The new visual aid, which has been in the works for a full year, combines virtual athletes—for example, Madden NFL players—with real live anchors to demonstrate scenarios for upcoming games and replay past sequences. The idea is to help audience members understand team-specific strategies
and plays.

What if Tavaris Jackson from the Minnesota Vikings escaped that tackle at the 25-yard line? Virtual “Play-by-Play” could simulate an exact replica of the play, demonstrating what could have happened if Jackson completed the pass to Adrian Peterson.

Debuting during ESPN’s “NFL Countdown,” the new improvement will serve as an aid to a variety of sports including soccer, baseball and basketball.

Ryan Statz, a University of Minnesota student, avid sports fan, ESPN viewer and gamer, thinks the new addition to ESPN is not only creative, but puts a new perspective on sports programming.

“I like that it shows real-life situations instead of just having an anchor describe it. I like that I can actually see how the play is breaking down,” Statz said.

Although most people agree that virtual “Play-by-Play” peaks on the coolness scale, some think the new visual aid is another gimmick that distracts viewers from the actual game.

Football, like most sports, is built on excitement and spontaneity. Some believe ESPN’s newest attempt to attract a wider audience takes away from that spontaneity. John Price, a 47-year-old Green Bay Packer fan who has been watching ESPN since its debut almost three decades ago, thinks that “predicting the game and all of its possible outcomes is like ruining a good story.”

Phil Hart, a student video technician for CLA TV Studios, agrees with Price: “I think it’s a really neat piece of technology, but it’s a little indulgent. If people have all these scenarios played out for them, they won’t be able to appreciate what is actually happening in the real game.”

Originally, ESPN anchors used simple X’s and O’s to describe what was happening on the field. Does Play-by-Play offer a distinctive difference?

Tim Moore, a studies in cinema and media culture major, doesn’t think the new technology offers much of a distinction.

“The intent of this (virtual ‘Play-by-Play’) is a visual aid, butit’s not much of a dramatic step from X’s and O’s.”

Moore does see the new aid as a logical progression, but nothing that comes as a surprising alarm, especially when taking into account the rapid growth of media and gaming technology.

The new advancement raises another question: Will a system develop where ordinary gamers can enter
video game simulations just as ESPN anchors can?

Yes is a probable answer to Moore, who estimates that in 10 to 15 years players will be able to enter their video games and play alongside their favorite athletes.

The expansion of motion-censored technology in the form of video games is exploding, and Nintendo Wii is just the beginning for sports fans and gamers alike.

Brad VandeVoort, a student invested in video game technology, considers the possibility of being able to play inside a game “revolutionary for gamers.”

“It would be really cool to be able to catch a pass from Brett Favre,” he said.

Frivolous gimmick or not, virtual “Play-by-Play” is the first of its kind. It offers an experience guaranteeing to wow sports fans, technology gurus and gamers across the globe.

The sound is music to the ears of paintball enthusiasts everywhere. It’s also a sound that can be heard around campus, if you listen closely enough. But that wasn’t the case until recently.

After playing paintball throughout high school and during his first year of college at St. Mary’s, John Thomason transferred to the University of Minnesota and was stunned to find no club team affiliated with the National Collegiate Paintball Association (NCPA), a league designed specifically for college students.

Thomason decided to take initiative and sought to launch a paintball club team. “Being that the U has such a large student body, I knew I could find enough people to get the club started,” he says.

The paintball club became recognized by the U of M last September and launched with six members; since that point, membership has grown to 20. Despite its relative youth, the club is currently ranked 12th in the nation by NCPA and placed second out of 26 teams in a late February tournament in Wisconsin.

Paintball breaks down into two categories; recreational woodsball and competitive speedball. The University team fits into the latter category, a fast-paced game played in a relatively small arena filled with bunkers. Getting into the sport at an advanced level such as this can be expensive (players on the team use guns, or “markers,” that run upwards of $700), but those who get into it take it very seriously and seem to enjoy it thoroughly.

“When I started my freshman year last semester, I had just about given up on paintball,” says Jordan Carlson, a team member who had been playing for about eight years. “Then my life was changed by finding out about the U of M team. After I found out, all I wanted to do was get on the team and play for the University of Minnesota.”

This is a very young squad still looking to make a name for itself. Currently, the paintball team is only recognized by the U of M as a “club” and not a “sports club;” it is an important distinction because the latter receives more school funding and access to facilities. They are on a one-year probation period toward becoming a sports club, and Carlson notes that they have made efforts to set up a table in Coffman Memorial Union to spread the word and recruit new members. Considering the rapid growth the team has experienced during its first six months of existence, it seems only a matter of time before the U of M can field one of the nation’s elite paintball squads.

Stories like this one and that of the Premier Dance Team, which I covered a few issues ago in this column, illustrate a very important and encouraging truth about attending a university as massive and well-populated as this one. If you have an interest or hobby in the field of athletics, there are almost certainly others who feel the same way. And if there isn’t already a club or team available, it isn’t too tough to get one started on your own.

As the calendar rolled from February to March a year ago, things looked awfully glum for the Gopher men’s basketball team. Holding a 9-21 record, the Gophers were still adjusting from a mid-season coaching change, and looking towards a very uncertain future.

What a difference a year makes. With new head coach Tubby Smith at the helm, the Gophers have returned to respectability. His Gophers entered this March with a 17-10 record (7-8 in the Big Ten) and as outside contenders for a spot in the NCAA Championship Tournament.

The effect that Smith has had on the fan base has been remarkable. Students are once again filing enthusiastically into Williams Arena for each home game. Judging by the promotions at the games and the t-shirts worn by fans, one might conclude that there are more Tubby Smith fans around campus than Gopher basketball fans.

This is interesting, because Smith really seems like the polar opposite of the University’s other relatively recent high-profile coaching hire, football coach Tim Brewster. Unlike the boisterous and emphatic Brewster, Smith maintains a relatively low profile and keeps to himself for the most part. In post-game interviews, Smith speaks calmly and evenly, and he doesn’t go out of his way to sell fans on his team.

Amanda Mrotek is the Marketing and Promotions chair with the Barnyard Board, a group of students who oversee the student section at Williams Arena (a.k.a. “The Barn”) and plan events and promotions to increase attendance and excitement among the student fan base. Mrotek says that she has noticed a dramatic rise in attendance and enthusiasm among fans compared to last year. She adds that these trends are largely attributable to Smith’s arrival, because the team’s roster is roughly the same as it was last year.

So what is it that has caused people to embrace Smith so fervently?

“His success and his track record in college basketball, I think, got people excited about what he could do for Gopher basketball, and I think he’s proven himself,” Mrotek says of Smith. “The improvement that fans have seen in the same team that they were watching last year is huge, and it’s a lot of fun to watch.”

Indeed, Smith has breathed new life into a group of players that seemed unmotivated at times last season. The 2006-07 team did not have any seniors, so nearly every member of that team (which finished 9-22, 3-13 in the Big Ten) returned this year. A few freshman additions, such as Blake Hoffarber and Al Nolen, have delivered helpful contributions, but it is clear that a fundamental change in coaching philosophy has fueled this program’s dramatic turnaround.

Smith’s immediate results speak for themselves, and he has a recruiting class in place that is currently ranked No. 20 in the nation by the Web site Rivals.com. Smith hasn’t needed fancy words or gimmicks to infuse the fan base with hope. He’s simply carried over the style and skill that brought him success at the University of Kentucky and at the University of Georgia before that.

Judging by the reaction Smith is getting at The Barn, I doubt many fans will be squawking their disapproval.

Now a senior in the Carlson School of Management, Novak has watched the dance team she and a pair of high school friends created grow and flourish over the past three years. What started out as a student organization consisting only of an informal dance clinic has now developed into Premier Dance Team (PDT), an established club team that competes against other regional dance squads.

In its first year, the program was simply a spring clinic where girls could show their skills and learn some choreography for fun. Yet, the idea was always to create a competitive team. So in the fall of 2005, the team held their first tryouts. Novak knew the team was serving a need on campus when over 100 people showed up for the first day of auditions.

Now, PDT has become something more than an option for girls who were unable to make it onto the U of M Dance Team. It is an opportunity for dancers to continue doing what they love without the pressure and tremendous time commitment associated with the Nationals team.

“Education’s very important to me and I wanted to make sure I had enough time to do my homework,” says Tara Ata, a junior in her second year on the team. She enjoys the team’s relatively light practice schedule, and adds that she likes the camaraderie among teammates, noting that the girls on the team are “like a second family.”

