^day, May 1,1990
THE COMPASS
Page 7
SPORTS
Viking Blues: despite victories
team flattens at season’s end
by Mark
Morris
The ECSU baseball team started
itie 1989-90 season with a momentum
promised an end to the “Viking
Blues” of the long athletic year.
But after finishing the season los
ing 10 of their last 12 games, giving
ihe niners a 13-15 record, the “V” in
Vikings is still this year’s “scarlett
(letter” of the CIAA.
I The Vikings began the season on
1 i)ie road March 2, takinga 16-5 spank
ing from Christopher Newport.
I However, the young but close-knit
team quickly turned things around
■ with a six-game winning streak which
included doubleheader victories over
Binghampton College and St. Paul, as
well as wins over St. Joseph and the
U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
The ECSU run was stopped short
of seven games as they split a double-
header with the Coast Guard Acad
emy. The Vikings also split a twin-
ville with conference opponent, Vir
ginia State and knocked off Bowie,
giving them an 8-3 record and with a
full head of steam going into their first
clash with Norfolk State University.
A fired-up Viking squad turned in
a classic performance. ECSU took an
8-4 victory over die home team in
game one of the doubleheader, but
seemed to run out of gas for the sec
ond game and was defeated 12-2.
The Vikings fought to maintain
their winning record, but the fatigue
factor was too much as they were
scheduled to play a grueling 16 games
over an 8 day span.
Sophomore outfielder, Paul Coun
cil felt that the Vikings were a com
pletely different team from that point
on.
“Everyone was distracted because
we were constanUy thinking of the
time we were spending out of class,”
said Council. “We were all very tired
also as basically the same starting
nine was used until the very end when
a few changes were made, but by that
time fatigue had already taken its toll.”
The 2-10 run which featured an
eight-game losing streak left the Vi
kings flat at the end of the season and
very little momentum going into the
CIAA tournament.
Team batting leaders for the sea
son were Kovic Brown who had 34
hits on the year finishing with a .386
average, Scott Bigbie who had 30 hits
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V
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for a batting average of .333, and
Chris Tomlinson who had 25 hits for
an average of .338. Freshman catcher,
Eric Oglesby, also showed up well at
the plate this year hitting 21 times
with a .296 average.
“1 really wasn’t intimidated this
year by being a freshman,” said Eric.
“ I knew what I could do coming out
of high school. That goes for batting
and playing catcher as well, once I’m
in a game situation, my ‘baseball
smarts’ take over.”
A major flaw in the Viking base
ball program this season was the lack
of power on the mound. Alexander
Daniels, who was expected to do well
pitching this season aggravated aback
injury that he acquired during basket-
bil season, leaving the Vikings to
rely greaUy on the services of super
frosh, David Abernathy.
The young pitcher from Hertford,
NC posted the highest record of all
Viking pitchers with six wins and one
loss. Senior John Gurganus was jusi
as busy winning three out seven startf
and registered the most strikeouts on
the team with 26. Steve Harrell was
second in strikeouts with 19, followed
by Abernathy with 16.
Athletes
honored
at banquet
by James Sims
Top student athletes in the Albe
marle area were honored at the 9th
Annual Albemarle Football Awards
Banquet held at the Kermit E. White
Graduate Center March 22,1990.
ECSU Viking Michael Mabry, a
6’2 248 lb junior linebacker won the
Player of the Year Golden Helmet
Award, and his third consecutive
Thomas L. Caldwell award.
Coca Cola representative Art Jar-
ret presented a check for $ 1,000 to the
ECSU Scholarship Fund, on behalf of
Michael Mabry.
Everett McGiver, an ECSU defen
sive end, won the ECSU Player of the
Year award. Charles Lee, a senior
from Currituck received the All Albe
marle Player of the Year award.
Coach Donnie Simpson won the
Albemarle Coach of the Year Award.
Simpson’s Knights won the Eastern
Regional 1-A championship last fall,
ending the season with a 13-1 record.
The awards banquet and awards,
sponsored by Elizabeth City StateUni-
versity, The Daily Advance, Hardees
and Mid-Atlantic Coca Cola, included
a buffet style meal and a performance
by the band, Sullivan’s Combo.
The guest speaker was Elizabeth
City Mayor Sidney Oman.
Photof by Rkhard Mclntire
Viking baseballers Steve Harrell, Scott Bigbie, and Eric Spruill (left to right) watch as a teammate hits a pop
fly during ECSU’s Easter Sunday match against Norfolk State at Knobbs Creek Recreational Center in
Elizabeth City.
Darrell McCalop: ’unsung hero’
of ECSU’s Athletic Department
Tennis squad co-captain Tim McRae executes a flawless backhand
during a match at St. Paul’s University in Lawrenceville, Virginia.
