Little 500

DTN6------4N SEARCH OF

Senior Greta Hoetzer

clinches the women's Little

500 title for Kappa Alpha Theta after crossing the finish line, marking the sec ond consecutive victory, for the Thetas. Photo by Nam Riche

hen Ili Foundation's Executive Director Howdy Wilcox heard screaming and yelling from the windows of Demur dormitory, he stopped to see what the excitement was about. A group of men from two rival dormitories, Hickory Hall East and Hickory Hall West, were racing against each other — on bikes — around the dormitory. Wilcox thought about what he saw and wanted to take it further.

That was back in 1950, and 45 years later, Wilcox's idea still races on — the Little 500.

What was once just a men's race has turned into an entire weekend of racing, including a women's and a trike race. But one aspect remained the same, and that was the goal of raising scholarship money for working students.

Throughout the years, the excessive amount of partying usually associated with the weekend came to a decline after the riots in the Varisty Villas in 1991. Security tightened, and students partied at their own risk.

Yes, sonic things changed, and some things stayed the same. The dedication and sacrifice of the riders endured, as evident by the heated battle to claim the title of the 1995 Little 500 champion.

Riders and Little 500

workers scurry to replace bikes after a wreck at turn

one on lap tour of the women's race. The wreck

took Alpha Gamma Delta, one of the teams favored to

win, out of contention for the title. Junior Kelly Canull gives a thumbs up to Gamma Phi Beta fans in the stands, as senior Kristi McNally warms up before the race. Gamma Phi Beta qualified first, but finished third.

Sam Riche

WOMEN'S LITTLE 500

Everything seemed to point to a grudge race. After last year's controversial race involving Kappa Alpha Theta, the eventual winner, and Alpha Gamma Delta, everyone expected things to come down to a final race between the two teams.

Before the race e\ en began, it appeared it would. Thetas qualified third and AGDs qualified second for the eighth annual running of the Women's Little 500. The race was held April 21 at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

But by lap four the grudge race was over — and so was AGD's hopes of winning the race. AGDs were taken out of contention when another rider clipped the wheel of AGD senior Julie Biros. The AGDs were never able to get back on the lead lap, finishing fourth and one lap hack. "[The accident] was my fault; I had a bad position," Biros said. "I knew there would be a wreck at the beginning of the race, and I should have been up toward the front of the pack. I never should have been there."

Thetas on the other hand, were able to stay out front, winning the race for the second straight year.

Although Theta coach Tom Schwoegler was happy that his team was able to win, he admired the determination and effort put forth by rival AGD. "I hate to see any team that is competitive, that works very hard have a had day," Schwoegler said. "I mean, it's really unfortunate. [AGD] went out there and chased all day, and there's nothing tougher than to chase all day."

As AGDs were taken out of contention for a high finish, Thetas, pole sitter Gamma Phi Beta and fourth place qualifier, Kappa Kappa Gamma took off. The three teams continued to battle each other until lap 41 when continued

Sam Rich,:

Gamma Phi rider caught the wheel of the rider in front ► or her and went down. Gamma Phi never (pit trying and chased the leaders to the end, but was unable to catch up the lost ground and finished third, one lap down. "It was the wreck that put us behind, not the flack off talent," Gamma Phi senior Kristi McNally said. It was hard to catch back up with the leaders."

Meanwhile, the leaders took off from the rest of the pack. On lap 64, Thetas and Kappas showed that unless something unexpected, and out of both teams' control happened, one of the two teams was going to win. This was made obvious by lapping Gamma Phi and AGD, the third and fourth place teams.

Kappas and Thetas were able to break away from the other 20 teams, but they were unable to break away from each other. The two teams took turns leading the race. With such a close race, the wind and exchanges became very important factors. "It was windy , however, because we were able to stay together with Thetas through the

Members of the Kappa Alpha Theta house cheer on their team. The teams not only received support from their houses during the race, but throughout the year while training.

Senior Cheryl Koch of Wright Cycledelics pushes herself around turn three during the women's race. Wright won the residence hall division and finished ninth overall.

Kt, in SI11,111

tiantiago

majority of the race, it made it much easier this vcar," kappa senior Staci Bloomberg said. "Normall y the race gets very strung out, and many, man y' times you are by yourself out there."

