Spinnaker [Distributed: Wednesday, January 10, 2007]

The start of a new year provides a fresh, clean slate for most people. It is a chance to prove who they really are or improve to be the person they hope to become. This holds true for many athletes at the University of North Florida, who have various resolutions for 2007.

Hitting the books - not just the court
For some athletes, the New Year will be their year in the classroom. Whether to improve grades or maintain them, many resolutions revolve around books and lectures and the hours of studying that come along.

Freshmen swimmers Emily Shaw and Hilary Rivkind both agree that getting the grades is very important to being a well-rounded athlete.

"For the new year, I want to maintain a 3.0 GPA, as well as gain more confidence in my swimming," Rivkind said.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away
For some, health is the No. 1 concern for the New Year and these athletes are making sure they are in top shape for the season.

"My resolution for this year is to get healthy because every bone in my body is hurting right now!" sophomore basketball player Ian Gibson said.

He was joined by freshman teammate Germaine Sparks who said, "Personally I want to get stronger this year, and help my team win conference."

Practice makes perfect
The New Year to some athletes is a chance to improve their skills on the court to help their team in the future.

Freshman Shandrea Moore plans to do just that.

"I want to compete better on the basketball court," she said. "Then I want to help my team win some conference games."

For junior basketball player Arnold Henry, 2007 is the year for challenges.

"My new year resolution is to grab 100 rebounds per game," he said. "Think it's impossible? Nothing is impossible."

Keeping an eye on the prize
Many athletes have made resolutions based on their teams and their performances at conference. For these athletes, winning conference as a team is the goal of their year.

"I know as a team we have all been training very hard over Christmas break, having two practices a day, every day, so I think it would awesome if everybody on our team had a personal best time at our conference meet next month in California," senior swimmer Lindsey McKelvey said. "Personally, I would also like to finish my senior year and my last conference meet off on a good note."

Head women's basketball coach Mary Tappmeyer plans to achieve that goal by working hard every day and staying positive.

Ospreys open year with win at home

The University of North Florida women's basketball team defeated the Campbell University Fighting Camels 59-53, Jan. 4, to win its first Atlantic Sun Conference home game of the season. North Florida competed at home against the Gardner-Webb University Bulldogs but fell short 35-39 Jan. 6.

A minute into the game, Osprey freshman guard Shandrea Moore opened the match with a jump shot to give UNF an early 2-0 edge.

From there, UNF led into a 20-3 run and acquired a 22-5 advantage over the Camels with 7:45 to go in the half. The Ospreys increased their lead to 19 points during the rest of the half, their largest of the game, to surpass the Camels 30-18.

"I think we played hard," freshman forward Shennette Sheffield said. "We had great defensive intensity and forced 20 turnovers."

In the second half, Campbell rallied up a comeback with center Adrienne Reieley.

With less than seven minutes remaining in the game, Reieley scored eight straight points to force a timeout by North Florida. The Ospreys lead dwindled to 50-47 with 4:37 left in the game.

Moore sealed the game for the Ospreys however by scoring two free throws after being fouled by Campbell's Lauren Arthur with 25 seconds left on the game clock. Moore finished the game with 10 points.

After a low 18-point field goal percentage in the first half, Campbell adjusted with a second-half percentage near 42 and outscored UNF 35-29 in the second half.

"I think because we're a young team we dwelled on it [Campbell's second-half run] instead of continuing to go," said senior guard Tamara Hubbard. "We need to play through it and that affected our game."

Hubbard led all players in scoring with a season-high 16 points. Sophomore guard Jennifer Bowen followed, scoring 15 points and five assists.

"The coach said to be aggressive, to score and be confident," Bowen said. "I and the team haven't been in that many late-game situations but it was a team effort."

Sheffield blocked two shots and collected four rebounds, while filling in for injured sophomore center Antoinette Reames.

Osprey sophomore forward Jennifer Guldager contributed seven points and shared a team-high five rebounds with senior point guard Denisia Andrews.

Freshman center Willonda Windham also added three points.

The home win against Campbell ended North Florida's four-game losing streak.

"It was a much needed win at home," said Hubbard.

The Ospreys were unable to repeat the outcome against Gardner Webb, as both teams struggled to find offense.

Hubbard, however, scored a season-high 16 points for the second time, to lead all players in scoring. Gardner-Webb guard Candyse Kelly was the next highest scorer with 10 points.

With points hard to come by, the rebounding battle turned out to be crucial. The Runnin' Bulldogs dominated the glass with 50 rebounds, while the Ospreys finished with a total of 26.

Gardner-Webb University forward Shameka Smith acquired a game-high 14 rebounds while teammate Brittany Harmon followed with 12.

The first half ended with the Ospreys trailing 14-15.

In the second half, UNF regained the lead early with Hubbard's baseline jumper but Gardner-Webb fired back with two consecutive three-pointers to pull away 16-21.

North Florida made a final effort with a three-pointer and a free throw by Hubbard to decrease the Bulldogs lead to 33-37.

The loss brought UNF to 3-10 overall and 2-2 in the A-Sun Conference.

The Ospreys will host Bethune Cookman College in its third consecutive home game Jan. 10 at 7 p.m.

Semester brings new opportunities to the intramural field

The University of North Florida may not have a football team, but it does have a flag football team, and anyone can join.

Flag football is one of several intramural sports that enable students to get exercise and stay involved with school. Intramurals also have a social aspect of which many students may not be aware.

"We want a competitive atmosphere, but we really focus on the social aspect of our sports," said Brian Johnson, intramural sports coordinator.

