xt708k74xd7b https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt708k74xd7b/data/mets.xml The Kentucky Kernel Kentucky -- Lexington The Kentucky Kernel 2008-01-11 Earlier Titles: Idea of University of Kentucky, The State College Cadet newspapers  English   Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. The Kentucky Kernel  The Kentucky Kernel, January 11, 2008 text The Kentucky Kernel, January 11, 2008 2008 2008-01-11 2020 true xt708k74xd7b section xt708k74xd7b IN 'M0'-TION

Gymnastics head coach Mo Mitchell has taken the UK program
to new heights after —starting his career as a fan in the stands

Scone
PAGE 3

 

 

WWW KYKERNEL. COM

_l\‘ll)\\

JANUARY I l 2008

KENTUCKY KERNEL

 

CELEBRATING 37 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

 

UK hiring freeze won't include faculty positions

By Jill my

ilaster®kykernalcom

An immediate freeze on hiring at
UK will not include faculty. at universi-
ty spokesman said yesterday.

Earlier this week. UK President
Lee Todd announced an immediate
staff hiring freeze in a campus-wide e-
mail. The freeze. which does not in—
clude hospital employees. is in re-
sponse to a 3 percent budget cut for
Kentucky‘s state agencies and public
universities through the fiscal year ends
ing in June.

UK will lose $l0 million in state

 

Donors

needed to
fight blood
shortage

8y Hayley SrflratIt—er

news@kykernel.com

The Kentucky Blood Center is
experiencing a drastic shortage. with
less than one day‘s supply of types
0 positive and 0 negative blood re-
maining.

The surplus of blood collected
during the first few weeks of De-
cember has been nearly depleted.
according to a news release from the
center. Donations during the last
weeks of December and the first
weeks of January have failed to
meet the demands for the center.

The Kentucky Blood Center. a
non—profit organization. serves 67
hospitals and provides an average of
170 units of blood a day. said Jim
Tinker. a spokesman for the center.
To continue to provide blood. he
said. the center must hayc donations
from the community.

Tinker said the shortage could
be because illness and bad weather
plagued Central and Eastern Ken—
tucky last week. or because people
were out of town or off work for the
holiday break.

Programs like Game for Life
and Big Blue Crush give students a
chance to donate blood on campus
throughout the school year. but Tin-
ker urged students to also give at
other times because donating blood
is one of the biggest ways to make a
difference in the community

"College students pride them-
selves on being a generation of
change." Tinker said. “One of the
ways people can have an impact is
to donate blood. It is like giving a
little bit of yourself to someone else.
Each time you donate. you can save
the lives of up to three people."

As few as 2 percent of people
actually donate blood. Tinker said.

Donors are required to be at
least 17 years old. weigh at least I 10
pounds and be in good health. Tin-
ker said. The process takes about l0
minutes after a brief screening and
questionnaire.

The Game for Life competition
against the University of Arkansas on
Feb. 19 to 22 is the next scheduled
blood drive on campus. but Tinker
urged students to donate blood soon.

“People need blood every day."
he said.

Students interested in donating
blood can visit the Lexington dona-
tion center on Beaumont Centre C ir-
cle or visit the Kentucky Blood Cen-
ter's Web site (www.ckbc.org).

 

funds as a result of the cuts. UK
spokesman .lay Blanton said while the
university is looking to save money
with efforts like the staff hiring freeze.
continuing to hire new faculty is essen-
tial to UK‘s long-term goals.

Expanding the faculty is the only
way UK can lower the student-faculty
ratio and make classrooms smaller.
Blanton said.

The Top 20 Business Plan calls for
about 300 new faculty members by
2020. an increase of about 25 people
every year. UK had a net increase of 60
faculty members for the 2007-08
school year.

It is still unclear whether 25 new
faculty members can be hired. and
whether the staff freeze will continue
into the next school year. Blanton
said.

The 3 percent cuts may be just the
beginning of a longer~term drop in
available state funds. Gov. Steve
Beshear requested last week that UK
and other state institutions prepare a
budget by today to prepare for as much
as 12 percent less state funding.

