Nintendo Wii, a video game console, was released in mid-November 2006 to compete with Sony Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Gamers have been eagerly waiting for Nintendo to announce the release date the new Super Mario Brothers for the new system. Wednesday, a source close to Nintendo said that Super Mario is expected to be released in February, 2007, and that Mario’s new, higher tech appearance will be based on Minnesota Viking’s owner Ziggy Wilf. Wilf refused to comment on the situation and would not return phone calls.

Remember a couple weeks ago when we were all embarrassed to be attending the U of M and contemplated dropping out to become a prostitute? Before a bid to the Insight Bowl and trumped-up wins against an inexperienced Indiana team, a shoddy Michigan State team and an underachieving Iowa team which the Minnesota players deserve credit for. It was when North Dakota State’s small, slow and bad Division-II football runts came into the Metrodome and should have beat us.

Heads were held low, Minnesota t-shirts were covered up, and everyone sat alone at the dark, far end of the bar taking tequila shots ’til 2 in the morning. It was sickening to be a Golden Gopher fan that day. The players were humiliated and hibernated for days. Students were throwing their lives away left and right. Watching “Deal or No Deal” 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Registering as Republicans. Voting Independent. Listening to Democrats. It was a scary time in Dinkytown. Coach Glen Mason, however, felt a different way.

“This is the kind of game that puts a smile on your face. When you’re outcoached and outplayed and still win.”

Really? The students have watched their football program disintegrate and you got a smile on your face, Glen? Your players couldn’t look in the mirror without wanting to vomit and you got a smile on your face? Your assistants were embarrassed to be connected with such filth and you got a smile on your face? You just got slapped in the face by a D-II coach’s back hand and you got a smile on your face?

Let’s run down Glen’s record quickly. 31-48 in the Big Ten. 17-63 career against teams .500 or better. Best finish in the Big Ten: Fourth. 3-6 against Iowa, 2-8 against Wisconsin, 1-7 against Michigan.

It’s Rotten. Well, Athletics Director Joel Maturi and I have been negotiating, burning the midnight lamp. I told him the facts: I could do just as bad a job as Glen–I couldn’t do any worse–and I won’t charge $1.6 million.

I could have scheduled Temple, Kent St., and NDSU for some easy wins. I would’ve recruited a kicker who could make an extra point to beat Penn State. I wouldn’t have blown a 21-point lead to Michigan. I’d remember who Ernie Wheelwright is. I could’ve gotten bowl games out of Laurence Maroney; hell, I could’ve gotten Rose Bowl games out of The Laurence Maroney. I would’ve kept the best Minnesota players in-state; James Laurinaitis, anyone? Anyone?

Am I being arrogant? Am I filled with undeserved narcissism and a talk-radio football mind? Probably. Probably drunk, too. But that’s neither here nor there, because coaching football isn’t rocket science or brain surgery; it’s not even changing a tire, which is the hardest science known to civilization.

Football isn’t that hard: Our lines need to beat their lines, we need the ball in the hands of our best players and we need to keep the ball out of the hands of their best players, good field position is better than bad field position. Get good assistant coaches, defenses win championships, turnovers kill, clichés inspire, keep kids in-state; James Laurinaitis, anyone? Anyone?

That’s the tried and true, simple, blue-chip method to building a college football winner. It works in Iowa, Wisconsin, so why not Minnesota? I’ll get the football program to the next level for rent money. And a car; I want a Prius, help out the environment and junk. And some beer.

Or don’t hire me. I don’t need that mess anyway. I didn’t even want to coach. Hire someone else, for all I care; the NDSU Coach, perhaps? I bet he’s cheaper than $1.6 million, much cheaper. Or hire some local high school coach, that’d be real cheap. John Gagliardi is like Vince Lombardi and the Pope combined, why not sign him?

Because if we’re going to be mediocre year after year, which is and will continue to be Mason’s M.O., we might as well do it at a low cost.

The surfing culture of the West Coast is slowly creeping into the Midwest, but there is one main difference—surfers have 10,000 lakes to choose from.