Dani Benson, a sophomore who will be taking over as a captain next year, says she expects the team to continue to grow. “We have more and more girls try out every year,” she says, estimating that the number of people at tryouts this year increased by 30 to 40 percent from last year.

That growth will help bring PDT toward the goal that Novak envisioned when she started the team.

“I think the level I would want it to reach is where we are closely ranked among all of the teams that have professional coaches and university funding,” she says.

With a group of enthusiastic, motivated and – above all – young members (all but two of the team’s current 18 members are underclassmen), there’s no reason that goal can’t be reached.

In point and actual fact, many of the philosophies that I have encountered in books on Shotokan karate and Shaolin kung fu highlighted the importance of harmony and self-defense. Until chatting with Josh, the instructor, about the characteristics that make Vietnamese Vo Lam kung fu unique and observing him teach the participants practicing the martial art, I thought I might only see people strike each other.

Josh reminded me that martial arts have other purposes besides fighting. He emphasized the peacefulness of his martial art. “I liked the traditional style that it is taught in,” he says about his club. Participants bowed when exiting and entering the gym, which I mistakenly thought might contain several punching bags, weight-training equipment and mats; instead, they put together their hands and bent down slightly at the doorway of a room with only a wall mirror, white beam and ample space for exercise.

I found this scene intriguing for its simplicity, which I thought advantageous in allowing the participants to focus on practicing technique without the distractions of a complex atmosphere. Rather than wearing the white or black coats that many other martial artists wear, some of the participants wore a yellow outfit with white cuffs while others wore a gray shirt and black pants. I paid little attention to the color of the belts that they wore since Josh told me that they did not compete in tournaments like practitioners of Shotokan karate and tae kwon do.

“We don’t fight, but we can,” he said when I asked him if they break boards. However, he said that knowing “punches and blocks” helps them to learn how to defend themselves. He adds, “black belts only break boards, and this strength comes from internal power generation.” Interestingly, as soon as he mentioned that they “build from basic techniques and build up,” I somehow saw a commonality between math and martial arts.

I agree with Josh’s comment that “Vietnamese Vo Lam kung fu provides an excellent workout.” In preparation for their practice routine, many of the students spent a lot of time stretching, bending and swinging their legs while holding onto the white beam. One of them side kicked the brick wall. One of them faced the mirror to perhaps find ways of improving their techniques. I had no doubt that Josh’s legs ached, especially with the numerous repetitions of exercises and the 30-45 minute basic stance work that he mentioned. I understood why they needed a break at 8 p.m.

From the first half-hour of the practice, I listed 47 different parts of a practice routine, including the deep breathing exercises that tended to follow a series of punching, blocking, chopping, kicking or rolling techniques that looked somewhat like the black and white photographs in a book I read on ninjutsu. Their endurance surprised me. I saw every part of their body stretch. They rolled their heads, waved their wrists, bent their legs at the knees, swung their hands back and forth and shifted in all directions to build strength in their stances.

In every snap or rotated kick, the students coordinated their arm and hip movements as well. When they punched, they sometimes moved their legs apart to keep their form, or they placed one bent leg ahead of another to form a front stance with their legs. Even when they threw strikes with two fingers, I saw some kind of stance and arm movement that supported the strength of the attack.

With all these movements, I lost track of count after a while, but I did recognize Josh’s observation of Vietnamese Vo Lam kung fu’s balance between the hardness and softness as well as the equal use of the upper and lower body that distinguishes it from other types of martial arts. They applied both linear and circular techniques; their ability to directly strike an opponent and to add strength to their punches and kicks through swinging their arms, legs and hips demonstrated this unique quality. They did not concentrate on only one part of the body but the body as a whole for use in self-defense.

There are many misconceptions about people who play chess, which is unfortunate because it closes the door to others who probably would have an affinity for the game. Chess is universally known as one of the most complex games where a variety of moves are employed. With moves like castling, dragon and the King’s Indian Defense what’s not to love?

The tournament chess club spawned from the chess club and allows members to play against different people from different colleges, leading to, dare I say, a social scene. The tournament chess club started last semester after a call for more competition by chess club members.

“Anyone can come to the meetings. We have anywhere from 10-year-olds to 60-year-olds showing up and wanting to play,” chess club president Jeff Olson said.

Members of the chess club organized the tournament chess club after growing weary of the same room and same opponents.

“You get used to people’s style and it’s nice to have competitive challenges with having tournaments,” Olson said.

Olson got his start in chess in high school along with a friend, Matt Jensen. Together they quickly improved to become the top two players in their school. The former president of the chess club knew them and invited them to come along to play at the U. They have continued to climb the ranks in the world of chess. Jensen has reached expert level. The top level of achievement is grandmaster followed by various forms of master status, expert and then class A to class J levels.

In addition to hosting tournaments, the club brings in top local players to teach different moves. Last year Grandmaster Pablo Zarnicki came to Coffman and played against 30 people at the same time. Alexander Balander, a top 5 Minnesota player also visits once a month for a couple of hours to go over openings and other tactics with the members.

Often times, area schools call the club to help coach their teams or get a program started, Olson said. He says helping other people learn the game is a rewarding experience and allows the club to draw more talent in the future.

The chess club will have booths at Coffman about once a week to gain more exposure and to educate the masses about chess. Olson said they will have games going on while people stop by to ask questions. They explain some of the different moves for curious people and then get back to their game. The chess club meets at Coffman every week and holds tournaments every other week.

On a sunny day while walking to class, students can spot the club performing different tricks. It’s enough to convince any student that they ought to be doing something besides going to class on a beautiful day. Dazzling maneuvers entice onlookers and evoke admiration.

The group reached a critical mass in the early ‘90s when they performed at various university functions and garnered appreciation for their skill level. The members of the group during that time parlayed that acclaim into an annual festival.

The Mondo festival is now one of the largest in the country with participants coming from all over to take in the sights and display their skills. Some of the events include an endurance competition where a group of jugglers perform together until the last person finally drops a pin. The festival is often held in conjunction with the Minnesota Unicycle Club, another big organization that performs across the state.

Jonathan Gill, president of the club, says he knew how to juggle before joining the group and saw it as an opportunity to improve and meet people on campus. He has been involved with the club since 2000, when many of the experienced members graduated and he took on the leadership of the group.

The Juggling Club now consists of around 15-20 members, he says. They vary in skill level from beginners to some members with more experience. It doesn’t take long to learn how to juggle pins, Gill says. After refining individual skills the group moves on to work on passing skills that will help in future shows. From there members start to play juggling games like combat where three people juggle together while trying to knock each others’ pins out of the way. The games help members work on passing patterns, which in turn lead to great shows.

The club used to perform many shows, but now with membership and commitment levels down, it has become more of a social group. Gill says he would like to get back into doing more shows as a group. The shows are lively events, often including torches, balls and even knives being juggled. Through performing at shows individuals in the group try to work on their own style and create their own persona on stage by juggling unusual objects or performing difficult juggling patterns, Gill says.

The group performed for the Alumni Association awhile back, getting Bob Bruininks involved in the act by having him stand in the center while pins flew over his head, perhaps leaving some audience members hoping a pin might fall.

Gill said the first day of the school year is usually the biggest day for the group to gain more exposure to students. The first day is typically nice outside and many of the new students are out and looking for various ways to get involved on campus, he said.

The Juggling Club presents a different type of activity for people looking to try something interesting. Many of the members are from the IT school, mainly because of the type of personality some IT students share. Once they get started on something they tend to focus on it and work on it until they get proficient in that skill, Gill says.

At any rate the Juggling Club gives a unique outlet to students who want to participate in something outside the norm. The club is gearing up for a charity performance at Coffman on April 20th. So if you “just wanna chill for awhile” and take a break from celebrating, be sure to check these guys out and their mesmerizing aerial display.

LaGrano says, “The NDL brings dodge ball across the country at both the local and national levels and hosts games for corporations, parties and charities in Dodge-It centers.” Adding to the excitement of dodge ball, the NDL’s second annual tour offers local winners the chance to earn cash prizes and move onto the next level of competition in Las Vegas on Aug. 17 and 18.

By attending the Saturday, Mar. 31 stop at the Xcel Energy Center, I can confirm LaGrano’s description of dodge ball. She says, “Dodge ball is about fun and competition.” Teams arrived before 11 a.m. to participate in the competition and started playing by 12:45 p.m. Participants in green, yellow, gray, blue, and red sat among their own teammates, seemingly relaxed and focused on enjoying their time. They hardly paid attention to the pressure of competing against other teams that came from other states.