The govemor will use that infomia-
tion in preparing his budget plan. set to
be announced Jan. 29.

A cut of up to l2 percent of UK's

state funding is not certain. but it is a
possibility. said Vicki Glass. a spokes~
woman for Beshear.

"The govemor is committed to
higher education. but nothing is off the
table in response to budget cuts." Glass
said.

Throughout his campaign. Beshear
said he would fully support UK and
its goal of becoming a top—20 public
research institution by 2020. Howev-
er. the governor has been surprised by
the lack of available funds. Glass
said.

“Of course he’s concemed (about
higher education), but he walked into a

‘UN DER MY UMBRELIA’

situation four weeks ago where the cup-
board is bare." she said. “There‘s noth-
ing left."

For the current $10 million reduc—
tions UK must make. the university has
planned to use $5 million from reserve
funding. and $5 million in cuts from
programs and projects like the next ren-
ovation phases of the Chemistry-
Physics and Biological Sciences build-
ings. Todd said in the e-mail.

Before UK can make any fiscal de—
cisions for next year. Beshear must an-
nounce a proposed budget and the state
legislature must decide whether or not
to approve it, Blanton said.

 

 

i‘ . p .‘rr'ifyfmdfggg. 'vrMH.

 

BRITNEY MCINTOSII l STAFF

A girl sprints past the entrance to Blazer Hall during a rainstorm yesterday afternoon. Lexington was under a flood advisory from 9 pm, until about 11 last night

K Week 2 welcomes transfers, new freshmen to campus

By Stephanie Short

news@kykernel.com

As rain poured yesterday aftemoon.
some students braved the storm and
participated in events designed to wel-
come new students to the university.

K Week 2. organized by the K
Crew. is a weeklong event for students
beginning at or transferring to UK for
the spring semester.

“I think in the years past a lot of
freshman and transfer students have
come in (the spring semester) unno—
ticed." said Alex Mcllvaine. an agricul-
tural biotechnology senior and K Crew
member. “We just want to let them
know we are excited that they are here.
and we want to help them feel more
comfortable and get more involved."

Yesterday‘s events included the
Student Involvement Fair. Lexington
Link Blue and the “Can‘t Stop and
Won‘t Stop: Amplifying the Voice of
UK Students" workshop.

The Phi Sigma Rho engineering
sorority was one of about ()0 student or-
ganizations to participate in the Student

Involvement Fair in the Cats Den and the
Center for Student Involvement. During
the event. Phi Sigma Rho members an—
swered questions about their sorority and
upcoming recruitment events.

“If you get involved. you will feel
like you belong." said Phi Sigma Rho
member Alisha Hawks. a chemistry
and biology freshman. “That‘s why
most students leave: they don‘t feel like
they belong."

Low participation at some K2
events might result from a lack of ad
vertisement. said Lisa Rogers. a me—
chanical engineering sophomore and
Phi Sigma Rho member.

“I think K2 can be a good idea for
freshman who didn't get involved in
their first semester." Rogers said.
“Maybe it will be better next year
when it is more publicized. They sent
e-mails. but I think everyone ignores
campus-wide c~mails."

The Kappa Alpha fraternity was
also represented at the event.

“I think it was a good idea to have
it in the Cats Den. because even if peo—
ple didn't know about. they can still

 

 

to Warn | swr
Freshman point guard Amber Smith drives
past Florida guard Brittaney Thomas during
UK's 60-58 win yesterday.

stop by and see." said accounting
sophomore Brandon Fuller.

Lexington link Blue. sponsored by
the UK Office of Multicultural Student
Affairs. featured local establishments
such as banks. hair stylists. cell phone
services and churches

“We hope to assist the students in
fulfilling a better connection with Lex-
ington." said K2 committee member
Miranda Martin. "We want to make the
connection that it‘s not just UK: it's the
community also.“

Free T—shins designed by Jeremiah
Muwanga were available to the first
students at the event.