The northwest winds are perfect and the waves are glassy. As 42-year-old surfer Bob Tema looks out onto the smooth blue water, he couldn’t be happier. He pulls his black wetsuit over his thin body and he can’t seem to wipe the smile off his face. For most surfers, nothing is better than a day at the beach. After he rubs a quick coat of wax over the top of his board, a freezing gust of wind stings his face and reminds him he isn’t in Hawaii anymore. It definitely isn’t summertime; it is the dead of winter in one of America’s coldest states. With the crunching snow beneath his feet, he quickly dives into the icy water. Instead of his eyes burning from salt like they did so many times in the ocean, the water is nearly drinkable. Tema gets his surfing fix by catching a few wind-produced waves on Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world.

While he floats in the water and waits for the next set of waves to come through, the ice chunks slowly bob up and down next to him. It may be far from perfect, but for Tema, his love for surfing drives him to the Great Lakes.

Since he spent the first 20 years of his life on the north shores of Oahu, Tema has been surrounded by surfing and beach culture since he was born.

“All my brother and I would do is surf,” Tema says. “It was my life.”

It is the “stoke,” or the feeling of the surfboard shooting down a wave, which brings surfers like Tema back each time. They all have a certain kind of passion for lake surfing, maybe even an obsession. After they feel the rush from gliding down a wave, after they feel the unity of their body with the ocean, they are hooked for life. Tema is one of a handful of Minneapolis surfing die-hards, and the need to catch a few waves consumes them. The stoke of surfing is embedded deep within them and not a day goes by when they don’t want to head out to the waves. Tema lives and breathes lake surfing. For him, it is just a way of life.

During the fall and winter months, when northwest winds reach 20 m.p.h. and low pressure systems begin to creep in, the waves on the Great Lakes grow big enough to surf. In the film Unsalted, a documentary on Great Lakes surfing, Vince Deur helps to explain exactly how waves form on the seemingly flat lakes. During early September, warm waters in the Great Lakes can get up to 70 degrees. But, with fall approaching, the cold air from Canada comes down very fast and digs into the warm water in the lakes. In other words, the cold air hits the warm water like a boulder, creating big waves. But, during the colder months, when the water reaches lows of 30 degrees, the waves are produced solely by strong winds and storms. Even though the surf is better during the fall months, true addicts surf all year long. And, a few times a month when the weather conditions are right, Tema re-lives his childhood by surfing on Lake Superior.

“I actually like the cold water,” Tema says with a laugh. “I think that it is all part of the adventure of surfing on a lake.” In popular surf destinations like California, water temperatures rest between 60 and 70 degrees—about 40 degrees warmer than the water in Lake Superior during the winter months—and a wetsuit usually isn’t needed. The only time wetsuits come in handy is during December, the only month that can really be called “winter”, when water temperatures reach the mid-50s. But in Minnesota, a few different precautions are taken in order to keep warm during surf sessions. It’s necessary to put on six-millimeter-thick wetsuits with hoods, booties and gloves to keep the water from freezing surfers’ skin. To top it off, they apply a thick coat of Vaseline on their faces to protect their exposed skin from frostbite.

“Sometimes we can only stay in the water for about 30 minutes before we get some ice build-up on our wet suits,” Tema says. “But my love for surfing always seems to overcome the extreme weather conditions.”

The majority of society probably thinks surfers are “beach bums” with shaggy hair and baggy clothes. But at first glance, Tema doesn’t fit the typical lazy surfer image. His parted brown hair and clearly spoken words make him seem professional, and that is because he is. With dreams of a career in graphic design, Tema moved to Minnesota in 1988 to attend the Minneapolis Institute for Graphic Design. Now, he is the creative director for Whoop Design, a graphic design company. His job fits his personality perfectly because his work is portable. When the surf is up, Tema can pick up his computer and drive to the beach. “Sometimes I surf for a few hours and then work for a few hours,” Tema says.

Although Tema has been involved in graphic design since he moved to Minnesota, it took a little longer for him to discover the sport of lake surfing. After his countless trips to California and Hawaii grew tiring, Tema started doing some research online.

