Little 500

FOR THE SUN OF IT

Spring weather graces Men's Little 500 race, Sigma Chi takes the checkered flag

HEN SUNNY, MILD April weather entered the Men's Little 500 race day equation, a cycling carnival came to Bloomington.

Students wearing sunglasses balanced red tumblers of cola and wide slices of cheese pizza. A five-piece jazz band performed while IU students and alumni climbed the metal bleachers, searching for a seat. And before this crowd, 33 men's cycling teams whirred around the track, sparkling in bright blue, purple, yellow or magenta jerseys.

Once sloganed "The World's Greatest College Weekend," the official theme of this 44-year-old race was now renamed "Cycling, Scholarships and Tradition." The race, sponsored by the IU Student Foundation, raised approximately $25,000

By Wendy Potasnik

to be awarded next fall in scholarships. Any undergraduate student who worked a part-time job, maintained a full-course schedule and a high GPA was eligible to apply for a stipend. But aside from scholarships, April 16 — race day — the riders and spectators seemed more interested in the cycling and the tradition of the 200-lap, 50-mile event.

On the track, 2:11.06 after a green-flag start, Sigma Chi senior Randy Spruill plunged victoriously across the finish line, trailed by the Cutters and Delta Chi. Spruill's teammate, sophomore Tyler Sparks, said because Sigma Chi's four cyclists spent the past two years training and riding together, they shared a focus to win this year's race. But continued

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CYCLISTS for the Men's Little 500 race reach the midway point during one of the sunniest Little 500 races in the last five years.

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RIDERS "pack up" near the lead rider as they approach the second turn in the beginning of the race.

MEN'S RACE

the heavy race-day wind posed a difficult obstacle to overcome. "The wind makes riders more accident-prone," Sparks said. "When you have wind gusts coming at you, it makes you work harder to keep your position. It's a real mental strain."

During most of the race, riders sustained speeds of 23 mph. But collisions, due partially to pack riding, high speeds and strong winds, sent several cyclists tumbling to the cinders. After the 19th lap, a Cyclone team member skidded onto the track. With blood running down his arms and legs, he remounted his bike and came into the pits for an exchange. On lap 30, as the injured Cyclone rider watched his teammate from the sideline, he said it takes that "blood" to make a successful rider.

Twenty five laps later, Pi Kappa Phi team member, senior Todd Gemmer, prepared to re-enter the race. Already, Gemmer had scrapes on his left elbow. With his fraternity's cheering section chanting "PKP" and "Let's go, Todd," the Pi Kappa Phi team finished the race in 12th place. Gemmer was happy with his team's outcome, and had previously said to be successful, the team had to be coherent. "Riding takes determination and time. You basically have to train six days a week, three hours a day," Gemmer said. "When I was on the track, I thought about doing what I'd trained to do, staying with the pack and not getting distracted by the fans or where other riders were at the time."

Spectator Jeremy Sosin, a senior, went to the race to support senior Pi Kappa Phi cyclist Adam Hartstein. In addition to cheering Hartstein and four other friends who rode, Sosin took

Tiffany Segan

pictures for his L384, Studies in American Culture, class assignment: Document and contrast aspects of the race's "Cycling, Scholarships and Tradition" and "The World's Greatest College Weekend" themes.

Although celebrating prior to Little 500 weekend was a strong tradition on campus, Sosin said students have slowly adjusted to IUSF's emphasis on the "Cycling, Scholarships and Tradition." "I haven't seen the craziness that I'm accustomed to seeing," Sosin said. "I think the partying aspect is continued

CUTTERS fans' cheer block show support for their team at the Little 500 Men's race. Cutters finished 2nd in the race.

Lyle Turner DELTA CHI supporters give a few encouraging words to their rider as he nears the finish line.

PARENTAL PRIDE by Sue Kurpius

comes in the form of a picture of her son's Delta Upsilon team: Chris Johnson, Justin Kurpius, Allen Krebs and Keith Comrad. The team finished 13th.

MEN RACE

on a long, downward trend. My freshman year, Little 500 week was exciting, like a big party. Now you can't walk around without feeling like you're going to get arrested."

Senior Eelko Dijkstra disagreed with Sosin. Dijkstra watched the race from behind the Cyclone team's pits, supporting his roommate and friends riding on the track. Dijkstra said most students went to the race to socialize, rather than watch the track action.

Regardless of how many spectators watched the race, 16,000 supportive fans filled the bleachers, many wearing Hoosier crimson and cream or fraternity letters. For the

'tiffany Sega n second consecutive year, 11year-old Paula Frame came from Richmond, Ind., to watch her brother, junior Vince Parshall, ride for Lambda Chi Alpha. Frame wore a Lambda Chi Alpha baseball hat and shirt, and sat with her mother and brother in the fraternity's section.

