Daily Bruin

Spikers pound ‘SC

UCLA defeats

Trojans, 3-2, to

continue streak

By Eric Branch

Daily Bruin Staff

Before the season began, Annett Buckner and Jenny Johnson were
named co-captains of the UCLA women’s volleyball team. Wednesday
night in Pauley Pavilion, 2,047 fans found out why.

Both Buckner, the Bruins senior outside hitter, and Johnson, a
junior outside hitter, picked the same night to enjoy monster games
as the No. 4 Bruins (16-2 overall, 6-1 in the Pacific-10) rose from
the dead to haunt the No. 15 USC Trojans (10-4, 4-3) for the 14th
consecutive time, 13-15, 9-15, 16-14, 15-13, 15-9.

The co-captains picked an opportune night because the Bruins
needed all the help they could get. In the 2 hour 36 minute match,
which saw the Bruins facing match point in the third frame with USC
serving at 14-12, Buckner posted an astonishing career-high of 37
kills while Johnson also enjoyed a career-best 27 kills. Johnson
also added a game high 19 digs.

"I thought I played well," Buckner said. "But right now I’m on
an emotional high because we got the win. I wanted to go through my
senior year without the Trojans beating us and I’m just relieved we
pulled it out."

After the Bruins jumped out to a promising 11-3 first game lead,
things turned ugly in an alarming hurry. The Trojans ran off six
consecutive points on sophomore middle blocker Kristi Olson’s
serves, which included three aces, and then finished off the game
with another ace by freshman outside hitter Jeanne Vetter.

Southern Cal used the momentum of the first game comeback to
snatch the second frame behind six kills by senior outside hitter
Meika Wagner (17 kills).

"There were a lot of things I wasn’t happy with in the first two
games," UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski said. "We were passing and
serving terribly. Fortunately we hung in there and didn’t give
up."

The Bruins chose to wait until the last possible minute before
finding a cure, which proved to be Buckner. After sophomore setter
Kelly Flannigan (69 assists) fooled the Trojans with a quick kill
off the set for a sideout at 12-14, two Trojan hitting errors
knotted the frame. From there, the Buckner show accelerated into
fifth gear.

Three successive Buckner kills preserved the tie for the Bruins,
and her ace gave UCLA the 16-15 lead. Sophomore middle blocker Kim
Krull’s two-time cross court set into a vacated Trojan left corner
sealed the comeback.

"I decided we weren’t losing that game," Johnson said. "I never
thought for a minute we were going to lose that game."

In the fourth frame, Johnson traded roles with Buckner in
keeping the seven year reign over the Trojans alive. Down 13-12,
Johnson wiped a kill off the Trojan block for a sideout, and then
aced the Trojans with a serve that just nicked the baseline. At
13-13, Johnson’s dig of a Wagner smash flew back over the net
untouched and scored an improbable point. Freshman outside hitter
Kara Milling (17 digs) finished the frame with a spike off the
Trojan block.

The Trojans, perhaps feeling the weight of a seven-year curse,
had little fight left in the final, rally-scoring frame. Fittingly,
five of the Bruins last six points were scored by their
co-captains. Three Johnson kills, a roof by Buckner and a Buckner
laser down the heart of the Trojan defense sealed the comeback.

"Those two won the game for us," Krull said. "Annett is always
amazing, but it was great that Jenny was unbelievable tonight too.
It was a great win."

Gays fight baseless animosity in sports, life

Chris

Schreiber

Let’s just it over with, right from the get-go. Let’s start this
whole thing by debunking one of the longest-standing myths in the
sports community. Cover your ears and close your eyes, sports fans,
because it is a fact: Gays exist in our sheltered little world of
sports, and moreover, they succeed with the best of them.

And not only do they succeed, but they succeed at the highest
levels of competition. Yes, we all know about four-time gold
medalist Greg Louganis, the best diver in history, and Martina
Navratilova, the best women’s tennis player ever. But what seems to
be ignored by the masses, and denied by the macho, is that gays and
lesbians are participating in sports ­ succeeding in sports
­ at every level of competition, all over the world.