One of these teams, who arrived first at 10:35 a.m., clustered near the stairs where a clock stood to the right of the entryway to the stadium. Team Conviction, whose team members wore neon orange shirts with blue numerals, showed confidence in their ability to win and tell some good dodge ball jokes. One team member says, “We are ready to stomp everybody,” and another teammate tells me, “Dodge ball is all about the catches and the footwork.” The anxious members calmed themselves by pacing back and forth on the sidewalk outside the Xcel Energy Center. They told me that they drove three and a half to four hours from Iowa. Not long afterwards, LaGrano revealed that teams also came from Pennsylvania, Northfield and St. Louis Park.

Although the rules regulate the game for easy judgment calls, participants employed an array of strategies on the 30 feet by 60 feet playing field and showed the throwing and catching skills that they had practiced with either footballs or dodge balls before the competition began. One popular game-time strategy was to identify weaker and stronger opponents by throwing all the balls at one person, eliminating them from the game. A seventh person, the retriever, helped the teams gather the balls lying outside the boundaries on their side of the playing field.

Before the whistle is blown to signal the start of the competition, many players assume a running stance. They line up next to each other, and at the start of the game, they run to the four-foot-wide neutral zone in middle of the playing field to grab a ball. Once they grabbed the balls lined across the center of the playing field, they immediately backed to the boundaries of their zone, the farthest position possible from their opponents. This strategy was effective at making opponents throw longer distances, amplifying the difficulty of targeting players and effecting fatigue sooner.

Still some teams managed to deflect the ball from hitting themselves. They used the large balls called blockers to remain in the game. Other teams tended to lean, jump or lay down on the field to avoid the live balls that could eliminate them from the game. Teams rarely applied the sacrifice fly strategy that LaGrano mentioned that they could use. They rarely intruded on the opponent’s side of the playing field to make themselves vulnerable to a hit.

In offense, the teams preferred to throw stingers, small balls that proved more difficult to dodge. Teams aimed the majority of the balls thrown downward at their opponents, perhaps to avoid headshots. They took LaGrano’s warning seriously: “Head shots are at the standing level, and teams may be penalized.” On the other hand, a few team members seemed to serve the purpose of solely catching balls to bring eliminated teammates back into the game and remove their opponents at the same time.

Despite the aggression that some teams exhibited, players on opposite teams would give each other high fives whether their team lost or won the game. Spectators had fun clapping and cheering, but the winning bracket could only have three teams. The team wearing the gray and yellow, plain white and red shirts remained.

“It’s something different, open to everyone and something you can do for the rest of your life,” said vice president Sammy Hilby.

U-Swing is open to anyone interested in learning to dance. Partners aren’t necessary and guest teachers often stop by to help the students with different moves. Only about eight to 10 people actively participate, but in the past the numbers were around 20-30 members.

The group meets in Coffman on Wednesdays, and on Thursdays some members dance at the Tapestry Folk dance center, a place owned and operated by dancers in South Minneapolis.

Because there is not an abundance of venues for swing dancing many people end up seeing each other on a constant basis, which forms a sense of community within the world of swing dancing.

“The Midwest is one of the best bases for swing dancing because it is open to new dancers and very welcoming. After college a lot of people get disconnected, but with swing dancing people may leave for some time, but the community remains the same,” said president Sergey Berg.

Berg became interested in swing dancing through the Concordia Language Village. He has been dancing ever since and participates in salsa, waltz and Russian folk dance as well.

For Hilby, her interest in swing music started with jazz music. Jazz music was popular in her high school and as she learned more about the music, she began to learn more about the dancing.

Together they say they are the addicts of swing dancing. Berg recently went on a binge of dancing a couple of weeks ago, dancing 11 out 14 days from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. with few breaks.

Swing dancing got its start in the early 20th century behind the music of jazz, blues and other variations of jazz. The dance itself evolved from numerous pre-existing forms. African Americans played an integral role in developing the dance. The Lindy Hop, the most essential part of swing dancing, got its name from the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. “Shorty George” Snowden was asked by a reporter what kind of dance was being performed on the floor. Snowden glanced around, happened to find a newspaper with the headline “Lindy Hops over the Atlantic” and decided to call the dance the Lindy Hop.

Swing dancing stemmed from many influences of style as well. The style came as a conglomeration of European forms of dance such as the waltz, and African Americans integrated more traditional dance moves into swing dancing.

The dance resembles the happenings of America at the time because of the giant wave of immigration creating a melting pot of ideas and traditions. The influx of immigrants caused racial strife, which boiled over in California with the Zoot Suit Riots of 1942. Mexican American youths frequented dance halls and wore oversized suits. A group of navy sailors were allegedly attacked by a group of “Zoot Suits,” and the other sailors retaliated. For four days, the sailors went into East Los Angeles and attacked any “Zoot Suiter.” Many Mexican Americans suffered injuries and police made over 600 arrests of Mexican Americans. The sailors encountered little, if any, punishment for their actions.

The dance creates a sense of community for many people and continues to do so today as U-Swing is preparing for the Hawkeye Swing Festival on April 13-15. The festival features lessons, competition and a time to reconnect with other college student dancers.

“It’s not so much a competition. It’s more of a congregation of enthusiasts in a relaxed atmosphere,” Berg said.

I flew to Los Angeles with Gary Reiersen, the owner of Air Assault Paintball field in Maple Plain, Minnesota. With us came the eight players of the Air Assault team, another Minnesota player that would be refereeing the event and one extra player to coach. We were joined on the plane by the members of the MN Frozen Militia, another local team and Aaron Tholey, who would be playing the event with Team Speed. The members of the Air Assault team ranged in age from 14 to 26, with the majority under 18. It fell to Reiersen and the two oldest players to maintain some semblance of control over the kids.

Air Assault Paintball was playing Division 3 5-man at the Paintball Sports Promotions Los Angeles Open, held at the Home Depot Center on Mar. 1-4. 130 teams faced off for more than $100,000 in cash. In addition to Air Assault, Minnesota was represented by the Annandale Warbirds and MN Frozen Militia in Division 4, Aaron Tholey and Kaarin Schroepfer on Team Speed and Carl Markowski on Avalanche X in the Open Division. Pat Roberts and Todd Hugo played for the Philadelphia Americans in the National Xball League.

The MN Frozen Militia team was thrown together because Mathew Meillier (aka Frenchy) had never played a national event and is about to be deployed to Iraq.

The Open division and NXL players started on Thursday, with Avalanche X losing to San Diego Aftermath and the Palm Beach Vipers and Team Speed beating Quiet Storm. The Philly Americans beat Las Vegas LTZ in the NXL. The rest of the Minnesota athletes spent the day browsing the vendors and watching the professionals play. The division 3 and 4 teams would not start playing until Saturday. Friday morning both Avalanche X and Speed lost all their games, leaving just one for Saturday. Saturday would prove interesting as Tholey and Schroepfer faced Schroepfer’s boyfriend, Markowski.

For the Los Angeles event, the PSP purchased artificial turf for all of the fields. The event was held in the parking lots so the turf was meant to cushion the playing surface, but I don’t think things went quite as planned. The turf was not thick enough, and some players were taking hard falls. As the tournament wore on, paint began to saturate the turf, making it very slippery. The normal soccer-type cleats that many players had brought were ineffective. After watching player after player end up on their ass, Gary decided a team trip to the local Sports Authority was in order. While at the store, we ran into several members of the Los Angeles Ironmen, the professional team that would later win the event. They were doing the same thing as the Air Assault players, looking for better cleats. After a lengthy debate on cleat style and type, most of the Air Assault players ended up buying golf shoes. Imagine these players, all ready to go out and kick some ass on the field, all geared up, with spotless, white and gold golf shoes on. They looked ridiculous but the team didn’t have any significant traction problems.

That evening we discovered that there are no Perkins, Applebee’s, TGI Fridays or any other similar restaurants in southern California. After almost an hour of searching, dealing with half a dozen hungry high schoolers, we found nothing and settled for Marie Callender’s, a foreign and scary place for us Minnesotans.

Saturday morning, as the rest of the Minnesota players began their preliminaries, Avalanche X smashed Team Speed 8-1. Both teams ended the prelims with one win, which was not enough for them to advance. Air Assault, the MN Frozen Militia and the Warbirds all had solid showings in the prelims, but Air Assault and MN Frozen Militia missed the cut by less than a game each. The Warbirds took the 7th seat into the quarterfinals, which would be held on Sunday with the semifinals and final rounds.

On Sunday morning all the Minnesota players were there to spectate and cheer for their friends and favorite teams. The Warbirds went 2-3 in the quarterfinals, but lost all three semifinal games, putting them in the losers bracket playing for third and fourth. They won their first finals game but lost the next two, giving them fourth place. Reiersen and the guys from Air Assault spent the day on the sideline coaching the Warbirds.