A track turn away from Frame, on the fourth curve, the Sigma Phi Epsilon fans filled the bleachers and chanted "Sig Eps. Sig Eps," as their team rider passed the turn. On the sidewalk below, between the bleachers and the fence, two Theta Chi students sporting sunglasses, mohawks and fraternity letters greasepainted on their faces scanned the bleachers for a seat.

Senior P.J. Lampi, an IUSF Steering Committee member, said enthusiasm was important for the riders. Lampi said the good weather, combined with support from fans, made the race a success. "Planning the race involves a lot of work and a lot of time," Lampi said. "Although we've been organizing the race since the end of fall semester, [we] needed to plan ahead and stay on top of things. IUSF's motivational theme this year was `Friendraising,' because if you didn't have fun, why would [anyone] want to volunteer to work on Little 500?"

Senior Matt Pavledakes, the IUSF senior chair of Alumni Affairs, referred to the volunteers on IUSF as a close-knit family. Until 2 p.m. race day, Pavledakes sat at a rider reunion information tent distributing infield passes to veteran riders. "The race is about excitement and dedication, but it's also about tradition, Pavledakes said. "[Alumni] come to Little 500 to relive the past. There's a lot of nostalgia here.".

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SIGMA CHI senior rider Randy Spruill celebrates as he brings home the victory for Sigma Chi.

Jeremy Treister PACING the Women's Little 500 race is a 1994 Ford Mustang similar to the one used in the Indianapolis 500.

PLAGUE THETAS

By Heidi Kachmann

N THE SEVEN-YEAR history of the Women's Little 500, no pole-sitter had ever won the race. That is, until the Kappa Alpha Theta team proved victorious with a winning time of 1:13.09. Placing high in the poles four times in six years, it was a long-awaited victory for the sorority.

Although the Thetas finally achieved their longawaited title as Women's Little 500 champs, it did not come without controversy.

Junior Julie Biros, the sprinter for the second-place AGD team, who had a time of 1:13.33, claimed Desmond caused her to fall coming into the third turn of the 100th lap as they raced neck-and-neck. "She is a shaky rider on the track, and coming around the last turn she was trying to ride me into the gutter. She hit some part of my bike that made my handlebars snap sideways, which caused me to fly over my bike," she said.

Biro's claim was supported by Zeta Tau Alpha Coach Bryce Zoeller, whose pit was located near the accident. "I saw her stick her elbow out. Although it may have been totally legal, I think she was more aggressive than she had to be. She seemed to be the freshest at that point in the race anyway, and she was going to win. I just don't think she had to win it that way."

The Little 500 officials reviewed the incident after the race by looking through the viewfinder, and determined that there was no proof that the Theta team had committed any illegal act. Theta Coach Tom Schwoegler defended Desmond by saying that it was not in his team's nature to cheat. In rebuttal to Biro's accusations, Desmond said, "There is official proof and video proof that there was no foul play.

continued

Incident sparks controversy in the Women's Little 500

THETA'

The large number of Theta alumnae present at the race was yet another strong indication of just how much the title meant to the women."The alumnae were great to help us at the race," junior team captain Greta Hoetzer said. "They all sat right behind the pit and it felt good to see them there supporting us." It was no wonder that the Theta pride was so resilient. They were the women responsible for starting the race just seven years ago. Although they did not make the men's qualification bracket in 1987, the Thetas have displayed fierce competitiveness ever since.

When asked about their strategy this year, junior team member Joycelyn Desmond said, "We have two distance bikers, one sprinter and Greta, who is very talented all around with cycling." In order to secure their chances for attaining a good pit position, the Thetas used continued

SOPHOMORE Julie Rosenberg, from Delta Zeta, struggles to keep her position during the women's race. The Delta Zeta team finished 12th of 25 women's teams behind Alpha Omicron Pi.

Tiffany Segan TR1 DELTA team members make a successful bike exchange. In the past, each team was allowed only one bike, but under the new rules, mechanics could have an alternate bike for the outgoing rider.

Jeremy Treis er

joices over their win of the Women's Little 500 prior to the official awards presentation. Thetas qualified for the pole position and kept their leading position during most of the race.

Jeremy Treister

THETAS

their two sprinters to start, their endurance riders in the middle and then their two sprinters again to win the qualifications. For Little 500, they used a similar strategy by having Hoetzer, their stronger rider, lead off to give them a good start in the race, and Desmond to sprint to the finish. When asked how it felt to be a part of the winning Theta team, Hoetzer said, "I feel great! There is nothing more I could ask for. I wanted it so much last year, and to get it this year was wonderful! I am very proud of our house."

The Roadrunners and Gamma Phi Beta also showed some fierce competition in the race, but fell behind Thetas and Alpha Gamma Delta in the home stretch. The Roadrunners finished third, Alpha Chi Omega finished fourth, and Gamma Phi Beta finished fifth. Closing out the top ten were Delta Delta Delta, Alpha Phi, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Wright Cycledelics and 1993's Little 500 champion, the Landsharks.