The wind was a factor, but exchanges became the final deciding factor in the race. Thetas made its last exchange at lap 93. Sophomore Julie Beck came in and senior Greta Hoetzer took over to finish the race.

But Kappas elected to wait until lap 97 to make their final exchange. The exchange did not work to their advantage. As the Kappas came in for their final exchange, Thetas were able to take off, eventuall y winning the race. "We could've done it earlier," Bloomberg said. "She [junior Gina Murray] is a great sprinter, and because sprinting is her forte we decided that putting her in for a shorter set would be using her strengths in a better way."

Kappas used Murray's strengths to finish second, seven seconds behind Thetas. The Kappas were confident in their last exchange, but the Thetas were even more confident in their final exchange.

"I knew we had it," Beck said after her final exchange with Hoetzcr. "It was like this feeling that our job was done."

Their job was done and for the second straight year the Theta team took the checkered flag and the victory lap around Bill Armstrong Stadium as the champions of the Women's Little 500 race. "It's the most amazing feeling in the world," Hoetzcr said, crying. "It's better the second time." Ei

Jennifer Bellis

President Myles Brand congratulates sophomore Julie Beck, as senior Greta Hoetzer and junior Maggie Mathews take in the

victory after the end of the race on the evening of April 21. The Thetas qualified third and took the women's Little 500 title for

the second year in a row.

P1117101)\ S,un Rftlw

adies and gentlemen Welcome to the greatest show on Earth ... High speed turns and hair-raising experiences will be a part of the show. Twenty four men's teams, 27 women's teams and six coed teams \\ill battle it out to see who will be champions of this year's Mini 500 — The Trikes are Coming to Town,'" the ringmaster said.

As he stepped Out of the spotlight, about 20 clowns swarmed the concrete floor and tumblers took to the mats. Eight jugglers and jesters roamed the arena and trapeze artists performed 50 feet above the floor to complete the circus-like atmosphere. A local band, Vida, performed as observers attempted to take in all of the activities.

Indeed the Mini 500 that took place Apr. 22 at Assembly Hall had begun, and it was appropriately titled "It's a minicircus extravaganza."

Even the about 230 riders seated as teams on the bleachers at the south end of the Hall added to the festive atmosphere created by the Bloomington Circus Co. Riders wore uniforms of all different sty les and colors which included tuxedo tops, tie-dye shirts, dress shirts and ties and soccer jerseys in addition to the standard matching T-shirts. As they impatiently waited for the start of the events at 8 p.m., they did the "wave," performed cheers and even sang the IU Fight Song.

Members of the women's team Hying Turtles danced together as they sang with the band and made the most of the light-hearted atmosphere. "We're all rookies, and we're just here to have tun. I just thought participating would really be a lot of fun. We don't have any real expectations — just to get out of the first round," junior Colleen Hogan said.

Team Buffle Heads (Read Beck 2) shared the sentiments. The team dressed in mismatched clothes, combed their hair in unusual directions and sang loud cheers that they had written themselves in order to catch the attention of others at the event. "We're just here simpl y being different. We're here to have and to make a statement," sophomore rookie rider Paul Lukowiak said.

But not all of the riders were interested in the festivities. Instead they were intently focused on the upcoming race. "Honestly , we'd reall y like to win. I guess whatever happens, happens, but we'd like to be in control of it. We've onl y had a week to prepare, but we ' re really psyched up and close as a team," said finirth-year rider Sherman Ibarra, member of Nasty Boyz, who were the defending champions and pole sitter.

Second seeded Alpha Phi Omega of the women's division also had winning in mind. "We're ready to win! We've been training and we're ready to compete," senior Abby Couch said.

Following a short parade and introduction of the riders of all three divisions, the women's race began. Teams had been divided into three group brackets and were operating within a single elimination tournament.

The first bracket of the women's race proved to be one of the largest upsets of the evening. Twenty-sixth seeded Chi Omega knocked the first seed independent Enough Said out of the race with the fastest time that would enter the semi-finals. "We didn't think we could beat them! We were definitely the underdogs, but we're thrilled about continuing in the tournament. This is the first time in several years we've had a team for our house, so we're excited about hopefully beginning a winning tradition," junior rookie Gretchen Heideloff said.

