Testosterone linked to 'home court advantage'

by Ryan Mulloy A&E editor

The "home field" advantage, • recently explained by scientists as a matter of increased testosterone, is being considered by many schools, including our very own campus. In a recent study, scientists in London have learned that the increased production of the hormone testosterone may very well affect the performances of athletes and the demeanor of the fans.

The Hilton Hotel hosted try outs for the Eagle's Cheerleading squad.

Representatives from Barbizon spoke with each girl and even taught her how to do the "model walk." Aside from the opportunity to be in the calendar, Barbizon will be looking for fresh faces to represent their modeling agency.

At around 2 p.m., after Barbizon was through with their interviews, round two of the cheerleader tryouts began. This time, approximately 150 ladies were competing to survive round two in front of a slightly different panel of judges.

At approximately 3:30 p.m. the finalists were announced. 100 contestants remained to be invited to practice with the tea,rn, and Zucker, on April 22 and 24 at

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Bally Total Fitness, in Philadelphia. According to Zaun, "during each rehearsal, applicants will be evaluated with regard to dance ability, attitude, showmanship, stamina and personal appearance."

After practice on the 24th, a third round of cuts will be held. April 30 is the fourth, and final, evaluation round, held at the Hilton, again.

The exact number of girls being accepted i~ undetermined, as the current cheerleaders must tryout again to maintain their spot on the team. Right now there are 36 girls on the Eagles cheerleading squad - all of whom could be replaced with new members.

Doctors Sandy Wolfson and Nick Neave of University of Northumbria. in England, have conducted several tests to determine what makes testosterone so detrimental to the "home field" advantage. The tests were mainly conducted in England with the sport of football, known as soccer in the United States of America.

Up until now, the relationship between testosterone and this advantage has all been met with speculation and opinions from sports fans. For the NBA, the finals and where the games are played is essential for a team. Sometimes, they can affect their win/loss record, depending upon their performance. For instance, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers, who played in last season's finals, were very ·concerned with where the games were played. While the first game was played in Los Angeles with Philadelphia winning, the future home games were won in the favor of the Lakers.

The same behavior of players can be used to describe the fans of sports as well. The tests con-

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ducted involved the separation of several sports fans and the testing of their saliva. After the conclusion of the games, the saliva was tested. The tests proved that male fans intensity increased as their teams won and decreased dramatically when they lost. According to a study by Physiological Behavior in 1998, the test proved that depending upon wins or losses by one's team, there are undoubtedly physiological consequences that go beyond mood and selfesteem.

The increase of the production of testosterone in very much linked to animal behavior, Neave --, stated in his report. "Like other animals who guard and protect their home territory, footballers may feel more energetic, activated and assertive when faced with threats from out-groups."

Darwin's theory of evolution contains the basic concept of survival of the fittest. This is also linked closely to athletic performance due to testosterone. Hand-in-hand with the notion of animalistic behavior, Neave also stated that the players are like the animals, "fighting for their territory because it means so much to their survival."

While there is still some question as to how women react to being on their home field, there is at least some explanation for the behavior of male athletes, their performance and their fans. Testosterone studies continue to shed some light on the performance of athletes and take drive them even hard to their success in the home town setting.

Women'sLacrosse

The women had a great run this week beginning with a

The women had a tremendous sweep in two doubleheaders this week. The·women shut out Wesley 8-0 in the first game and 7-0 in the second. On April 11, the team ed in the first g hut out

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Men's Tenn1s

SwarUunore.

The golf team teed off against Alvernia and Neumann on April 9. The day ended with a defeat against Neumann and a loss to Alvernia. On April 12, the golf team lost to Widener ~Holy Family, but came out on top over victory over -2 on April 9 sent the team into their had their next v· with a score of~ on April 13 w record of 10-2 o

Track

The track team traveled to Gwynedd-Mercy for the Metropolitan Meet on Saturday and Sunday, April 13 and 14. The men placed third out of four and the women placed second out of four.

The men's team defeated Wesley with a score of 4-3 in a close match on April 11. The momentum was lost however when the team was upset by DeSalles University on April 14 with a loss of 6- l.

eir way to their l Othmconsectrtive t •with their defeat over Villa Julie on April 9. The men won with a score of 13-9 before traveling to Virginia to compete against Marymount on April 13. They held onto their winning streak with a close score of 13-11. The men are now 102 overall and 6-0 in the PAC.