There's more to do Going home empty-handed this hunting season may not be all that bad. It depends how you look at it and what your attitude is toward the sport of hunt ing. What does hunting or fishing mean to you? Is it the day you won't forget because of that big buck you shot or the huge trout you landed? Is it just being able to get away to your hunting camp with your father, other relatives or hunting buddies? There are many different ways for all outdoor enthusiasts to expe rience the great outdoors. There is, however, one that all should share. To do this, walk out the nearest door and observe. Open your eyes, your ears, and close your mouth. What is that you see and hear? It's Mother Nature. She is the real reward for being in the wilderness. Last week as I hunted with my father and friends, I couldn't help hut stop and admire where I was. We were standing on the highest peak in Clarion County. I could see for miles in front of me. The farms that dotted the fall-colored hill sides looked like miniature repli cas. The sun had started to fall in the direction of the distant moun tains, illuminating the landscape, causing us all to squint until our eyes could adjust. There were a few red-tailed hawks riding the wind over our Tourney Continued from Page 11. Rose's stance has more to do with the posi tives of the current double-round-robin system, where Big Ten teams play each other twice once at home and once on the road. "A lot of people want to have a conference tournament," Rose said. "In my opinion, if you play the double round robin, that's the purest indication of which team won the conference championship. It doesn't mean they're going to be better in the NCAA Tournament. It just means that in the last three months, this team played at the highest level because they were able to navigate a home and away schedule sim ilar to everyone else." Rose is somewhat of an expert on playing conference tournaments. From 1983-89, he coached Penn State teams to seven consecutive Atlantic 10 titles, all of which were won in the conference's championship tournament. In conferences like the Big Ten that play the double-round-robin schedule, the tournament may not be necessary. It is in conferences where certain teams don't meet, or play each other just once, where problems arise. Rose said this occurs often in Big Ten foot ball, and used Northwestern's rise to the Rose Bowl three seasons ago as proof. On their way to the Rose Bowl, the Wildcats didn't have to face perennial powerhouses Michigan State or the Lew OWB ANToy & LOUNGE 1621 limen Street • 237-8833 uraoke Night w/ Radio Personality Ruth O'Brien Central PAs Largest Karaoke Show Attention Seniors: HE STUDENT BOOK STORE IS YOUR GRADUATION HEADQUARTERS! Ad_* Caps & Gowns Personalized Graduation Announcements (prepared within 48 hours) Diploma Pictureflames 1012 4; : THE DOWNTOWN BIG BLUE ON THE CORNER BOOKSTORE Francisco's Pizza 114 Mizell St. FREE 234-1606 iDELIVERY ' Large Cheese Pizza 3.991. Additional Toppings Only $. 1 19 Each! eat. 12/31/98 open CO 4:00 p.m. heads. I noticed we all had stopped to witness this wonder. The woods fell silent. I could hear the leaves fall and the wind blowing through the trees. The sights and sounds of Mother Nature captured us with complete splendor. It is moments like this that make me proud to be an avid outdoors man. Being in the woods takes you away from your worries for a brief time. It takes you away from the bright lights of the city. It carries you from a hustling, fast-paced world and puts you back in the heart of something greater than humankind, something we could never duplicate or build. It still seems to me that the hunter is looked upon as a savage. Some feel that we are nothing more than merciless killers out for the pleasure of the kill. Naysayers are wrong in some ways, and because of unfortunate immaturity, they "I think that it would be good, because then there'd always be a sole champion of the Big Ten." Ohio State during the conference schedule. Nevertheless, the challenge of competing in a possible conference championship tournament intrigues Lion opposite hitter Lindsay Ander son. She said it would be a welcomed challenge despite its problems. "I think that it would be good, because then there'd always be a sole champion of the Big Ten," Anderson said. "I think that's exciting, but our season's long. I don't know how it would fit in anywhere. It's tough to play a team three times in a season." There is no indication among coaches that the current double-round-robin system the Big Ten plays will change in the near future. However, if a 12th team, possibly Notre Dame, joins the conference, changes may have to occur. The arrival of the Fighting Irish probably would force the Big Ten to split into a pair of six-team divisions, according to Rose. There- than hunt in woods are right in other ways as well. In my experience, I have come across hunters who take what has been given to them for granted. These are the men and women who go to camp for the pure pleasure of getting drunk. Then these same people venture out into the woods and make a fatal error. These are people who do not respect the sport and thus should not be allowed to participate. Nothing upsets a loyal woodsman more than the few indi viduals who give us a bad reputa tion because of their carelessness. Picture this: A person who is somewhat skeptical of hunters comes upon a dead doe that was killed by a poorly placed shot. The shot didn't kill it on impact. It wan dered off to a long and painful death because of a careless shot, one that should not have been taken in the first place. This is the result of an irrespon sible hunter. This person likely did n't want a doe in the first place and decided not to track the shot doe. Once you choose to shoot any prey, it becomes your responsibility. This neutral person sees this deer and forms a picture of hunters as brutal killers who don't care. Who can blame them? If you can't take the time to be sure of your shot, target or any other safe ty guideline, then don't hunt. It is as simple as that. I'm sure any athlete would not Thursday At The.. Prohibition Party Thursday, NoveMber 12th want a teammate who didn't take his or her sport seriously. It is the same for hunters. If you cannot take our sport seriously then get out. I applaud all those who take our sport on with the attitude of safety, fun and relaxation. That is the way it was meant to be. If we all could open our hearts and eyes to this idea, then we might be able to show that we're not all that bad. We have the largest playing field of any sport. Our fields and oppo nents can be found almost every where on Earth from the snow capped mountains of the Rockies to the lakes and streams of Minneso ta, down through the Mississippi delta and its evergreen marshes. We have a great sampling of it here in Happy Valley. All you have to do is cast your eyes skyward and take in Mount Nittany. Our environment demands our respect. Without it we wouldn't have the chance to participate in the sport we so dearly love. The passion and splendor of the out- doors are the outdoor enthusiast's heritage. When you are out in the woods this season, take the time to appre ciate your surroundings and the sport they provide. Darren Steele (djs24l@psu.edu) is a junior majoring in journalism and a Collegian sports writer. Lindsay Anderson Lady Lion opposite hitter fore, the double-round-robin format would have to change. As Anderson said, if every team doesn't play each of its opponents, a champion cannot be determined. If that situation comes to fruition, it may coerce the conference into adopting a tournament format to determine its true cham pion. In the meantime, ties will have to be toler ated in the Big Ten, where one team hasn't had sole possession of the conference title since '95. Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik, a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, said it would be hard to incorporate the double-round-robin format with a conference tournament. "You have to reward a team that can go through a schedule like that and still come out on top," Pavlik said. "If there is a conference tournament, there's really no incentive to do well (in the regular season) if all you have to do is finish in the top five or six." 6pm ? Must be 21 of age. Eking ll* caw* ht and s. reCeiveanee-PRrZEL:','• NEED MONEY FOR THE HOLIDAYS? Penn State Hospitality Services now hiring PART-TIME Positions in the Stewarding Department. Dishwasher/Utility Worker Banquet Steward Breakroom Attendant Please submit applications at the Penn Stater Conference Center Human Resources, 215 Innovation Blvd, State College PA 16803 OR Call 865-8569 to set up an interview with Jason Bloom Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.
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