no Saturdays or Sundays reserved for games. Broadcast crews normally consist of two commentators, a cameraman and a couple of interns in the broadcast truck.

For Monday night football, ESPN regularly requests in excess of 150 credentials for their broadcast crew.

You see the difference? No exposure = no bucks. So, why would Joe Shortstop want to make minimum wage kicking a ball around when he could go land a $20 million deal with the New York Yankees?

You see my point now. While watching the United States in this summer's World Cup, I became convinced that I was watching the Special Olympic squad.

Our offense consisted of, well, err...we didn't really have one. Really, when your only goal comes against Ghana, you're in trouble. Rife with mistakes, confusion and frustration, the U.S. went home early, and thank God, because it cleared out plenty of air time for some of the most athletic and "beautiful" play I had ever seen. Brazil just made it look so easy. Dribble, dribble, dribble chest it down, head it up, diving saves... wait, this isn't a sport, it's an art, the kind of art that Picasso could only dream about.

In Brazil, Italy, England and other countries around the world, kids learn to dribble before they can even walk, and after watching Fabio, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, you see that it pays dividends, not only in awards and personal acclaim, but in the checkbook as well.

Then there's the passion that fans exude in support, or in opposition to their favorite teams. Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona, Liverpool; all have followings that make your SEC fanbase look like the most conservative altar boys this side of the Atlantic. Disagree? Last time I looked, I didn't see the multitudes of the Gator Nation burning down the Swamp in response to a loss.

Though I must say, if you get about 26 Buckeyes, add a win over Texas and couple of adult beverages, you can get quite a fire going.

But aside from the boys in Columbus, there is no way to compare American sports fandom to the passion that exists around the world for soccer. Hands down, it's the world's game, and we fans here in America can only watch and wait for the fever to hit the States. Just imagine stadiums across the country, packed with millions of fans, with the losers getting chased out as fast as Zinedane Zidane got tossed for his headbutt.

Now that's beautiful...

Print Edition

SPORTS

The Golden Girl

Courtney Shealy brings Olympic gold experience to swim team

Soccer takes first River City Rumble point

In the Osprey Spotlight: Tennis player, Leonardo Gomes

From the Cheap Seats

The world's game needs to heat the fever in the States

Sports in Brief

Men's Soccer falls at season home-opener

Rugby football club stomps Gators

Golf begins season with top-10 finish

Flight Schedule

Osprey Scoreboard

River City Rumble