Whatever actually happened in Bill Armstrong Stadium on that day would remain in contention. But regardless of the incident, the Thetas would cherish their Little 500 victory.

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Lyle Turner STACEY INGLIS ; former trainer, consoles an Alpha Gamma Delta member following the controversial wreck.

Delta Gamma wins first Mini 500 race in its 40- year history

T ricycles were suspended in air, colorful balloons playfully swayed in the ventilation of Assembly Hall April 15. Students with painted faces and team shirts waited eagerly to cheer on their favorite riders. This was no basketball game. It was the 40th running of the annual Mini 500 Trike Race.

The event was organized by the IU Student Foundation. Some of the sponsors were Baxter Health Care, Fazoli's, Nick's English Hut and Lennie's. These local businesses donated money for scholarships by supporting individual teams in the race.

Dressed in a business suit, junior Steve Johnson, the president of IUSF, lapped around the track on a unicycle, showing his enthusiasm for the Mini 500.

During the opening ceremony, strobe lights came on and the participants of the race were introduced as they

VICTORY

By Colleen Fearrin

took the floor. There were six riders who had each participated in the Mini 500 four times. They were given a special moment in the spotlight and introduced as "The All Star Riders." An air of confidence surrounded the veterans as they strolled across the floor to the beat of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger."

Swift pacing allowed Lennie's to outrun secondplace adversary Sigma Chi in the final round.

But it was a special night for members of another sorority, Delta Gamma. Team members juniors Missy Kuhman and Kari Clark and sophomores Mora Lowry and Tracey Thomas won first place for the women's division. It was the first victory for Delta Gamma in the 40 years of the event. The 18th seed for the women's competition welcomed the unexpected win.

Sorority members of Delta Gamma were just as excited about the victory as the riders. "There was a lot of support from our house there. Almost 50 members of our house showed up to cheer us on," Kuhman said.

Competition was stiff all around with 32 women's teams and 19 men's teams racing this year. The races were held in three rounds of single elimination heats with two or three teams racing in each. The team with the best times won each heat.

The fast elimination process kept several officials busy. Larry Gaffney, director of the Residence Halls assisted. "I enjoy the race every year. It's just a great event," he said.

The team, Lennies, hasn't announced a desire to race again. "We're not looking ahead to next year yet. We just kind of want to sit back and enjoy this victory," said Snyder. •

MEMBERS of the victorious women's Delta Gamma trike team celebrate after the race. The unlikely winners were seeded 18th coming into the race and somehow pulled out their first win in the 40 years of the Mini 500.

Lyle Turner A SPARSE but enthusiastic crowd cheered their Mini 500 teams to victory. Scattered tricycles suspended above reminded the contestants that with desire, they could fly.

CAREFULLY maintaining balance and speed, a trike rider leans into the turn on the third leg of the four-lap Mini 500 race. Strength and agility proved as crucial to these riders as those in the bicycle race.

Lyle Turner

GETTING into the Little 500 party mode April 14, these students move their living room furniture onto the sidewalk in front of the "Roach Motel" at the corner of Indiana Avenue and Seventh Street.

FOR some students the B.A.C.C.H.U.S. "drunk bus" was a convenience during the Little 500 weekend. For others ... a necessity.

Jeremy Treister

NTIMIDATING

SECURITY

By Colleen Fearrin

I T WAS A FRIDAY afternoon. Traffic did not flood the campus. Nor was there excessive noise or activity. There were no people urinating out of windows. Guzzling beer bongs in the back of pick-up trucks was not as prevalent as in recent years. But excise police still were busy arresting people for underage drinking and fake IDs, just not as busy as previous years. "The World's Greatest College Weekend," a tradition that inspired the Hollywood movie "Breaking Away" and attracted many students from other campuses, amounted to little more than a normal weekend, April 15-17.

The weekend has always revolved around the bike race, and the celebrations surrounding it. Yet for the past several years attendance levels at racing festivities have dropped dramatically due to cold, rainy days. Thirty years ago, when the campus population was one third of what it is now, attendance at the men's Little 500 was estimated to be approximately 18,000. In the last two years, attendance has plummeted to 16,000.

Students worried about the chance of more inclement weather, but sunny skies prevailed, making the men's race a sellout. "The turn-out looked really good ... compared to last year, it was great. It can definitely be attributed to the weather," Karina Thoresen said.

The weather was especially a concern for the riders in Little 500. "We had 30 mph winds. But aside from the ridiculous windstorm, it was a great day for racing," said sophomore Matt Sacks, who rode for Sammy & Co. Sacks said the race was exciting. "Even though we came in 30th place, we had a rip-roaring time. My friends drove 19 hours from Boston to see it," he said.

