She took three teams in a row to the Sweet 16, and in 2004 she led the Gophers to their first Final Four in school history. But after last year’s loss of an assistant coach and five non-graduating players including three starters, a shadow was cast over women’s basketball head coach Pam Borton. An internal review of the athletic department blamed poor communication within the women’s basketball department as one reason for the quick exit of the players. Media scrutiny followed, but athletic director Joel Maturi stood by Borton and her record. With a team full of new recruits– last year’s exodus included six graduating seniors too–the season is up in the air. The Wake played a little one-on-one with Coach Borton to find out what we can expect on the court from the fresh young team this season.

The Wake: It’s your fifth season and you’re five games away from your 100th win on the Gopher sidelines, any plans to celebrate the Big 100?

Coach Borton: Not really. The wins aren’t the most important thing, it’s watching your team get better. Hopefully we can get those five wins and have a lot more throughout the rest of the season.

The Wake: You only have three returning players who stepped on the court last season, how are you planning to rebuild the team?

Coach Borton: We’ve got a lot of talent on our team. We’ve got a young team, but we’ve got a lot of talent. It’s one of the most athletic and quickest teams since I’ve been at Minnesota, and we’re going to have a lot of fun and play an up-tempo game. Every year there are new players and a new system, and we’re going to have a lot of fun with it.

The Wake: An investigation of the departure of five non-graduating players and one assistant coach pointed to poor communication within the women’s basketball department. Are there any plans to strengthen communication this season to avoid something like this?

Coach Borton: It wasn’t an investigation–that was just a word the media was using. It was an annual review the department does every year with every team. We did make some changes, as far as staffing. We are going to be more open with communication–between the coaches and the coaches; between the coaches and the players; and between the players and the players. I think if there’s any issue you have any concerns about, you have to discuss it just like with any relationship you have–with players, friends, co-workers or anybody.

The Wake: With all the new faces this season are you worried about team chemistry at all?

Coach Borton: Not at all. Every year, no matter who is returning or who isn’t returning, we have new chemistry on our team. We’ve got great team chemistry that our team started building this summer. Everybody, the coaches and the players, we’re all on the same page.

The Wake: Should we expect any superstars this season? Anyone to replace last year’s lead scorer and rebounder Jamie Broback?

Coach Borton: Well, I don’t think we had any superstars on our team last year. Every year I’ve been here, we’ve always emphasized putting the team first. We’ve had Kodak All-Americans on our team, and I think those are superstars–you’ve got to have some go-to players on your team, some people that you really rely on in the game for consistency. Kelly Roysland [guard, Senior] is going to be that person, and I think Emily Fox [guard, Sophomore] is going to be another one. We’re really looking for big things from them this year.

The Wake: What should fans expect to see out of your freshman class?

Coach Borton: You’re going to see an extremely talented freshman class–a lot of athleticism. We’ve got some size and length and speed. It’s a class that’s going to be very, very good given a little time and a little development.

The Wake: Minnesota has ranked first in conference attendance the past three seasons. Is it going to be a good season for the fans?

Coach Borton: It’s going to be a great season for fans. Fans are going to see a team that plays together as a team. They’re going to see players playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on back of the jersey. Fans are going to see a style that they haven’t seen for three years. It’s an up-tempo style and fans are going to see a bunch of kids playing with heart and passion.

The Wake: Of the 16 home games this season, which one shouldn’t we miss?

Coach Borton: You’re not going to want to miss any of the home games. This team is going to be exciting to watch, and it will grow as the season goes. Our fans are going to fall in love with this team and these players and what the team is all about.

The Wake: What do you have to say to people who think that women’s sports aren’t as compelling as men’s sports?

Coach Borton: I think those people really haven’t watched a lot of college athletics, or a lot of women’s sports. When you’re watching women’s sports, you’ve got a lot of team play and people that play the game fundamentally. There’s not a lot of playing above the rim with [women's] basketball–both men’s and women’s sports are fun to watch, but you’ve got a whole different kind of team play when you’re watching women’s sports.

The Wake: What is the hardest part of your job?

Coach Borton: The recruiting. Recruiting is getting more challenging every year–trying to find the right person, and the right fit for you to coach, finding the kids that will fit into the program.

The Wake: And what is the most rewarding part?

Coach Borton: Watching these student athletes graduate after four years. It’s rewarding seeing how much they grow on and off the court and seeing them develop leadership skills, and other skills they need to go out into the real world.

The Wake: Since you’ve been head coach the team has boasted GPA averages over 3.0 every semester. Is GPA something you push to your players?