“I’d heard of lake surfing before,” Tema says. “So I looked up a few people online and got in contact with them.” It wasn’t until 1998 that he caught his first wave on Lake Superior. But even now, lake surfing is a new sport to the majority of Minnesota residents.

Most Midwesterners may not realize that surfing on the Great Lakes is possible, but people have been doing it for nearly 40 years. Thomas E. Blake, born in Wisconsin in 1902, was considered to be one of the grandfathers of surfing and has a lifetime of “firsts.” Before Blake, Hawaiians surfed on 100-pound wood planks without a fin. As seen in Bruce Brown’s classic film The Endless Summer, Hawaiians put their feet at the end of their long surfboards to help them steer down the waves. Blake saw the inefficiency in this way of surfing. According to a biography written about him, he was the first to create the keel, or fin, which was placed on the bottom of the surfboard to help it glide down the wave. Additionally, he was the first to create the “hollow board,” a board made out of plywood that was much faster and lighter. After years spent in Hawaii and California, where he basically reinvented the surfboard, he returned to Wisconsin and started to surf the waves on the lakes.

“We just thought he was some goofy beach bum,” says Tony Woiak, a man who remembers seeing Blake on the shores of Lake Superior. “I was only a kid when Tom was surfing the lakes,” says Woiak. He was only 10 years old, in the mid-1960s when he remembers seeing Blake on the beaches. “We didn’t even know his name,” he says. “We just called him surfer Joe.”

Woiak, now 51 and President of the Washburn Historical Society in Wisconsin, says that Tom was the original beach bum and had shaggy blonde hair and a tan all year long. “He would just camp out in his white van all day,” recalls Woiak. “He was the first guy to surf on the lakes. No one even thought you could do that.” In 1994 Blake died and was buried in Washburn, but his grave site does not go unnoticed. Woiak makes frequent visits to lay shells and sand across his tombstone. “We are actually working on creating a statue of Tom that overlooks Lake Superior,” says Woiak. “We want him to be remembered.”

Although Blake brought the Western culture of surfing to the heartland of America, it has taken decades for the pastime to become popular. But since Tema took up lake surfing, he says that the popularity of the sport has grown tremendously.

“When I first started lake surfing, it was just me and a few of my friends out on the water,” says Tema. “But now, I feel like every time I go surfing I see a new face.” And for Tema, the more new people, the better. “We welcome anyone who wants to try it,” says Tema. “We definitely want to spread the word.” And through a few phone calls, Tema has done just that.

On a Saturday morning in mid April, eight guys gathered at “The New Calhoun Bar and Grill,” a breakfast joint that borders Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. They weren’t there to talk about business or to have a mid-morning brunch. They gathered to talk about lake surfing. They came in casual attire. Mostly jeans and sandals with a few sporting T-shirts with “Lake Superior Surf Club” written in bold letters across the back. They all sat around a small table tucked away in the corner of the restaurant where their stories of lake surfing filled the air. Some were in their mid 20s and some were reaching 50 years old. But, no matter the age, after a few handshakes were exchanged, the surf talk began. Surfers have a way about them. As an outsider, you may think that the eight guys who Tema called up for breakfast that morning knew each other for years. When in reality, some were meeting for the first time. No matter where they are, a laidback atmosphere seems to follow. “I remember when I took Bob lake surfing for the first time,” yells lake surfer Rob Rosell from across the table. “I was so nervous because he was this big-time Hawaiian surfer and I was just some guy who learned to surf in Texas and thought it was fun.” Rosell grew up in Columbia Heights, Minn., but spent time in Texas where he learned to surf on the Gulf of Mexico. “I thought I knew how to predict the surfing conditions well so I told him that the surf would be pretty big,” says Rob. “When we got to the beach, the waves were only about knee high. I felt so embarrassed.”

Thanks to newspapers and magazines, more people who live near the Great Lakes are buying surfboards online and trying it out. Luke Kavajecz, a 22-year-old journalism student at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, said that he read about lake surfing in a local paper. Since he grew up on the shores of Lake Superior, he has always had a love for its waters. But it wasn’t until 2001 that Kavajecz thought he’d give lake surfing a try. “I got a board from a shaper in Cali and got a wetsuit online and I was set,” says Kavajecz. Now, five years later, he says that there is no other place that he’d rather surf. It is hard to imagine that someone would truly prefer surfing on the cold waters of Lake Superior rather than the ocean. But lake surfing has its perks.

