10
Sports
October 18, 2012
arbiteronline.com
x x x x x x The Game
-----------
o f G ar ret s o n o o o John Garretson Sports Editor
CODY FINNEY/THE ARBITER
Redshirt Senior Scott Sears slices with a powerful strike at the mens tennis match.
International Bronco match A closer look at the men’s tennis team
Alessandra Cinfio Courtesy to The Arbiter
Boise State has become more and more diverse through its history, especially when it comes to its student athletes. There's one team in particular that holds a more unconventional platform for where its athletes come from. Filipp Pogostkin is a senior on the tennis team who hails from Moscow, Russia. Never having an injury to hold him back from playing a season, this will be his last season with
Boise State Tennis. The tennis team is filled with students from all around the world. Currently there are 10 people on their team, five of them being from out of the country, including England, Sweden, Russia and Australia. "I think it’s what makes our team who we are. Having so much diversity on the team actually brings us together and makes our team stronger,” Pogostkin said. The tennis season is year round, with the fall primarily playing individual matches. Head Coach Greg Patton is
Rabid for Rapids
the deciding factor on who goes to which matches according to the readiness of a player. This fall the men had an opportunity to play in seven tournament, improving individual play. The spring is officially when their team season begins and it will conclude in May. Their average schedule consists of practice for two hours Monday through Friday, followed by weight training three days a week. “Being a student-athlete is no walk in the park, it takes a
lot of time and discipline to handle school and tennis,” Pogostkin said. During their season in the spring, the men are always on the road, traveling almost every weekend. “Traveling all the time can be tough with school, but we’ve been used to traveling all our lives that by now we know how to handle it. The teachers are usually understanding when it comes to assignments and due dates,” Pogostkin said. Last year, the men's team were the Mountain West Champions and ended with
a final ranking of 39th nationally. The roster will increase in January with two new guys joining the team, one from Venezuela and the other from England. “With our full roster in the spring, our team can do a great deal of damage this year. We will have enough depth and heart to go up in the rankings,” Pogostkin said. Whether they're from out of the state or out of the country, Pogostkin and the men's team will be a team to reckon with at the commencement of the spring season in 2013.
Photo courtesy steve fisher
World-rennowned kayaker and filmmaker Steve Fisher will be premiering his film “Congo: The Grand Inga Project” at the Egyptian Theatre this Friday, which recounts his historic journey on the deadly Inga Rapids in the Congo River. Tickets are currently on sale at the theater and Idaho River Sports for $12 in advance and $15 day of admission.
Let’s take a trip to the eastern side of Idaho for this one, specifically in Pocatello, at Idaho State University. Idaho State Head Football Coach Jerry Kramer, a University of Idaho alum, was caught on film pushing senior wide receiver Derek Graves at practice on Oct. 3. The reason for the push: Graves wanted to match up against a veteran cornerback rather than a freshman to be tested on an equal level. Kramer’s response? A march across the field, shouting “He’s a f-----g varsity player!” to Graves and then with the force of his two hands, shoved Graves to the ground. Almost two weeks later, Graves continues to have spasms in his back and has yet to be cleared to play. The annoyance of this issue is that ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” picked this story up on a national level and yet nothing has been done to Kramer. Police reports have been filed, Kramer has not been available the past two games and the university has been relatively hush-hush about the situation, which is the headscratching part to this. The video has been viral for quite some time now and with evidence from the tape and witnesses from the countless Idaho State players, what is Kramer still doing in Pocatello? Coaches are meant to be fiery and aggressive, getting their players riled up or motivated, but this is a boundary no coach is meant to enter. This has not been Kramer’s first incident with a university that has caused a stir in the public’s eyes. As Montana State University’s head coach in 2007, he was dismissed as several of his players had been arrested for crimes involving drugs over a one-year span. Kramer sued, and somehow came away with a settlement outside of court. I understand the numerous Pro Bowls, the championships and illustrious career the man had with the Green Bay Packers, and that the entire state of Idaho was hard-pressed in campaigning for his NFL Hall of Fame ballot, but not every player has the transformation in the coach. Sure, keep Kramer in the hearts of his beloved fans and as a representative of an Idaho football product, but keep him out of coaching. It’ll be one less problem for the Idaho State do deal with and one less task Kramer will have on his retirement check list.
DIRECT YOUR VISION TOWARD LAW SCHOOL Join us for a snapshot of the law school admission process. 501 West Front Street Boise, Idaho 83702 208.639.5440 lawadmission@ cu-portland.edu
The Arbiter
Information Session Tuesday, October 23, 2012 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Location: 501 West Front Street RSVP NOW! WWW.CONCORDIALAW.COM/INFO-SESSION
arbiteronline.com