"Getting involved in intramural sports is a great way to meet new friends."

Flag football is the most popular intramural sport on campus, but it is only one of many different sports offered at UNF. Indoor soccer, dodgeball, ultimate frisbee, basketball and softball are all intramural sports that North Florida students can participate in this semester.

The university offers a men's league, a women's league and a coed league for each sport and different divisions for various experience levels.

As UNF continues to grow, so does its intramural sports program. During the 2005-2006 school year, over 2,000 students participated in an intramural sport. Last semester, a record number of 94 teams signed up to participate in flag football.

Students don't have to have a team to participate, either. The program offers a free-agent feature that allows students to sign up for any sport and be assigned a team.

Students who want to sign up a team can fill out a team entry form and return it to the intramural offices located at the UNF arena in room 1043

Students don't have to play intramural sports to participate either. Students can referee any sport they wish and be trained to do so.

"We offer a training session to students to teach them the basics of the sport they will be refereeing," Johnson said. "We also pay them, so it can be a way to participate in a school activity and make money."

For students looking for less competitive games, there is a new intramural sports program that caters to the average student.

The intramural sports program is offering one-day events for anyone wishing to participate. These events are held on Fridays and are strictly for fun. Some of the one-day events for the spring semester include tennis, homerun derby, kickball, and inner tube water-polo.

"This is just a way for the average student to have some fun, meet new people and get a little exercise," Johnson said.

The University of North Florida may be considered a commuter school without a football team. However, participating in intramural sports provides students an opportunity to show school sprit as a member of UNF's intramural sports program and possibly fill a void that comes with not having a football team.

"Our sports program isn't that great," said Eric Vryante, a junior sport management major. "But intramural sports are a great way to get students involved in school sports."

Men help in advancement of womens' sports

There are hidden aspects the average sports fan may not be aware of, one of which is the use of male practice players on women's athletic teams.

Schools such as Iowa State University, University of Connecticut, and University of Tennessee are just a few of the many that use male practice players for their women's programs - three schools that are well known as powerhouse programs for women's basketball.

Although the position of being a male practice player means no public recognition and no athletic scholarships, practice athletes recognize their role to push female athletes to a higher level of competition. In return, the team is ready to step it up before hitting the court.

Tony Romo, the new starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, is a former male practice player himself. Romo was an undrafted free agent who played for former women's basketball coach, Nancy Lieberman.

Other well known former players include Rick Mahorn, Michael Irvin, Jerry Stackhouse, Grant Hill, Deion Sanders, and Quincy Carter.

Despite these results, the NCAA's Committee on Women's Athletics recommended a ban last month against using male practice players.

The CWA released a statement explaining its position that "any inclusion of male practice players results in diminished participation opportunities for female student-athletes, contrary to the association's principles of gender equity, nondiscrimination, competitive equity and student-athlete well-being."

The CWA fears male practice players take away practice repetitions from the bottom quarter of basketball rosters. They also fear using male practice players violates Title IX, an effort to give equal athletic and academic opportunities to women and men

However, the basis of Title IX is to guarantee equal amounts of scholarships for both. If male practice players receive neither scholarships nor game time, how is it a threat to Title IX?

Although the ban is currently aimed at Division III schools, the fear is that the NCAA will then look at Division II and then Division I schools.

Ask any athlete about what he or she could do to step up his or her level of competition, and many will say playing against someone who is stronger, taller, and faster is the next best thing to a personal trainer. It forces the athlete to focus on fundamentals and in turn makes the athlete a better player, male or female.

These male athletes are giving up their time, effort, sweat, and sometimes injury for the sport. If such a ban were to be enacted, what would stop a female athlete from going to the local recreation center to play a pick-up game against the guys?

Using male practice players is not a secret to many women in sports. Those who are not sports fans may be shocked that after women's rights movements, Title IX, and the advancement of women in the workforce, sports, and society that men are also helping women's causes.

The CWA should recognize it is not always up to one gender to make sports better, it is up to everybody, male and female alike.

Shooting woes from free-throw line bring close loss in Rumble

The University of North Florida Ospreys will continue to look for a win in the Atlantic Sun Conference after a loss to cross-town rival Jacksonville University Dolphins.

The Osprey crowd, which broke school record with 3758 in attendance, watched as the Ospreys struggled at the free throw line. The Ospreys were ahead of the Dolphins in total field goals and 3-point shot attempts but the Dolphins made 73.7 percent to the Osprey's 41.2 percent.

The Dolphins led the second half with 84.6 percent in free throws while the Ospreys made 60 percent from behind the arc.

The largest score difference was a 13 point lead by the Dolphins. With 2:30 minutes left in the game, the Ospreys came within one point, 54-53.

"They fought like champions," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "We had several players step up including [James] Grimball, and we got a great lift from [Aaron] Caruthers."

The Dolphins bench and its contribution to the game out numbered the Ospreys' as well. A total of seven players, including the five starters, gave more than 12 minutes of solid play for the Dolphins, compared to the Ospreys' five.

"Some of it is maturity and experience," Kilcullen said. "The kids gave a good effort, and the crowd got into it. We just couldn't finish the job."

Print Edition

SPORTS

New Year Brings New Resolutions

Ospreys open year with win at home

Semester brings new opportunities to the intramural field

Men help in advancement of womens' sports

Shooting woes from free-throw line bring close loss in Rumble

Sports in Brief

Men's basketball at Kennesaw State University, 2 p.m.

Swimming returns to pool after one month break in competition

Flight Schedule

Osprey Scoreboard