In California, it is almost impossible to surf with less than 20 people in the water next to you. Since the good surf spots are so crowded, it creates a hierarchy among the waves. If someone is a good surfer, then they are at the top of the bunch and can catch most of the waves. But the beginners better stay out of the way because on a crowded day, the waves belong to the locals. But on the lakes, it’s easy to get a wave to wave to yourself. “The culture, the people and the water is perfect,” says Kavajecz. “No pollution, no localism, no crowds, and when the waves get good on the North Shore, there is no place I’d rather be.”

“In California, the surf is usually generated from storms that are located hundreds of miles off the coast,” says Tema. “But here in Minnesota, the big surf comes from storms hovering directly over the lakes.” So, for the surfers that crave big waves to ride, they have to fight their way through choppy and stormy waters. In addition, surfers have to wait weeks and sometimes months before the right wind conditions will generate waves. “Sometimes we have to wait a while, but it is always worth it,” says Tema.

Despite the challenges of lake surfing, there is still a passionate group that is creating a surf culture unique to the Midwest. Lake surfing Web sites litter the Internet and many lake surfing clubs have been created as a result of surfers wanting a community to connect with, such as the Lake Superior Surf Club and the Great Lakes Surfing Association. And Great Lake surf shops are beginning to surface.

Ryan Gerard, founder and owner of the Third Coast Surf Shop in New Buffalo, Michigan, said that he conceived the idea of a Great Lakes surf shop after a few years of surfing on Lake Michigan. “I learned how to surf on the lakes in 1998,” says Gerard. “Eventually, I moved to California to surf every day, teach lessons and work in the Pearson Arrow Surfboard Factory making boards.” It wasn’t until January 2005 after he returned to Michigan that he decided to make a surf shop specifically for lake surfers. “We are currently the only shop in the Lakes region dedicated exclusively to Great Lakes surfing,” says Gerard. “The culture in the lakes is still small, but growing exponentially. We are excited about the future.”

When most Minnesotans would rather stay inside by a warm fireplace, if there is surf on Lake Superior, inside is the last place Tema will be. For him, surfing on Lake Superior is just like another day at the beach.

“Our mission is to encourage, facilitate and support the involvement of University of Minnesota students and staff with disabilities in active recreation, exercise and sport,” says John Lukanen, president of the adaptive sports club.

The University already offers a disabled student cultural center where students can go to socialize or study, providing learning opportunities for all students, ensuring an accessible environment and ultimately serving as a social area for disabled and non-disabled students. The new adaptive sports program takes that idea a step further and looks at a broad range of athletic activities. Lukanen’s mission is to bring an athletic presence to the University for disabled students.

Lukanen has worked hard on its website, logo and recruitment since Sept. and he says he is looking for anyone who can help with planning, fundraising and managing.

“Anything anyone wants to do would be helpful,” Lukanen says. His goal is to start a wheelchair basketball team.

The U of M is not far behind in the idea of having an adaptive sports team but they aren’t the first. Universities that have adaptive sports teams are popping up all over the nation. Schools in Texas, Ariz. and Ill. even offer scholarships to students for sports like wheelchair basketball or tennis.

Wheelchair basketball began with the Veterans Administration more than 40 years ago as a rehabilitation program. Today the game has grown extremely popular. There are leagues and more than 180 teams all over the nation.

The Adaptive Sports Association, started in 1983 by Dave Spencer, includes snowboarding, skiing and white water rafting. The ASA provides nationally certified instructors in all areas. According to their website, “Through sports and recreation, participants meet positive role models, increase socialization skills, improve body image and combat depression.”

For now, the adaptive sports club meets mainly to hang out. They have played a few sports as a group such as ultimate disc and go ball, which is basically baseball blindfolded. But if they do start a wheelchair basketball team, they would compete with Southwest Minnesota State and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, two of the closest Universities that already have teams.