Coach Borton: Absolutely. Our kids go to class; they need to go to class. They’re expected to put as much effort into their classes as they put into basketball. It’s extremely important.

The Gopher women’s basketball team kicks off the preseason in an exhibition game against Winona State Nov. 1 at Williams Arena, 7 p.m. They face Northern Iowa in their first regular season game Nov. 10 at Williams Arena, 6 p.m.

I wandered into what was unknown territory for me — I’m not really a hockey fan. As I walked downstairs to the basement of Mariucci Arena I thought to myself, “Damn, you should have worn a short skirt and high heels or have had Craig, my editor, do this part.” I watched as hockey players took turns talking to various media reps. Mariucci is once again buzzing with the anticipation of another record-breaking season.

The Maroon and Gold finished last year’s season with a 27-9-5 record, earning a number one seat in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season. The Gophers finished last season with its fewest losses since the 2002-03 season, when the Gophers were national champs.

This year might be a different story. The Gophers graduated six seniors and lost four players to the NHL, leaving them with 10 empty spots on the ice. On top of that, an ongoing shoulder injury recently caused defenseman Nate Hagemo to hang up his skates. Also, goalie Kellen Briggs was suspended for his first three games.

“We only have seven [on] D now,” Alex Goligoski, the Gophers’ top defensive player, said about the loss of Hagemo. “It is definitely going to hurt us in the sense that we won’t have that depth and security at the blue line.”

Hagemo played in 30 games his freshman year and three games last season before deciding to take a medical red shirt. Having not recuperated 100 percent as he and his coaches had wished, he decided to end his hockey career. The way these guys check, I don’t blame him.

With Goligoski on the Gophers’ side, however, I don’t think the U of M has much to worry about. Goligoski was one of eight players to play all 31 games last season. He ranked third on the team for scoring with 11-28-39 and is currently ranked fifth in the nation for defenseman scoring. Goligoski, a junior assistant captain, was also awarded first team honors to the 2006-07 Inside College Hockey News Preseason All-American Team, as well as being awarded second team honors to the College Hockey News Preseason All-America Team. In addition, he has already been drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He did say, however, that he plans on staying all four years with the Gophers before moving on to the NHL.

The power of the Gopher defense doesn’t stop there. Freshman Erik Johnson will be joining Goligoski on the blue line. Johnson spent the last two seasons of high school hockey with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. He was also named a 2006-07 Inside College Hockey Preseason Third-Team All-American.

But Johnson may not be staying long since he was the first overall pick by the St. Louis Blues in this year’s NHL draft. Jumping from the high school level to the college level can be difficult enough, let alone going right from high school to the pros.

Luckily for the Gophers, his parents are alumni of the U and, although Johnson made this decision for himself, it seems his parents were a part of him putting off the NHL for the college life. Johnson told the Star Tribune he wasn’t ready yet.

“Johnson is a great, great player,” Brit Terry, a recent U of M graduate said. “College hockey is a different level than high school, not just the game but the level of maturity.”

Before starting the season, the five-time NCAA champion U of M men’s hockey team was the second-ranked team in the nation, according to the preseason USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. The team was also picked to finish first in the 36th annual Grand Forks Herald WCHA Preseason Coaches Poll.

“I don’t think that really means a lot,” said defenseman Alex Goligoski. “It might make teams play harder against us.”

With nine freshmen, the Gophers, lead by Head Coach Don Lucia, are gearing up for their upcoming series against Ohio State. Then the Gophers will face Colorado College at Mariucci Arena Oct. 27 and 28.

“Everyone is really excited,” Goligolski said of the team this year. “At practice we’ve been plugging away. We’re just ready to play games.”

Whether you’re addicted to extreme outdoor sports, an occasional nature-enthusiast or only go outside to get to class, the U of M Center for Outdoor Adventure welcomes you. It is a place for all levels of outdoor adventurers to come together and heighten their skills, providing a chance to experience new places and meet new people. The center offers daytime and weekend programs that fit with the academic calendar. It also offers longer programs during most holiday breaks. It is a place dedicated to the non-academic aspect of being a U of M student.

The Center for Outdoor Adventure is not an organization or club so you do not have to become a member. It simply serves the University community by providing outdoor trips, indoor rock climbing, clinics and equipment rental. Three years ago, the COA was hidden on the U of M St. Paul campus and was unknown by a majority of students. Now, its main office is located on the East Bank at the University Recreation Center. As a result, more students have taken advantage of the wide variety of activities that the COA offers. The main office offers equipment rental, opportunities to sign up for trips and a free bouldering wall located on the St. Paul campus.