Because of administrative foul-ups, McRae, histeammates and ECSU’s
softball team didn't participate in this season’s CIAA Spring tournament
held in Winston-Salem. See editorial on page 2.
A daily journal: lineman records
trials and joys of spring practice
by James Sims
(James Sims is a 511-, 220-pound
offensive lineman on the Vikings
football team. He is a sophomore
i from Augusta, Georgia.)
Wednesday March 21,1990
Although the sun is out, it’s a little
j chilly but a good day for practice.
I Everyone is out on the practice field
alx)ut 3:50 pm at Elizabeth City State
I University waiting for the coach to
I arrive. 1 thought we would start out
funning today, but instead everyone
was weighed in and had their height
measured. To see if everyone had been
working out prior to spring practice,
everyone had to bench press his
maximum weight. (I benched pressed
365 pounds, 145 pounds more than
'^'y weight, 220 pounds, and a tie for
the number one spot of the day).
March 22
I expected to go out today and run
also, but to my surprise we exercised
: by doing jumping jacks, stretching
and push-ups. Coach Johnny Walton
^en told everyone what we would be
doing during the course of spring
practice, things such as working on
agility, fundamentals and endurance.
To end the day, we ran ten sample
100-yard sprints; tomorrow we would
liave to run them in a certain time.
I ^actice was short today; it usually
I lasts from 4 pm until 6 pm.
' March 23
Today is the day that no one wanted
to see. We had to run ten 100-yard
sprints, and each sprint had to be done
within a certain time: linebackers and
tight ends within 14 seconds, receiv
ers and running backs within 13 sec
onds, defensive backs widiin 12 sec
onds, and lineman witiiin 16 seconds.
Linemen were the last to run, but
unfortunately practice ended before
we got to run. The sprints were mur
der on some people who were not in
shape. “This is harder than I expected,”
said Paris Booth, a walk-on freshman
linebacker, firom Washington, N.C.,
who was breathing heavily while lying
on the ground.
March 26
Today is the day that lineman run
their ten 100-yard sprints. 1 don tknow
about the other big lineman, but I was
ready to get it over with. I ran the
sprints with a breeze, but unfortu
nately guys such as Robert Russ,a
357-pound freshman offensive tackle
from Deerfield Beach, Fla., had some
trouble. “I have cramps in my toes”
said Russ as he sat on the ground
massaging his toes after the sixth
sprint.
March 27
Personally, I think practice is too
easy. Today we had fun doing indi
vidual drills and racing each other.
Other players were laughing and en
joying the relay race between offen
sive and defensive players. But 1 must
say that team morale is very much
alive. Everyone seems anxious for the
regular season to begin. I do believe
that the 1990 Viking team will be a
totally different ball club. Mainly
because we have more quality play
ers , a lot of players have b^n working
out regularly on their own and every
one has a positive attitude.
April 3
Practice has really started to pick
up a little during this last week. We’re
doing more one-on-one drills, which
is a lot of fun. Working on things such
as one-on-one blocking, which the
offensive and defensive linemen do,
makes the team wish we had on full
equipment.
April 4
Today Mark Hines, an upcoming
sophomore defensive tackle from
Greenville, N.C., had a front tooth
knocked loose by Aaron Back an of
fensive center from Swansboro, N.C.,
while doing one-on-one pass block
ing drills.
“It hurts,” said Mark, as he was
reluctant to get back into the action.
Even though it was an accident, Back
received his share of the pain also.
“Are you alright?” Back asked Hines
while rubbing his own head. “Yeah,”
said Hines. “But 1 think I ’ 11 sit this one
out.”
April 5
“Lets go, it’s time to start practice”
shouted last year’s team captain Mi
chael Mabry, as he led the warm up
lap around the field. Michael Mabry is
a truly good leader. He does a good
job getting things started and he keeps
the players pepped up. We have a lot
of good leaders on the team but he is
one of the outstanding ones. By my
senior year, 1 really hope to becaptain.
By Mark Morris
When he isn’t taping knees and
ankles, or taking inventory on an
mountain of athletic equipment, you
will find him in the ECSU infirmary.
His name is Darrell McCalop and
he may very well be the best kept
secret in Viking sports.
He appeared on the scene at ECSU
in the spring of 1981, a student trainee
from a junior college expecting to
continue his education under the guid
ance of an established professional.
However, Darrell McCalops’ appren
ticeship lasted the duration of a single
football scrimmage and before he
knew it he had “the keys to the store.”
