Walla Walla University - Mountain Ash Yearbook (College Place, WA)

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sports dorm rooting sections were every bit as competitive as the players on the hardwood. Throughout the cheers of “Tastes Great!” and “Less Filling!” the Village and OPS teams went into double-overtime in Game One before Village took it. They went on to win the series, 2-1, and break the 14-14 deadlock in the trophy matches. On the women’s side, Conard swept to victory over Foreman-Village in two decisive games. Basketball is not the only winter sport here at Walla Walla, however. Canuck fans will be the first to remind you. The hockey team made several endurance-test road trips and had a sizable follow¬ ing all year. They even broke new ice by training a unskateworthy sports reporter as a goalie. If the Ice Chalet were just a little bigger .... Speaking of bigger, skiing is more popular than ever. A huge throng journeyed to Anthony Lakes for the ASWWC Snow Frolic and were treated to sunshine and great skiing. Reportedly, however, there were more people limping and walking gingerly after¬ ward than at any time in school history. Of course, Spout Springs and Bluewood were much fre¬ quented. For the people who like their hockey any way they can get it, gym hockey on foot was a welcome diversion. Knee pads were in high demand. The reflexive cerebral sport, Col¬ lege Bowl, was won by a bunch of supposed surfers, members of King Kamehameha Club. Their multi¬ colored eye-popping Hawaiian at¬ tire was probably a distraction to their opponents. They capped an undefeated season by defeating the Collegian in the finals. Windsurfing, one of the fastest- growing sports in the United States, began to make an impres¬ sion this year. It didn’t matter that College Place is in the middle of the wheat belt. Another beach-type sport, volleyball, was played indoors, resulting another run on knee pads. Sports suppliers smiled this year. Before winter quarter had ended, the sun was shining and hundreds had taken to the golf courses. It did not matter that there were studies; nothing mattered but getting the swing back and the game in gear. There was tourna¬ ment play in the spring, but even this did not quench the ever¬ present desire to whack the daylights out of a golf ball. Golf’s more vigorous sidekick, tennis, was in swing before the temperature reached 50 degrees. Playing tennis in high winds became a fascinating sport in its own right. Of course, winter racquet games were limited to racquetball and some table tennis, but that was just fine with the year-round racquet- ball patrons. Those wall-climbing fanatic types are the ones who use the game as a daily outlet for frustration, and in their blind aban¬ don, give no quarter. Beware the serious racquetballer who has been denied this comforter for more than three days. When grass becomes greener and spring quarter has begun, young men’s and women’s thoughts inevitably turn to National Pastime. Those who could hit and put trust in the pitchers played baseball. That’s right, the real man’s ball, bat, and glove game. There is something slow about baseball that appeals to a crowd. Perhaps it is because it is easy to carry on a conversation at a ball game. At any rate, baseball was a force this year. The softballers had plenty of fun in the sun too. The crowds prob¬ ably didn’t have as much, mainly because softball is much more fun to play than to watch. Soccer enthusiasts had the pleasure of playing in or watching the College Cup in the fall. Village bested Dorm in this one, too. The intramural soccer program was played out in the spring, and came complete with cleat marks, bruised shins and like maladies, that didn ' t end with the organized games, but spilled onto Friday afternoons and Sundays as well. Soccer players are generally known for their aban¬ don and toughness though. I’m just glad I didn’t play. Then there are the solitary sports figures. The runners who. day after 24 Mountain Ash

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Whether it was stretching out for a pass, running miles in the rain, straining to press those five extra pounds, leaping for a rebound, or just sitting and observing the drama before us, 1984-85 at Walla Walla College was a year in which just about everyone got involved in some serious (and nonserious) sporting. Who could have predicted the tremendous participation in in¬ tramurals, the FCA football team using real thigh pads, or the fanatic intensity of the Sonnenberg Games? To both the new student and the veteran, the year was a treat. Flagball again kicked off the in¬ tramural season, ending up with 26 teams in four leagues. After the newness of the season wore off, the cold quickly set in. There were few players indeed who were brave (foolish?) enough to play second half of the season in shorts. Despite the early cold wave, the fans who shivered on the sidelines took in some sharp flagball. What is it that makes flagball so much fun? Surely it couldn’t be the cleat marks on one’s body after a game .... The intramural program hosted an event designed for those with an unsatisfied desire for pain. The Ironman Team Triathlon was held once a quarter. In the fall, swim¬ ming, biking and running were the sections, while cross-country skiing took the place of biking in the winter. Those who chose to enter the Ironman and do all three were examined before and after the event for head injuries. Besides the thigh pads, FCA got their own song a new volleyball program in the spring. Touring was on the increase this year as the Christian Athletes represented Walla Walla all over the Northwest. The flagball and basketball teams flourished, and besides the volley¬ ball, several individual track and field meets were hosted by the FCA team in the spring. Basketball is big here at Walla Fall sports lacked neither dampness nor determination. Our non-varsity Canucks (above) slid through yet another chill-packed season. Walla, and this year was no excep¬ tion. In addition to the hours on Sunday spent playing rat ball in the gym, the intramural program pro¬ vided plenty of opportunity for hoop stardom. Operating again with four leagues, the jumpers, re¬ bounds, passes, steals, and yes, fouls went on for most of the winter. The 1985 Sonnenberg Games were, without a doubt, the most exciting event of winter quarter on campus and one of the year’s highlights. The village — versus — Mountain Ash 23

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sports day, punish themselves into good shape and good health. The very serious runner is rarely seen, however. This is the person who runs in the early hours while all is calm, all is bright. If “punish” can be used with the joggers, “torture” must be ascribed to the weightlifters. These people must hurt so bad that they simply can’t feel it anymore. Weightlifting got a shot in the arm with the opening of Sittner Health Club. It seems as if just about everyone “worked out” at some time this year. There is another solitary breed. The Six O’Clock Swimmer. One of the truly amazing feats on this campus must be getting up and making the trip to the pool at 6 a.m. every monring. Can anyone explain it? I think that covers just about the whole crowd of them. But what about all those events that weren’t held? What about the Sittner-to- Foreman Hot Air Balloon Race? Speaking of races, how about the College Place-Portland-Seattle- College Place Cannonball Run? There’s got to be a record on that somewhere. If you think that’s all a bit racy, then we’ll stick to the standards around here. They’re not half bad. Fall golf season (far left) was lamentably short but the ad¬ vent of good weather and spring golf classes brought about a remarkable resurgence in the sport. Under Coach Windemuth ' s leadership, in¬ tramurals (left) tookyet another step forward in both organiza¬ tion and participation. Son- nenberg ' 85 (below) boasted t-shirts, concession stands, private cheering sections, rabid fans and bloodthirsty (literally) gamesmanship, on the road to a Village victory. Mountain Ash 25