Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / Dec. 11, 1996, edition 1 / Page 6
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Page 6 The Blue Banner December 71, 1996 SUPSHOTS in Carolina is West’s best Brian Castle Columnist Unbelievable. I’m still in state of shock after watching the Carolina Panthers defeat the San Francisco Forty-Niners 30-24 at 3Com Park in San Francisco. The win over the ‘Niners clinched the 10-4 Panthers’ first playoff appearance, setting an NFL record for the earliest play off berth by a franchise. To put the win in better perspective, one must note that the Niners have won five Super Bowls, and the Panthers have only played 30 games. Many reasons abound for the Panthers’ meteoric rise to the elite group of NFL teams just their second year of exist ence. The team owner, Jerry Richardson, is a football rn^n, going back to his days as a Hal of Fame tight end with the Baltimore Colts. Richardson runs a first-class organization with the players and fans mind—not his ego. The second reason for the Panthers’ success is the collec tive genius of team president Mike McCormack and general manager Bill Polian. These two men have employed every trick of the trade to assemble an im pressive array of talented play ers. They have tailored the tal ent pool to fit the designs of Head Coach Dom Capers. Capers is the obvious choice for coach-of-the-year honors. His blend of a conservative of fensive game plan that leaves room for the occasional flair of the big play and a defensive style for which the word tena cious is an understatement, has enabled the Panthers to physi cally destroy their opponents in the NFL’s weekly battles of attrition. Even with the NFL’s most talented front office and coach, the Panther players still have to play the game to win. And most pro football analysts agree that Carolina has that one intan gible that is so hard for oppo nents to overcome; they have heart. This motley crew of jour neymen and rising stars has survived on guts and determi nation. Unlike the league’s most hapless franchises, the Panthers back down from no one. Sunday’s victory places the Panthers into contention for the NFC West championship, and they can now challenge the Green Bay Packers for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. All they have to do is keep on keepin’ on. Their plan is simple: execute the game plan of Coach Capers to the letter, follow the examples of team leaders like gritty quarterback Kerry Collins and the vener able linebacking tandem of Sam Mills and Kevin Greene, take no team for granted, and con tinue to play with heart, deter mination, and tenacity. Who knows? The Panthers may even continue to set fa mous firsts: first playoff vic tory, first conference champi onship, and thep ... well, I don’t want to be the one to jinx them. Lady Bulldogs lose 55-51 at Mercer Kyle S. Phipps Staff Vi/riter The UNCA Lady Bulldogs lost a close game to Mercer University 55-51, on Dec. 6. The loss snapped a three-game win streak for UNCA. The Lady Bulldogs were led by senior guard Vicki Giffin, who scored 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds. The only other scorer in double figures for UNCA was fresh man guard Emily Hill. Hill had 10 points and dished out four assists. The Lady Bulldogs opened up a 14 point lead midway through the first half The Bears of Mercer University closed the gap to eight by halftime. UNCA shot 56 percent from the field in the first half, and held Mercer to just 31 percent from the field. The Lady Bulldog defense pushed Mercer’s offense out beyond the three-point arc in the first half. The Bears shot a lowly two-for-twelve from be hind the three-point arc in the first half UNCA’s Giffin con nected on the only three-point attempt for the Bulldogs in the first half. UNCA’s fortunes changed in the second half of the game. The Lady Bulldogs shooting went cold in the second half. They shot just 31 percent from the field. The Bear offense im proved their shooting dramati cally in the second half as well. Mercer shot an astounding eleven-for-nineteen from the field, and three-for-six from three-point range. Mercer came back to take the lead with just over two minutes remaining in the game. The Bears held on at the end to win the game by four. The Lady Bulldogs w( plagued by turnovers, and the inability to convert on forcec turnovers. UNCA gave the bal away 20 times throughout the game, and the Bears convertec those turnovers into 24 points Giffin committed a game-high six turnovers. Mercer also turned the bal over 20 times. However, the Lady Bulldogs were only able to turn those turnovers into 10 points. Defense has been the key to the Lady Bulldog’s previous success this season. Since UNCA gave up 90 points to Duke, the Lady Bulldogs haven’t given up more than 60 points. UNCA’s defense is holding opponents to 58.2 points per game, and are also holding the opposition to 35 percent shoot ing from the field. UNCA will start their confer ence schedule on Dec. 16 at Liberty University. Liberty fin ished last in the Big South Con ference last season. Local skiing worth a try St. Claire Ready Staff Writer Skiing out west is a somewhat difference experience than ski ing here in North Carolina. For starters, it is truly “snow- skiing,” and not the traditional Western North Carolina ver sion of snow-skiing, which is more aptly called “ice-skiing.” A bumbling skier can actually fall on the snow covering the runs in places like Colorado, Utah, and California. If a skier is unlucky enough to fall on a slope at someplace like Wolf Laurel, that said skier will have a nasty bruise from the cement-like ice encrusted on the slopes. Out west, the slopes are covered with foot after foot of soft, powdery snow. Oh yes, real snow. The difference is akin to