"(The T»shirti links the Lexington
skyline with UK." said K2 committee
member Vernida Emerson. “We want
to try to make students feel not so
homesick and help them feel pan of the
community."

Though this is the first Lexington
Link Blue. many students present
agreed it was beneficial.

“I knew there would be a lot of
good information here." said physiolo~
gy sophomore Alaina Hancox. who

added that she is not from Lexington.

The day's events ended with a work-
shop taught by Mahjabeen Rafiuddin.
director of Student Diversity Engage-
ment. assisted by junior Andrea Dyer.

Rafiuddin said the purpose of the
workshop was to help students under—
stand diversity and how to adapt to a
diverse college setting.

Rafiuddin also encouraged students
to attend the upcoming Diversity Dia—
logues C\Cnl.\'. "Talk from Appalachia."
the next in the monthly series. will be
held in the Student Center Small Ball-
room on .Ian. 30.

K2 cycnts continue today with Sea
of Blue. when members of the UK
community are encouraged to show
school spirit by wearing blue.

Video games will also be free in the
(‘ats Den from 9 am. to l0 pm. Make
Your Mark at I’K. which aims to infomi
students on the \ai'ious leadership roles
offered at ['K. will begin at noon in the
(‘enter for Student Involvement.

For a complete list of events. visit
l‘K's Web site for new student and par-
ent programs twwwukyedu/nsppi.

Close Florida matehupg -- ives Mitchell first SEC win

By James Panningon

jpennington®ltykernelcom

Before last night‘s Southeastem
Conference opener against Florida.
women‘s basketball coach Matthew
Mitchell told his players they had an
opportunity to tum their season around.

After 40 minutes of a scrappy
game. the Cats did just that with a 60-
58 win.

“This team needed a victory really
badly." Mitchell said. “Now they know
they can win a close game. and they
needed to get that proverbial monkey
off their back."

Freshman guard Amber Smith led
the Cats to an early l2-l0 lead. scoring
eight of the team‘s first points. The
Gator defense held her to only one
point for the rest of the game. but she
set the emotion level early for her

't

teammates to build on.

“Amber definitely was the differ-
ence in the first half." Florida head
coach Amanda Butler said. “She did
things she hasn't done all year. and she‘s
going to be a great young point guard."

Despite a strong effort from the
field in the first half. the Cats could not
expand their lead to more than eight
points. UK's 40.7 percent from the
field in the first half was offset by 12
tiimovers. The (‘ats took a five-point
lead into the locker room. 30-25.

When the second half started. the
Gators stormed onto the floor with a
7-2 run to tie the game at 32-32 with
I6257 remaining.

The Cats and the Gators traded bas-
kets for the rest of the game. Junior for-
ward Marshae Dotson led Florida with
26 points. while senior guard Samantha
Mahoney set the pace for the (‘ats with

with 22 points on l0~of- l9 shooting.

”She wanted the ball at the end."
Mitchell said. “She got us going and
finished it off for us. We wouldn‘t have
won tonight without her effort."

UK maintained its lead throughout
the last l4 minutes but could never get
more than seven points ahead of Horida.

With 40 seconds left. Florida's Dot—
son scored to bring the game within
one point. On the next possession. the
Cats lost the ball when the shot clock
expired.

With I45 seconds on the game
clock and possession of the ball. Flori-
da dribbled down the court and passed
the ball underneath the basket to Dot-
son. The (‘ats‘ defense swamied around
the forward. and Chelsea Chowning
came up with a steal. quickly calling a
timeout with 6.4 seconds remaining.

The inbound pass was errant.

though. and Florida had another
chance. Chowning. who seemed to
have the knack for coming up with big
plays in the game. drew an offensive
foul with 2.0 seconds remaining.

(‘how'ning connected on her first
free throw and. per Mitchell‘s instruc-
tion. intentionally missed the second in
hopes that the ball would be tipped and
the clock would expire. However.
Florida grabbed the rebound and quick—
ly called timeout with 0.7 seconds left.
giving the Gators one last chance at
leaving chington victorious.