Sunday evening I loaded up along with Air Assault and the Warbirds in three vans to head for LAX and our flight back to the frozen north. As we packed up, the older players regaled the younger ones with stories of how paintball used to be. In just five or six years the game has changed immensely. Gone are the heavy mechanical triggers, replaced by triggers lighter than a mouseclick. Huge 10-man fields replaced with tiny and brutally fast Xballs. I think some of the younger guys were convinced we were making things up. I was exhausted and ready to go home, but this being a paintball trip, nothing could be so simple. An attempt by one van to give a friendly shove to the other ended in a not-so-minor dent when we were just minutes from returning the rentals, and we arrived at the airport to find our flight home delayed by an hour. Some players slept, some played poker and some amused themselves by censoring another player’s dirty magazine with paintball stickers, then placing it back in his bag to disappoint him later. Finally at 2:30 in the morning we all shuffled onto the plane to go home, barefoot in the case of one of the Frozen Militia players who had misplaced his shoes. The next thing I remember is being startled awake as we touched down in Minneapolis, home at last. Over the past four days I spent almost 40 hours on the paintball fields, and I had taken more than 5000 pictures and had been shot dozens of times by players from all over the world.

Playing a national event is the goal of many Minnesota paintball players. Few will win and fewer will place. This doesn’t stop them from going, because whether they win or not, it is still an experience that most players will never forget. The chance to see the professionals play, to wander the vendors and see the hottest new guns and gear and the chance to meet more people that love the same game that you do.

Manager John Anderson has been impressed with the pitching thus far, but the group has some work to do.

“You can’t beat quality teams unless you pitch well,” Anderson said.

Nearly half the pitching staff is comprised of underclassmen and the staff has performed well, posting a 4.22 ERA thus far. The squad has enjoyed success in the early season based upon solid performances from the pitchers.

While some may worry about the youth of the pitching staff, the veterans have no doubts about their ability.

“I have as much confidence in [the young pitchers] as anybody on the team,” said senior pitcher Marcus McKenzie.

The Gophers have played their best against their toughest opponents this year. They have defeated three Top-25 ranked teams on their way to an 11-5 mark bolstered by strong outings from the pitching staff.

The offense looks stout with senior Mike Mee setting the pace for hitting. Performances by Matt Nohelty, the freshman All-American last year, and Derek McCallum have also shown that the Gophers have no problem producing runs. The only is question is just how many they will need to earn victories in the Big Ten this season.

Michigan and Ohio State loom large as conference play begins in late March. The Gophers will have tough challenges ahead as those two teams were predicted to finish first and second in preseason polls. Michigan beat Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament last year, and the Gophers will look to exact revenge in Ann Arbor in early April.

Minnesota has a legitimate chance of doing some damage in the Big Ten this year with its experience and developing pitching staff.

“We’ve got a chance to do a lot of great thing and have just a fun, great year for all of us, and have a good going-away year for all of the seniors,” McKenzie said.

The pride of seniors having a good final stanza will play an important role for everyone else on the team to ensure they have a proper send-off year. Their experience will carry the team far this season, but the question remains how far.

A Big Ten crown is not out of the question for the Gophers, nor is a bid to the NCAA tournament. If they continue to play as well as they have against ranked opponents once the Big Ten season kicks off, watch out. The Gophers will be rounding bases all year with strong bats in the lineup. As long as the pitching holds up throughout the season, Minnesota will make some noise in the Big Ten.

I was a spectator who viewed all sports as nothing more than games that people play. No matter how much publicity the Super Bowl or any other sporting events received, I thought them no more important than sources of entertainment and easy ways for talented athletes to make lots of money. To me, only marketing advertisements and athletes truly seemed to benefit from sports with potential revenue as the main advantage.

I even treated ice-skating frivolously until I interviewed Kristina Lambert, the founder of the Synergy Synchronized Skating Team. I might have continued to misconceive ice skating and to stereotype athletes, but breaking my stereotypes about ice skaters made me doubt the assumptions about sports that I had before this interview.

While questioning Kristina and listening to her answers, I learned not only about synchronized figure skating but also the individuality of her team. She compared synchronized figure skating to a “dance line on ice,” which I found interesting. I cannot think of many other sports that bear so much resemblance to dancing and allow a whole team of people to work together at the same time. She further impressed me with her discussion on the technicalities of the sport and the practice that her team does to prepare for competitions, which brought me to the conclusion that ice skaters do more than jump and spin all over the ice. Somehow, I expected that ice skaters did not need to do anything else. Perhaps, the images of Sasha Cohen, Kristi Yamaguchi and Scott Hamilton executing double axles, triple axles and gliding have embedded deep into my mind from replays on TV.

Kristina told me that she and her team execute “intricate footwork and make circles.” I had never paid attention to the footwork of any ice skater until Kristina mentioned it. She also says “more footwork tends to score higher in competitions.” Her team of two local coaches and 18 full-time University students participates in two to three competitions a year.

Kristina told me that she “personally skated for 20 years and specifically engaged in synchronized ice skating for 15 years.” She founded her team because she “could not find anything else like it at the U.” She also revealed that she enjoys “performing as a part of a team in front of a crowd” rather than skating alone.

Kristina says that she views synchronized skating more as a sport than as an art, because it involves balancing and turning as well as muscle and flexibility. She says skating requires power. According to Kristina, the workout for her team involves weight lifting, running, cardiovascular exercises and extensive practice on ice. Members on her team “practice two and a half hours on ice and two hours off ice,” two days a week. Although her team has not held practices yet, she says tryouts begin in April.

They hold three-hour tryouts on ice to test individual skating skills, team maneuvers and skaters’ ability to make circles on ice. Even with the amount of work that they put into synchronized skating and exercising, her team has the technique that attracts people to join and others to watch. Perhaps I will watch them too.

Dan Coleman, Spencer Tollackson, Lawrence McKenzie and Abu-Shamala will all be in Gopher uniforms again next fall. Coleman played solid ball all season and Tollackson appeared dominant inside at times against opponents. But the biggest surprise was the play of Abu-Shamala, who finally showcased some of his scoring ability in games against Northwestern and Michigan. If he can continue that type of shooting on a consistent basis next year, this team will be pretty tough.

McKenzie was supposed to be the next Vincent Grier, a junior college transfer with the ability to score. He played well for the Gophers at times, but his inconsistency (0-10 against Michigan at home) opens a field of questions for next year. Much of the future success for the squad begins with McKenzie.

Molinari deserves a lot of credit for keeping the team’s spirit up while the losses were adding up. He’s a veteran coach who tried different tactics to keep his team competitive. An early strategy was maximizing each Minnesota possession to keep scoring low on the other end of the court. Although it achieved little success it went a long way in showing the character of Molinari. Molinari has said his message has always been to improve everyone on the court and off the court. He also said that he hasn’t had any conversations with Athletic Director Joel Maturi about coming back to coach next season and he hasn’t considered the job. If Minnesota doesn’t land a big name coach for next season, Coach Mo will be a fine candidate with his passion for the game and respect for the players.

The Gophers do need to improve to keep fans coming to the games. It’s not that attendance has waned, but patience certainly has been taxed in recent years. The state hasn’t officially seen a talented team since we’ve had to start saying officially when referring to the Clem Haskins era.

One area the team must work on is defense. Minnesota gave up way too many points in order to be successful in the Big Ten. With the Big Ten, often one player can beat you (i.e. Adam Haluska) and the team has to help play defense. The guards must defend on the perimeter and the big men come in and block shots.

Another area the team struggled with all season was turnovers. The Gophers averaged nearly 15 turnovers a game. This simply will not cut it if they wish to play competitively. Minnesota gave away far too many easy buckets for opponents off of turnovers. Their ball handling skills must improve next season and this starts with guard play.

The transfer of Limar Wilson will affect the team because he gave the Gophers another option at point guard. Kevin Payton and Lawrence Westbrook will compete to see more action next season. They need to elevate their play to the next level in order for their minutes to increase.

This team has a terrific opportunity to get together as a unit because they all went through the growing pains of this season. The most important thing for the squad will be playing as a team. Fans got a taste of this mentality on occasion when someone was having a rough night and someone picked up the slack to keep the Gophers in the game. The future is not as bleak as many make it out to be and under the tutelage of Coach Molinari, Minnesota has a strong opportunity to become a decent, scrappy team in the Big Ten. By playing better defensively and limiting turnovers, the Gophers may turn some heads with some upset wins next year.

