University of Massachusetts Amherst - Index Yearbook (Amherst, MA)

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part of ss instead of ju t a number My commitment to collegiate sports has brought me closer to feeling like part of the university instead ofjust a number, said Kathy O'Neil a '76 graduate from Northampton majoring in Physical Education. Kathy, who has participated in wom- en's lacrosse and field hockey for three and four years respectively. feels strong- ly about being involved in sports be- cause. as she puts it, they helped me make my first adjustment here. UMass felt more like a small college than a big university. I knew from the beginning I would major in Physical Education. and that helps a lot. you really get to know your professors and talk to them. I really felt at home, she said. She feels women's sports have changed a lot since she first came here. The organization has improved and the competition level has increased. Be- fore, women's sports attracted some people who were just into playing be- cause they enjoyed the sportsg it wasn't as intense. Now there is more publicity about women's sports, more people are getting into them to really achieve something, she added. O'Neil thinks women's sports are headed in the same direction as the men's system, but without the same money problems - yet. For women, there isn't a profession- al aspect to go into after college. As a senior, I feel it would be nice to have something like that to go on to, she added. Concerning current problems in the world of professional and collegiate sports such as strikes, and contract and money problems, she said, they are really becoming commercialized, which makes it hard for the players. They're the ones who lose out in the end because I think they really want to play. I'd hate to see women's sports go in that direc- tion. She said the prestige of womens sports at UMass has increased. We've really improved our teams and other teams' impressions of us, especially at other schools. More people are coming to the games and walking away with a differ- ent impression of us. Now they say 'that was good lacrosse or good field hockeyf It's not just confined to 'that was a good game -for gir1s.'That's one of the best feelings, to have others realize we are highly skilled. serious players. In leaving UMass. my point of view has really changed from just a student to a person who's looking at women's importance changing - not only in sports - but in everything. I feel more confident of what I want. I'm sorry to be leaving. but I'll be able to set objectives I couldn't have set before. she said, O'Neil has done some student teach- ing in Easthampton and hopes to do some coaching in the future. although she has already had some experience in that area. Since I've been in the posi- tion of both player and coach. I think I know what's important to both, and as long as I can remember what it feels like to be on both ends, it'll really be a good experience. - PJ. Prokop - Daniel Smith Retro pect 7

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