FOOTBALL TEAM SANCTIONED: Probation may lock Rams out of postseason play

BY HUBERT HUANG
Editor

The Rams maintain their focus despite the postseason ban. ANTHONY CASTELLANO / GUARDSMAN

If City College is to add an eighth national championship to their mantle, the Rams will have to defeat five of the 25 best teams in the country — and that is the easy part.

For if the courts don’t repeal the probation that bans the Rams from 2004 postseason play, no amount of yards gained or touchdowns scored will change a thing.

A bitter dispute has erupted between City College and the Coalition on Athletics (COA), the governing body for community college sports in California, over allegations that football coach George Rush and a dozen Rams’ players illegally recruited athletes during a trip to Pago Pago, American Samoa.

“This is another in a series of many attempts the group has made to undercut the program and athletes,” Chancellor Phillip R. Day said. “They [COA] and some competition don’t believe we can run as successful a program as we do without cheating.”

The events in question took place during a visit to the Pacific island in the summer of 2003, where Rush and his players held a one day clinic on basic football technique for local Samoan youth. In addition, Rush donated 120 pairs of shoes to the Lumina’i Sports Foundation, which supports athletics in American Samoa.

Both sides acknowledge the clinic took place, but the agreement ends there.

Trips abroad by Coach Rush and his players are not a new development; other destinations include El Salvador, Trinidad and Mexico, where the team performed various community services ranging from Habitat for Humanity to fundraising for earthquake relief.

However, none of these other locations is an established hotbed of football talent. An article in the Nov. 3 issue of Sports Illustrated states that one of eight Samoan males who graduate from high school go on to play college football in the United States. Football clinics for local youth had never been one of the humanitarian activities either.

Yet both maintain that this fact substantiates their side of the argument.

The governing body finds the location a bit too convenient and the teaching of a football clinic to be overwhelming evidence that recruiting occurred. Conversely, City College sees the island nation’s obsession with football as obvious justification for the clinic.

The college maintains that the intention of the trip was to aid in disaster relief for villages affected by flooding and mudslides caused by heavy rainfall. When a local church asked them to teach a clinic, they were happy to oblige their hosts.

The COA’s position is that the football clinic constituted a recruiting activity and the intentions of City College are of no consequence. The coaches and players acted as representatives of the school when they held the clinic, and the shoes constituted an illicit gift that could entice players from American Samoa to choose City College.

“The commissioner [Gary Kollenborn, of the Northern California Football Association] found the activities to be in violation, and the school didn’t,” said Andrew Castricone, the lawyer hired to represent the COA.

Meanwhile, City College argues that the COA’s case is based entirely on a single article published in the Samoa News.

In the article, it states that the City College coaches presented each of the clinic’s participants with a pair of football shoes. The athletic director of the American Samoa High School Athletic association is quoted saying City College “never gave up their hope to conduct sports clinics for our local high school and elementary athletes.”

These facts raise suspicions over some of City College’s claims. Since the shoes were donated to the Lumina’i Sports Foundation, City College should not have been the ones presenting them to the locals. And since a football clinic was not the intention of the trip, it is strange that the athletes hoped to have a clinic.

From City College’s perspective, the only evidence the coalition has is circumstantial: a football-crazed nation was chosen to be the site of a humanitarian mission.

Furthermore, the college asserts that the COA willfully ignored all evidence that the school gathered.

This evidence included a letter from the newsroom coordinator at the Samoa News stating that the players never identified themselves as being from City College, and that the reporter had to inquire where the players had arrived from, which he did for the benefit of the paper’s readers.

In addition, coaches from four Samoan high schools in Pago Pago signed a document stating that neither the players nor coaches made any references to the fact that they were from City College during the visit.

The implication is that if athletes and coaches never identified themselves as being from City College, no recruiting could have occurred.

City College also points out that the school has donated football cleats to West Valley College and Long Beach City College in the past. Far from being deemed violations, these acts of charity were commended by those involved in community college athletics.

e-mail: sports@theguardsman.com

BORN TO RUN: Cross Country goes further, faster than competition

BY NATHAN WEYLAND
Staff Writer

Duncan Brown stretches out before his daily workout. NATHAN WEYLAND / GUARDSMAN

Sam Burkholder didn’t plan on being here this year. As a freshman in 2002, he was the tenth best runner in Northern California, and was in the best physical shape of his life.

“I was ready to run with just about anybody,” he said.
But a bicycle accident in the Berkley Hills last fall changed all that.

“I had two choices,” said Burkholder, recalling the drama of the incident. “Either take the bike over the cliff, or lay it down. I laid it down.”