“The great thing about it is that anyone can play,” Lukanen says. It doesn’t matter what your disability is or if you even have one—it’s not set up for a specific group of people.

“We are bringing the entire University together,” he says.

After an hour of judo practice, the mat room in the St. Paul rec center smells strongly of sweat. It’s no wonder. The U’s judo club has been hard at work practicing the Japanese sport. Eric Shellum, sensei and club coach, demonstrates a “seoinage,” a shoulder throw, in which Shellum flips his partner across his shoulder with a surprising amount of skill and ease.

In attendance are nine club members, whose belts signify skill level ranging from beginner (white) to advanced (black), each member watches carefully. After several demonstrations, the club breaks into couples and practices the move they’ve just watched. This practice continues until the sensei gathers the group together again to attempt some new moves, which could be a kick, a throw or a move where you sweep your opponent’s feet out from under them.

Some of the students have much more difficulty practicing the moves than others because judo is a sport that’s all about control as Shellum explains. The location of your hand or foot, to the inch, can be pivotal. Balance and strength are derived from the placement of a limb so it can be impossible to complete a certain move if you are incorrectly positioned.

Usually in judo, you begin by gripping the underarm sleeve and the collar of the gi, the Japanese name for the robes worn in martial arts, just above the heart of your opponent and tug. Your opponent will be tugging back, and the couple winds up dancing for a brief moment before the attack.

Shellum says that judo descends from jujitsu, a similar Japanese martial art that is more violent than judo. He says that some of the strikes and locking techniques of jujitsu can be dangerous so they were removed. Only joint locks on the elbow and a choke hold are acceptable submission techniques in judo. “The point was to take out all the hurtful things from jujitsu,” Shellum explains. “We’re not here to hurt anybody. Jujitsi is for hurting. Judo is for playing.” Even so, there are still 67 recognized throws used in the practice of judo.

Generally, judo is a competitive sport, but it can be played for other purposes as well. “It’s good physical conditioning,” Shellum says. “You have to use your whole body so it builds core strength,” he explains. “You learn to fall, which is something people don’t learn to do, so when you do fall, you won’t get hurt.”

Megan Segriff, who joined the club about a year ago, plays judo for another reason. “It’s a really fun self-defense sport,” she says. “I love it.”

Shellum says, however, “it can be used as self-defense, but you have to be pretty proficient at it to make it work.” He thinks judo is better played in competition.

”In Minnesota, there’s probably a tournament every couple months,” he says. In fact, there’s one at St. Matthew’s School in St. Paul on Nov. 18.

Shellum says that newcomers to judo “can compete relatively soon, but it depends on the [student].” To really learn the skill, you have to practice at least twice a week if not more. To compete, play judo for four months, and Shellum says that he thinks you could enter a novice level tournament. He said he thinks that people would enjoy it if they were more familiar with it. He said that he volunteers his time to teach judo to get more people to play.

Shellum also included a boost in self-confidence in the list of benefits of playing judo. “When I put this gi on … I know who I am. There’s no question in my mind who I am or what I’m about,” he says.

He couldn’t think of any drawbacks to the sport. Serious harm isn’t a common part of playing judo. “Injuries are, as in anything, accidents,” he says, “but we try to keep it under control.”

There’s one other thing judo fosters, though the sensei didn’t mention it. There’s a noticeably caring spirit in the mat room. New students are welcomed immediately and students often check with their partners after a rough move to make sure that no one is hurt. At one point, club member Mike Tikh walked off the mat. The concern in the sensei’s voice was evident when he called after Tikh to ask “where are you going?” Tikh responded that he was just getting a drink of water. Relief appeared on Shellum’s face. He likes his students to let him know if they’re leaving the mat, he says, because he wants to know that you don’t “have a concussion or an eyeball in your hand that you’re going to take care of.”

Have you ever heard of a game that is played like soccer, positioned like basketball and the intensity of rugby? That is exactly how Water Polo President Chris Redman explained the game as we sat in the lobby at the Rec Center, overlooking the pool. “I still think this campus is my favorite place to compete,” Redman says.