After the timeout. Honda inbound-
ed the ball to half—court. but the ball
was deflected and time expired. giving
Mitchell his first career SEC victory.

“If they would've let us win by a
half a point. I would've taken it.“
Mitchell said. “We just needed a win.
and we got it."

Newsroom: 257-1915; Mantel": 257-2872

l I

 

 Eelflifldevtmiao .1 1. 20,08, .

myour daily dose offlentertainment,g_pop culture and fun Kernel ‘ GI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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@ HQI‘QSCGPES’

By Linda C. Black

To get the advantage, check the
day’s rating: (0/5 the eaSiest day, 0
the most challenging

Aries (March 21 — April 19) Today
is an 8 You're getting to the
phase where you'll have to start be
ing practical. Run out each scenario
in your imagination Don't choose
the one that leads to a calamity
You'll know which one it is

Taurus (April 20 — May 20) Today
IS a 7 ~ You're saving foi some-
thing important, perhaps with nick
els and dimes Move things along
by finding a way to get more for
your money Cutting costs definitely
counts

Gemini (May 21 — June 21) Today
IS an 8 7,, Save wisecracks and crit
IClsm for another time Or, forget
them altogether, You could hurt
someones feelings, even when
that's not your intention

W 1% g; “c cw»: tar ‘-

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Cancer (June n — July 22) Today
)8 a 6 Read the fine print, esper
crally for a major purchase There
could be a few tees and servrce
charges that weren't mentioned It's
your own fault if you make a bad
deal, so don't do that

Leo (July 23 — Aug. 22) Today is a
7 There are so many things you
want, how Will you rnake up your
mind? Start with the tinierhonored
method Determine how much moo»
ey you've got

Virgo (Aug. 23 — Sept. 22) Today is
a 7 ~ Try everything you can think
of to make your workplace more of
ficierit Also, make a list of whatev
er still doesn‘t work if you don't
have the answers. figure out whom
to ask

Libra (Sept. 23 — Oct. 22) Today is
a 7 Take lltflll,‘ lIlTlt? to listen to
what your family is trying to say
Don't get hung up on the Words,
those are only part of the story
Don't be put off by attitude, either
Keep asking questions

Scorpio (Oct. 23 — Nov. 21) Today
(S a 6 Soon, you'll have things

rearranged iii a manner With which
you can live Make yourself and
your family comfortable, so you can
entertain

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 — Dec. 21)
Today is a 7 ~ Homegrown enter
tainment Will be more fun than go
ing out A iriiivie marathon would be
good, iii the privacy of your living
room Dig out the popcorn
Capricorn (Dec. 22 — Jan. 19) To-
day is a 7 ~ Before you go shop-
ping, look at the big picture Isn't
there something big, !ike a cruise or
a long vacation, you'd really like to
have7 Set up a travel account
Aquarius (Jan. 20 — Feb. 18) r”.
day Is a 7 - Something you've al
ready got could be turned into a pile
of cash This could he an old assign»
rrient, a debt that's owed you, my
cleil cans or all of the above
Pisces (Feb. 19 — March 20) To»
day is a 7 Your planning and
practice pay off, as you gain more
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HOT STUFF

