Spinnaker [Distributed: Wednesday, October 18, 2006]

There is only a handful of moments in history when both sports and politics have crossed paths, and sometimes even collided.

People sometimes recall the Cold War tension between the United States and what was formerly known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) that trickled into Olympic competitions. Some people may even vaguely recall the image of Olympic track runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists in support of the Black Panthers at the 1968 Summer Olympics.

Currently, sports fans seem to focus all of their interest and concern on athletes using illegal substances to gain any type of edge over their opponents. Rarely do people recall the times when women were discriminated against, particularly when it came to equal access in higher education, athletics, equal opportunities and fair treatment.

In 1972, the U.S. Department of Labor passed the education amendment now known as Title IX. Before Title IX was passed, women did not have equal access to sports facilities, equipment and even athletic training. Schools had disproportionate ratios of men's sports versus women's, and facilities such as practice fields and even locker rooms were non-existent forcing the few female athletes in college sports to change in the nearest women's restrooms.

The lack of recognition and facilities not only applied to athletics, but even academics. Older, historic universities often have original blueprints of academic buildings where the only women's restroom was located directly across the hall from the administrative offices for the secretary to use. Colleges and universities once limited the opportunities and admissions of female students despite having adequate requirements and test scores.

"We have a Title IX committee here at UNF," said University of North Florida Associate Athletic Director Kathy Klein. "The committee makes sure that we [the athletics department] comply."

According to Klein, since UNF was founded in 1972, the same year as Title IX, the athletics department has not had any serious issues like non-compliance or NCAA regulations.

"We're fortunate enough to still be a relatively young university," said Klein. Recent controversies over Title IX include a government clarification that has many Title IX supporters concerned. The Department of Education now wants female athletes to provide proof that they continue to remain interested in athletics while male athletes do not have to provide the same evidence. If for any reason a student does not respond, it is then considered a lack of interest.

Sports fans may also believe that Title IX limits the amount of opportunities and sports provided for male athletes. In actuality, Title IX creates equality for both men's and women's sports. When men's programs are cut, they are usually done as an effort to meet budget constraints. Looking at the Atlantic Sun Conference, there are eight men's soccer teams compared 10 women's soccer teams while men's golf has 10 teams compared to nine women's teams.

Athletic scholarships are proportioned according to the ratio of female to male athletes. If a college were to have 100 female athletes and 120 male athletes with a scholarship budget of $100,000, a fair scholarship ratio would be $45,000 for female athletes and $55,000 for male athletes.

"We have to make sure the resources are there for women," said Dr. Anita Vorreyer, director of the UNF Women's Center. "That also includes equal access and resources for travel."

Groups who have shown support for Title IX range all the way from the Girl Scouts of the United States of America and Girls Incorporated to the American Civil Liberties Union and Equal Rights Advocates.

When asked about possible reasons why students are un-aware of Title IX, Vorreyer had possible insights.

"The first thing that's said when we enter this world is the gender that we're born with," said Vorreyer. "It's to the point now where we don't even think about it. We don't think about the issues of equity or leadership and people need to broaden what they look at as far as equality for both race and gender."

Volleyball takes Rumble point against city rival

The University of North Florida volleyball team went head-to-head against the Jacksonville University Dolphins Oct. 14 in a Sun Trust River City Rumble battle. The Ospreys pulled through with a victory over the Dolphins 23-30, 30-13, 31-29, 30-27.

"It is always good to win," UNF Head Coach Bryan Bunn said. "Winning conference matches is important and we need to get on a roll here to stay in the conference race."

The Ospreys, who are now 2-1 in conference play, came back into the Rumble match after struggling through the first game. The team hit .300 in the second game, with just three errors, bringing the Ospreys back on track.

"I thought our reserves really stepped up and gave us a lift," Bunn said. "Bary [Rasmussen] came in and played really well, and Claire [Yonutas] served well. All of those were key to us getting the win."

Other Ospreys who soared during the game were juniors Maegan Weisert and Amy Stroder, who tallied double-doubles during the match. Weisert had 14 kills and 12 digs, while Stroder added 13 kills and 18 digs, a career high.

Rasmussen also recorded two career highs during the match, finishing with 11 kills and eight blocks. Senior Jenna Thomas added 52 assists, while marking 15 digs against the Dolphins.

