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PAGE 8 SpORTS / APRIL 12, 2012
Sports
and the
city
ALExISDELEON
sports editor
Now that summer is almost
here, many of us Islanders are
bracing ourselves for impact
with summer 2012. Whether
that means signing up for
summer sessions, packing for
internships or taking that dive
into the “real world” by graduating,
we will all be competing
for a top spot somewhere. I myself
will be trading my sandals
and shorts for hiking boots and
subzero pants for an internship
in Alaska. However, this wasn’t
the only internship I had applied
for in the Great White
North or in the world for that
matter. The whole process made
me wonder: just when do you
decide to throw in the towel?
My favorite example has
to be Olympic figure skater,
Michelle Kwan. She began seriously
training when she was
eight-years-old with her sister.
By the time Kwan was 10, she
had financially crippled her
family in order to pay for skating
coaches and rink time. At
the age of 13 Kwan competed
as an alternate in the ‘94 Winter
Olympics taking home 8th
place. Then she competed in
the ‘98 Winter Olympics only
to be awarded the silver medal.
Finally when all of America
thought the ‘02 Winter Olympics
would be her year, Kwan
was robbed and settled with
the bronze. By the time the ‘06
Olympics rolled around, Kwan
faced one set back after another
and ultimately said “Joi gin”
(goodbye in Cantonese) to life
at the Olympic level.
Before you stop reading
and start assuming I left you
with a terrible underdog story,
think of it like this: Kwan not
only made several multi-million
dollar endorsement deals in the
years she spent figure skating
but also got the opportunity to
travel around the world, appear
in several movies and TV series
like The Simpsons, and she’s also
probably the only figure skater
you can name (if you can name
others, you probably aren’t from
South Texas).
But perhaps a simpler tale
of relentless underdogs would
be that of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger,
Notre Dame’s 1975
defensive end. After two years
at a private college trying to
prove he was fighting Irish material,
Rudy was accepted on
his fourth try in 1974. Another
grueling year later, he made the
practice squad and literally the
last opportunity he would ever
get to play for Notre Dame was
given to him his senior year in
the final play against Georgia
Tech where he managed to sack
the quarterback and is, to this
day, only one of two players to
ever be carried off the Notre
Dame football field.
So you see, Islanders, it’s
not always whether you are the
“best” or finish in first place that
counts. Sometimes it’s all about
who’s going to remember you
when you aren’t on top. What
stories will people tell when you
aren’t around? If this is your last
play, you better make it count.
Dance from page 1
do more than just dance at
games.
“We are 100 percent athletes,”
Lovato said.
Freshmen Valerie Cantu
said the major factor for the
win was chemistry.
“We were able to pull together,”
Cantu said. “You need
chemistry to be dedicated and
work hard. You need to be able
to trust the 13 girls on that
court who are all dancing their
hearts out.”
Lowry said there is nowhere
to go but up.
“We have a young team
which means we have a lot of
room for improvement,” Lowry
said.
The dance team’s division
has been changed to include
more schools which will mean
a more competitive standard
for the dance team.
“Their confidence level has
been high,” Lowry said. “Higher
competition means harder
jumps, leaps and turns for the
girls, but [there is] no doubt
they are getting there.”
Unlike other sports on
campus, the dance team has no
off-season.
“We are all pretty exhaust-
ed,” Lowry said. “But now we
need to gear up for tryouts.”
Tryouts will be held April
20-21 and May 4-5. Lowry
said she is looking for dancers
who stand out.
“Along with good technique
for our elite level, I am looking
for that ‘it’ factor,” Lowry said.
The coach will be assisted
with two other judges to add to
her team.
ALExISDELEON
sports editor
Over the weekend, around 600
people gathered aboard the
USS Lexington Museum on the
Bay, to witness and partake in
the Battle of Texas skateboard
competition. The competition
was originally envisioned and
brought to life by Makeshift
Skateboards owner Josh Garcia.
“Everyone’s always saying
they don’t like Corpus and
they want to get out of Corpus,
and for me, that’s not the
case because it’s my
hometown,” Garcia
said, “My original idea
was to see what Corpus
could do that no [other] town
could. I started pursuing this a
year ago.”
The event was the first of its
kind to take place on a World
War II aircraft carrier. Complete
with musical performances
on two-stages, a DJ area, an
exhibit area, $5000 worth in
skate swag giveaways and celebrity
skateboarding guests like
Mike Vallely and Ronnie Creager,
the competition felt more
like a festival.
“Garcia set up a meeting
with me to come aboard and
discuss the skateboard competition
after he’d apparently talked
to the mayor about it,” marketing
director for the Lexington
museum, Debbie Crites said.
“We were excited, and an event
such as this has never happened
“I encourage everyone to
come out and audition,” Lowry
said. “I hope to have a place
for everyone who wants to be
there.”
After tryouts, the girls will
have a short break before their
summer camp that will get
them ready for next season.
“A weight has been lifted,”
Lowry said. “We completed
this season on a great note.”
Battle at the Lexington
Griffey Forrester showcases his skateboarding skills Saturday with a huge Indy grab.
on the ship before, so [I knew]
it was going to be fun for us and
a learning experience as well.”
The flight deck course was
assembled by 23-year-old David
Tashnek and comprised of
several varying quarter pipes
at opposite ends of the deck
with a railed fun box in between
the other ramps. About
100 competitors of all ages,
both professional and amateur,
performed tricks like 50-50
grinds, 540 grabs, kick-flips and
every variation pop shove-it to
name a few. About 35 of those
competitors traveled in from
six different states just for the
competition. Hours before the
event began, several skaters had
already tasted the Lexington’s
11 battle-star-winning steel.
The night ended with
Vallely’s band, Saints of Low
performing a special pre-after
party show atop the Lexington.
Competitors and spectators
alike were then invited to a second
show at the House of Rock.
“I’ve done something no
one has ever seen in the world,
and we all got to experience it
first in Corpus Christi,” Garcia
said. “There are plans, in
the works. For Corpus I’m not
sure what but how can we top
the Lex, is the question I have
to ask myself. Next spring BoT
will be back plus we do our
smaller events through out the
year. I can’t say my ideas just yet,
but if you thought the Lex was
good, this is going to be better.”
zAk zARDER - ISLAND WAVES
Left to right: “Thorn,” a member of CC Maiden Texas Derby, pauses at the top of a quarter pipe; nine-year-old Jose Martinez has been skateboarding since he was three
years old; Nip Frazier flies through the air on a giant ollie over the entire top of a tabletop ramp.
BRIEFS
Softball defeats Lions 3-1 Another historic weekend for track and field Women’s tennis improve to 12-4
The Islanders softball team used a strong fifth
inning to beat Southeastern Louisiana 3-1 on
Saturday, April 7. The win marked their second
Southland Conference series sweep of
the season.
The women’s 4x100 relay team finished with a recordbreaking
time at the Texas State Invitational in San
Marcos on April 7. Shakelia Coleman, Kassandrea Son,
Ernestine Cray and Brianeka Harris ran a time of 46.15
to win the event.
The women’s tennis team took a 6-1 match
over Sam Houston State University on Saturday,
April 7. The victory boosted the team’s
overall record to 12-4 and their Southland
Conference record to 5-3.