the difference in falling down flat onto a pile of freshly raked leaves, or falling down onto a basketball court. Another big difference in western skiing and eastern ski ing is the number of snowboarders. Even though North Carolina slopes do have their share of snowboarders, it is nowhere near the snowboarding masses out west. Standing at the lift in Snow Valley, Ca., an Atlantis Twin- Tip 144 over his shoulder, Jus tin Patterson of San Bernar dino, Ca. commented,’’New powder, and look, the runs aren’t packed with skiers. Those pansies too busy with their little nine to five bogus jobs.” Lift tickets in Vail, Co. run approximately $50.00 a day, and the lifts run from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Add to this the cost of finding a place to stay in a resort like Vail, and the price escalates into the hundreds per day. On top of that, add the cost of flying over driving, and the price shoots into the five-digit range, easily. For Wolf Laurel, lift tickets run about $20.00 for the same time period. It takes about 25. minutes to drive out there, and maybe uses five dollars worth of gas. These are fairly signifi cant price differences if you are a poor college student. Unless you are a skiing enthu siast, who simply cannot fathom skiing anywhere east of the Rockies, try out Wolf Lau rel. It’s cheap, easily accessible, and if you disregard the ice, it’s not too bad for the area. New gym set to open in January St. Claire Ready Staff Writer The new recreational facili ties at UNCA are definitely going to be worth the wait. “What I would really like to stress is the fact that this is a recreational facility, and its pri mary use is for the students, faculty, and staff here at UNCA,” said Justice Center Facility Manager Maggie Smith. The new facilities will open for students, faculty, and staff on Jan. 16, 1997. The expanded Justice Center facilities will be a chance for more interaction between fac ulty and students, according to Smith. “This will be a great place for that to happen,” she said. “I think that this should, and could, become a ‘people cen ter’ for the campus,” said Denise Snodgrass, a member of the Facility Advisory Com mittee. Within the new Justice Cen ter there are new health and fitness department classrooms, a health and fitness library, weight room, locker rooms, basketball courts, racquetball courts, a biometrics lab for fit ness/ nutrition assessments, and even a new track. The facility will have a large “all-purpose” area, said Smith. This area is comprised of one large court that will be divided into three smaller courts by the use of large, hanging-mesh nets. The area will be used for vol leyball, basketball, soccer, or whatever it is needed for. Circling above and around these courts is a 200-meter sus pended, indoor track. The track will be covered with a synthetic rubber, called “Mondo.” This gives a little more cushion for runners and walkers. The track is also indoors, which will alle viate the urge to not exercise due to inclement weather. The new weight room is at least three times the size of the old weight room, and much airier. Brand new, “state-of-the- art” Universal equipment will by arriving on Jan. 7, said Smith. inti Snail QfeUMtA Pr«rn^gi« 1937 Spring Bruk Travel Packages Eim M0N5Y »nd ffiBE TKIPS Call irmiR.CAMPU£ PROCRI^Mfi 1.SOO-327-6013 GOOD WEEKLY INCOME processing mail lor national company! Free supplies, poslagoi No sailing! Bonusos! Slarl immodialoly! Ganuino opportunity! FtusfiSAS.E.: V M C, SUITI-: 174 lOGl N.FEnniiAI, IIHY IlOr.LYHOOI), FI, 33020 ig to Photo by St. Claire Ready The new Justice Center will be open for student, faculty, and staff use on Jan. 16. The facility includes an indoor track and racquetball courts Approximately $80,000 was verted from racquetball to handball, or “walleyball,” which Smith claims is a “great sport!” There were delays in the schedule of the building, which is the main reason everyone here at UNCA has had to wait im patiently for the new facility to open. “One of the delays was due to finding rock, while excavating,” said Snodgrass. “I’ve never un derstood why they didn’t know that was there.” There will also be renovations to the old Justice Center. “The weight room will become die new dance studio, and the old dance studio is going to even tually become a sports medi cine area,” said Smith. spent on up-to-date weight training and cardiovascular equipment, accordin Smith. Scheduling in the new facility will be aimed at accommodat ing those students, faculty, and staff not involved in athletics. Many students complained that the old weight room and pool were not open when they were scheduled to be open for free time. “We will have constant open time, so the students will know when they can come use it,” said Snodgrass. Four racquetball courts will also be located in the new facil ity. They are connected to the all-purpose area, and easily con- FREE YOURSELF FROM FINAL EXAM STRESS AND ANXIETY!!! LET HYPNOSIS AID YOU IN: - retaining information more easily - recalling retained information more easily - overcoming the STRESS of final exams - improving your test performance Visit Joe Hall, certified hypnotherapist, and learn the skills that will benefit you for the rest of your life. Conquer the fear of exams and learn to take tests to reflect your knowledge - not your nerves! HUGE STUDENT DISCOUNT PLUS - BRING A FRIEND AND SAVE $5 MORE!! CALL JOE AT CAROLINA COUNSELING 258-0616 INSTA E R FORM Guaranteed Credit Cards With Credit Liniils Up To $10,000 Within Days! No Credit. 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University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper
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Dec. 11, 1996, edition 1
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