"We are always excited about playing JU," Bunn said. "It is a great rivalry and they are a strong program in our conference."

The Ospreys meet up for one more Rumble Nov. 9.

"It's a great rivalry," Thomas said. "I'm sure another competitive match will unfold as we travel to JU for the next 'rumble'."

The team now has other conference matches ahead. The Ospreys will host Mercer University Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. and Stetson University Oct. 21 at 3 p.m. Both games are free and open to UNF fans.

"We're looking forward to the support of our loyal and vocal fans," Thomas said.

Contest aims to drive school spirit

Athletics is raffling off the lease to a car for committed student fans

The University of North Florida's athletics department is boosting Osprey pride with the help of Coggin Pontiac and Coca-Cola who are sponsoring a lease on a new Pontiac G6.

From Oct. 13 to Feb. 24, the athletics department will promote 36 games in nine different sports: women's volleyball, swimming and diving, baseball, and men's and women's soccer, tennis and basketball teams.

"We are trying to make it fun for everyone to come to the games," said Elliot Darkatsh, director of marketing and promotions.

North Florida students who attend each game will have the chance to register to win the car lease before half time. At the end of each game, a student's name will be drawn as one of 42 semifinalists.

Semifinalists will receive a case of Coca-Cola and the grand prize will be awarded at the last men's home basketball game Feb. 24 against Belmont University.

Students can increase their chances of winning by attending multiple events on the Osprey calendar. Announcements for the most recent finalists and next home games can be found at www.unfospreys.com.

The women's soccer match against Stetson University Oct. 19 at 3 p.m. will provide the next opportunity for a semifinalist.

All 42 semifinalists will be personally invited to the Belmont game for the final drawing. North Florida students who attend the game can still enter the contest, because the athletics department will draw an additional five "last chance" registrations.

The final four will each be presented with a key during halftime where they will be given a random order to try to start the car. The winner of the lease will have the correct key.

"This isn't an impossible thing," Darkatsh said. "Someone is going to win the car."

Students who wish to see the Pontiac G6 can find it parked by the arena fountain. The grand prize will remain there for the duration of the contest.

Athletes chat with fans

Have you ever wondered what was going through an athlete's mind as you watched he or she shoot the wining goal? Or maybe you wondered if they could really hear you shouting on the sidelines. Whatever the reason, through the athletic department's online chat campaign, fans can now ask any question that they have for University of North Florida athletes.

"This year, one of our focuses is to get a face to our student athletes," said Tom Strother, media relations director. "We want to be less focused on wins and losses and more on the character of the athletes."

The monthly feature will highlight different student-athletes, as well as coaches and staff, for an hour chat-session. Questions can be submitted through the North Florida athletic Web site.

The first athlete to participate in the session was senior volleyball player, Emily Kohler, who said the chat was a lot of fun.

"Someone asked me about being motivated to grab the basketball rim at practice," Kohler said. "It was the highlight of my career. Grant Hill of the Magic asked me to do it again because he missed it the first time."

The sessions will continue Wed. Oct. 18, when head basketball coaches Matt Kilcullen and Mary Tappmeyer hit the online chat

Soccer plays up and down against conference foes

Weekend yields Lipscomb win, Belmont loss

The University of North Florida men's soccer team continued its conference schedule with games against conference foes Lipscomb University and Belmont University at the UNF Soccer Stadium Oct. 12 and 14.

The Ospreys got their first win in the Atlantic Sun Conference and their first overall win since Labor Day weekend against Lipscomb with a score of 1-0.

The goal came in the 59th minute after freshman Connor Sheehan passed to fellow freshman Chris Merritt for the goal to take the lead.

Freshman goal keeper Taylor Unsinger made his second career start for UNF and came up with four saves in the winning effort.

Two days later, UNF had yet another conference match up against the Belmont Bruins during Family Fest weekend.

The University of North Florida suffered its fourth conference loss of the season (1-4) as they fell to the Bruins 2-0.

The Ospreys had just five total shots in the game, with four of them coming from the combination of sophomore Shareef Rajkumar and Sheehan.

Unsinger made two saves for the Ospreys against Belmont .

With this conference split, UNF's record now moves to 3-9-1 overall and 1-4 in conference.

