Louisiana State University - Gumbo Yearbook

“Slowly at first, and then faster, LSU is drawn into the vortex of sports. While intramural sports ha- ven ' t quite the public appeal as those big-money collegiate con- tests, they do allow more of the student population to become in- volved. Intramurals, or leisure sports, offer something for everyone. Oh, what a cliche, ' but it is so true. Tennis anyone? Racquet- ball, bowling? Hey, let ' s go shoot pool. ' Okay, perhaps pool isn ' t recognized as a leisure sport, but swimming is, and it takes place in a pool. For the not-so-weak at heart and of mus- cle, there ' s real football — rug- by. Try soccer for size, not so rough, but just as active. What! No ice? Floor hockey will have to do. The sports available are as varied as the different countries from which come many of the players. In September, all e yes become focused on the grid-iron. Tiger Stadium. Football season be- gins. The men in purple and gold set out, beginning their quest for a title sometimes at home, some- times away. They battle, their weapons: skill and strength, strategy and endurance. After the scores are tallied, the nation often honors our team with a LSU rugby means heavy doses of speed, agility and action. bowl game. The Sugar Bowl, the Orange Bowl, the Liberty Bowl. LSU has played in each in the last decade; the Tigers are always out to add another to the list. Winter arrives and the action moves indoors. The ball becomes round and bounces. Basketball is the name of the game, but the thrill of victory and agony of de- feat remain the same. No bowls for the round-ballers, but there are tournaments — the SEC and the NCAA. The Tigers have re- cently become known as the Cin- derella team, defying all odds to advance to the upper eschleons of collegiate basketball. Spring arrives early in Louisiana, none too early for baseball, though. While not as brutal as football or as fast paced as basketball, baseball has the tendency to be unpredictable. A game, such as in the College World Series, can be won or lost with a single pitch. Let us not forget those smaller, yet no less important, college sports. Some sports, like basket- ball, offer teams for both men and women: the volleying of tennis: the precision of golf: track and field; and aquatic en- deavors — swimming and diving . Others are limited to the fairer sex. Volleyball, a sport the Lady Tigers take from the casual beach-front game and turn into a fierce fight for survival. Gymnas- tics, the grace and beauty of a body fully in control of itself, and able to seemingly defy gravity and the laws of physics. Detailed information and photos of the action can be found by an interested party starting on page 196. 8 Sports introduction ”