Britney Spears:
Date with a Paparazzo

'I’Ile Di$li

Looks like Britney SPCHI‘S
has it history with thc snapper
she took to chcrly Hills‘ l’cnin-
solo liotcl the night of December
22. Admin Ghulib. 35. one of the
piipiiru/li w ho rcgulurly follow
tlic pop star. 30. has been work“
mg (or months to l’orgc a rclu~
tionsliip. ”It's just ii Illilile ot'
timc." hc told Us in Scptcmbcr.
"I’ll gct licr sooner or littcr." (A
woman w ho knows Ghulib says
the tccling was mutual. Spears
told othcr photogs shc wits ul-
ll'zlclc‘tl.) lit the months since. he
has taken on it protcctivc role.
pumping hcr gas and cscotting
licr homc. lndccd. it was Ghulib
\\l1()l(l Spcurs asked to help her
out of it ()ui/nos shop when it
was swarmed by paparazzi in
Scptcmbcr (“You‘re so cutc."
shc blurted). But will the odd re-
lationship blossom into ro-
iiiti'ticc" “Adrian has tlic ability
to make any girl hc talks to tccl
spcciiil. likc shc‘s the most burn--
til'iil girl he has on mct." says
the (ihiilib pol. who notcs hc is
"rctilly successful” and driy cs it
new Mcrccdcs SL500. But
(illtllll’) (who lctt thc hotcl at 4
am.) tclls Us of Spcitrs. “Wc arc

just friends." (l’crhups it)!’ good

rcuson: A sourcc siiys (iliolib.
who ncithcr' confirms nor denies
liis \ltillls. is lllkll‘l‘lL‘tl.) Aiiotlicr
tidit.‘ may htn c to wait. though:
.\ source (clls l‘s thc photog has
flt'tl l.(is Angclcs

Jamie L on Spears: Dad's
Secret am

lit the wiikc of thc news that
lo yciir-old tictrcss Jamie Lynn
Spciirs will littyc ii baby this
spring. the [ocy l()l star and

hcr mothcr. Lynnc. are believed
to have spcnt the holidays in
their homctown of Kentwood.
Louisiana (though thcy had not
bccn sccn). Meanwhile. dad
Jamie w as forced to remain in
L.A.. where he is a personal
chci'. "Hc has had to work all
through the holidays." says a
family source. noting that Jamie.
who had knee surgery last year.
spends )2 hours on his feet. "He
doesn‘t get it dimc from his
daughters. He busts his ass to
take care ol‘ himself." According
to the source. Jumic remains tu-
rious with his ex for selling the
pregnancy news to ‘d tabloid for
‘51 million. but it's not about the
money. “it‘s about Jamie Lynn‘s
dignity." says a Kcntwood
t'ricnd. "That‘s what Lynnc
whorcd out." As for Star mogu-
linc‘s claim that boyfriend
(‘tiscy Aldridgc. IX. is the baby
daddy. another t'umily insidcr
tclls (is. “They have it wrong.
(‘uscy is the father. they are to-
gcthcr and he will be thch for
her."

Jessica & Tony Fight the
Jinx

Jessica Simpson isn‘t paying
mind to charges shc distrtictcd
licr —l)ullus Cowboy bcuu at a
l)ccciiibcr 16 game (they lost
Ill-(ii. ()n Deccmbcr 26. shc
struttcd hand in hand with quar—
tcrbzick 'l‘ony Romo to at radio
iiitcryicw at it sports bur outside
Dallas. “It was a mob sccnc."
l()5.3 l‘M‘s 'l‘inim Mtitthcws
tclls Hot Stut‘t‘ ot‘ tons who
strained to scc thc couplc ot‘just
o\cr ii month. Also there wcrc
.sis Aslilcc. 33. and hcr squcczc.

[.lriivcrsiry oi Kt‘liillcllx'}‘ Bands

For :1 in)

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6 at
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Pctc chtz. 28 (who tells Us ot'
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ble than I'd be if i wcrc a quar-
terback"). Jcssiczi. says 'd Siillicl’.
"was smiling and making cyc-
contact with Tony." Romo was
less ct‘t‘usivc. Sziys Matthews.
“He wanted to not make it it big
spectacle."

Mary J. Plays Santa

Grammy noniincc Mary J.
Bligc and husband Kcndu lS‘duL's
played Santa during Ll December
20 signing for her new album.
Growing Pains (which went
gold. selling 629,000 copies its
first week). As the R&B star. 37.
signed autographs for 500 ions
at the (‘ztrol‘s Daughter shop in
NYC‘s Harlem. lsuacs took core
of. sortie kids left in the cold.
Says a source: “Kcndu pur-
chased 30 CDs personally and
gifted them to fans outside who
wanted to meet Mary but could-
n‘t afford to purchase the zil—
bum."