In the Osprey Spotlight: Athletic Director, Richard Gropper

Every time any team takes the field no matter their record, no matter the talent, there is always one man backing his school.

That man at the University of North Florida is Athletic Director Dr. Richard Gropper.

Gropper began his career at Miami-Dade Community College, the largest community college in the nation, and was in charge of many different positions, including assistant athletic director.

After his stint there, he was hired by Florida International University in Miami and was part of another successful move from Division II to Division I in 1988.

Gropper was then hired by the UNF in 1994 to be the director of athletics.

Gropper, who is now entering his 12th year on the job, has many things to be proud of.

Gropper's son Michael, a freshman baseball player at UNF, continues to put a Gropper family flair on UNF athletics.

"My proudest moment as the AD here at UNF has to be the successful move from Division II to Division I," Gropper said.

Though it was a 10-year process, according to Dr. Gropper, it was a successful move and one that he said he sees as very beneficial not only to the athletic program, but also to the university.

During the 10 years that UNF was at the Division II level, it was more than successful.

The University of North Florida produced winning records in almost every sport and competed for conference championships on a yearly basis.

They even participated in the Final Four baseball series in 2004, making it to the Division II College World Series.

Under Gropper, UNF has also added a number of facilities including a 9,000-seat soccer stadium. It is in the beginning stages of being upgraded after a $2 million donation from George and Kernan Hodges, and will then be renamed Hodges Stadium after the completion of the project in the fall of 2008.

Now, in its second year of a five-year transition into Division I, all 17 UNF athletic teams are improving, and each team's individual schedules are getting tougher as well, thanks to Gropper and the athletic program.

The athletic director answered questions of all students and faculty on the University of North Florida athletic website. Questions of what goes on behind the scenes are welcomed by the athletic director.

From the Cheap Seats

Official sportsmanship code of conduct:

"The Atlantic Sun Conference promotes good sportsmanship by student-athletes, coaches and spectators. We ask your cooperation by supporting the participants and officials in a positive manner. Profanity, racial or sexist comments, or other intimidating actions directed at officials, student-athletes, coaches or team representatives will not be tolerated and are grounds for removal from this site of competition. Items prohibited include all artificial noisemakers."

Now that that's out of the way, here are some ways in which you can still get in the opponent's head to create a home field advantage ... this is your unofficial, off the record guide to heckling, I mean, cheering. (Wink, wink):

To successfully "cheer" at a sporting event, you must first realize that as fans you are partly responsible for the outcome of home games.

The coaches and players have most of the impact on the game, but it is your cheering that helps determine whether we win or lose.

Occasionally, when a team is not playing well, the crowd may become complacent. Do not fall with them.

Instead, turn up the volume - accept full responsibility for getting neighboring fans going again. Some people like to make up creative things to say, others just like deep guttural sounds. Use the game-day program or media guide to get inside dirt on the opposing team.

While it's true you are mainly using your voice, you also have hands and feet, so clapping and stomping is encouraged. It's also fun to "call" an air-ball every time they shoot the ball. When it actually happens, everyone around you will pat you on the back for calling it. When the other team is on the free throw line, you should be yelling and distracting. In overtime, your goal should be to lose your voice.

On the other side of the coin, when we're on the line, it should be as quiet as if Tiger Woods is putting for birdie.

If you are fortunate enough to be in earshot of the opposing bench, you have a great responsibility. Focus on getting their attention and rattle them, but have some couth.

Some simple and effective ways to find cheering material are movies, TV and songs. For instance: "Hey, 22! I'm bigger than you, I'm higher on the food-chain . . . Get in my belly!" Heckling is basically a do-your-own-thing kind of deal, but the more creatively funny, the better. Just find your groove, and the words will come to you.

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

Print Edition

SPORTS

Working toward an even playing field

Volleyball takes Rumble point against city rival

Contest aims to drive school spirit

Athletics is raffling off the lease to a car for committed student fans

Athletes chat with fans

Soccer plays up and down against conference foes

Weekend yields Lipscomb win, Belmont loss

In the Osprey Spotlight: Athletic Director, Richard Gropper

From the Cheap Seats

Men's and Women's basketball teams introduced to the flock

Sports in Brief

Basketball picked top ten in preseason polls

Flight Schedule

Osprey Scoreboard

River City Rumble