During a recent visit to the COA office, I tested my skills on the bouldering wall and found myself becoming addicted to the rush. Bouldering uses no ropes, harnesses or belaying. It’s just your body and the wall. The bouldering wall offers different routes ranging, from a novice level to half way upside-down, which does not look physically possible. It’s a fun and easy way to catch a workout or just to be active in between classes.

In an interview with Mitch Hoffman, COA program director, I asked what the main goal of the COA is. “Getting people outdoors and serving the students,” Hoffman says. The COA is well supported by the students and university, and they often find that people come back for more. One problem is that it usually takes students a year or two to find the COA. Hoffman hopes that its office relocation will help attract more freshmen and sophomore students so they can have more opportunities for a longer time. The COA likes to have the non-student community involved in activities as well, but it is mainly focused on catering to students.

When Hoffman was asked what the best part of his position was, he responded, “to see the positive experience.” On the other hand, when asked what he would change about the COA, Hoffman replied, “more trips and more time.” The COA must keep its small group sizes on trips for the safety of the students and respect for the places they go. Each trip typically fills up quickly. In fact, the annual backpacking trip to Grand Canyon National Park in Ariz. this Nov. was filled in 48 hours.

The Grand Canyon trip takes four days and three nights. On the first night, the group sleeps on the rim of the canyon where it can get exceptionally cold at night. The group then backpacks down the 5,000-feet vertical drop into the canyon. They spend the rest of the time exploring the beautiful area. Then they hike back up on the other side and drive a few hours south to Flagstaff where they get a shower, a bed and some well-deserved sleep.

Day and weekend trips are offered through the COA to participate in activities like climbing at Taylor’s Falls, canoeing in the Boundary Waters, sea kayaking on Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake or backpacking along the North Country Scenic Trail which links scenic, natural, historical and cultural areas in seven northern states among others.

Beginner and intermediate activities are also available such as horseback riding, climbing, canoeing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, which are open to students. Most activities are offered at fair student prices ranging from free clinics to $35 day trips or a $600 four-night stay at the Grand Canyon. Equipment is provided, and the rental price is built into the initial price of the activity.

The indoor rock-climbing wall at the St. Paul campus is a great resource for any climber or non-climber on campus. The wall is 25 feet high with over 900 square feet of climbing area. There are many routes to accommodate all climbing abilities, and the staff is trained to help get you started and belay. A daily pass is $4 for students, and climbing equipment is free to use. The COA does caution that climbing is very addicting.

The COA not only has outdoor opportunities, but it also provides student leadership and employment opportunities. Student trip leaders plan and facilitate all aspects of the trips. They are on their own with a lot on their shoulders, but the leaders are very passionate and happy to be there. The trips are usually planned in small groups, and while the leaders provide a fun experience for the members, they also teach them how to develop skills in outdoor responsibility. The leaders present a leave-no-trace ethic to group members and encourage them to apply those skills outside of the COA.

Every winter and spring the, COA has a huge sale where all the gear and equipment used by the COA is replaced. The equipment is sold at a discount relative to the condition of the equipment. It is a great place for anyone to buy lightly used brand name gear. All of the equipment at the COA office is available for rent as well. Anything from tents, backpacks, kayaks, snowshoes and cooking kits are available at low prices.

The COA provides something for everyone, whether you want a new workout, to see new places or to try something different. It all can be accomplished through the Center for Outdoor Adventure. For more information, visit the COA website at www.recsports.umn.edu/Programs/climb, or pick up a COA Fall 2006 Adventure Guide at the main office on the lower level of the University Recreation Center.

There’s no doubt that both men’s and women’s Gophers basketball are in a rebuilding phase. The men’s team lost Vincent Grier, a third-team All-American and the team’s leading scorer. The men’s team also lost Adam Boone, J’son Stamper, Maurice Hargrow and Zach Puchtel. The women’s team had five players leave the team after the season that weren’t graduating, including Jamie Broback, Natasha Williams and Center Liz Podominick. The Gopher basketball program has seen better days.

The best place to start rebuilding is with the head coach. Dan Munson deserves to be replaced – not by an outsider but by someone who knows Gopher basketball, Pam Borton.

You’re skeptical and understandably so, but there’s no better way to be a progressive research institution than to start a major sports experiment by having the first female coach of a men’s basketball team in NCAA history.

Let’s look at the numbers.

The Gopher men’s basketball team finished last season 16-15, with only one win versus a Top 25 team – Iowa, ranked 23rd on Feb. 18. In the Big Ten, the Gophers finished 5-11.