Other students less concerned with the race and more concerned with partying still had a dark cloud hovering over their heads. "It was kind of lame because I had friends down and they were expecting a crazy time and it was so controlled. Little 500 used to be like Mardi Gras and when it wasn't, they were disappointed. It just sucked," senior Chad Buell said.

Bloomington has heavily monitored Little 500 partying since 1991, the year that approximately 1,000 people rioted at Varsity Villas apartments. There was extensive fighting and property damage when the police arrived on the scene. Their efforts were reflected this year in the tabulation of arrests. Police arrested 170 people on alcohol-related charges in comparison to 400 during the Varsity Villas incident.

Being inconspicuous was not a priority when the police were looking for potential alcohol-related offenders during the weekend. "There was a helicopter hovering over the Sammy [Sigma Alpha Mu] house with a spotlight. I think the police were a little overly cautious," Sacks said. "It was still a wild weekend, but the overabundance of security has slightly curtailed the rowdiness of the whole thing." "We were having a party and my roommate got back from getting a keg, ... and we were all outside and we saw the helicopter above our apartment complex. We all waved because ... we were all 21 or older," senior Vanessa Sute said.

In an attempt to curb drinking, students could purchase tickets for the Saturday night concert. While waiting for the Breeders to come on stage in the continued

Little 500 partiers not only had to deal with increased amounts of police in cars and on foot, they also worried about the helicopter overhead

WHILE most went about their business enjoying Little 500, the seemingly incessant police presence at the Band Extravaganza seemed to put a damper on some of the students partying. Even though a helicopter was used to help spot parties, there were less arrests than previous Little 500 weekends.

;ECURITY

Auditorium for the annual Little 500 concert, an eclectic array of people shuffled in to hear the opening band, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Five minutes later, some of the same students sauntered back out and into the lobby, seemingly disappointed with the punk rock blues band from New York. "The bass was a bit loud," junior Mehereen Sherwani said. "I think I could have heard the guitarist if I were standing on Kirkwood." The opening act nonetheless prepared the concertgoers for the band they really came to see, the Breeders.

As the Auditorium began to fill again, all eyes were set on the silver-studded backdrop. Rhythm guitarist Kelly Deal began to warm up as drummer Jim MacPherson, British bassist Josephine Wiggs and lead guitarist Kim Deal followed suit. Suddenly the crowd came alive and began chanting for them to play the crowd's favorite songs. The band responded with "New Year" from their Last Splash album, and then

Lyle Turner went to "Hellbound." The show was never short of entertaining as Kim Deal switched guitars for each song during the first five songs of the set and offered several chain-smoking guitar sections.

Proving women could play the drums, too, Wiggs took over for MacPherson while he switched to the bass during "Roi." "Jim tends to get a little carried away on guitar," Kelly Deal said to the crowd. "He usually ends up breaking five strings a night." The two sisters did a little switching as well when Kim took over the vocals during one of the night's best songs, "Head to Toe."

One of the biggest highlights of the evening came when the band played their chart-topping single, "Cannonball." Anyone concerned with the lack of dancing before was not bothered during the hit song as crowds jumped to their feet. Although the soundman had a little trouble hooking up the distortion microphone, the song sounded even better live. Sherwani said, "'Cannonball' is a really hard song to play live, but I

think they carried it off really well."

The band ended its hourlong concert at 1:30 a.m. with "Divine Hammer," which Kim described as "a folk song, a spiritual song, a song about fellowship and Christianity." Still wanting to hear and see more of the Breeders, the crowd brought the band back on stage for an encore. The group responded with what might have been the strongest part of the concert. Kim and Kelly traded off vocal duties once again during their cover of the Beatles' "Happiness is a Warm Gun." The Breeders ended the night with two songs from their first album, Pod, featuring Belly frontwoman Tanya Donnelly. "I was really impressed with the band," IUPUI senior Rod Fleming said after the concert. "I will definitely try and see them again."

Other students went to the bars for entertainment. They were highly populated over the weekend. At Kilroy's Sports Bar, it was standing room only, while there were long lines extending down the street of other popular bars like the Peanut Barrell, Mars and the Bluebird.

Some students had an aversion to the whole scene. "I decided not to go out at all. I was too tired and didn't have the resources," senior Mike Tosick said.

Despite crowded bars and intimidating security, some students were determined to have a good time during the weekend. "I didn't have to worry about entertaining anyone. And I went to a bar that I knew would not be too crowded. It was probably the best Little 5 I ever had," Thoreson said. "I just really had a great time." •

Robb Hill SOPHOMORE Jason Smith, freshmen Simon Phillips and Andrea Parcel and Jason Weedling party in Foster Quad April 14. The fraternities and sororities were not supposed to have parties prior to the men's race.