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SPORTS/tEl&e Cjarlotlc
Thursday, Jun© 8, 2006
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Continued from page 1C
and was suffering fi’om bone
spurs, bone chips and a calci
um buildup that required off
season surgery
Colbert won’t use that as an
excuse for his sophomore
slump.
‘Tt didn’t bother me enou^
to not play” he said. “If you
can walk and you can run,
you can play My thing wasn’t
any different from things that
other guys play with every
year - that’s why 1 don’t like
to talk about it.”
That Colbert kept his injury
a secret doesn’t surprise his
teammates.
“Nobody knew how hurt he
was because that’s just the
kind of guy he is,” quarter
back Jake Delhomme said.
"He doesn’t complain. He
just comes out and plays. But
in talking with him after the
season, he had some issues
and he was in a lot of pain.”
Now that he’s healed,
Colbert wants to prove he can
be an effective option in
Carolina’s offense. He did it
in 2004, when he broke all of
the Panthers’ rookie receiving
records.
But as he struggled
throu^ the early part of last
year, the Panthers began to
use, Carter more and more.
By the time the playoffs
rolled around, Carter was the
deep-ball threat, Ricky
Prodil was the third-down
receiver and Colbert was the
odd man out.
It was obvious to even the
casual fan that the Panthers
needed to bring in a receiver
to complement Smith, prefer
ably a big, physical player
who could help open up lanes
in the running game.
Colbert knew the Panthers
would likely bring someone
in, but didn’t concern himself
with it - even after they chose
Johnson, who became an
instant starter.
“How am' I going to better
myself worrying about who
they bring in? They’re going
to bring in guys every year,”
he said. “That’s what this
game and all sports are about
— competing and playing and
winning.”
By Herbert L. White
hejt>.whife@fhechar/oftepostcom
James Stewart is going
places few racers have been.
Stewart is the frrst African-
American to win a major
motorsports title in any dis
cipline, taking his first
Supercross race in 2005 for
Kawasaki Racing. The
Bartow, Fla., native has been
on a tear this year, fijlishing
second in the AMA
Supercross championship
last month, two points
behind five-time champ
Ricky Carmichael in the
dosest campaign in series
history Carmichael finished
with 338 points, a couple
ahead of Stewart and Chad
Reed, who tied for second.
‘Tor fans and non-fans,
you’ve got three guys within
(two) points of the champi
onship,” Stewart said.
‘Tou’ve got the top three
guys in the world, so it’s
going to be heated.”
But Stewart is working on
getting even in the AMA
Motorcross championship,
which is contested with 250
cc cydes on outdoor courses
as opposed to indoor tracks
m arenas.
“I get stronger as the sea
son goes on, so I’m looking
forwaid. to the outdoor sea
son,” he said.
The obvious comparisons
to another prodigy - golfs
Tiger 'Woods - are inevitable
with Stewart. He was intro
duced to the sport by his
racer father, James Sr., and
entered his first race as a 4-
year-old. He won nine
national amateur titles
before turning professional
in 2002. Since then,
Stewart’s success has
brou^t increased attention
to the sport, especially
among Afiican-Americans.
“For me, it’s great to say
I’m doing something like
that for the s^rt, but I don’t
say this is my job,” he said.
“I’m a racer, but it makes me
feel good about it.”
Stewart, 20, has also been
iTomored to be a candidate to
saddle up for a fom*-wheel
ride, but that’s not where his
heart is now. He’s open to the
possibility should the oppor
tunity present itself, but
motorcydes are where he’s
most comfortable.
Sting struggles to crack glass
Continued from page 1C
Franklin complimented her effort with 12'
points on Saturday
Charlotte is 13th in the 14-team WNBA in
rebouding, averaging 29.6 per game. Only
Phoenix (29.0) is worse.
“The rebound disparity is really becoming an
Achilles heel,” said’Bogues.
Tammy Sutton-Brown, a 6-4 center who led
Charlotte in reboimds last season with 5.4, is
averaging 3.8 after five games, while 6-foot for
ward Sheri Sam leads the team with 5.6.
