SPORTS The Border War is renewed this Sunday in the NCAA women’s soccer tournament Page 12 THURSDAY, NOV. 10, 2016 | VOLUME 132 ISSUE 25
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
Rock Chalk Grayhawk: The world of granny basketball
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CHANDLER BOESE @Chandler_Boese
It’s not just about meeting other people and having fun, but honoring the history of the sport.”
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bout a dozen basketball players stand around the gym Sunday, shooting warm-up shots and chatting about the upcoming competition. The coach blows the whistle and the players all huddle together, getting in game mode. They break out of the huddle and begin to practice their passing game, their bloomers swaying as they hurry down the court. No, it wasn’t the Kansas-Emporia State basketball game, but the opening practice for granny basketball, a throwback competition for women 50 years old and older. Part of a national organization of granny basketball teams, the activity offers a chance for these athletes to play the game safely — with 1920’s basketball rules. Lawrence just joined the national competition last season with their teams: the Kansas Grayhawkers and the Kansas Gray Tornadoes. Michele Clark, a board member on the national Granny Basketball organization, said the nonprofit
Michele Clark Granny Basketball board member
Baxter Schanze/KANSAN Gayle Sigurdson, a Kansas Grayhawker, plays defense at the Lawrence Community Center on Nov. 6th.
has been working for the last couple years to expand their division of the league to other parts of the state, including Topeka, Louisburg and Olathe. Sunday’s practice at the Lawrence Community Center was open to players from any of those areas who wanted to learn more about the game.
“It provides a way for women to stay active, have fun and meet a lot of new friends,” Clark said. “We also get an opportunity to play against teams from other states.” Lawrence’s lifelong recreation programmer Gayle Sigurdson is also the captain of the Kansas Grayhawkers, one of Law-
rence’s teams and she said history also plays a part in the competition, as women weren’t always allowed to play basketball, much less with the same rules as men. “It’s not just about meeting other people and having fun, but honoring the history of the sport,” she said.
KU ranked 10th best for veterans ELLE CLOUSE @elle_clouse
The University was named the 10th best school in the nation for veterans, according to the 2016-17 Military Times rankings. April Blackmon Strange, director of the University’s Student Veteran Center, said the University was selected after an extensive selection process. “The universities fill out this extensive, very detailed survey that talks about different services that each university offers. The Military Times also has a bunch of different criteria that they pull from sources. So a lot goes into their decision on which universities get ranked,” Blackmon Strange said. This is the University’s second consecutive year in the top 10, which Blackmon Strange said serves as a source of pride. “We’re definitely very proud to be named to the top 10 again for the second year in a row,” Blackmon Strange said.
Granny basketball uses 1920s dress, rules and style of play. Most games are six against six and the court is split up by position, so only certain players can go on certain parts of the court. The athletes wear bloomers, middy blouses, knee-high stockings and collar capes with their
@_hailey_dixon
“Our goal is to stay high in those rankings and become a recognized leader for taking care of student veterans and their family members.” According to Blackmon Strange, one way that the University assists veterans is through the Student Veterans of America Association. “We have a very strong and growing Student Veterans of America Association,” Blackmon Strange said. “To start with students at the very beginning and getting them involved [by] providing different opportunities throughout their colle-
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giate career and then connecting through our veterans alumni network; for us this isn’t a touch and go thing.” J.R. Cadwallader, president of the KU Student Veterans of America, said that University support is what allows the SVA to succeed, compared to other chapters across the nation. “A lot of these great organizations, they’re having a lot of problems and struggle through their institutions, and that’s one thing we don’t actually have here at KU. If there’s anything that makes SVA
so successful, is the fact that our institution does really support us,” Cadwallader said. Cadwallader thinks that the ranking will go up with time, due to the efforts of passionate people at the University. “There’s a lot of great stuff happening nationwide,” Cadwallader said.“I just know there’s a lot of really passionate, active people here on campus that are really pushing to make a lot of great strides for veterans on campus.” — Edited by Lexanna Sims
KANSAN.COM GALLERY Check out the gallery from women’s basketball vs. Washburn on Kansan.com
— Edited by Missy Minear
Temps are high, but not unusual HAILEY DIXON
File Photo/KANSAN In this November 2012 file photo, fans hold up a sign thanking veterans during a game against Southeast Missouri State in Allen Fieldhouse.
numbers, according to the official rules. If any skin is shown on a player’s upper arms or legs, they can be assigned a “flesh foul,” which is a technical. “It’s all in good fun,” Clark said. Many of the rules are designed to keep the athletes safe, Clark said, like keeping fouls at three and encouraging players not to run. As the rules say, “No running or jumping, though players may ‘hurry’ — Infractions constitute a turnover.” “The game provides a way for women to stay active while still staying safe,” Clark said.
Eager to wear your winter coat? Many students at the University have traded their November boots and mittens for shorts and flip flops after several weeks of unseasonably warm temperatures. “The last month or so has been unseasonably warm but by no means record-breaking (except for one record-high low temperature),” David Mecham, associate professor and director of graduate studies in the department of geography and atmospheric science, said in an email. The high temperatures have some worried about global warming, but Mecham said that this warmer weather can be attributed to a persistent pattern of high pressure, plus little to no precipitation. According to David Braaten, professor and associate director in the department of geogra-
phy and atmospheric science, 2016 has been warmer than normal globally. Previously, the warmest year was 2015, and 2014 before that, Braaten said. “It’s following a trend, and it’s not just here, it’s other places, like up in Alaska,” Braaten said. “Part of it is a pattern, and part of it is a long term trend that is related to greenhouse gases.” With such warmer temperatures, the first freeze has not occurred yet. Braaten said that the first freeze usually occurs in the middle of October. According to a climate report by the National Weather Service in Topeka, the last time a freeze did not occur this late in the season in Topeka was in 1998. The report also said the highest temperature in October in Lawrence was 88 degrees on October 17. This temperature beat last year’s October SEE TEMPS PAGE 2
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