Chi Omega was eventually defeated in the semi-final round by Kappa Delta, who competed against Elkins and Delta Gamma for the title. Delta Gamma secured its third consecutive victory . As the four team members embraced and raised their arms in the air in

After winning the men's Mini 500 race, riders of Team Buttle Heads (ReadBeck 2), sophomores Mike Vetter and Paul Lukowiak, freshman Ryan Coleman and junior Chad Fetters jump around in celebration. An all-rookie

team and seeded tenth, Team Buffle Heads

shocked the competition, beating defending chamption Nasty Boyz in the final round.

the symbol for the No. 1, member Annie Frey , a senior, said, "I'm so excited! It's hard to believe that we just won!"

The men's race on the other hand, proved to be full of unexpected events. Although Nasty Boyz easily advanced past their competitors to the final round, two underdogs, Read Beck 2 and Delta Tau Delta, seeded 10th and 1 lth respectively , arrived at the final round much to their own surprise. "We feel great! We've had a lot of good luck getting here, and just by advancing, we feel we've gotten the cake we came for. The

rest is just icing!" said sophomore Mike Vetter, the first leg of Read Beck 2.

The luck Vetter was referring to was the tendency of other teams to slide out of bounds around the turns of the course. Because the floor of Assembly Hall was being replaced, IUSF, the sponsoring organization, was forced to tape lines onto the concrete floor, which in many instances caused slickness. "They've been using water mops on the turns to reduce the slickness, and there haven't reall y been any major problems," Nora Barrett, vice president of IUSF, said.

But the luck of the other teams sliding off the course didn't seem to be the only key to the success of Read Beck 2. In the final round, they were able to overcome Nasty Pt _..oyz, with whom they had been competing neck and neck, when Ibarra had a poor exchange going into the final leg of the race. Lukowiak seized the opportunity, and finished the race in first place.

Amid the excitement and hugs he said, "We got the icing!"

Freshman Coach Torn Carter said, "We were just a scrub team. We were all rookies. We were all from the dorm. But we did it! Never underestimate the power of your 10th ranked Buffic Heads!"

The coed division finished out the evening with a final round competition between Sigma Delta Tau-Alpha Epsilon Pi, AcaciaGamma Phi Beta, and Do it for Bob, an independent team. Although Do it for Bob won the first running, a mechanical problem was found in one of the tricycles and the race was re-run. Do it for Bob, a team composed of Campus Tour Guides and named after Dean of Admissions Bob McGee, became the first-ever champions of the newly created

co rt ti at tied kckin Stuart L

A party-goer relaxes a moment in the basement of the Sigma Nu house on Wednesday night of Little 500 week. Because of the increased police security during Little 500, students found that fraternity parties were a somewhat "safe" alternative compared to apartment parties. Police made 117 arrests during the weekend, a decrease from the over 220 arrests reported last year. Some students chose not to go out at all during the weekend because of the police's presence, which might be a reason behind the small number of arrests. Ifiibb [MI Freshman Antonio Kendrick dances with friend, freshman Judy Lewis at a dance held Friday night at the University Gym. "It was more or less a time to blow off some steam, you know, from classes and stuff and studying. It was a lot of fun for me. I mean, it was like one of the biggest parties since I've been down here. I'm looking forward to doing it next year," Kendrick said.

The IU Pan-hellenic Council organized two dances and a step show during Little 500. IUPHC greek system is comprised of four black fraternities, four black sororities, one Latino fraternity and one Latino sorority. "We feel the

need to create, plan and carry out our own events. It's always been a problem finding a social outlet that meets the cultural needs of

minority greeks," said IUPHC President senior Ruben Flores, a member of Sigma Lambda Beta.

In the first half of the race,

riders vie for the lead

position as they head

around turn two. The 45th

men's Little 500 race was

held on the afternoon of

April 22. Armstrong Stadium in

celebration of their team's

Little 500 victory. With

seven teams fighting for the

finish, sprinter Gory Lewis,

a junior, pulled ahead and

clinched the victory for Phi

Gamma Delta.