‘We just have to keep attacking and looking
for the open man,” said Sutton-Brown. “That’s
something we have to focus on... the [Sun] def
initely have someone who is 7-2 (Dydek)... and
it’s definitely hard to reboimd against h^, but
we need to pick up and a better strategy”
“It’s just effort, it’s just focus,” said Sam ‘We
just have to keep pounding and keep working.
I think we tend to get away fium what we prac
tice, get away from our system, and I don’t
think we can do that.
“It’s just the little thirgs that make winning
teams, winning teams, and the teams that lose
don’t really pay attention to detail.”
Last season’s Defensive Player of the Year
and third leading reboimder, Tamika
Catchings is coming to town Friday when the
Sting hosts the Indiana at Bobcats Arena at 7
p.m.
Activists: Keep Title EK alive
Continued from page 1C
Brennan spoke strongly
against the current adminis
tration’s recent attacks on the
law through the Commission
on Opportunity in Athletics,
and she affirmed hei- commit
ment not only to continue to
support the legislation but
also to write about it.
“As the Bush administra
tion inexplicably tries to
weaken it, your goal, my goal
- and aH of us working togeth
er - it becomes even more
important to make sure they
don’t touch this,” she said.
Brennan’s address at the
end of the annual forum com
plemented the calls to save
the 1972 legislation fi^sm fur-
tiier changes tiiat also echoed
loudly throughout the two-
day gathering.
As part of a Title IX panel
discussion, NCAA Senior Wee
President Judy Sweet reiter
ated the NCAA’s position on
Title DC, notii^ a 2005 NCAA
Executive Committee resolu
tion that encourages institu
tions to abide by the educa
tion department’s 1996 clari
fication of “prong three” ofthe
Title DC compliance test
rather than the clarification
issued last year that allows
for- compliance soMy throu^
electronic surveys to calcu
late women’s interests in
sports. The resolution also
urges the education depart
ment to rescind the addition
al clarification and honor the
departmoit’s commitment to-
enforce the legislation,
including the 1996 clarifica
tion.
To
Advertise
704
376-0496
Sweet, who is stepping
down fixim her position with
the national office this sum
mer, called her involvement
in opposing a weakening of
Title DC one of the most
rewarding aspects of her
career. She said the challenge
of educating others about the
intent of the Title DC legisla
tion will continue.
“The Title DC team that
worked fix)m so many differ
ent parts of the country made
a difference,” she said.
“Unfortunately our work is
not done, but I know becavise
of the quality of individuals
who understand and are com
mitted to making sure Title
IX remains strong, we will
win once again.”
In the Division I breakout
session, a panel of senior ath
letics administrators talked
about communication as it
relates to facilities, merging
men’s and women’s athletics
departments and among
directors of athletics and
their staffs.
As part of the Division 11
session, panelists shared the
importance of having and
encouraging diversity within
athletics departments. They
also provided practical tips
and su^estions for becoming
an influential person within
the athletics department.
In the Divisions II and TTT
sessions, members of the
NCAA Committee on
Women’s Athletics also led
discussions on the use of male
practice players. Talk cen
tered on the compliance
issues that must be consid
ered in the use of men, and
the opportunities that are
either afforded or denied to
student-athletes when sudi
players are used
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
James Stewart is the first African American to win a major motorsports championship in any
discipline. He finished second in this year’s AMA Supercross, two points behind the winner.
It’s a wonderful life on two
wheels for motocross champ
SfOifXxHsimmc
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“I think that whole thing
was blown out of propor
tion,” Stewart said. ‘T defi
nitely have interest, but not
anytime soon. Td be a fool to
leave motorcross at this
point in my career.”
What drives Stewart at
this point in his career is the
realization that he can
improve as a racer. With
Carmichael serving as a vet
eran standard of success,
Stewart is learning that a
tough mental approach is as
important as being heavy on
the throttle.
‘T know what it takes to
win races,” he said. ‘Tt took
me a while to figure it out,
but I’m closer to it now.”
That would include
motocross and supercross
titles, which would put him
in the sport’s rarefied class.
It doesn’t matter how or
where, as long as the results
find him on top of the stand
ings.
“I want to win both,” he
said. “A championship is a
championship. Tb win right
now, my focus is on winning
the world championship.”
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