The term ”shaving” covers a whole gamut of activities a swimmer may use to try to reach his peak performance for a specific meet. They range from easing up in workouts to literally shaving head and body hair to cut water resistance and psych up for the meet. Defending state 200- and 500-yard freestyle champion Brian Gunn of Hinsdale Central will be doing a bit more shaving than most swimmers this week. For the last five weeks, the senior has let his beard grow for the express purpose of shaving it off before the state finals. ”It`s part of the whole buildup,” said Gunn, who eased to victories in the 200 and 500 Saturday in the Hinsdale South sectional. ”I`ve just done it this year. It`s kind of fun. It`s a helpful reminder. Every day I wake up and know it`s there.”
– The only swimmers who horned in on Hinsdale Central`s victory parade Saturday were the Oostman twins, seniors who make up two-thirds of the Timothy Christian swimming team. Michael Oostman won the 100 freestyle in 48.52 and was second in the 200 in 1:45.66. Mark won the 100 breaststroke in 1:01.01 and was third in the 50 freestyle in 22.78, which was just .01 faster than the qualifying cutoff. The brothers hope for at least one top-six finish each at state, even though neither is totally peaking for it. Each will save something for the YMCA nationals in April. They compete for the Naperville YMCA.
– A year ago, Hinsdale South coach Rick Townsend was guiding Brian Kurza toward state-record performances in the 50 and 100 freestyles. The Hornet 400 freestyle relay, led by Kurza, also won a state title. This season, with Kurza and two other members of the relay gone, Townsend has had to lower his sights and adjust to a different set of challenges. ”When you have a quality swimmer like Kurza, it takes a tough time to adjust,” said Townsend, who had qualifiers in three swimming events plus the diving Saturday as his team finished second behind Hinsdale Central. ”But one of the exciting things about coaching is that you`re always working with new kids and new
personalities. At first, I didn`t think it was exciting (this season), but now I realize it is. We don`t have state champions, we`re not in that class. But we`re improving as much as a Kurza, and that`s what you have to look for.”
GYMNASTICS
As promised, the 13th state gymnastics finals held at Palatine High School Friday and Saturday provided some exciting moments.
Friday, there was Resurrection junior Sheryl Kurowski, arguably the best gymnast in the state, as the next-to-last competitor on balance beam. Since she needed only a 9.05 score to tie Rich Central junior Jennifer Redmond for the all-around title, pundits` calculators told them a 9.35 would break the all-time record average of 9.4875 set by Lyons Township`s Janne Klepek in 1983.
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Kurowski fell off the beam once, scoring 9.0, allowing Redmond to win the all-around title 9.425-9.4125. Redmond`s total tied Klepek`s mark for second best, while Kurowski stands at No. 4. Redmond and Kurowski are the only other girls to average above 9.4 in finals` history.
– How tough were Saturday night`s finals? Judging by the judging, nitty-gritty time wasn`t too bad. Of the 15 vaulting finalists, four scored higher than they did during Friday`s prelims, while eight went down and three stayed the same. Redmond repeated the 9.7 she scored in prelims to defend her state title.
On uneven parallel bars, nine of 14 competitors went up, three dropped. Kurowski, who came in at 9.6, won the event with a 9.7, tying the record set by Niles North`s Evan Gordon last season.
On the dreaded balance beam, six of 10 girls increased their scores, with four dropping. Larkin`s Amy Kovacs, the prelims leader with a 9.45, fell to a seventh-place tie at 9.25. Palatine`s Vickii Borneman was the winner, increasing her mark from 9.3 to 9.45. Borneman was tied for second in the prelims.
In floor exercise, eight scores went up, four down, with one staying the same. At 9.6, Redmond, sophomore Liz Calabresa of Libertyville and Rolling Meadows junior Shanon Hayes tied for first, the first three-way gold medal tie in finals history. Redmond led prelims, with Hayes and Calabresa tied for fifth.
– How about three straight titles for Palatine, which graduates seniors Christine Barkocy, Borneman and Crissy Pederson from a team of 11?
”No comment,” said Pirates coach Sandy Oldham. ”I don`t even want to think about next year.”
– Libertyville coach Curt Austin is willing to look ahead. Despite losing top-notch all-arounder Alisha Friend, whose parents moved out of state last summer, the Wildcats still made it to the finals a third straight year.
”With Alicia, we would have been invincible,” said Austin, whose team scored 141.90 to finish sixth. ”We have nothing to be ashamed of. We have a lot of talent, and with the exception of Kimi Roberts, everyone will be back. I think we`ll be just as strong next year. We`re kind of spoiled now with getting to state so many times. It`s become a habit we really like a lot. With two freshmen, three sophomores and two juniors back, we`re in good shape.”
Resurrection, which finished third in 1986, did the same this season. That`s not quite what coach Sue Fosco and the Bandits wanted, but it will do. ”The weekend was a huge emotional roller-coaster,” Fosco said. ”It went from laughing to crying at least 10 times. First, Beth Horn (a sophomore all-arounder) gets hurt and can`t get to state. Then, Karen Tincher hurts her ankle the last day of practice for state. I couldn`t even believe she got up there Friday. It took a lot of guts. Then, Sheryl falls. It was like we could all feel it with her. That was really hard. We`re grateful to have gotten here, but so many things happened.”
– New Trier, which scored 143.10, just missed out on a trophy. Not a bad state of affairs, says coach Susie Thorngren.
”It`s just great to get here,” she said. ”We had individuals the last two years, and they inspired the whole team to get here. We really wanted to place in the top three, but fourth in state is still quite exciting. It`s a wonderful end to the season.”