Dina Protects Lindsay
At‘tcr Lindsay Lohan‘s ex
Riley Gilcs. 25. sold their love—
making details to Britain‘s News
of the World (they appeared Dc—
ccmbcr 23). Lohan‘s mom.
Dina. got on the born to his
mom. "Dina insulted hcr purcnt-
ing.“ says a source close to
Giles. who met Lindsay. 2].
during her August rchiib stint.
(An insider at thc tab says he got
Sl2().()()().) Sziys a Dino ptlll
“Dino did call Riley‘s mom."
Lindsay‘s dud. Michael. tclls Us
hc and Lindsay hayc spokcn to
Giles. and “hc upologizcs.~~
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PAGE 3

I
I I
ll) \Vrlliaiiis ... I I
Asst. Sports ldrtor

pyilliainsti' ky kernel r om

VISITOR

lllllllE

I had no idea that people got paid for this.”

— Mo Mitchell, UK gymnastics coach, reflecting on the day he
was surprisingly presented with a check after subbing in as a
coach on an amateur squad for a friend, which jumpstarted his

career.

 

ED MATTHEWS l STAFF

t‘iyninastics head coach Mo Mitchell, now in his fifth season at UK. learned the sport from Bela Karrilyi one of the wurlrl's tap coaches. and brought his skills to lexrngton

Cats flipping with 'Mo'-mentum

['K gymnastics head coach Mo Mitchell‘s
path to Lexington started witlt a question that
sparked a personal passion Zts’ years ago in Laris-
rrig. Mich.

A friend approached Mitchell in the stands oi
a gy rnnastics meet and asked it he could sub in on
a class a simple task. ior
just three liorirs. Mitchell.
who didn’t mind taking a lit
tle tiriie to oversee backilips
and balance beams. agreed
to lend a hand.

Two weeks later. his
friend approached him
again. this time with a check
in haiid and another question
from the club director.
(‘ould he come back and
teach niorc‘.’

J.D.

WILLIAMS

Kernel
columnist
good news: He had a check
in hand. and it was for a job
that he would jrist as willingly do ior irec.

“When you do something that you would do
for tree. and people pay you ior it: you neyer
work a day in your life." Mitchell said. lint
\litclicll being offered the job is peculiar witliiri
itseli. l‘hcrc he was. a new instructor teaching a
sport he never participated in and barely knew,

Lessons for himself

Mitchell didn‘t play lllllLll oi ariythrng in high
school. He was one of l0 children. and his parents
tarigiit them that there was only one reason lor gor
ing to school to learn and not to play. Mitchell
was only allowed to participate in athletics his se-
nror year of high school. He ran track. No beams
.\'o yaults or uneven bars. just liirii and the black,
top.

Mitchell moy ed to Texas to work as an assis-
rant coach under world—renowned gyriiiiast and
roach Bela Karolyi. and he enrolled in the engi-
neering prograrii at the Uniyersity of Houston. Hc
prtkcd up mrrcli of his technical
knowledge of the sport while
working with Karoly‘i. but he
soon reali/ed that he wanted to
teach a different style of gynir
nastics. Ari eight—year stint at
(ii/i (iyrnnastics in Houston
gay e hrni that opportunity to de»
velop his own approach for
training young gymnasts.

His method worked: He he
came a coach in the trrrcst form
while proving that arnaterrr par-
ticipation in a particular sport is not necessary to
master it

And his parents‘ oldsschool approach with a
stern hand in education worked All of his siblings
graduated from college. and the lessons handed
down are incorporated into thc‘ way he coaches to
day. Not just during matches. brit in life away
from athletics.

and under.

lt was a double dose of

If you go

What: Excrte Night

When: Saturday at 5:45 pm,
Where: Memorial Coliseum
Admission: Free for students,
$5 for adults, $2 for seniors and
youth, and tree for children 5

“lt works good in this arena. l instill that in
our athletes here. We prrt a big criiphasis on acad»
emics." Mitchell said.