On March 4, the Swarm played the Bandits at home, looking to exact some revenge. What transpired on the field, though, seemed a replay of the playoff game with the Swarm losing by one goal again. The Swarm dug themselves an early hole and faced a 6-3 deficit after the first period. They fought valiantly to get back in the game, outscoring the Bandits in the third period, but failed to find the equalizer in the fourth. Observers have noted the Swarm start slow in the first five minutes of periods and this game proved no different. Buffalo scored 6 of their 16 goals in the first five minutes of periods.

7,504 fans swarmed to the Xcel to get a taste of the lacrosse action and see what the sport had to offer. Fans were treated to a great game and atmosphere. A fight erupted early in the second period with the team trailing 4-8, energizing the crowd to get behind the team as they fought off the Buffalo assault. Minutes later Dan Teat scored for the Bandits and a cowbell over the PA system noted the goal. Then towards the end of the second period Brett Bucktooth sent a shot to the back of the net and the chorus of “Dueling Banjoes” poured over the sound system.

Before the game, General Manager Marty O’Neill spoke about the team not capitalizing on opportunities to gain more exposure.

“Last March we had a chance to take first place against Buffalo. The Wild weren’t going to make the playoffs and the Gophers had just lost in the NCAAs. The community needed something positive and we missed an opportunity. It’s like the tenth chance of making a first impression and there aren’t many chances left,” O’Neill said.

The Swarm is an up and coming team looking to insert itself among the premier teams in the league. Coming into the Buffalo tilt they were second in the league at 5-3. With the win the Bandits overtook second place with a record of 6-4.

Minnesota plays in the toughest division of the league. Most of the teams are east coast teams with an established lacrosse scene. Since 1998 only two Western division teams have won the championship, O’Neill said.

They have the youngest team in the league with an average age of around 25. Many of the players remain from the inaugural season and the experience has served as an important step in building team chemistry.

“The first two years the core of the team lived here in Minnesota,” said forward and rising star, Sean Pollock.

Playing in Minnesota has been a problem for the team as they miss out on regular practice, because most of the team flies in for the games on the weekend. O’Neill said that players on other teams all live in their market and are able to practice on a regular basis. Although they lack the ability to practice often, O’Neill says fitness hasn’t been a problem because the players have been working out on their own.

O’Neill has orchestrated magnificent roster moves since taking the helm in 2005. The Swarm did very well in the expansion draft and cut their chops in the first season. In the next year he made some trades for veteran players like forward Ryan Ward, an all-star player. Then this year O’Neill traded a little-used player for Portland leading scorer, Mike Hominuck. He also gave up draft picks to trade for defenseman Ryan Sharp, who O’Neill says is a superstar in the league.

Through O’Neill’s prowess and the solid base of young talent, the Swarm positioned themselves to make some noise this year and build upon their success last year. O’Neill credits the maturation of players. The players are no longer content with just being in the league they want to play hard and compete.

Minnesota looks like they’re ready to take the next step and make a deep run in the playoffs.

“We have to fight and claw to establish ourselves. Instead of being next in line, we have to prove our metal,” O’Neill said.

The French reaction to the incident was the polar opposite, in no way a defamation of Zidane. “The violence would not have surprised anyone who knows Zizou (his nickname in France); he acted like a human being, not a star,” stated a French journalist who holds a close relationship with Zidane. “For France, Zizou is a child of the Republic, a product of colonialism and a legacy of Napoleon. We French see his reaction as a magnificent message.”

The “portrait” of Zidane is a real-time account of a Spanish Premiere League game played on April 23, 2005. Seventeen different cameras were on him throughout the match. It took years for the directors to gain his approval and many trips to Madrid to negotiate and connect. When he finally relented, it was to the delight of soccer and cinema fans worldwide. The action in the film switches from an at-home television view, Spanish announcers included, to some of the most intimate sports shots ever to grace a screen. Zidane’s every thought, glance and emotion is captured over the 90 minutes, with the music of Mogwai aiding in the progressive cinematic beauty. Their expansive bass, drums and guitar melodies play throughout the film, often fitting the mood of the moment perfectly.

Aside from the cameras, 80,000 rabid fans filled Real Madrid’s awe-inspiring Bernabeu stadium to watch this ordinary match against Vinnareal. Real Madrid are like the Yankees of Spanish soccer. Much like Chelsea of the English Premier League, they’ve got the deepest pockets around and won’t hesitate to prove it. They can afford the best players our world has to offer, though as of recent it seems they’ve been opting for the most famous. Zidane received 66 million Euros as his transfer fee in 2002, a world record intact to this day. After watching this film, you’ll realize he’s worth every cent.

He was never the fastest player, nor the most physically imposing. He stands 6’1”, and claims a body lacking in muscular definition. Yet somehow he’s dominated game after game for over a decade. He’s leader of all leaders, yet scarcely offers more than a word, usually indicating his position to a teammate. He lets his play do the talking: every touch on the ball perfection, every through ball or cross surgical. The film correlates his genius on the field to that of a painter on his canvas. Towards the middle of the second half, down 1 – 0 at the time, Zidane broke through. Gaining procession, he takes his man down the left side to the corner of the 18. He shows middle, steps over with his left foot, than explodes to the end line. His defender watches helplessly from his seat on the grass as Zidane crosses the ball just inches off the goal line, just out of the reach of the keeper, and finds an airborne Ronaldo at the back post. In typical Zidane fashion, he offers not even a smile. Merely a fist pump and hugs for his teammates. After his team goes up 2-1, he shares an uncharacteristic on-field laugh with Brazilian legend, Roberto Carlos. It was the only part of the film Zidane did not appreciate. This is despite the fact that he is seen throwing an off-ball elbow, and later on, in the final minutes of the game, is sent off with a red card for involving himself in a post-foul scuffle. His teammates David Beckham and Figo are shown attempting to calm him down, but he casts their arms aside. Zidane has been, and forever will remain, a true original and one of the greatest futbolers of all time.

Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait is part of the Expanding the Frame series at the Walker Art Center. Several more films in this series remain. For more information go to walkerarts.org or call 612.375.7600.

A dancer since the age of 5, I have learned that modern dance choreographers always have a feeling to express, a narrative to tell or a point to make when creating a dance piece. Unfortunately, the purpose isn’t always easily understood by the audience. After 15 minutes of the University Dance Theater’s (UDT) Dance Revolutions (post guys-in-heels), I thought that it was going to be one of those shows where I continuously say, “I don’t get it,” which ultimately makes it less enjoyable. To be honest, I really had no idea what the hell it all meant.

But it was enjoyable and I came to the conclusion that the dancers themselves are what made the show so fascinating. You could tell with every step, every movement of the arm that every muscle in each of their bodies was working. Energy was running through every inch of them and releasing through their eyes, coming out their fingertips. Every movement came from within, from their core. The whole body was involved. As dancers tend to do, they made everything look effortless—like it was something anyone could do … when in reality, that is most definitely not the case.

Now in its 20th year, UDT presents Dance Revolutions annually, featuring dance majors at the University. Dance artists from around the globe are brought in to choreograph and teach modern dance pieces to perform in the show. Jeremy Bensussan, a junior student majoring in dance, was one of the 20 plus dancers who performed in Dance Revolutions, which was held at the Rarig Center over the first weekend in February.

Bensussan agrees that the pieces in the show may be difficult for an audience to comprehend on their own and some people might not have understood the purpose behind the different pieces. “You have to stand back and think, ‘What should I be getting out of this,’” he says. “It takes work and willingness to interpret something like this.”

The dress-and-stilettos piece, titled Faith, was done by Pat Graney, a Seattle-based choreographer. Bensussan, one of the three men who danced in the piece, was able to clarify the meaning of Faith, or what he acquired from working with Graney. Bensussan explains that the piece is a statement on sexuality. In our society, there is so much emphasis on looking sexy and being attractive to other people, he says. He adds, “There are women who do this everyday. They don’t eat anything, but God knows what’s in their hair and tan themselves until they get cancer. All for what?”

So what about the guys? “As a society, we cannot separate the high heels and black dresses from sexuality,” Bensussan says. He goes on to say that when a girl wears that kind of clothing, it is sexual but it’s more expected of them. However, a man wearing such an outfit is a sexual statement.

Happy, a piece choreographed by resident artist Uri Sands was my personal favorite. The individuals danced for nearly eight minutes on stage, with no sign of dwindling energy. Their smiles never left their faces. Bensussan calls it the “most embracing” of the pieces. Based upon the audience’s enormous applause and cries, I would say it was well received.

Khonj, or Search, was the third piece performed and required the dancers to learn classical Indian dance technique. This involved learning all new vocabulary and different positions of the body, which proved to be difficult, Bensussan says. “The technique asked us to show power in sensuality,” he adds.