Munson was hired by Minnesota to rebuild the basketball program after the Clem Haskins fiasco. He came highly regarded after taking Gonzaga to the elite eight. However, at Minnesota, it has been one let down after the next.

This year, Munson’s squad will take on Bemidji State and Winona State in its two exhibition games. Both are Division II schools. Then the Gophers will battle North Dakota State and Long Island. NDSU and Long Island had combined records of 21-31 last year. It’s better to lose to good teams than barely beating bad ones.

On the other side of the spectrum from Munson is Pam Borton. A coach whose stock has risen since coaching basketball at the U. Borton’s record at Minnesota is 95-33 in her first four years as Head Coach. This season, Borton has a chance to reach 100 victories before any other U of M women’s basketball coach.

Past and Present
In her career, Borton is 164-79 (67.5% winning percentage), whereas Munson is 168-118 (58.7% winning percentage). Let’s not forget that Munson coached at Gonzaga for two years where he beat up the likes of San Francisco, UC-Santa Clara, Saint Mary’s and Loyola Marymount. Borton, however, coached at Vermont University and led them to a record of 69-46 over the four seasons she spent as head coach. Her career-winning percentage has risen slightly from 66.7% to 67.5% since she began at Minnesota. Munson’s career winning percentage has decreased dramatically, from 75.3% at Gonzaga to 58.7% overall.

Munson’s career at Minnesota is a joke. It is borderline hilarious that the Gopher basketball media guide touts “five postseason appearances in six years” when four of those five appearances were the NIT. Borton has led the women’s Gopher basketball team to four consecutive NCAA tournaments, reaching the Sweet Sixteen three times, including a trip to the Final Four.

In a sports world, where mediocrity is often penalized, the Gophers seem to let mediocrity slide and even reward it. This attitude comes to the surprise of fans that have seen coaches with winning records at other schools get released year after year because they can’t win the games. It would be a perfect opportunity to go off on a Glen Mason rant, but, oh hell, I’ll spare you the time.

Pam Borton, or anyone else for that matter, should be given a shot at coaching the men’s team. If she starts right now, she’ll have roughly three weeks to grab the players by the balls and have them ready for their first game against Bemidji State on Nov. 3.

The women’s soccer team has two hidden treasures guarding the Minnesota goal—sophomore goalkeeper Lindsey Dare and freshman goalkeeper Chelsey Turner. With the help of these two young superstars, the women’s soccer team started the season with a 6-1-1 record, their best start since 1995.

Turner blocked eight saves against Army at the Brown International on Sept. 8 to mark her first career shutout.

Dare was recently named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the week on Sept. 11 after tying a 13-year-old school record with 15 saves against Brown on Sept. 10.

Dare and Turner rank number one and two in saves per game with 9.0 and 6.25 respectively. Dale and Turner also rank number one and two in the conference for save percentage at .931 and .926 respectively. Turner ranks second in goals-against-average at 50 percent while Dare ranks fourth at 64 percent.

The U of M is the only school in the Big Ten with two goalkeepers in the top 10 within every statistical category for goal keepers. To our surprise, the girls offered to talk to us and, despite being feared by soccer players all over the state, were quite nice.

Wake: Lindsey, you were named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the week a few weeks ago. How was that being sophomore at a Big Ten School?

Dare: It was pretty cool. My roommates, once they found out about it, went kind of crazy so it was kind of fun. I think I only got it because the other team had a billion shots and I had so many saves. We weren’t doing very well on defense as a team.

Wake: You also broke a U of M record for saves during that game right?

Dare: Yeah! Well, I think I tied the record but that was pretty cool.

Wake: Chelsey, you had your first shutout against Brown this fall?

Turner: Yup.

Wake: So, did you both play soccer in high school?

Turner and Dare: Yeah.

Wake: Did your high school teams ever make it to state?

Dare: [laugh] Oh crap! We were pretty bad. We never went to state. We went to the section championship once and we lost. We weren’t very successful in high school, but they were good, right? (Dare points to Turner.)

Turner: Yeah, we were alright. We went to state my junior and freshman year.

Wake: What brought you to the U of M?

Dare: It ended up coming down to playing soccer at the U of M or going to Winona and playing basketball and soccer. I just decided that the University of Minnesota was a better education and the opportunity to play for a Division 1 sport was something I couldn’t say no to. I didn’t want to be living my life wondering what it would have been like, so I decided to come here and I have loved every second of it.

Turner: Basically, I looked out East a lot. I didn’t really look in the Midwest. Basically it came down to Penn State and here and this just felt a lot more like a family than just playing soccer.

