SPORTS
11
MARCH 25, 2011
Guilford's top 16 toams # 2:1981 womon’s tonnis
By Ryan Gordy
Staff Writer
This week we are closing in on the number
one team on the countdown. Before we get
there, let's take a look at the number two
team; the 1981 women's tennis team: Shirley
Dunn '81. Sue Ireton '81. Leesa Shapiro
'82. Kerry Kennedy '82. Lili Carpenter '83.
Tammy Strickland '84.
This was head coach Gayle Currie's domi
nant lineup for the 1981 tennis season. At the
close of the season, four Quakers brought
home All-American honors — Dunn,
Shapiro, Ireton, and Kennedy. Also, first-
year Strickland earned honorable mention
All-American.
The tennis team also won the National
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
Championship.
The team gained momentum from beating
its arch rival. High Point, for the District 26
title. With the win, the Quakers were poised
to make a stand at the NAIA championships.
However, Currie was just focused on how
well the team performed under pressure.
"I'm just as proud as I can be with the
girls," said Currie. "When it came down to
the tiebreakers, we maintained our poise and
handled pressure very well. It was a matter
of who would gut it out in the end and I
couldn't be prouder with our performance."
During the championships, Dunn was
dominant by claiming the singles title and
doubles title with Shapiro at the tournament.
Strickland stepped in and won a big match
for the Quakers in a tiebreaker in the third
set. Guilford won the tournament with 19
points and Currie was named District 26
Coach of the Year.
At the NAIA National Tennis
Championships, the Quakers continued their
dominance.
By the end of the quarterfinals, all of
Guilford's players had been ousted except
Dunn and Shapiro, but the team had accu
mulated 27 points. This feat was enough to
finish no lower than a tie for first place in the
tournament.
The big question entering the tournament
for Guilford was how it was going to fare
against teams from 25 different states and
some international teams. However, it wasn't
hard to see that the Quakers were going to
finish strong.
All of Guilford's singles players made it
through the first round of three, picking up a
lot of points. Then Dunn, Shapiro, Kennedy,
and Ireton advanced through the quarterfi
nals. They got three through the third round
until Dunn and Shapiro lost in the semifinalSi
This effort would be enough to share the
National Title with Grand Canyon College.
"They were so thrilled that a banner pro
claiming a national championship in wom
en's sports can take its place in the field
house. What a way for our seniors. Sue and
Shirley, to go out!" said Currie.
Currie also went out of the 1981 tennis
season with a bang. She was named co-NAIA
National Coach of the Year with Grand
Canyon's coach.
Breaking down the student-athlete divide
By Emily Cooper & Julia Solheim
Staff Writer
At 1,450 students, Guilford traditional student body is
smaller than that of many public high schools. Ye still there are
the jocks and the stoners, the cheerleaders and the art students.
When you have a bimch of young adults living and learning
together in a relatively small community, there will be rifts and
cliques.
There has been a lot of talk among students here about one
particular rift — the student-athlete divide.
If you were to walk around campus and ask members of the
Guilford community to describe the type of students we have,
you are probably going hear categories like hipsters, hippies,
and athletes.
Cliques are not necessarily the ultimate evil, but when is it
that they become an issue?
"I think there are definitely a lot of different groups," said
sophomore Geoff Merwin. "When I came to Guilford my
freshmen year I noticed that there was this kind of sense of the
'tradition^' Guilford student — hippy — something kind of
along those lines."
This divide does not appear to be intentional — it seems to
just form on its own. With that being said, it is hard to define
what the divide between Guilford students and student athletes
actually is.
People hang out with those with whom they have common
interests, so naturally athletes are going to hang out with their
team members — and there is nothing wrong with that.
It becomes an issue, however, when the different cliques are
not interacting. That is, where the divide comes into the picture.
"I think anytime there is separation between two different
parties is when there is a misunderstanding between each
other," said Sports Information Director/Assistant Director of
Athletics Dave Walters. "A way to breach this gap is to share
experience."
Getting past the mentality "you're just a durhb jock" or
"you're just a dirty hippy" is hard. Not to say that everyone
thinks this way or that it strongly affects the social dynamics,
but the divide does linger among peoples' mentality of who
their friends are and whom they spend their time with.
"A way to breach this gap is to share
experience.
II
Dave Walters, sports information director/assistant
director of athletics
An issue arises when the mentality becomes "us vs. them."
If you wanted to witness an example of the divide firsthand
all you would have to do is look around the cafeteria. You
will see many different groups scattered about — identifiable
groups that generally sit together.
The divide is hard to define, yet it is definitely prevalent
on campus. People seem reluctant to talk about it when asked
formally. However, in everyday conversation the topic does
come up.
"I haven't noticed anything too bad — like a huge
divide," said sophomore rugby player Nelson Rubai.
Other students give similar responses that leave something to
be desired: the truth, maybe? Why do people feel the need to
sensor their responses?
"I don't think it's something that can be easily changed,"
said sophomore Marissa Bowers. "There is a spectrum to where
athletes and non-athletes mingle, but primarily there is still
that group difference and people will naturally flock together
whether it is on purpose or not."
Certain students have experienced this first hand,
such as sophomore lacrosse player Rebecca Marasco.
"When I was a first-year last year there was like a different
dynamic — we were more in the athletic side of things and felt
excluded,'/ said Marasco.
Some student athletes feel unaccepted when sporting their
athleticattire,suchassophomorebasketball-playerShellyBarker.
"If I'm dressed in normal clothes I feel more accepted and that
people are more willing to listen to what I have to say," said
Barker.
Do we need to bridge the gap? The general response has
been yes. But the real question remains: how?
"At an event last night, there were groups of athletes and
non-athletes that seemed to be pretty happily interacting... via
beverage," joked Bowers.
There are more values-based ways to interact; the community
should support them
"Guilford is one big community, we shouldn't necessarily
be one way or another," said Merwin. "(But) we do have some
core ideologies that students should always strive for, no matter
what their other groups say and their interests are."
Visit the online Guilfordian for video coverage The
VIDEO, BY Emily Cooper and Julia Solheim, can be found at
WWW.6U1LF0RDIAN.COM.
What's Going On in Gu
■ .D :
BASEBALL
March 21 GUILFORD I Tufts 8
MEN’S LACROSSE
March 19 Guilford 14 RANDOLPH 8*
MEN’S TENNIS
March 19 GUILFORD 9 Randolph 0*
WOMEN’S TENNIS
March 19 GUILFORD 6 Randolph 3*
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
March 19 GUILFORD 18 Bridgewater 6
SOFTBALL
March 20 Guilford 2 BRIDGEWATER 8*
Guilford 4 BRIDGEWATER 11*
ICcr* ^ ODAC Game != Double Header Home team m
UPCOMING GAMES AND MATCHES
BASEBALL
March 26 Guilford v EASTERN MENNONITE*!
GOLF
March 25 40'’’*^ Camp Lejeune Intercollegiate
MEN’S LACROSSE
March 26 GUILFORD V Virginia Wesleyan*
MEN’S TENNIS
March 28 Guilford v HAMPDEN-SYDNEY *
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
March 25 Raleigh Relays
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
March 26 Guilford v VIRGINIA WESLEYAN*
SOFTBALL
March 26 GUILFORD v Sweet Briar*!
WOMEN’S TENNIS
April I Guilford v SWEET BRIAR*