“I began in the spring at a blue and
white game and there was already an
athletic trainer here,” he recalls. “But
when we came back in August, I was
faced with the responsibilities of being
the athletic trainer and equipment
manager all by myself.”
From that moment until now there
has not been a single dull moment for
the intense young man from Rocky
Mount, North Carolina. Darrell
McCalop, trainer and equipment
manager, doesn’t know any other way
to play iL
“I’m a workaholic” he says. “My
day begins sometimes at six or seven
in the morning and at times. I’m leav
ing the Vaughn Center at midnight or
one A.M.”
McCalop has been a trainer since
his high school days beginning in 1975,
where he experienced much of his
growth in the field.
“As a trainer, I had to have a soft
side and as an equipment manager I
had to have a hard side, but the hardest
part being 17 years old and having to
give instructions to guys older than
myself, buti basically had everyone’s
respect which made things easier.”
McCalop was in no way over
whelmed by the transition from high
school to college level athletics; he
attributes this to the help he has re
ceived form ECSU students.
“I’ve been lucky because of the
outstanding student workers I’ve had
over the years, from Kim Cooper and
Anthony Thames in 1981 to Wylia
Slade, Deya Arujuno, and Jamette
Smith of more recent times.”
McCalop stresses how important
such students have been to him.
“If I told them that we had to begin
preparing for a game at four in the
“I’m a work
aholic. My day begins
sometimes at six or
seven in the morning
and at times, I’m
leaving the Vaughan
Center at midnight or
one A.M.”
Darrell McCalop
morning, they would be there, and
that’s vital to any athletic trainers’
program.”
McCalop says he has had to draw
on his own patience in order to pre
vent his job from becoming chaotic.
The pressures—^resulting from other
people’s expectations of him—can be
difficult.
“At times it’s like you have to be a
robot,” he says. “You’re not supposed
to have bad days; you’re always sup
posed to be cheerful and understand
ing.”
McCalop added that the problems
increase when an athlete may not show
up at the prescribed time for aeat-
ment; this makes it impossible to
maintain a consistent schedule.
“You always try to be the best you
can be but you can burnout.”
The danger of trainer burnout is
especially high during a brief time
span each year, when basketball sea
son winds down and gives way to the
spring sports. McCalop is responsible
for seven sports during that time.
Moreover, five days a week Mc
Calop works a 8 p.m. to midnight shift
in the infirmary. And all injuries or
problems that need attention after
midnight demand Mr. Mccalops’
presence as well.
Given his experience and dedica
tion to athletics, it’s not surprising
that McCalop has strong opinions
about college athletics. He gets irri
tated with the “experts” when they
accuse NCAA division II athletics of
being a waste of time, calling the
dream of professional sports far
fetched due to competition from their
division 1 counterparts.
“Players in CIAA and everywhere
else in division II get just as much of
a shot of playing pro ball as anyone,”
he says. “Professional scouts are not
so naive to think that every decent
college athlete belongs to a mega
university. In fact, many of the super
athletes who come out of high school
with intentions to play their sport in
college benefit from coming to an
ECSU because their chances of gradu
ation are much higher here.”
Social pressures can also be lighter
at smaller schools like ECSU, he
added.
Athletes who do not go pro are by
no means wasting their time at ECSU,
McCalop continued, “because of the
discipline and character that athletics
instill in a youth.”
Nothing keeps McCalop in motion
like injuries. His job is to constantly
check up and rehabilitate injured play
ers, and deal with athletes who are
trying to do too much.
“The coaching staff here is good
about not pressuring an injured kid to
get well fast, but you have some play
ers such as Paul Byrd who you liter
ally have to hide his helmet and shoul
der pads from.” Although McCalop
feels a great responsibility to protect
his athletes he quickly points out that
by no means is it the sole responsibil
ity of the U-ainer to protect the player
from self-destructing. He cites the
recent death of LMU basketball star
Hank Gathers as as example of a player
who sacrifices his health and well
being on the altar of winning at all
cost.
“Gathers should not even have been
playing with a condition serious
enough to place his heart in jeop
ardy,” says McCalop. “No injured
player will play at ECSU unless he is
cleared by his doctor.”
McCalop admits that at times it
really does hurt a team to have to tell
a player no. For example, a few sea
sons ago ECSU’s starting quarterback,
Tim Warren was injured during prac
tice and had to sit out a game between
the Vikings and their conference ri
val, Bowie State.
McCalop strives hard be the very
best he can be. Aside from any recog
nition that anyone could offer him,
what he would like to see most is more
respect for his profession itself.
r
m
m
Spring practice is a time to prepare for the rigorous demands of the fall season. The players, seen here
running a rope drill, participated in other exercises to keep them in tune for next season’s battles on the
gridiron.