Wake: What has been your most exciting game here at the U so far?

Dare: Probably the first game that I played here, I think it was against Drake. Well, this season anyway. It was exciting to just get out here and play in a game that counted instead of just exhibition games. It was really exciting, I think I had a bunch of saves that game too so it was fun!

Turner: For me it was beating Dartmouth on Friday (Sept. 15). That was huge! With all the fans and under the lights and stuff—that was cool.

Wake: Do you guys ever wish you were out scoring goals instead of saving them?

Dare: I think it would be really fun to be a forward and run around out there—score goals and stuff. I used to play on the field during practice all the time freshman year and it was so fun. I like being able to run around a lot more instead of just chilling back in goal but I love being goalie and wouldn’t change it for the world.

Turner: Um, yeah…well, in high school I used to play on the field a lot but once we got to a higher level on the field I kind of got shut down. (Turner laughs.) I got brought back down to reality pretty quickly.

Wake: So you like being in the goal?

Turner: Yeah, it’s safe.

Wake: So you two share the net. How is that?

Dare: We go game by game and split weekends. Someone will play on Friday and someone will play on Sunday. That’s how we’re doing it right now and it’s awesome, I love it! I love training with this kid (Dare nudges Turner) it’s a lot of fun. Turner’s cool with it too, she told me.

Wake: How does it feel to be a part of this gopher team which started the season with the best record since 1995?

Dare: It feels really good to win and score a lot of goals. The last couple of years we would play really well but we just could not score a goal, now we score all the time…it’s really fun.

Wake: So is the Big Ten pretty competitive this year?

Turner: Yeah, every year it is. Even the last teams in the conference can come back and beat the top teams.

Wake: What kind of goals do you have for the rest of your career with the University of Minnesota soccer team?

Turner: To make an impression on the program and keep it going upward. Just being a part of rebuilding this program and making it a tradition is awesome.

Dare: My freshman year we were absolutely terrible and the year before they were even worse. Being able to be a part of the growth process and Minnesota soccer making a name for ourselves and being good, people knowing your name, it has been really fun. I think it would be really fun to make it to the NCAA tournament, I don’t even care what round we get to, just to go would be amazing for me. I think it would be an incredible experience.

The origins of rugby date back to London,1175, where a monk, William Fitzspephen, documented youths “playing with a ball in open spaces.” If you would like to be a part of history, join the women’s rugby club. It’s a club requiring no prior experience, simply a commitment to learn, give your all and have fun! Be careful though, when a rookie scores on their first try, they have to run around the field naked – that’s the rules.

The Wake: I have to know. Has anyone actually scored on their first try and run around the field naked?

Kristy Lear: Laugh. No, we don’t actually do that especially with the hazing rules. It’s just kind of how rugby started, as a fun game against friends. There’s a huge social community. Once you join, you will meet people from other states who love it as much as you do.

The Wake: All right, on a more serious level … what kind of record does the University of Minnesota women’s rugby club hold?

Lear: Well, it has changed over the last couple of years. Not last year but the year before, we qualified for nationals as a Division-II team. Last year we moved up to a Division-I team, which is a whole new ball game for us. We are trying to be competitive at the Division-I level, but it is more difficult. Before we became a Division-I team, we used to make it to Nationals quite often.

The Wake: How is the team doing so far this year?

Lear: We lost our first game against Eastern Illinois, which is one of the few varsity rugby teams in the nation. There are probably less than 10 varsity teams in the nation right now, but it is growing. We did win our second game against Milwaukee’s club team.

The Wake: How did the All-Minnesota Tournament go?

Lear: We won! We have won every year since before I started, so 5+ years. During the tournament, we played the University of North Dakota and won 32-5, we beat St. Ben’s College 30-0, Moorhead 30-0 and during the championship game we beat Minnesota-Duluth 20-17!

The Wake: Is there a chance that the U of M rugby club could ever become a varsity sport?

Lear: It is possible that eventually our team could become a varsity sport because of Title XI (Title XI requires schools to demonstrate substantially proportionate athletic opportunities for male and female athletes). The U of M needs to have at least one more varsity women’s sport to be equal with varsity men’s sports. We are still looking into things, but we hope that if the University considers another varsity sport they will consider us.

The Wake: The opponents on your schedule include Eastern Illinois, Madison and Eau Claire.

Lear: Well, we have no other varsity teams on our schedule. Our games against Madison on September 30 and Marquette on October 7 are our qualifying games for nationals. We must win both those to qualify for the playoffs, which will take place the first week in November. If we qualify for nationals, the Final Four, we will continue playing tournaments until spring.