And you need not look further than this campus to find examples.
Last weekend, in the hallowed halls of Pauley Pavilion, 240
athletes on 34 teams ­ some from as far away as New York and
Boston ­ all gay, took to the court for competition and
charity.

They wore uniforms and scowls, jump-served aces and threw down
40-mile-an-hour spikes. And guess what? They did it just like
everyone else.

So there you have it. Testimony that gay athletes exist, succeed
and are no different than their straight counterparts. If only that
were enough.

Sadly, it isn’t, and every gay athlete knows it. They fight a
battle against prejudice, hate crimes, slurs, condemnation and then
they step onto the field of competition to get away from it. But
sometimes they get more of the same.

Still, it hasn’t ruined the resolve of the athletes who continue
to play because for many, sports provide a battleground to
de-stereotype the stereotypes and de-myth the myths that plague the
gay community.

Doug Walters directed the tournament that came to campus last
weekend, the proceeds of which will help fund five, $1,000
scholarships for gay and lesbian students.

"Sports offer a tremendous opportunity to break down those
myths," said Walters, 31, who sits on the board of directors for
the UCLA Alumni Association. "Because I’m gay, I’m supposed to be
weak, effeminate, not supposed to be virile and strong because
society says we can’t be. Sports proves this is wrong."

Comments like that echo through the words of every gay athlete.
Ask Suzanne Shriner, coach of the West Hollywood water polo team
­ a team founded by former UCLA water polo player Tom Martinez
that won the gold medal at the Gay Games, held in New York last
July.

"There is a big stereotype that gays and lesbians can’t be
successful athletes," Shriner, 27 said. "Those two words ­
‘gay’ and ‘athlete’ ­ don’t come together very often, so when
they do, it causes you to look at these people in a more humanistic
way. By playing, it’s not our main purpose (to defy stereotypes),
but that’s certainly something that’s accomplished. And if it
breaks down barriers, that’s great."

Shriner’s squad was on campus Tuesday night at the Men’s Gym
Pool for a game against a team of UCLA lifeguards. But that’s a
story in itself.

You see, one of the most ridiculous yet enduring myths is the
notion of "gay by association." I’ve estimated that a significant
percentage of the people who read this will assume me to be gay,
and more will condemn me for "condoning gay behavior."

Sadly, understanding this phenomenon oftentimes leads its
perpetuation. Too often the fear of being labeled as gay proves to
be too much pressure for someone to act rationally. Being secure in
your sexuality, as the saying goes, obviously doesn’t apply when,
egad, someone might think you are gay.

That was the case Tuesday night. West Hollywood’s water polo
team was supposed to play the intramural water polo champion ­
a team that shall remain nameless ­ during the day. The team
refused to play for fear of being labeled "gay."

So the game was moved to the evening, sparsely publicized and an
ad hoc team was put together. In lieu of the IM champs, a more
rational team of UCLA lifeguards, including several from the
intramural champion team, took the water against West
Hollywood.

Leading 9-6 at the end of the third period, team UCLA cruised in
the fourth and won 13-7. And to my knowledge, none have "turned
gay" yet.

The team that took the water should be commended, despite some
of the players’ apparent reluctance. They might have had doubts or
fears, but they didn’t cower to them. And it’s that kind of
open-mindedness that helps end discrimination of any kind. As one
of the lifeguards put it, "I mean, it’s just a game, and all of us
like to play water polo."

Voltaire Tinana, director of Coming Out Week at UCLA and a
sprinter on Team L.A. for the Gay Games, agreed.

"(The team’s refusal to play) strikes at the heart of
homophobia. A good game is a good game."

Unfortunately, most don’t look at it that intelligently. Among
those who do, however, is Bruce Hayes, a UCLA graduate who starred
on UCLA swim teams during the early 1980s and has been openly gay
since 1990.

Hayes, 31, helped UCLA win a 1982 NCAA Championship, the only
swimming title the school has won. He scored all four years at
NCAAs, and in 1984, he won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the
800-meter freestyle relay team.

"My teams compete all the time," said Hayes, who set an
age-group world record in the 500 freestyle in July. "If people are
afraid to play, it reflects worse on the team that refuses to play
us. What would they be afraid of?"