The last piece performed at Dance Revolutions is titled Rooms, originally choreographed by Anna Sokolow, an extremely well known choreographer in the modern dance world. Lorry May, the artist who came to UDT this year to teach Rooms, carries on Sokolow’s work and keeps her career alive. Bensussan danced in Alone and Desire, pieces within Rooms.

Working with May was about the emotion first and foremost, and then the actual movement, Bensussan says. He adds that this concept forced them to learn a whole different way of moving, which was difficult and frustrating at times. “We would say, ‘we have been training all our damn lives and we are having trouble walking?’”

Profoundly affected by May, Bensussan calls her a “remarkable woman” and says she taught him about what being a dancer means. He says he now has a better understanding of himself as an artist. “The act of dancing makes you more human than any other activity,” he says. “We are doing silly shit like jumping in the air or spinning on the ground but in that process it’s yourself and yourself.”

Combining amazing choreographers and exceptional dancers, UDT produced a wonderful presentation of this year’s Dance Revolutions. Although some audience members may have struggled grasping the meaning of it all, the performance was fantastic.

“We rehearsed 18 hours every week. That is what it took for us to put on this show,” Bensussan says. “But we were devoted. We did it.”

Thursday night at the Myth Nightclub, Elite Fighting X-treme celebrated its one-year anniversary the only way they know how: they hosted a jaw-dropping, tongue wagging, drooling spectacle of mixed martial art fighting along with strippers and ring girls dancing between matches.

The crowd, sufficiently amped and drunk, enthusiastically cheered for every takedown, haymaker and arm-bar inside the octagon. The action was quick inside the cage with all but three fights lasting past the first round. The arena was peppered with yells of “KICK HIS ASS!!!” and incredulous reactions to the violence.

Twelve matches took place that night with many memorable moments of stark reality and brutality. In one of the early matches, Rich Taylor squared up against Zeb Hansen. This match was over as soon as they rang the bell. Taylor rushed Hansen, unloading fists of fury upon his skull until Hansen fell. Hansen wrapped his legs around Taylor while on the ground. Taylor then picked Hansen up and dropped him on his neck. It looked as though his spine was sure to snap. After that Taylor continued to pummel Hansen’s face until the referee stopped the match.

One Thursday a month, EFX overtakes Myth and provides fans an up close view of an emerging sport that may replace boxing in popularity. EFX draws over 1,000 people on a Thursday night.

“We came up with a whole new concept as far as doing it on a Thursday night rather than a Friday or Saturday night, which is pretty typical. We tried to make something so that it was continuous throughout the year. We do the show once a month, ten months out of the year. We’re trying to make Thursday night the ‘it’ night,” said Nick Gamst, co-founder of EFX.

Gamst worked as a promoter across the Midwest before beginning the EFX endeavor with co-founder Carey Thul, who also worked as a promoter for nightclubs. Gamst said he is trying to take the local mixed martial arts fighting scene to a different level by making the events more of a show for everyone to enjoy.

“We try to make it more of a show than just a fight with a lot of give-aways and dancers who perform on the stage,” Thul said.

Through their connections, Gamst and Thul proved to be the perfect combination to increase the popularity of cage fighting in Minneapolis. Gamst knew plenty of free-style fighters from his promoting days and Thul knew a healthy amount of wrestlers across the metro area from his days in the ring and as a wrestling coach. That combination brought in two modes of fighting that appear complementary inside the octagon because while there may be the guy throwing haymakers to KO an opponent, the wrestler employs wrestling moves like shooting his opponents legs to get him to the ground and then KO him.

Gamst and Thul have used every play in their books to establish a good crowd for each event from giving away tickets to helping develop local, recognizable talent. They have attracted advertisers by giving away tickets to shows and other bonuses.

“We’re advertising for these people for pennies and then giving them tickets to the show so they get jacked about it and want to do business with us in the future,” Gamst said.

Perhaps the strongest method of attracting people stems from having local fighters appear on a regular basis. The local fighters bring in their friends and introduce them to the sport while telling others. Among the local talent is former wrestling standout Marcus LeVessuer, the four-time Minnesota state wrestling champion.

The local influence was evident throughout the night, especially when fighters from the Rice Street Gym entered the caged octagon. Some in the crowd began chanting “Rice Street” to encourage fighters like Frank “The Tank” Johnson.

Johnson attempted to defend his EFX Lightweight Amateur title against Richard Silva from Northfield. Silva handed Johnson his first defeat and took his title in one of the better fights of the night.

Johnson had the height advantage and looked larger than Silva, but Silva, with his wrestling background, shot at Johnson’s legs immediately and took him down. Johnson tried to escape from Silva but ended up getting stuck in an arm-bar and subdued. The fight looked like a chess game, each fighter able to counter the other’s moves.

Understanding the mind of a fighter resembles studying the mind of a drug addict, because they search for an indescribable rush that no other activity really provides.

“I’m pretty calm until they say fight and then I get a shot of adrenaline. Then it goes away real quick. My heart makes two pumps ‘bump, bump’ that I can hear and it seems like the loudest thing in the world. Then by the time I get to my opponent it’s all gone. It’s a weird kind of rush I’ve never really experienced before,” said Brock Larson, a UFC fighter and EFX referee.

Chris Barrera, the EFX Lightweight champion prepares himself for a match by thinking about his children.

“I think about my kids running around with the belt and if I lose they won’t be able to do that anymore. That and the embarrassment of losing are my motivation inside the ring,” Barrera said.

Larson, a Minnesota native, began his career in a jiu-jitsu dojo competing in those tournaments. He won many of the tournaments and talked to others about the next step, which was fighting, he said. He started working with Sean Sherk, another Minnesotan and Lightweight UFC champion and eventually was noticed in some smaller events like EFX, he said. He’s had success in the UFC, compiling a 13-1 record along the way.

“If I win my next match I would have grossed $20,000 in a six month period. The pay is starting to get up there,” Larson said.

One component to the sport is the competition between the different schools and gyms that train the fighters. “There’s animosity and respect for the other schools. A few months ago we fought Team Bison and won two belts,” Barrera said.

Although the teams fight each other, he was quick to add that the schools help each other out in any way they can. A member of Team Bison rubbed down one of Barrera’s teammates before a match that same event, he said.

“There’s about five or six schools for full contact fighting,” Barrera said.

It’s difficult to say a sport with so much carnage resembles a sport, but fights like Johnson versus Silva remind people that although fighting typically proves fruitless, it’s quite impressive to watch two intelligent fighters, like Ali and Frazier. If this sport is going to grow, this is how it will do so. It rivals boxing now because boxing hasn’t had accessible champions since Ali, Foreman and Leonard. With our culture’s acceptance of more violence, mixed martial arts fighting does look like a viable vehicle in sports. Many people enjoy watching fights whether in a cage or on the street, and EFX unabashedly allows these people, along with the people who enjoy strategy fighting, to revel the event.

Paintball, with over 9.8 million players around the globe, is the third largest extreme sport in the world behind in-line skating and skateboarding. Paintball players are stereotyped as camouflaged militia-wannabes, and while that is true for some, there is a completely different side to the game. Thousands of people participate in competitive paintball, played on small, spectator-friendly fields often shown on ESPN.

The National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) and Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP) run five national events every year. The 2006 PSP World Cup at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida brought more than 350 teams to determine who is the best in the world.

Local paintball is thriving as well. Major Minnesota tournaments include the Polar Bear Circuit, the Annandale Youth Series and the Splat Tag Rookie Cup. Players can start in Young Guns or Rookie events and move up the ranks to Novice and Amateur. Playing in a local event can cost anywhere from $100-$300 per player with some tournaments offering cash or equipment prizes. The equipment can range in cost from $100 to several thousand dollars and can be accessorized with several hundred dollars-worth of customizable parts. Most of the markers used are fired by electronics, making the trigger pull lighter than a mouse-click. This allows players to fire a constant 15 balls per second—faster than many machineguns.

A few Minnesota teams and players have made a name for themselves on the national level, playing for professional teams or helping local teams reach national tournaments. In 2004 Team Splatball, from Splatball Inc. in Minneapolis, and Zumbro Factory, from southern Minnesota, tied for fourth place in the PSP’s Novice season rankings. At the 2006 NPPL Boston event, Air Assault Factory took first place in the Division III category. Air Assault Paintball is an indoor field located about 20 minutes from the Twin Cities. Since the Boston event, Air Assault teams have performed well in several other national events. Minnesota athletes have also played on professional teams like the Philadelphia Americans, Chicago Aftershock, Las Vegas LTZ and more.