The game is played with seven players in the pool at one time, one goalie and six field players. The goalie is not allowed on the other half on the pool. The position of the six field players is dependent on the play — similar to basketball.

The ball is similar to the size of a volleyball but has rubber grips so it is easier for team members to hold on to. A major rule is that the ball can only be handled by one hand at a time. If a player is caught using both hands, the referee will call a turnover, giving the ball to the other team.

The game is full contact and can become very competitive, which presents the rugby aspect. What goes on under the water, which neither the referee nor the spectators can see, is fair game. The game is played like soccer in that you try to score as many goals as possible, each goal being worth one point.

The U of M’s water polo team, that started their season toward the end of Sept., are undefeated with a 8-0 record after beating schools like Iowa State, Kansas University, Mankato State and Marquette.

“We have the strongest start by far this season,” Redman says, “ but Marquette is our big rival.”

It’s a good thing we have a nice swimming stadium because the U of M recently hosted the Division-I championships, and the team justified their 8-0 record. During their tournament over the weekend of Oct. 28 and 29, the team took first and received their bid for nationals.

During the tournament, the U played Mankato in their first game and won because Mankato had to forfeit for not being able to provide a full team. Their second game was against Iowa State. In their last game, the U beat Marquette with a score of 16-9 to win the tournament! The University of Minnesota’s team is looking forward to a trip to Miami, Ohio for nationals at the end of Nov.

“One of our main goals, since we’ve had such a great start, is to make it to nationals and place well,” Redman says.

The U of M water polo team has never qualified for nationals before. The team will compete against 16 other Division-I schools. Macalester College, who plays in Division-III, has also qualified for nationals. This year will mark the first time in history that Minnesota will send two water polo teams to nationals.

In recent years, the sport of water polo has become more popular, particularly at the U of M. According to Redman, participation on the water polo team has doubled since last year.

Although the sport is growing in popularity throughout the Midwest, it is still not as popular as it is in on the West Coast, particularly California. Most Californian colleges, not only have extraordinary club teams but also have varsity teams who hold national ranking across the board. They also have women teams, which is something that the U of M lacks.

“Eventually we would love to be able to start a women’s team, but we just don’t have enough female players right now,” Redman says.

The unique team thing about the U of M’s water polo team is that they are co-ed and although the U competes in the men’s division — girls are allowed to play.

The U of M water polo team has nationals on their mind, and they are already preparing for the competition. “Especially when we’ve been playing so well, you get pumped up to defeat another team,” Redman says. Whether the team wins or loses, they are ultimately concerned about playing well together as a team — which is always a good feeling, according to Redman.

For nearly every college in the United States, football and basketball are the highest revenue-producing sports. So it isn’t surprising that football and basketball athletes are drug tested more often than others. After all, they are the college superstars of the athletic world. With recent efforts to stop all student athletes from using drugs, the University of Minnesota has come up with a new plan to combat the never-ending battle.

Not only will U of M athletes be randomly selected from every sport for drug testing, the U’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is honing in on another deterrent for drug use—education.

Under the new plan, athletes will be required to attend a drug and alcohol education program twice each year. The programs will review NCAA policies on drug use and talk about dietary supplements that may place athletes at risk for a positive drug test. The athletic department hopes that if athletes are educated about drug use they will be less likely to use drugs.

Surely the intent of the program is to stop athletes from doing drugs, but some students have mixed views on the new plan.

“I think it’s good in some ways,” junior wrestler Matthew Everson said. “But I think that we are spending too much money on drug-testing students who don’t need to be tested.”

Athletes and coaches alike are a little skeptical of the new plan.

“I think some coaches were a little worried at first because they didn’t know if the testing would take up practice time,” Crystal Dudley, swimming and diving athletic trainer, said,.

But people are always hesitant of change. After all, this is the first time in years that the U’s drug testing program has been revised.

“We haven’t officially reviewed or made any revisions on the program for many years,” Moira Novak, the Director of Athletic Medicine, said. “It was due to be reviewed and revised.”

Maybe the U is choosing to test too many people, but some agree with the decision to test all sports equally.