The Wake: I never got the chance to play sports in high school or college. What kind of rush comes from playing a sport as aggressive as rugby?

Lear: It’s great, unlike lacrosse or hockey; girl’s rugby follows the same rules as men’s. Aggressive tackles and checking are encouraged. We play the game as hard as men do. A lot of girls look for that when looking for a sport – it’s equal opportunity.

The Wake: Any inspiring words to girls who might want to try out for the team but are worried about scoring on the first try?

Lear: It’s great to be involved in any sport. Rugby is a tough and competitive sport that is becoming more and more popular in Minnesota, particularly in high schools. Right now is a great time to be a part of rugby because it is growing so rapidly.

The best part about joining the U of M rugby team is that you don’t need any experience. Our coach was on the USA team and is very knowledgeable about how to play the game. It doesn’t matter if you have never even heard the word rugby.

The women’s club volleyball team is a dedicated group of girls playing for the love of the game. Their season starts in mid-September and runs through April. The club is split into two teams, the A-team and the B-team. The women compete in weekend tournaments throughout the midwest. They also attend the National Intramural and Recreation Sports Association national championships at the end of the season. The women’s club has been very successful in the past at the NIRSA. The championship was held in Minneapolis in 1995, and the girls took second place. A year later, the championship was held in Toledo, Ohio, where the girls took first place and walked away national champions.

The Wake talked with the Vice President of the women’s club volleyball team, Suzy Maul, to learn about this year’s squad.

The Wake: Is the team planning on traveling to travel to Kansas City, Missouri, for the NIRSA?

Suzy Maul: Yeah, they usually fall on the second week in April, generally over Easter weekend. It’s always fun to travel for a national tournament because we get to see another part of the country. Our travel is limited; the farthest we usually go is 10 hours to play schools such as the University of Iowa, Michigan or Wisconsin. We get to see schools we don’t typically see in our regular season like California and schools out East.

The Wake: How competitive is the NIRSA?

Maul: Almost every team we compete against during our regular season goes to that tournament. Club teams work up to play in the tournament; it’s the pinnacle of every club’s season.

The Wake: How is the team looking this year?

Maul: Hard to tell right now, a lot of fourth- and fifth-year players graduated or moved. It’ll be interesting to see what new players we get. A solid number of players came out for tryouts … lots of impressive new talent for both teams A and B … a great outlook for 2006-7 season

The Wake: What do you think of your schedule this year?

Maul: It’s pretty premature as far as scheduling goes. We play three of four tournaments in the fall. Our spring season gets busier as we gear up for nationals. There are usually 12 teams in the tournament pool so we get to play and see a variety of teams. We could potentially play six or seven different schools throughout a weekend-long tournament. We travel to Washington University on October 14, Marquette University on November 11 and Minnesota State University on December 2 for our fall tournaments.

The Wake: Do you get the opportunity to compete against a lot of Big Ten Schools?

Maul: There are a lot of big ten schools with club teams but whether or not we play them depends on were they are located. Illinois draws the most people because they are centrally located. When we host tournaments we see schools like the University of Wisconsin, Michigan, Colorado, Iowa and sometimes Illinois.

The Wake: Which school would you like to beat the most?

Maul: Iowa State is a huge rivalry for us; it should be a good game. The University of Wisconsin-Marquette is also a very good team.

Be sure to catch the women’s club volleyball team when they host a game on campus this March.

Whether you think drinking games are considered sports is debatable. However, some students make a living and fill their Monday-Saturday nights “practicing their craft.” Thus, Wake Athletics decided to give you a look at some of our favorite drinking games that can be played in a parking lot, basement or dungeon. Here are the some of the Wake’s favorites.

Editor’s Note: two students were harmed doing research for this story.

Beer Pong
Also known as Beirut on the East Coast, this game play is played using 20 16 ounce cups, 10 per team. The cups are placed in a triangular setup, and there are two players per team. Objective: sink the ball in the cups by throwing or bouncing.
Some 16-year-old kid outside of Des Moines, Iowa was sitting around in his parent’s basement 14 years ago, chugging his Dad’s OldStyle when his friend decided to create one of the best drinking games with nothing more than cups, ping pong balls and a table. The 16-year-old, we’ll call him Rich McDermott, was skeptical at first, but by the end of the game, he was pretending to surf on a chair while wearing a cowboy hat and singing “My Sharona”. The jury is still deciding, but we think it’s safe to assume that he had a good time.

Visit to choose from 21 different rule variations on this simple game.