– Fremd, a team that surprised many observers, finished fifth at 142.15. Not bad, according to coach Larry Petrillo. ”We came from way back,” he said. ”We started the season inauspiciously and finished strong. Everyone`s coming back for next year, and we`ll be strong. Just getting back to state is a shot in the arm for the program.”
– Underclassmen to watch? There are plenty. Just look at the list of finalists: Juniors-Jennifer Redmond, Kurowski, Hayes, Annie Heye of Downers Grove South; Hoffman Estates` Alisa Rago; Sheila McGrath of Fremd; Jennie Jakopin of Barrington; and Palatine`s Jodi Forsberg. Sophomores-Leticia Dennis of Addison Trail; Rich Central`s Jill Redmond; Wendy Lahucik of Wheeling;
Naperville Central`s Sunni Steck; Diane Sojoodi of Hersey; and Calabresa. Freshmen-Nicki Tader of Resurrection; Addison Trail`s Penny Kunsman; Amy Zeitz of Glenbrook North; and Christie Ekedahl of Fremd. Kunsman was the lone freshman among the top 10 all-arounders, while Kovacs, Borneman and Jodi Reese of Streamwood were the lone seniors.
– Saturday`s finals will be aired on SportsVision at noon Monday.
WRESTLING
Four-time state champion Joey Gilbert of Andrew, like champions from Providence, Mt. Carmel and Marist, didn`t get much time to celebrate. The Thunderbolts had practice Sunday afternoon for the team dual sectional at Bremen. ”We have practice tomorrow at 2 for the duals,” he said. ”My season`s not done. The good thing about this match (135-pound final) is I think I lost all my weight.”
– Marist`s Paul Andreotti looks at the duals in an interesting way.
”It`s like it`s next season,” said Andreotti, who won his second Class AA title with the 152-pound championship. ”The season starts tomorrow. I`m sure coach will bring Kevin (Kevin Nolan, who won the heavyweight title) back to earth at practice.”
– Chicago area Catholic schools dominated the Class AA state tournament with seven champions, causing more than a few grumbles. Providence, the defending Class AA dual meet champion, got titles from Ken Gerdes (125), Sean Bormet (145) and Mike McClarence; Marist had champions in Andreotti (152) and Nolan (275) while Mt. Carmel had Bill Walsh (103) and Bill Guide (160) win titles. Providence, Marist and Mt. Carmel all placed five wrestlers. If the meet had been scored for team purposes, Providence would have been first with 127 1/2 points, Marist second with 120 and Mt. Carmel third with 88 1/2. Rounding out the top 10 would have been Oak Lawn (56), Cahokia (50 1/2), Joliet Central (49), Thornwood and York (both 37 1/2), Conant (37) and Downers Grove South (35). The rise of the private schools in wrestling, which started in the late 1970s at Marist, has caused some to suggest a separate state meet for them. The result would be a diluted state meet that would taint individual championships and hurt wrestling in the state.
– Elgin`s Jeff Mirabella has little, if any, fear. The 112-pound Class AA state champion spent his free time in Champaign skateboarding. ”I brought it along and used it as a way of relaxing,” said the Maroon junior who apparently didn`t notice that Providence`s Mike Stonitsch missed the state meet because of an injury suffered while snowmobiling. ”I fell on my butt, but I don`t worry about getting hurt.” Mirabella, who finished the season with a 37-0 record after a 7-2 victory over Springfield Lanphier`s Drew Gardner, listened to the Beastie Boys ”License to Kill” on his Walkman before the championship match. A nice beat and nasty to wrestle to.”
– State Class AA cross country champion Mario Vesey of Rock Island was sixth at 135 pounds. He can obviously run, but he can`t hide.
– Evanston`s Shannyn Gillespie finished the season unbeaten at 119 pounds. The Wildkit senior was impressive in a 12-5 victory over Cahokia`s Abby Meyers in the final. Gillespie, the 10th state champion for veteran coach Elias George, was 34-2 for the season. His only losses were to 125-pound state champion Ken Gerdes of Providence and Glenbard South`s Mike Dusel, fifth at 119, both at 125 pounds. ”I didn`t really have any pressure on me,” he said. ”I wasn`t rated too high, and nobody knew much about me. I like to be the underdog. The top dog doesn`t work as hard.”
– McClarence had the upset of the tournament with his 18-9 victory over previously unbeaten Sherif Zegar of Oak Lawn. McClarence had to overcome some injuries just to get on the mat this year. ”I tore ligiments in my knee and separated my shoulder,” said the Celtic senior. ”Winning this makes them feel a whole lot better.”
– Marist heavyweight Kevin Nolan had to overcome an automobile accident in January that caused some serious cuts on his face. Nolan, a 205-pounder, overcame that like he did the big heavyweights he faced during the tournament. ”There were a lot of big guys,” he said. ”I had to use my time. I had to stall. I had to wrestle smart and watch the clock and not get beat.”
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– The Public League had a good tournament, placing four wrestlers. Fenger`s Sean Hill was third at 130, James Sorrell of Lane Tech was fourth at 140, Sunnie Muqqddim of Simeon was sixth at 171 and Johnnie Mitchell of Simeon was sixth at heavyweight.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Riverside-Brookfield is seeking a team for its Christmas tournament. The four-team evening event is Dec. 20-21. For information, call Athletic Director Bill VandeMerkt at 442-7500.
FOOTBALL
Two players from Gordon Tech-lineman James Kluth and linebacker Dan Watkins-will play in the 15th Illinois Coaches Association-Shrine High School All-Star Football Game July 29 at Hancock Stadium in Normal.