“I think it is fair to test everyone,” Caitlin Roemhildt, high jumper on the women’s track and field team, said. “It isn’t fair to single out big name sports like football or basketball.”

With the new plan, both low and high revenue-producing sports will be monitored closely. And whether you are a Big Ten champion, or warming the benches at games, the chances of getting a drug test are all the same.

Matt Engel, a junior on the men’s swimming and diving team, was already randomly selected for a drug test this year. He said that for once, football players weren’t the only ones being tested. In his three years of being on the team, Engel has never heard of a swimmer being drug tested. Now, times have changed. “There was someone being tested from almost every sport,” says Engel. “I think this program is a positive improvement.”

Not only will the program focus on drug testing and drug education, but with recent and growing trends of alcohol use on campus, the program plans to target underage drinking and disorderly conduct as well. Dudley says the increase in testing will help find new trends in drug use and aid in finding athletes who might have chemical dependency problems.

“We are worried because some people don’t consider alcohol to be a banned substance,” Dudley said. “But even if you’re over 21, the NCAA considers it to be one. It inhibits your performance level.”

Hopefully with a little more education on the subject, athletes will steer clear of underage drinking scandals and get help if they need it.

“We are hoping to help people with addictions,” Dudley said. “The only way we can find out if someone is addicted is if we do a drug test.”

On top of increased testing and plans to help athletes with drug or alcohol problems, the U has schemed up a plan to encourage athletes to make the right decisions.

Under a new “three strikes rule” the University will keep close watch on offenses like DWI, DUI, assault or battery, public intoxication, underage drinking and minor in possession. If an athlete is caught committing one or more of these acts, the athlete will have to report to a review board. The review board is comprised of the Director of Athletic Medicine, the Associate Director of Athletics, the Director of Life Skills, the Assistant Director of Compliance and the Drug Testing Site Coordinator. These head honchos will decide if the athlete’s offense constitutes as a “strike.” If an athlete reaches three strikes, they are in for a variety of consequences including counseling, loss of eligibility, reduction of financial aid or even a call to the parents.

The three strikes rule may seem juvenile, kind of like sending someone to the principles office, but some athletes think it is a step in the right direction.

Elizabeth Yetzer, a freshman on the women’s cross-country team, sees the plan as a positive thing. “I think it will help hold student-athletes more accountable,” Yetzer said. “Since the ‘three strikes rule’ isn’t an NCAA rule, it will catch people before they get into more serious trouble when it counts.”

Yetzer thinks that it gives athletes a chance to mess up. After all, athletes aren’t super-human, they can make mistakes too.

The U may be cracking down on athletes, but the underlying reason for the new plan is to help, not hurt, athletes. With the NCAA increasing their drug testing levels and including pre-season summer testing, it is time for the universities to do the same.

“The NCAA is very serious about drug and alcohol abuse,” Dudley said. “The penalties at that level are more severe than at the institutional level.” So athletes should have no fear, the athletics department isn’t out to punish people.

“We aren’t trying to get people in trouble,” explains Dudley. “We are just trying to catch the problems before they get any worse.”

Athletics Events November 1 – November 7

Nov. 1, 7:00 pm Women’s Basketball vs. Winona State Williams Arena
Nov. 3, 7:00 pm Men’s B-ball vs. Bemidji State Williams Arena
Nov. 3, 7:07 pm Women’s Hockey vs. Minnesota Duluth Ridder Arena
Nov. 4, 11:00 am Football vs. Indiana Metrodome
Nov. 4, 7:07 pm Women’s Hockey vs. Minnesota Duluth Ridder Arena
Nov. 5, 2:00 pm Women’s Basketball vs. Minnesota-Crookston Williams Arena

Break out the spandex and get ready for a team of sweaty men. As autumn picks up, and we reach the midpoint of fall semester, wrestling season is quickly approaching. Nov. 11 marks the first Gopher wrestling meet — The Bison Open. This event may not seem too important to all you fair weather fans out there, but we, at The Wake, recognize that the University of Minnesota wrestling team is “kind of a big deal.” According to preseason polls, the team is ranked No. 1 in the nation right now, after finishing second at the NCAA championships last year. Gopher wrestler Cole Konrad is the NCAA heavyweight champion, Mack Reiter finished fourth and Dustin Schlatter became the first freshman wrestler in school history to win a NCAA individual title. The Wake had the chance to speak with Reiter about the upcoming season.