Flip Cup
Also known as tippy cup, this game requires only a table (preferably 6-8 ft.) and 10-20 16 oz. cups. There are two teams, one on each side of the table. Hector Van Dumpsenstuff invented Flip Cup on wild night back in 1912, fusing two of man’s greatest inventions, beer and throw-away cups. His rules were simple, the team that finishes first wins. However, Flip Cup is like cockfighting, a lot of screaming, a short contest and neither side truly wins. Flip cup is perfect on game day, provided that you have access to a keg and a pitcher. All you need is a table and many 16 oz. cups.
The best part about this game is that many people can play – up to 20 – and the game allows plenty of opportunities for shit-talking.

Bags
Bean Bags were probably invented by some hard-partying college kid that worked at a local park and was sneaking booze on the job.
Bean Bags is played using two angled wooden boards propped up, with a circular hole cut in the middle of the board facing the thrower. Teams are comprised of two people, each throwing two bags per round.
Scoring varies, some people cancel points while others don’t. The game can be played to 11, 15 or 21. This game involves some skill but only four people can play.
Over the summer, students at the U were seen playing bean bags. Two hours and 36 Special Reserve Lights later, the same students were seen throwing the bean bags at one another and freestyle walking off of the angled boards used to play the game.

Ladder Golf aka Alligator Golf (aka Testicles On A Fence)
If the game of Horseshoes had a drunken embarrassment of a cousin who came to the family reunion’s wasted to make vulgar comments to wives and then passed out in the middle of the cakewalk, he’d be Ladder Golf. Ladder Golf or Alligator golf to anyone who loved alligator tag, is a game played with two golf balls attached by a piece of rope and a three rung “ladder” of PVC piping. It’s the kind of game best enjoyed on Easter morning after a breakfast of six Cadbury eggs and four Mai Tais. Each team of two switches off lobbing roped golf balls at two opposing ladders, the bottom, middle and top rungs each taking on a numeric level of both points and drinks. Seems easy enough right? Wrong. “Throwing two golf balls attached by rope while drunk is actually pretty fucking hard,” Chloe Fingermilk says, a freshman at the U. The wildcard in this game is the surprising amount of coordination and throwing skill it takes. “When you have to close one eye to be able to see the ladder, that’s when you know it’s been a good day” Brad Flosterstagg says, a part-time student and full-time Ladder Golf enthusiast. “The key is to not let the game control your life.”

Quarters
Somewhere deep inside the bong-rattled post-Nixon minds of the 1970s college students, someone got the idea that beer is easier to drink with shiny things inside it. Goldshlager’s appeal hadn’t yet come on full force and like crows we flocked to this new phenomenon of bling bling drinking, thus, Quarters was born. Perhaps the most effective drinking game of all time, Quarters is played with a cup filled with beer (or whiskey if you’re fucking crazy) and two-eight spirited youths. Each person takes turns attempting to bounce the quarter off the table and into the cup of beer. The winner gets the chance to give out the full cup of beer to another player for immediate consumption.

Now lets kick it up a notch. Speed Quarters or “Crack Quarters” is played with two quarters and two cups in addition to a beer reserve cup in the middle of the table. Each cup starts on an opposite side of the table and is passed in a circular motion. The point of Speed Quarters is to try to catch one cup up to the other to double up on somebody in which case they have one more try to make the quarter in or else they have to drink the cup and refill. I attempted to get some good quotes for this game, but plainly, the game just gets you too drunk. “ I’m so wasted,” one sophomore from the university claims after an hour of playing the game. Her friend states, “I don’t want to play anymore.” Later, she spit up on herself midgame … yes, we know, its not all fun in games in the world of competitive drinking, but you swallow that vomit, and you live to play again.

The only thing interrupting the placid water is the swift and rapid rowing of the University of Minnesota men’s crew team. The ripples that spread across the Mississippi River showcase 50 years of dedication. Crew, a club team that was started in 1957, has left a lasting impression on these waters and this campus.

The crew team at the U was founded by Oliver Bogen, Lloyd Ohme and Dr. Charles Good. The team began practicing on the Mississippi River with equipment donated by the University of Wisconsin. Bogen lead the team as head coach for the first eight years.

Fifty years later, men’s crew has proven to be a competitive racing team representing the University of Minnesota at regattas throughout the country. With head coach Thomas Altenhofen, freshman coach Ed Podnieks and two assistant coaches, Fred Orsted and John Stanochm, men’s crew is able to compete against almost every collegiate rowing program.

“The men’s crew at this University is a great opportunity to compete at the collegiate level. Despite being a club sport we are still as competitive as you can get,” crew member Sean McNulty said.

