For college hockey's young puck slingers, having something to fall back on is crucial. After all, hockey is a sport that emphasizes falling (along with fighting, slamming and checking) just as much as it does actual skating. This might be the reason why the NHL prefers a system of insurance for its own version of professional drafting.
After 20 years of sporadic training in various martial arts, I have mastered only one move — walking away. It's a move that serves me well whenever I am on the receiving end of a racial slur along East Grand River Avenue.
Passers-by taking a stroll on a lazy Friday afternoon stopped and peered through the glass window as four combatants grabbed and grappled with each other on the floor. No, this was not a fight that broke out in one of the bars across from MSU's campus — the four fighters were really good friends honing their skills in ground fighting skills. It was just another day of training at the Institute of Traditional Asian Martial Arts, 130 W.
The 2006 NBA Draft will kick off tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. This year, MSU's big three — Paul Davis, Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown — have entered the draft looking for a first-round selection.
For three days this past weekend, the top athletic coaching educators, professors and administrators came together to set new standards in athletic direction at the 2006 National Coaching Educators' Conference. The conference took place on MSU's campus this year from June 15-17 at the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports.
Kalamazoo — Former MSU football star T.J. Duckett has found a way to give back to his hometown — he has established a football camp at his old stomping ground, Loy Norrix High School. "First year, you're going to have your bumps and bruises, but so far everything is going smooth.
No other NHL team has come back from a 3-1 series deficit in the Stanley Cup finals besides the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942, but the Edmonton Oilers are on the verge of completing that feat again tonight. The Oilers face off against the Carolina Hurricanes at 8 p.m.
All who know her would tell you that Nicole Bush is a collegiate track and field all-star, but you wouldn't know from chatting with her.
So the U.S. doesn't like soccer, and soccer doesn't necessarily like the U.S. Well, you might be able to say that for a couple more years — but not for long. It's only a matter of time before soccer becomes the most popular sport to play and watch in the U.S.
Lansing — The smell of burgers and sighs of disappointment filled the air as fans of the U.S.
Shannon Brown is leaving the Spartans. Brown had been looking for a team that would commit to making him a first-round selection, like other players who enter the NBA draft without hiring an agent. Brown said Thursday that no team would make that guarantee, but positive feedback after workouts with several teams helped him decide to keep his name in the draft and skip his senior season at MSU. "There will be no regrets because it's my decision," he said in a conference call from the Chicago area.
By Nick Hurwitch For The State News The MSU men's ultimate Frisbee team, Burning Couch, competed at the 2006 Ultimate Players Association, or UPA, College Championships for a third straight year, last weekend in Columbus, Ohio. The event featured 16 of the best men's and women's teams in the country.
Wrestling head coach Tom Minkel recently added the finishing touches to this year's freshman recruiting class by announcing the signing of three Michigan natives. The recruits include John Fulger from Montrose, Blake Mesyn from Clinton Township and Joel Trombly from New Baltimore.
Lansing — The Lugnuts began an hour early Wednesday after their game on Tuesday night against Battle Creek's Southwest Michigan Devil Rays was rained out. At 6 p.m.
Although his team didn't win a game, MSU men's basketball coach Tom Izzo said working with members of the United States military in Kuwait was an incredible experience. Izzo traveled to Kuwait on about a weeklong trip with other college basketball coaches as part of Operation Hardwood II. He spent time at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, where he helped coach a team of military personnel in a tournament of 12 teams of players from seven military camps. Izzo's team, a group of troops from Camp Patriot located on the Kuwait Naval Base, went 0-5 in the tournament. It was the second time Izzo traveled to Kuwait as part of Operation Hardwood, and he said it was good to go back and spend time with members of the military. "It was good for me to get another dose of reality and get my perspective back," Izzo said at a press conference.
The MSU women's rowing team has raised the bar of green and white excellence by setting a new benchmark at the 2006 NCAA Championship Regatta.
Senior Brad Gebauer and sophomores Jeremy Orr and Nicole Bush all advanced to the NCAA Track and Field Championships, following their performances at the NCAA Mideast Regional Track and Field Championships last weekend. Gebauer, the 2006 Big Ten indoor and outdoor pole vault champion, took first place in the event with a leap of 5.41 meters.
Over the weekend, the MSU women's rowing team broke its own record. The Spartans ended the NCAA Championship Regatta in sixth place overall — claiming the highest NCAA finish in the program's history. Head coach Matt Weise said the team had a lot of which to be proud. "The athletes worked very hard to be ready for this championship, and their hard work paid off in our best team finish," Weise said in a press release. The Spartans' previous high finish was eighth during the 2000 NCAA Regatta. The varsity team was able to compete in the Grand Final on Sunday — marking the first time a Spartan varsity team competed in a national championship race. The winner of the championship was California, defending its team title with a close finish for first, just in front of Brown. Alessa Thomas
The MSU men's and women's track teams will both be participating in this weekend's NCAA Mideast championships in Knoxville, Tenn. The women's team will send five Spartans to compete in numerous events.
Today, the MSU women's rowing team departs for the NCAA Division I Women's Rowing Championships in New Jersey.