That doesn’t seem to be an easy question to answer, but Shriner
offers up one theory.

"Normally, we don’t have problems," she said. "But we do come
across people who don’t want to ‘lose to fags.’ It’s just part of
the daily battle."

The battle rages on, and sports has the opportunity to play a
key role.

"The icons that we have, the stereotypes we have of masculinity,
in the straight community, are based on athletes," Tinana said.
"The assumption then is that being gay is the opposite. It means
you’re feminine or swishy. These athletes are not. And there lies
the breaking of the stereotype: when you don’t see the
difference."

* * *

Some have tried to compare the struggle for gay and lesbian
rights to the 1960’s African-American civil rights movement. The
comparison misses the mark in some key respects, most notably that
homosexuality isn’t as obvious to those apt to discriminate as skin
color. I would agree.

But of the similarities, several are striking. Discrimination,
after all, is discrimination. And as is the case with all kinds of
discrimination, it’s usually rooted in irrationality, fear and
ignorance.

Take for example a typical homophobic or racist, generally one
who would deny the label. Ask them if they know any racist or gay
jokes. "Sure," they’ll tell you. Then ask them if they have any
minority or gay friends. "Sure," they’ll tell you again. Now ask
them how they can tell jokes like that if they have friends who
belong to the group they’re bashing. "It’s just different," they’ll
conclude. Finally, ask them to tell the joke to their friend. Hmmm,
silence. That’s the irrationality.

It’s compounded when you hear phrases like, "He/she isn’t like
the rest of them. He/she doesn’t count." Tell me then, just who
does count?

The reality is that they all count the same ­ the same as
me, you and every other human being.

M. golf is third at opening tournaments

UCLA falls just short of titles in Nevada, Oregon

By Melissa Anderson

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Last year, the UCLA men’s golf team was unpredictable, just
missing the NCAA Championship cuts after a 14th place finish at the
West Regionals. This season, however, it’s the weather that has
become unpredictable.

At the Wolf Pack Classic Oct. 3-4 in Stateline, Nev., UCLA was
just two shots behind first-place Utah State after the first round
of play, before heavy snowfall caused the postponement of the final
two rounds. Because the weather did not let up, the NCAA ruled that
the tournament results were official after just one round of play,
and the Bruins finished with a team score of 302. Kansas was second
at 301.

Individually for UCLA, junior Eric Lohman finished in second
place with a one day total of 71. Junior Lance Graville shot a 75,
good enough for 10th overall, and freshman Fredrik Henge was 19th
with a 77.

Earlier this week at the Nike Northwest Classic in Corvalis,
Ore., the Bruins came up just short of the championship again, this
time finishing in a tie for third with California.

After the first round of play, UCLA was just three strokes
behind leader Oregon State, and the Bruins came on strong in the
second round, shooting a tournament-low 279 to take the lead into
Tuesday’s final round. However, a disappointing 302 in the third
day of competition gave the Bruins a three-day total of 865, six
strokes behind first-place OSU. Individually, Lohman was again
impressive for UCLA, as was senior Kevin Rhodes. Both finished with
three-day scores of 213 ­ good enough for third place.

K.J.: Destination Unknown

Will fate permit Kevin Jordan to be the best receiver in UCLA
football history?

By Randy Satterburg

Daily Bruin Staff

He must be aware of the irony of the situation.

Wide receiver Kevin Jordan is putting up All-American-type
numbers in this, his junior season with the UCLA football team.

Through six games this year, Jordan has 40 receptions for 611
yards, numbers which exceed those of J.J. Stokes at the same point
last season.

His average of 101.9 receiving yards per game is the third-best
in the nation and leads the Pac-10. On top of that, Jordan is on a
pace that would make him the Bruins’ all-time leading receiver in
career receptions and receiving yards at the completion of his
senior season.

Does this sound vaguely familiar to anyone? It should.

The UCLA football team is no stranger to receivers having
outstanding junior years. But is it a blessing or a curse?

It all started back in 1991, when Sean LaChapelle burst onto the
scene in his third year of action with the Bruins. His 73 catches,
1,181 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns amounted to the best
single-season performance ever by a UCLA wide receiver.