Recreational paintball is also popular in the Midwest. Events like the Splat Tag Giant Big Game in Hudson, Wisconsin draw as many as 800 players who duke it out in massive battles. These battles often involve radio communications, tanks, military tactics and many-acre playing fields. Organized teams, like the Wild Bunch and MN Militia, spearhead maneuvers and take the role of Special Forces, seizing and holding important objectives.

If you are interested in paintball, whether tournament or recreational, the best place to learn more is the Minnesota Paintball Internet Guide (www.mnpig.com). MNPIG has a comprehensive listing of paintball fields, stores, tournaments and other events, and there is a message board where local players can get answers to almost any paintball-related query. It is also a good idea to stop by a local field and talk to players and employees. Air Assault Paintball () and Northside Sports () are two good places to start.

Manning finally decided to step up and play the game rather than whining about non-calls against his wide receivers. He led his team to victory like the quarterback we came to know during the regular season. The feat he accomplished should not go unheralded, because his team looked flat in the first half. Whatever somebody said in that locker room certainly made the Colts get their shit together quickly, because they came out like the team that ought to have shown up in all the previous playoff meetings against the Patriots.

The Bears, on the other hand, looked like the Bears. During the NFC Championship game, their offense did just enough to win while their defense dominated as usual. Yes, they put up a lot of points, but they came well after the game was decided and against a Saints defense that had been on the field way too long because their offensive line couldn’t give Drew Brees any time.

The four turnovers by the Saints did not help their cause, but their defense held strong against the Bears, holding them to field goals early. It could have been a great game until the Saints gave up the safety.

The Bears remain an enigma because they find a way to win when it matters, so this Super Bowl will be an interesting match-up.

We all know the strengths of each team coming into the game, but it will be fascinating to see how the weaknesses of each team play out. The Colts defense did not look as good as they did in the previous rounds, but they limited the run game of the Patriots. That is a huge advantage for the Colts coming into the grand finale. Rex Grossman looked decent against the Saints because he didn’t make any big mistakes, but with Grossman you never know which Rex will show up.

This Super Bowl will look ugly in the early going unless the Colts can rush the ball. The Saints were unable to do so against Chicago and got stuck passing. The offensive line of the Colts did little to quell the Patriots pass rush, so the run game will need to be established early for the Colts to be effective.

The plan for the Bears should remain as it was against the Saints, not only because it worked, but also because the game is out of Grossman’s hands. The Bears must have their running game working like it was against the Saints in order for the Bears to have a snowball’s chance. Their offensive line must dominate and take advantage of the tendency of the Colts’ defensive line to over pursue.

Look for the excitement to begin during Prince’s halftime show, especially if he decides to go raunchy. Let’s all hope he does for the sake of entertainment. The second half should produce some good moments if Manning exploits the Bears’ secondary, but we’ll be stuck watching field position for much of the game.

On paper this looks like a push with a great offense against a great defense, but let’s not forget this is Peyton’s game. Football often looks like some cheesy Hollywood movie with all of the drama surrounding the hype and some player finally receiving the ring he so richly deserves (e.g. John Elway, Steve Young, etc…) so don’t be surprised if Manning pulls this one out of his ass like the AFC title game. This way we don’t have to listen to Berman, TJ, Ditka, Jaws (I’m purposely excluding Irvin because I’ve never heard anything resembling an intelligent thought come out of his mouth) and all the other windbags go on about how Manning is a choke artist. Final score: Colts 27, Bears 13

Joe “Splash” Cloutier explains that curling is a really friendly game. The loser usually buys the winner the first round after the match, and they talk about the game over a few drinks.

Sitting at the bar upstairs, the rest of the group introduces themselves. There’s M.O., Blue, Big Al, Scott, a pitcher of beer and a bottle of whiskey.

“Everyone has a nickname here,” says Blue aka John Carey. Everyone except Scott anyway, and they try to come up with a nickname on the spot, but nothing sticks, indicating why he’s never had a nickname.

The club has the feel of a north woods cabin with fireplaces upstairs and downstairs, thick Minnesotan accents, wood floors, outdoor decor and moustaches, but this is St. Paul.

Splash says the game is like horseshoes because the team with the rock closest to the center wins the point. From there the game becomes more complicated.

“It’s chess on ice,” says Big Al.

Each team consists of four players: a lead, second, third and a skip, the strategist. All players shoot a rock, but the skip typically shoots the last two of the match. The match consists of eight ends with eight rocks per team. At each end, each team shoots two rocks and then switches ends. A point is scored for the team with the rock closet to the tee, or the middle.

The skip calls shots from the other end of the ice and decides which shot the team will play according to the placement of the rocks. As the rock is delivered two sweepers brush the ice to create a Zamboni effect that allows the rock to travel farther and straighter. The team will either attempt to knock out the opponent’s rocks or place their rock near the tee.

“The rock goes its own way so you need to turn it one way or the other to get it where you want,” Splash says.

Curling started during the 16th century in Scotland. Eventually immigrants brought the game to North America, where it first appeared in Canada in 1759. In 1832 the game surfaced in America, and there are now over 125 curling clubs in the U.S.

The sport has been growing in popularity since it first appeared as a full medal game at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.

The St. Paul club has existed since 1888, and the building has been there since 1912. It is the largest club in North America, with over 1100 members. “Ten years ago we had 600-800 members and struggled for members at times, but the last five years we’ve seen an explosion,” says Mike “M. O.” O’Neil, club president.

Carey, the young guy of the group, says he picked up the game after watching it during the Olympics with friends. “It takes about a year not to look like an idiot,” he says.

The club offers clinics geared towards new people where they learn the basics, etiquette and strategy. From there the new players can begin playing in novice leagues on Sundays, or if they know a member they can become part of a team. In the metro area two clubs have recently sprouted due to the popularity: one in Edina and one in Burnsville.

A huge part of the curling experience is found in the tournaments, or bonspiels. Club teams from around the nation travel to compete against other clubs, and players get to meet new people and form new friendships across the country.

“Bonspiels are a huge part of curling because it’s where you meet other players and get to reconnect every year,” says O’Neil.

“One-third of the game is drinking and hanging out,” adds Carey. He says there is a team from San Diego that hasn’t won a game ever, but comes to experience the camaraderie. “Every game begins and ends with a handshake,” says Splash.

“There’s a tremendous cross-mix of people here, from blue-collar guys to corporate executives,” says O’Neil. The blue-collar guys and other members of the club volunteer during the off-season to help with the upkeep of the club. “Tuesday nights a crew comes down and fixes whatever needs fixing,” says Scott.

The club received national media attention this past Vikings season during Monday Night Football. The Vikings played the New England Patriots and Monday Night Football aired a 21-second clip of some people curling at the club.

“It’s a game you can only play, you can’t beat it,” says Big Al.

The St. Paul Curling Club is located at 470 Selby Ave. in St. Paul. Membership is currently at capacity.

“Maybe I am the Jackal”
Squatting, he scooped up
a hand full of sand and
let the grains trickle
between his digits.
Smells like wet leaves
and blue sky, he thought.
Looking over the dunes,
the muses smiled.
The body of his lust
remained twitching in the sand
stinking with liquid morals.

National signing day is February 7 and the problem of recruiting young talent is pronounced. Minnesota has never appeared as a prestigious destination for top recruits due to the weather and the prospect of playing in the worst stadium in college football. Minnesota made a quick decision to hire Tim Brewster to salvage the recruitment class.

Little is known about Brewster outside of his accomplishments. He worked with Mack Brown at North Carolina and Texas, helping to attract recruits such as Vince Young. We know that Brewster will focus on luring in-state talent more vigorously than years past, but much remains to be known about how the team will look on the field.

The press conference offered little insight into what to expect on the field with gems like, “We’re going to run the football, I promise you. Minnesota has always run the football. We are going to run it, we’re going to throw it and we’re going to do whatever it takes to win.” It is expected that Brewster will run the ball having coached under Mack Brown, Marty Schottenheimer and Mike Shanahan, who have always shown a strong run offense.

Brewster filled the need for the Gophers as an experienced coach and highly regarded recruiter. What remains to be seen is how his leadership will affect the program. He stated his number one goal is to win the Big Ten conference, which is what everyone wanted to hear. How he will achieve that goal remains the most pressing concern for fans.

Fans will expect a lot from Brewster after years of mediocre Gopher football, and his ambiguity as to the design of the offense hasn’t exactly stymied concern. “People ask: ‘What do you do? Are you west coast? Right coast? Do you run the ball? Pass the ball?’ We’re going to do what we can to win, physically and with an element of toughness. What are we going to do on defense? We’re going to run real fast and dictate tempo to the offense.” His answers resembled another Minnesota head coach who has kept the media at bay and remained unclear about his team.