Robb Hill

C

ocd division. As these last champions were recognized along with Ruffle Heads and Delta Gamma, the crowd began to disperse. The festive atmosphere and circus-like event had dwindled, and the tired competitors retreated. The greatest show on earth had come to an end, and the champions had been declared. in

Kathy Revtyak MEN'S LITTLE 500

The 45th winner of the Little 500 came as no surprise if you knew the team's history, but it did come as a shock to spectators as they anxiously watched seven teams fight for the finish.

In one of the contest's most exciting races, junior veteran Cory Lewis shifted into high gear just before the final turn and quickly left the other riders behind in the pack.

"It just happened," Lewis said about the amazing finish. "I think a lot of the other sprinters were tired."

About the early stages of the race, Lewis said, "I was a little tired and actually ended up getting sick. But it turned out that we just went with the same strategy to get me on at [lap] 192, and [freshman teammate] Jim Lohman was able to give me a great sprint-out, so I didn't have to work to catch up."

The victory was Phi Gamma Delta's sixth, and gave the fraternity the top spot in the overall ranking, a position Phi Kappa Psi had held for 27 years.

After the exhilarating finish, a purple mass of Fiji brothers encompassed the field holding their arms in the air, chanting, yelling and singing the song of their fraternity. Shouts of "I've waited so long for this!" "We did it, buddy!" and "Let's go on probation next year!" were heard from the inebriated group.

Junior rookie Mark Edwards described how he felt after his first Little 5 victory. "It's the best feeling I've ever had in my whole life. The best as any other feeling I've had before. It's incredible." 1992 Fiji alumnus, Grant Carlton, was at IU when they last won in 1987 and has been coming back ever since. "I'm not surprised we won at all. We had a high pole position in qualifiers, and we had a great team. The worst we have ever finished was sixth."

Fiji was one of the seven teams that stayed on the lead lap continued

Sam 121,11c

TF hroughout the entire race, and knew that the final 200th lap would be crucial. or the sprint to the finish 1Me, the Fiji plan was to give the bike to Lewis at lap 192 and let him take it home. "Our strategy was to stay in front and not get in the back of the pack. We knew we had to keep up with the leaders and make sure we could put Cory loose on the bike at the end and let him do the rest," Edwards said. The last 100 laps set the stage for the final sprint as Acacia, Delta

Chi, Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Alpha

Epsilon, Sigma Nu, Wright Dodds and Fijis were a lap ahead of the rest of the teams. Several of Fiji's competitors put their best sprinters on the cinders at the end, but none of them could top Lewis. SAE, \\ ho finished third overall, used their seasoned veteran, senior Bill Naas, the winner of the 1994 and 1995 Individual Time Trials and MissN-Out series events. Although he kept SAE in the front of the field the entire race, he rode 132 of the 200 laps and did not have the energy to beat Lewis. "I thought I was OK going into the last lap, but I realized I was tired when Cory passed me," Naas said. "I knew I had lost that extra jump I needed to \ n ."

Naas said the Fijis used a different plan than the rest of the teams to gain their edge. "They staved in the lead pack, and let the other teams do a lot of the work. They really weren't one of the teams everyone heard about in the race," Naas said. "I knew Cory would be a problem, but they didn't have him ride much, so he was much more fresh at the end."

On lap 83, a collision on turn one with Delta Upsilon and Phi Delts left the defending champions, Sigma Chi, with a broken bike. Sigma Chi could not catch up with the pack after having to wait fbr a new bike and ended up making a disappointing 10th place finish.

But the Phi Delts made an impressive comeback and reached the lead group in about 20 laps. As the polesitters, they were favored to win the race, but because of the unpredictability of the race and the tight finish, they ended up finishing sixth. "We worked hard all year ... to sum it all up in one day, you

continued

IU Student Foundation Steering Committee members Jen Horowitz and Andrea Huff, both seniors, snap pictures before the race begins. The Steering Committee oversaw the other committees within IUSF to ensure that the Little

500 events ran smoothly.