With a similar ­ if not better ­ senior year,
LaChapelle could have broken all of the UCLA career receiving
records, and in the process, put them so far out of sight that
nobody would ever threaten them.

It didn’t quite happen that way.

Instead, LaChapelle was slowed for most of the year by fractured
ribs, which allowed him to start in only six of 11 games and held
him to a single touchdown catch.

But LaChapelle passed the torch of unfulfilled expectations to
Stokes, who was immediately anointed as the next great UCLA
receiver. With his 17 touchdowns, 82 catches and 1,181 receiving
yards in 1993, Stokes eclipsed every one of LaChapelle’s single
season receiving marks ­ and was on pace to shatter virtually
all of UCLA’s career records.

Everyone expected Stokes to use this, his senior year, to become
the Hank Aaron of UCLA receivers ­ someone whose records
nobody would dare think about challenging.

UCLA fans ­ and Stokes for that matter ­ need not be
reminded how this fairy-tale story evolved into a haunting
nightmare when a thigh bruise rendered useless any speculation
about the great things he could have accomplished this year.

Stokes’ story represents everything that could go drastically
wrong and did ­ a season so maliciously construed that it
exceeds the bounds of cruel and unusual punishment.

This year, just like Stokes ­ and LaChapelle before that
­ Jordan has laid a foundation for his future as a junior. But
after witnessing firsthand the way injuries can turn expectations
on their head, Jordan must wonder at times whether that foundation
sits atop a fault line.

"Injuries are just a part of the game, they can happen at any
time whether its your junior year or senior year," Jordan says.
"Unfortunately you can see a pattern with Sean and J.J, but that’s
just the way things happened to them. I really cannot worry about
that (happening to me)."

As an active member of the Christian fellowship group Athletes
In Action, Jordan brings a unique perspective to the debate about
God’s role in determining the path one’s life follows.

Despite the fact that football has always been an integral part
of his life, Jordan credits a higher source for his involvement in
the sport.

"(Football) is just something I do because God gave me the
ability to play," he says. "It’s up to Him whether He wants me to
continue to play."

In fact, according to Jordan, his calling in life may lie
somewhere else altogether.

"If I get a serious career ending-injury, then I’ll know that it
was just not meant for me to play football," Jordan says. "I don’t
have control over what happens to me day in and day out. Some
people think they do. But I have to humble myself and say that
Kevin Jordan only has a certain amount of control over his
life."

But this begs the question of what Stokes and LaChapelle did
wrong to deserve such a fate. Did God not want them to be the best
receiver ever to play at UCLA?

"I’m not saying that God did this to get back at J.J. (or Sean)
for anything," said Jordan. "I’m the type of person who believes
that everything happens for a reason. J.J is hurt for a reason. I
don’t know what that reason is, and J.J. probably doesn’t know what
the reason is, but there is a reason for it."

Still, it is an unusual twist of fate that one person’s
misfortune can open the door for another’s success.

Jordan finds difficulty in knowing that every one of his
accomplishments on the field at UCLA will be compared to those of
his good friend off the field, J.J. Stokes. If Jordan goes on for
the successful senior season that has eluded his predecessors, it
would be Stokes’ records he breaks ­ Stokes’ legacy upon which
he infringes.

"It would be kind of bittersweet, because going through the time
when J.J and Sean were here, I wasn’t the man. I’ve done things in
my own quiet way," Jordan says. "If anything like that happens, it
would be nice, but it doesn’t really mean that much to a certain
degree."

Knowing what he does about the unpredictability of life, and
especially football, does Kevin Jordan dare think that he can be
the one to break the string of bad luck that has tripped up two of
the best UCLA wide receivers in history.

"Well, I hope so," Jordan says. "I plan on coming back to have a
good senior year and do whatever I can to help the team. But then
again, you never know.

Hard work is paying off for harrier Harlick

X-country runner constantly pushes herself to improve

By Mark Singerton

Jeanene Harlick is a perfectionist.

She may be the No. 3 runner on the UCLA women’s cross country
team, but she is no doubt its hardest worker. Both on and off the
practice field, in and out of the classroom, she always tries to
outdo herself.