Although it was a press conference, it would be nice to see just what his design may look like. Brewster will be under great pressure to succeed and fans want to know his plan. There’s a lot of excitement building with Gopher football fans, because the Athletic Department stepped up and boldly decided mediocrity is not what they desire. With the firing of Mason and hiring of a revered recruiter, fans and the Athletic Department appear on the same page now.

With the building of a new stadium in 2009, a coach who can recruit the team could make some dynamic changes and transform the program into a powerhouse. It remains unclear what direction Brewster will take, but he will dictate what type of program the University wants. Football programs bring in millions of dollars to universities and Minnesota has not put itself on pace with the other Big Ten schools. With the prompt firing of Mason, it appears that the Athletic Department is taking steps in the right direction to turn the football program into a serious contender.

It would be nice for fans to have something to cheer for instead of craving the opportunity to chant “Fire Mason.”

The Minnesota History Center is hosting the “Baseball As America” exhibition displaying artifacts from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The exhibit is on a nation-wide tour and currently in St. Paul until March 4.

This is a great opportunity for any baseball enthusiast to experience Cooperstown without having to travel there. It features over 500 items of baseball history including the bats of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire from the home run race of 1998, along with Jackie Robinson’s jersey, expensive baseball cards and the “wonder boy” bat from the movie, “The Natural.”

In addition to the national artifacts, the exhibit contains memorabilia from the Minnesota Twins. Frank Viola’s hat from the 1987 World Series, Kirby Puckett’s bat from a 6 for 6 day at the plate in 1987, a ball from game 7 of the 1991 World Series autographed by Jack Morris, a 1991 World Series ring, a Harmon Killebrew jersey, and the glove Torii Hunter used to win his fourth consecutive Gold Glove award.

The Twin Cities have a long and storied history with baseball through the minor league teams of the St. Paul Saints and the Minneapolis Millers. Some of the game’s greats got their start in this area playing in the minors. Ted Williams and Willie Mays each played for the Minneapolis Millers before going on to star in the Big Leagues. Roy Campanella played for the St. Paul Saints before being called up to the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Then in 1961, the Twins came to town and Minnesota finally had its own major league club. The Twins found success quickly, reaching the World Series in 1965, but lost to a dominating Dodger squad.

The exhibit explains how baseball truly is the national pastime and what it has meant to this country throughout the years. Reaching the major leagues resembles the American Dream because both are attainable through hard work and determination. Yes, the finer points of those ideas are debatable, but repeatedly we encounter people who embody those tenets. We see the ball player drafted in the 60th round of the draft persevere to reach the “The Show” and we see people who start with so little in life achieve success.

America maintains certain peculiarities that the rest of the world does not seem to understand and baseball has always been one of them.

Jacques Barzun, a French historian, once said, “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball.” Baseball remains the one sport the whole family can enjoy together, where quality time can be spent. No other sport offers the tranquility and camaraderie that baseball brings.

The support for baseball may wane from time to time, but when the support is there, there is no greater unifying effect. The home run race of 1998 reminded us of the greatness of the game and created a common sentiment for fans watching every night to see if McGwire hit one or if Sammy slammed another.

Baseball has acted as a healer to America in the past by allowing us to focus on the dramatics of pennant races, hit streaks, home run records and pitching performances. The World Series in 2001 offered us a distraction from the terrible events occurring in the world. That series proved to be one of the best in the history of baseball with an unexpected game winning hit that decided the series.

America rose up by defeating a heavy favorite and baseball lets us remember that by giving us great moments through one event. The Boston Massacre, the Tea Party, the Stamp Act, the Declaration of Independence were all single acts that led to greater victory. A runner on first base steals second, the batter hits a run-scoring single, the game is tied, then the slugger for your team hits the game-winning home run. These individual events lead to a World Series championship. Baseball resembles the struggles the country has faced and through this game, we gain a glimpse of a country. Baseball is America.

The exhibit runs through March 4th and the hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for students.

The Wake had the opportunity to interview captain and treasurer, Peter Kobliska, as well as president of the rugby team, Andy Belling. Kobliska is a junior who was on the 2004-05 team that made it to nationals. Belling, currently a senior at the U, was also on the 2004-05 team that competed at nationals in California.

The Wake: Describe your role on the team as a flanker.

Kobliska: As a flanker I roam the field to make it to every play possible. A flanker’s role is comparable to that of a linebacker and running back combined. On defense you have to read the play and make or support the tackle. On offense you must be ready to run the ball and support the pass every time.

The Wake: How did it feel to take down Ohio State 47-0 on their home field considering they ranked in the top 15 in the nation?

Kobliska: Our whole season was focused with the intent of beating number 15-ranked Ohio State. We worked extremely hard as a team to make sure we preformed at our best. Beating Ohio State 47-0 was incredible. After the first score it gave every player on the team an amazing amount of energy that continually increased throughout the match. We just kept getting better as the game progressed.

The Wake: What does making it to nationals mean to the rugby team?

Kobliska: Minnesota is a national-caliber rugby club. This is where we belong and we are very pleased to be going to the national tournament. Everyone is pumped to play the West Coast teams and make a name for the Midwest, but more importantly, make Minnesota a nationally recognized powerhouse.

The Wake: How does this year’s rugby team compare with the 2004-05 team that went to nationals?

Kobliska: Our program continues to grow and get better. Our 2004-05 team was great and this year’s team is much more fine-tuned, thanks to the coaching of Loren Lemke and Aaron Schroeder. Everything we have done this year has been more precise and faster than our 2004-05 team. Watching the level of play from the veterans inspires new players to be just that much better. This year’s team has a lot of experience and heart. We will continue to improve with each year.

The Wake: In terms of fundraising, what does making it nationals mean?

Kobliska: Funds are always tight, and a trip to California means we will work just that much harder to get there. We currently run multiple fundraisers through the U and outside organizations. Raising funds is always difficult, but this year we have become more organized and efficient in increasing funding.

The Wake: Describe how the program has grown or evolved since you joined the team.

Kobliska: Each year, the new players see the level of play from the veterans and want to play at that level. We bring each other up in our level of play. Everything has become better—things are really starting to evolve and take shape. Our level of commitment, coaching, organization and dedication to the sport have all increased. Our membership has also been steadily increasing each year for the past four years. This season, we had enough players to make two whole teams that played every week of the season for the first time in U history. With the future in mind, we are ensuring the program’s growth and success with our actions today.

The Wake: What is it like to ride in a van for 12-plus hours with your teammates for a shot at playing at nationals?

Belling: The ride there is not bad. It seems to take longer than the ride home due to the anticipation of the game and a shot at nationals. It is definitely worth the 12-hour trip to play for nationals, yet it’s always nice to fly to places.

The Wake: After having two knee surgeries, what is it about rugby that makes you come back?

Belling: There are three main reasons why I came back. I am a very competitive person, and rugby is a competitive sport. Rugby gives me an opportunity to stay active and in good shape. And the camaraderie of being on a team, let alone being on a team that is ranked fifteenth in the nation.

The Wake: Do you feel that the U of M rugby team has a better shot at nationals compared to your team two years ago? Why or why not?

Belling: Yes, I think this year our team has a good chance of winning some games at the national tourney. Our team this year is more experienced than two years ago. We have 10 seniors on the team that contribute. Also, the younger players are coming into their own and developing skills to maintain the status of Minnesota rugby.

The Wake: What are the Rugby team’s spring break plans? Where are you playing and who are you playing against?

Belling: Spring break plans are to travel to Ireland for a week. We are scheduled to play three games against some of the local college teams there. Also, we are going to be training with the Ireland national coach for one or two sessions while we are over there. The games that we will play will be good preparation for nationals. Most European clubs are very talented and have very good skills.

The Wake: What are the team’s plans for spring to get ready for Nationals?

Belling: To prepare for nationals this coming spring, many of the players have been working out pretty regularly since our fall season [ended]. Practice does not start until beginning of second semester. We practice two times a week in the field house and three times [per week] once we are able to use the outdoor facilities. We may have an extra game or two earlier in the season (early March) to prepare. We are not quite sure. Our coach is still in the process of trying to set up matches in warmer climates. I know that he is trying to get in touch with University of Tennessee for a match. They are ranked in the top 15 as well, and the match would be good preparation for both teams before nationals.

The U of M rugby team has finished its fall season, but the team can be seen this spring at its home field on the St. Paul campus. Visit www.gopherugby.com for more information about the team and upcoming spring matches.