Except for the four coaches, the men’s crew is run by the athletes themselves. A board of 12 members is elected each year and the 50 or so members participate in the sport for fun and for pride. Certain technicalities prohibit the team from becoming a varsity sport but fundraising, dedication and loyalty have allowed the men’s crew to be one of the most successful crew clubs in the nation.

“Although we can’t offer scholarships, with the help of alumni and the university we hold our own,” said McNulty. “We have a very strong tradition.”

Being a club team gives them an advantage of being a tight knit group with a unique culture. Everyone on the team is at the University to get a degree, not a shoe contract or a scholarship. The result is a team with members who truly love the sport and who are dedicated. Unlike varsity sports, the team is not limited to a certain number of practice hours, allowing them to practice as much as they wish.

“Making crew fit in with college life is not easy, and everyone has to sacrifice something else in their life to make crew happen for them,” said McNulty.

Since 1990 the men’s crew has captured an impressive five National Intercollegiate Championships, 15 National Club Championships and 16 Midwest Regional Championship titles. All while competing against some of the nation’s top varsity crew teams.

The team kicks off the season at Des Moines on Sept. 30. Then it’s off to Rockford, Ill. on Oct. 8, Boston Oct. 21-22 and they finish the fall season in Iowa City, Iowa on Oct. 29. The big event to watch out for though is Head of the Mississippi on Oct. 7, raced on our very own Mississippi River.

“Our freshman team was great last year,” said team captain Matt Harmann. “Good recruiting helps to build a strong team for the future.” The team is hoping for a very successful 50th year.

If you’re interested in being a part of the men’s crew, look for the crew boat on the lawn near the mall. The men’s crew will be recruiting along with the women’s rowing for the fall season.

It seems that Brad Radke’s right arm could shatter as he was warming up before the first inning, and the gritty veteran could refuse to leave the game, begin to pitch a knuckle curve with his left arm and throw a perfect game with 26 strikeouts. Anyone on the streets would hear from the sports media that this is the latest overblown nail in Barry Bonds’ coffin.

Or T.O.’s workout routine. Or how disgraceful USA basketball is to all things American: McDonalds, Dick Cheney, Oprah, the Mexican flag, Bobbleheads and people who bought the Paris Hilton album.

What do the Minnesota Twins have to do to get some fuckin’ national coverage?

Not from you, you’ve given the Twins all the gratitude you can offer and then you give more. You’ve shaved your back hair into that little “TC” logo. You’ve heroically delivered letters beyond enemy lines into Canada to tell imprisoned Twins fans tales of the larger-than-life lumberjack, Justin Morneau. You’ve beaten Red Sox fans with whiffle bats and aluminum bats tied together with your ‘91 Homer Hankey while screaming “We don’t need Ortiz now!” You were even kind enough to add Carlos Silva to your friends on MySpace.

You’ve done more than enough.

It’s ESPN that needs to start giving the Twins some foolish tender love. Fox Sports should fire every reporter who hasn’t raced to the Dome to watch some Minnesota Twins baseball game. Thousands and thousands of reporters from Los Angeles to Tokyo should be flooding into the Twin Cities to catch a game.

Because of a slow start, most baseball watchers have no grasp of what the Twins have been doing this summer.

Sure, bus drivers in Seattle know Joe Mauer because of his note-worthy sideburns. And anyone with a God-fearing and flag-waving soul knows Liriano and Santana. But the names Nathan, Cuddyer, Punto, Bartlett, Neshek, Redmond and Boof are foreign objects to anyone outside of Minnesota.

Instead of giving the Twins their due a little something extra, you know, for the effort, the talking heads that discuss baseball relentlessly chatter about the Red and White Sox. Or they go to great lengths to explain that the Detroit Tigers played horribly the past few years and gee, aren’t they good this year? There is consistent babbling about the flavor of the week in the National League, a league where a sub .500 record will get you a playoff berth, victory parades and your pick from the FBI’s cache of illegal goods. But above all else, the experts explain and diagram and sing about the Yankees.

Gardy, while milling about in his dank basement on a full-moon night looking for his stash, could be bit by a radioactive centipede, gain super strength and a hundred legs and begin to fight crime by day and win baseball games by night. But the Red Sox pulling within 9 games of the Wild-Card is all Fox Sports would be talking about.

But an A-Rod error would still be the lead story on SportsCenter, along with nine minutes of expert analysis on why A-Rod just can’t seem to get the sand out of his jock in Yankee Stadium.

The Twins just can’t get any respect.

Accept that from Tambourine Man. He’s always playing a song for them in the jingle-jangle morning.