Doing this isn’t always easy, and more often than not, it’s
impossible. Coaches say she is her own biggest critic, but what
does Harlick have to say about her self-criticism?

"It’s true. I come down on myself a lot. But it’s because I want
to try my hardest in whatever I do."

Her determination is no farce.

"Jeanene has had to work for everything she’s ever gotten," said
Ed Parker, her high school coach.

Harlick’s struggle to make the UCLA cross country team
epitomizes her spirit. She was a walk-on as a freshman, and were it
not for cross country coach Bob Larsen’s patience, she never would
have made the team. As it turned out, Larsen granted her a tryout
with the 1992 squad, and eventually welcomed her to the team.

"I was just happy to be here," Harlick said.

Her modesty stems from the discipline with which she has run
since she was 11 years old when she ran in the backyard with her
sister and mother. Harlick and twin sister Diane competed against
each other up to the high school level, where Diane bested her. In
her freshman year, Harlick was third behind All-Americans Karen
Hecox and Beth Bartholomew.

This year she is third behind Hecox and junior All-American
Shelley Taylor.

But Harlick insists that running in the shadows of others
doesn’t bother her, even this late in her career.

"I have respect for both Shelley and Karen as runners," Harlick
said. "One day I’d like to run on the same level as them, but at
this stage in my career I know that’s not possible. What I’m
concerned with right now is doing the best that I can do."

Harlick demands a lot of herself, but Parker said her inability
to meet her lofty expectations sometimes has a negative impact.
Both her confidence and performance have lagged recently, resulting
in what she terms "sub-standard" performances. In the Aztec and
Stanford Invitationals Sept. 17 and Oct. 1, she finished 28th and
54th, respectively.

"I was awful," Harlick said. "It was humiliating. I should have
never finished so poorly. I felt like I let my teammates down."

At the Stanford Invite, UCLA eventually finished second to the
Cardinal in the 5,000-meter event, but her teammates maintain that
Harlick should not feel ashamed.

"A lot of people had bad races there," junior Anna Delgado said.
"She (Harlick) worries too much about other people, and she needs
to worry about herself right now."

UCLA women’s cross country coach Eric Peterson agrees.

"She’s very critical of her performances," Peterson said. "She
always wants to find something to improve on."

For now, Harlick claims that her top priority lies in restoring
her confidence.

"It’s difficult for me right now because I don’t have very much
confidence in myself, and I need to get that back," Harlick said.
"I need to put (Stanford) behind me."

Her teammates say that regaining her form should not be
difficult.

"She’s got a lot of potential," junior Cathy Lee said. "She’s
extremely disciplined and can be a very strong runner. I think she
just needs a couple more races to get herself going again."

For her part, Harlick says it is her faith in God that keeps her
going.

"I think He is the greatest influence on my life," Harlick
said.

The self-proclaimed Presbyterian not only takes her faith
seriously, but her studies as well. As an English major student,
she was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team with a 3.76 GPA. An
avid reader, she finds time between her studies and a part-time job
to write for the Viewpoint section of the Daily Bruin.

"I see myself as a writer after my running is over," Harlick
said. "Either that or teaching. I’d love to write a novel."

Hobbies aside, Harlick’s greatest aspiration is to run in the
Olympic Games.

"Well, I think it’s everyone’s ambition to run in the Olympics,"
Harlick said. "It’s my dream too. I’m not saying that I’m even in
that caliber, but it’s still a goal of mine."

And according to Parker, it’s a perfectly reasonable goal.

"Anytime someone believes in a faith or cause as strongly as
(Harlick), it can only help you reach your goals," Parker said.

Whether she will make the 1996 U.S. Olympic team is
questionable, but Harlick’s career in distance running will
continue for a long time.

"I started when I was eleven and I’ve just kept on going. I’ve
never stopped since. It’ll be very hard to leave the sport."

Saturday, Harlick’s determination will be tested when the Bruins
enter the field at the Brigham Young Invitational, and she is
unusually confident.

"I think I’m going to do very well," Harlick said. "I have
to."