The wreck took him off the cross country circuit, a major part of his life since his sophomore year of high school in Antioch, California. Occupied with physical rehabilitation, Burkholder was unable to maintain a rigorous running schedule –- causing his endurance to slowly deteriorate.

But where many would see hopelessness, Burkholder saw opportunity. He decided to stay with City College for a third year, working tirelessly to rebuild his body.

“I wanted to fulfill my obligation to the coach and to the team,” he said.

The hard work is beginning to pay off, and Burkholder has begun to recapture his 2002 form. He is fit, as is the entire team.

After stretching, the lithe runners begin a brisk jog around the Polo Fields at Golden Gate Park. Three times they lap around the three-quarter of a mile perimeter — and this is just a warm up. Then, after a few minutes of further stretching, and some brief instructions from Coach Tony Kauke, the team starts their actual workout and disappears into the brush.

The team practices six days a week, with each session lasting between 90 minutes and two hours. In a typical week they cover 50 miles. Kauke tailors each practice to the athlete, based on his or her fitness level and upcoming schedule.

“The key is staying healthy,” Kauke said.

With the arduous practice schedule, Kauke understands the need to keep his runners mentally fresh. One of his techniques to do this is to vary the practice venue.

Each afternoon at 1 p.m. the runners congregate in front of the soda machine in the South Gym. From there, they pile in the car and travel to anywhere from the San Bruno Mountains to Pacifica.

Motivation appears to come naturally to Kauke, and everybody involved with the program seems excited about this year’s prospects.
“This is definitely one of the best teams City College has had in a long time,” Burkholder said. “We’ve got five really solid freshmen, but everybody is just great. It’s not two, or three, or four people — it’s the whole team.”

All-conference runners Daniel Fitzpatrick and Mike Sullivan return, joined by freshmen Gus Gibbs, Central Coast 800-meter champion Francis Gadayan, and Oakland Athletic League Cross Country Champion Kenny Sparks.

e-mail: nweyland@theguardsman.com

GAMERS: Red eyes and sore thumbs

BY ADAM BRODY
Staff Writer

GARRETT ULRICH / GUARDSMAN

With the popularity of computer and home video game systems dating back to the mid 1970s, many City College students have grown up very accustomed to their electronic sidekicks.

As a response to the commercial success of video arcade games in the early 1970s, Atari released the ‘2600’ in October 1977, and home gaming has been popular ever since.

But recent studies show that home gaming may have left a legacy that includes violent behavior and a decline in academic achievement. Short-term laboratory and long-term delinquency studies performed at the University of Missouri-Columbia and Lenoir-Rhyne College in North Carolina indicate a direct relationship between realistic and violent video games and increased aggressiveness and delinquency.

Such concerns were exacerbated by the tragic shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, when a modified version of the first-person, “shoot-em-up” video game “Doom” was found on trench-coat mafioso Eric Harris’ Web site. The enhanced version depicted two gunmen with extra weapons and unlimited ammunition slaughtering defenseless victims.

With video games becoming increasingly more realistic, the military is utilizing them to train its soldiers. A modified version of “Doom II,” nicknamed “Marine Doom,” has been used in training exercises by the U.S. military, allegedly to teach soldiers good teamwork.

Of course, none of this has curbed the growth of the video game industry, where yearly sales now exceed $30 billion. The video game market continues to enjoy huge success with young people around the world.

“Gaming is more than a hobby for me,” said Aaron Ko, 24, a journalism major who is taking the fall semester off. Between work and commute, Ko says he “usually finds a way to cram 3-4 hours” of gaming time in one day.

Owner of a PlayStation2, Xbox, GameCube, and many other consoles, Ko’s favorite genre of video games is Japanese-style, role-playing games. “[They] feature involving storylines, magnificent characters, creative worlds and the opportunity to customize your characters to tailor the way you play the game,” he said.

When asked if people ever say he spends too much time gaming, Ko replies “Only the conservative types ... who just don’t understand that people need to have fun occasionally to stay sane. There is a healthy escapism to be found in gaming, whether it be the fantasy football league or jacking cars and sending law enforcement into a frenzy.”

While Ko prefers the blaster fire and clashing light sabers of “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” to the “simple roll of the die” of board games, there are still those who prefer the more primitive medium.

“It hasn’t really affected us,” said a sales representative for GameScape, a retailer specializing almost exclusively in role-playing and board games. “As many people as there are that like video games, there are still people who like human contact.”

e-mail: abrody@theguardsman.com

INSIDE THE UNIFORM: PART 3

BY MILES HARWELL
Staff Writer

As a psychology major, Bishop recognizes the importance of devoting time to his studies. RODGER OCON / GUARDSMAN

Most people on campus know Desmond Bishop as a star football player for the Rams, but what many don’t know is that his skills extend beyond the football field. Bishop automatically connects his status as a student to his status as an athlete.