The Wake: So you guys have recently been ranked as the number one NCAA wrestling team in the nation. How has that affected what is going on for everyone?

Reiter: It’s a different attitude that we have to take into the season, my freshman and sophomore year, we weren’t even ranked fifth in the country. Everyone is taking it differently. The coaches and everybody are taking things a little bit more seriously.

The Wake: You took fourth at the NCAA championships last year. Has that affected you personally at all?

Reiter: Yeah, it did because, as a freshman I finished fourth, so I took it as that I didn’t improve any. It’s almost like a slap in the face to me because I didn’t do what I needed to do, so I’m taking that next step this year to getting on top of the podium.

The Wake: What about your rivals, Oklahoma State? Have you got anything to say about that?

Reiter: It’s exciting to wrestle them. We met a couple of times last year in the national championships, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we met a few times this year. I like those sorts of duels; they are great for us to have. I think it’s going to be a similar situation with Iowa this year. It’s great for us, and I think it’s great for them too.

The Wake: Your season starts on Nov. 11 with The Bison Open. How have you been preparing for that?

Reiter: We spend a lot of time with independent coaches; one coach will work with two or three guys just trying to start out right to start winning early. But we’re not trying to peak at The Bison Open. We want to use it as a warm up. A lot of guys’ bodies aren’t going to be where they want them to be. It’s a step in a long process.

The wrestling team opens their season Nov. 11 but won’t have their first home meet until Dec. 6 when they take on Oklahoma State, currently ranked number two in the nation, at the Sports Pavilion. Tickets for Gopher Wrestling are available through .

The weather is becoming shittier by the day, Indiana Pacers players are facing criminal charges and Spike Lee has his orange and blue on. These are some of the signs that it’s time for NBA basketball. For basketball fans in Minneapolis, this brings weeks of optimism before the eventual collapse of the Timberwolves.

Last Year
The ’05-’06 Timberwolves had a shaky season, marked by a mid-season trade of Wally Szczerbiak for Ricky Davis. The T-Wolves finished last season with a record of 33-49, eight games behind the final seed in the Western Division.

The major problem for the Timberwolves is still the lack of consistent help for Kevin Garnett. Ricky Davis averaged 19 points per game last year. No other player, besides Kevin Garnett, averaged more than 12 points per game.

The Draft
The T-wolves basically ended the draft with Craig Smith (Boston College) and Randy Foye (Villanova). Smith and Foye were tremendous college players. They both helped their teams advance to the Elite Eight. Villanova actually beat Boston at the Metrodome. Neither rookie will see extended playing time, but Smith should make a bigger contribution. Smith only has to compete with Eddie Griffin, Mark Madsen and Vin Baker for playing time.

Foye is a quick guard who can drive to the basket and finish. The off-season addition of Mike James, along with Marko Jaric, Troy Hudson, Bracey Wright and the currently-injured Rashad McCants will make it tougher for Foye to see much floor time. Foye has more upside for the Timberwolves because his game translates better to the NBA than Smith’s does.

Craig Smith has great hands and shoots well, but his size will limit him in the NBA. At 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, Smith will be too slow to guard small forwards and too short to guard most power forwards.

Offseason moves
The Timberwolves biggest acquisition this year was Mike James. James averaged 20 points and nearly six assists per game last season. James also had a career high in field goal percentage, 46.9, while shooting 44 percent from a three-point range — also a career high. Other than Mike James, the Timberwolves did not acquire much talent. The T-wolves signed Vin Baker, Paul Shirley and Tyrone Ellis.

Overall, the T-wolves season looks pretty bleak. Vegas bookmakers don’t have much confidence in the T-wolves and neither should anyone else. Odds that they will win the NBA championship vary from 80-to-1 to 100-to-1. The Timberwolves open their season on Nov. 1 when they host the Sacramento Kings.