Bringing the fans

Mitchell leit Texas in lW7 to be an assistant uni
der Leah Little at ['K. where the rest oi his skills
were fineAtuncd. He thrived under Little and was
aw ardcd Regional Assistant (‘oach of the Year tw ice
within the first the years with the program. In 20th.
he succeeded Little after her Nth season to become
the second gymnastics coach in LR history

Mitchell took the team to the next lcycl. He
started with the season opening liycite Night m.
travagan/a that Little established to show case the
learn. Mitchell turned it into the season meet ”1*
stead of just a chance for the public to see the team
without competition. The opcrirng meet was the
forriidation that the program‘s fan base was briilt
on. The tcarii has recorded top l0 rankings in air
tendancc in three of the four years that Mitchell has
sery ed as head coach ’I he ayerage ol 2) ll) ians
per eyent last season ranked si\th nationally

Now and building the future

".lrist thllsil.”

It‘s the trltiriiatc game plan in the dying set»
onds of a nail—biter that elevates your blood pres»
sure to Mt. liy'erest‘s peak. beiore settling once the
bu/lcr sounds.

But ior Mitchell the strategy is not just set to
o\ercoine the obstacles for the deciding minutes
late in an cyent. That particular message stretched
over all ()3 days oi the 2007 season ior thc (uts.

lt tnrncd into the team motto c\prcsscd by
Mitchell to a young but talented team a year ago.
competing on the biggest platiorm oi their liyes.

And faced with enormous challenges cycry
night. the team responded with moments w hen the
freshmen looked like veterans in disguise. and oth-
er times. when they looked jrrst like freshmen.

Although the team stayed ranked nationally ior
riiost oi the season with an aycr
age score of No.21 ill. Its pct'ior
manccs fell in conicrcncc play to
an average oi l‘NXtK). which re
sulted in 0 (i against
Southeastern (‘oniercntc oppo
nerits and an oycr‘all N l 7 record.

Now. with last year in the
rear view of a program speeding
toward prestige with another
top—25 ranking. it‘s time tor the
teaiii to act on the lessons tarrglit
in the preyrorrs season.

Simply put. it‘s time to turn words into wins.

I'Cct it‘tl

Finding a new champion

All the attention heading rrito the 3007 cant
paigri centered on a group of hrglily regarded ireshr
men whom Mitchell brotrglit into the program

linnlic Ry mer. limily (ireen and Hillary l'erA

gusori. all sophomores now. headlined a 3007
freshman class that also enlisted .lacquc Behrendt
and Jamie Rcrrnann.

[K has not had an Sl:(‘ champion srrice war».
when leririy Hansen took the coniet‘cnce ior her
ioiritli coiiscctrtiye year. Although it's been a w hilc.
some ol NIIlL'llt‘lLs sophomores tan challenge for
an Sli(‘ championship by the trrnc they graduate.
and Ryrnei has the best shot oi the toe.

Midway through last season. the allairounder
caught steam and kept rolling. in the final four meets
of the year. she led [K in scoring w rtli a personal
best l‘l,-11ltl;rgarrtst lc\as \Vonian‘s l'niycr’sity.

But to rise to the lcycl oi corripctitors ior thc
conicrcr‘itc titlc. Ryriicr. along with the rest of her
class. will hay c to start now with a strong showing
agarrist .-\ribuin at i‘.\\'llL‘ \iglit tomorrow 'l‘hc sca—
\Utlwtpc‘lllllg spectacle is the first in a long list oi
diiiicult conference opponents the (‘ats will meet
this season. -\ll se\ en schools that liay c gymnastics
programs in the bit l‘lor'ida. (ieoi‘gia. Alaba-
ma. Loriisraria State. .\r'kansas. ‘\lllllll'll and Ken
tricky are ranked in the top I; (ieorgia and
l'lorida are ranked No l and \o I i'espectiyely.

lint Mitchell is conirdent still. and his team ls
up for the challenge He said this \car is going to be
tlic "riiosr curling season iii l is history to date,“

\rul he's not worried about tht schedule.