“Without success off the field, you can’t have success on the field,” Bishop said.

He’s quick to point out that athletes who maintain a 2.6 Grade Point Average (GPA) or better are more successful in sports and have a higher rate of turning professional.

In the past, Bishop found playing football to be more important than education, but as he grew older, he began to recognize the importance of education. He understood that he had to be successful in the classroom to be successful on the field.

In high school, he recalls only getting something out of a class when he really wanted to. If the teacher were boring though, he wouldn’t get anything out of the class.

“Most of the teachers were boring,” Bishop said.

The most important lesson he learned in high school was to do things himself instead of depending on others. Upon arriving at City College, he set up his own education plan instead of relying on a counselor to create one for him.

“If I mess up, it’s my fault,” Bishop said.

Bishop’s chosen major is psychology, which he decided on because of his interest in learning how the mind works and understanding how people think. He had no idea this would be his major coming into City College, but after taking Psychology 1, it was clear.

Outside of his psychology classes, the course he’s enjoyed most is Economics of the African-American Community.

“It taught me about racial stereotypes, and how they affect everyone,” Bishop said.

If he doesn’t make it to the NFL, Bishop plans to pursue a career as a psychologist.

“Not only do they make a lot of money, but I like to listen to people’s problems,” Bishop said. “I’d like to find out how to help them.”

When he transfers to a four-year university, Bishop plans on staying in college long enough to earn a bachelor’s degree. However, he would enter the draft early if the opportunity presented itself.

“You can go back to school anytime, but to play in the NFL is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Bishop said.

e-mail: mharwell@theguardsman.com

RAMS' STAR PERFORMER

Welcome to City College Lavelle Hawkins. After signing with reigning national champions LSU, Hawkins decided he would be better off honing his skills for the Rams. The Rams are pleased with his choice. He’s quickly become an effective and versatile performer, contributing on all sides of the ball; defense, offense and special teams. In just two games, he’s caught nine passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns, returned a punt for a touchdown, and recorded two sacks and an itnerception.

SCOREBOARD

Soccer

The Rams continue their winning ways, and have won three of their previious four games to go along with a draw. Yuen Ma has been on a scoring rampage, netting two goals against Las Positas in a 2-0 victory and completing a hat trick in a 6-0 shellacking of Cabrillo. He’s currently fourth in the state in scoring.

The draw came against the third-ranked team in the state, Hartnell. The Rams appeared to be on their way to an easy victory when Jesus Hernandez scored an early goal, which they followed with several more scoring chances. However, midway through the first half, Hartnell began to assert their ball control offense. After Hartnell scored a late goal, the Rams had to tighten their defense to hold on to a hard-earned tie. -Hubert Huang

Cross Country

Runners from all of California converged on Golden Gate Park for the 44th Lou Vasquez Invitational. After her second win in as many races last week, Tara Hillier finally had to settle for a third. She still outpaced 107 runners and received one of the watches given to the top-three runners. Teammate Diane Gooding has improved rapidly, shaving 65 seconds from her time in two races.

Gus Gibbs paced the men’s squad for the third consecutive meet. On the Rams’ home course, Gibbs and teammate Kenny Sparks had their best performances of the season. They finished 10th and 14th respectively in the field of 150. Each has dropped more than two minutes off their time since the season opener. -Hubert Huang

Volleyball

After mixed results at the Delta and Solano tournaments, it’s clear the Rams women’s volleyball team is still learning to play together.

The Rams proved they could compete with the best teams in the state at the Delta Tournament. After defeating San Jose in three quick matches, the Rams placed 2nd in their poll and advanced to the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were overpowered by Butte in the playoffs and lost a close game 22-25. At Solano, the Rams inexperience was more evident, as they suffered disappointing losses to College of Sequoia and Lassen.

“With every tournament, comes more experience,” Coach James Untalan said. -Alvina Cheah

Football

One has to wonder if the Rams had a little extra incentive when they played Laney – the school that reported their alleged recruiting violations to the Coalition on Athletics – on Oct. 2. When the final whistle blew, the Rams had run their record to 5-0 and equaled their largest margin of victory of the 2004 season, 59-13. Ruben Jackson had his strongest game of the season, hauling in five receptions for 181 yards and scoring a couple of touchdowns.

The victory over Laney followed an equally impressive 52-6 romp over a well-regarded team from West Valley. LSU-transfer Lavelle Hawkins asserted himself as a major weapon for the team, catching five balls for 90 yards and returning a punt 90 yards for another score. - Hubert Huang