"We haye a tliIiicrilt stllc‘tllllc. but we should
liayc a. drl'iicrrlr sthcdulc bctansc we're a good
team (iood teams should coiripetc against good
teams

"\Ve‘rc ranked I hit. winch rs iinc \\ liat we'll
do is we'll keep a chart and watch what wc do.
and we'll keep going up and up the chart."

star; rrrr pump
Sophomore l or ar' llwio: riiiiiiirrtis in"! balance beam
totili'tfl attains“ 1 .‘ill ~.~ too it 200/

 

Focus narrows
after UK drops
6 of 8 games

Mali: Weldron

twaldron@kykernelcom

Minutes after UK‘s loss to Louisville last
Saturday. senior guard Ramcl Bradley said the
Cats needed to put it behind them and get ready
for conference play 7 “a clean slate." Bradley
called it.

The loss gave UK (6-7) a losing record
heading into Southeastem Conference play for
the first time since 1988-89. That year — for-
rner coach Rick Pitino‘s first at UK — the Cats
finished 14-14 and were ineligible for post—sca-
son play because of probation. Should UK tin—
ish at .500 or slightly better this season. it
would miss the NCAA toumament for the first
time since I991.

With the Cats fighting for their postseason
lives. here are four key areas they might focus
on to make a run in the SEC:

I Do the “little things." Opponents won
the rebounding edge in six of the Cats‘ seven
losses. in those seven games. UK grabbed 37
less rebounds than its opponents. and rebound—
ing has been a sore spot for Billy Gillispic all
season.

On top of that. the Cats have turned the ball
over 24 more times than opponents. and in five
of seven losses. UK has given the ball away
more than the opponent. At minus-2.23. the
(‘ats have the worst tumover margin in the
SEC.

“We have to become a much tougher
team." Gillispic said after the loss to Louisville.
"We have to become a much better defensive
team and we have to-start getting some loose
balls."

I Expanding options beyond Patterson.
Freshman Patrick Patterson has in ed up to the
hype surrounding him. leading the team with
tax points and 8.1 rebounds a game. Patter—
son is also averaging more than one block per
game and is shooting 62 percent front the
field.

Brit the freshman struggled against double»
and triple-teams in the Louisville game. and
when he did. the ['K offense went stagnant.
Patterson scored just six points ~ his lowest
since he had four in the season—opener . and
UK shot just ~1l.l percent from the field. its
thirdsworst orrtiiig of the season.

"We were krrtd of depending on Put a little
too much." (‘raw ford said. “That was one of
Pat‘s first bad games all year. We‘re still confi-
dent in him; he‘s one of the best players ior
us,"

I Better guard play. On paper. l'K guards
seem to be haying solid seasons (‘i'awiord is
second on the team in scoring t 16.] l and
Bradley t 1-1.8) is third. Sophomore guard .lodre
Meeks is fourth at Hlb’ points per game and
scored 31 points twice in his first iorir games
back irorn pcch and hip injuries.

in sophomore guard Derrick Jasper"s first
three games back from injury. he‘s averaged ()3
rebounds and i assists per game.

But (iillispie isn‘t happy with his guards.
particularly Bradley and (‘raw ford. l'K‘s oiin
senior leaders

“They had high numbers in scoring."
(iillispie said of the senior duo‘s performance
against Louisyrlle. when Bradley and (‘raw
iord combined ior 4o porrits “But stepping
tip for us right now would be really running
our team: getting us in the right spots eyery
time. showing composure and leadrrig our de-
tense."

I Ayoid scoring droughts. l‘rcrl w ith
Lours\rlle early in the first halt, the (‘ats went
(i: H w rthorii scoring. The (animals turned a tie
into air llrpoint lead during that span l K their
failed to make a field goal for more than sc\cn
minutes spanning from the end oi the inst and
beginning of the second half During that