I\C\ III ML1,111 Richt

On lap 83, Phi Delta Theta's Dan Possley, a junior, and Sigma Chi's Dave Perez, a senior, struggle to recover from a wreck on turn one. Despite the wreck, Phi Delta Theta caught up with the lead group and was one of the seven teams fighting for the win at the end of the race. Sigma Chi, however, finished a lap down.

Workers tend to freshman Justin Follader of

Alpha Tau Omega after he wrecked into a fence. Follader had no serious injuries and the allrookie team of Alpha Tau Omega finished 28.

With an official standing by, riders race along the backstretch of the track at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Photo by keyin Stuart

j

List can't justify it. Even with sixth place, we're winners in my book," sophomore Phi 1)elt rider Mike Krueger said.

Krueger also mentioned what it was like to have the pole position. "There was a lot more pressure — we were favored to win. But you got to think you're going to win anyway in a race like this."

There were other winners in the race since the IUSF Cycling Committee decided to divide the race into four categories. The crimson and cream divisions differentiated between higher and lower ranked greeks, and there were dorm and independent

Sanita o Flores As junior Matt Thomas of Delta Chi warms up for his leg of the race, junior Neal Stoeckel runs through strategy with him. Because of the new rule enacted by IUSF banning Category 2 riders, Stoeckel was one of the riders who was not

allowed to race.

Senior rider Dave Harstad

of Phi Gamma Delta shares

the championship trophy with some of his fraternity brothers. The win marked

Phi Gamma Delta's sixth

title in the history of the Little 500.

divisions as well. "We decided to have this for more competition. There were actually races happening within the race," IUSF senior Spencer Mayhew said. "Also, teams would feel like they have more of a chance to win something."

Acacia finished second in the race and was the top team in the cream fraternity division. Wright Dodds' all-senior team finished fourth overall and won the residence hall division. Cutters, who rode with three rookies, placed 11 th and won the independent title. It was the first time in 12 years that the Cutters did not finish in the top five.

The race was also the first that IUSF did not allow Category 2 riders to participate in the race. Team Cinzano could not pull a team together as a result of the new rule, and Sigma Chi and Delta Chi also lost some of their best riders. Nonetheless, IUSF members believed the ban improved the Little 500. "The race is much better now, just look at the fact that there were seven teams going for the finish. With the elite teams out, there is much more competitiveness, but at a different level," Mayhew said. "Teams were intimidated by the Cat 2s. In a few years, you'll probably see even more teams trying to qualify for the race."

Bill Armstrong, for whom the stadium where the race took place is named, has gone to all 45 Little 500 races and still thinks the event stands above all others. "There is still nothing like it. Where else can you find for an intramural program, the crowd we had, the enthusiasm we had, the wonderful riders and the extraordinary leadership from the students?" Armstrong said. in

Heidi Kachmann

Sa m Rik-he

Saturday night of Little 500 weekend, sophomore Heather Rawlings and freshmen LeAnne Frazier

and Nicole Scozzie party in junior Alfredo Salazar's dorm room of Wright Quad. Salazar was coaxed into having a party because "there was nothing else to do," he said. Big-name entertainers usually performed during Little 500 weekend, however, Union Board tailed to find anyone to pertorm. Students had to find other ways to entertain themselves and for some, partying in a dorm room seemed to be a safe

alternative because of the

tightened police security.

Situation Grey attracts a large crowd on Wednesday night of Little 500 week in the basement of the Sigma Nu house. Not all students were able to party at fraternities during Little 500 week. To get into most fraternity parties, a student had to have his or her name on a list. With all the parties occurring during the week, professors were not surprised to find that their classes were not always tilled to capacity.

A Phi Beta Sigma from another university gives the Phi Beta Sigma hand sign during the step show Saturday night at the University Gym. The step show was more of an exhibition with a focus on unity rather than a competition. Members of different IU Pan-hellenic Council

fraternities competed in combination at times, and despite prize incentives, some greeks preferred not to compete against each other at all. One highlight of the event was a "Tootsie Roll" dance contest. The first five audience

volunteers danced it out on the floor and the

winner, judged by audience applause, won $25.

Between 2,500 and :3,500 attended the weekend's events, IUPHC President Ruben

Flores said. People from outside IU attended heavily, making the IUPHC-sponsored Little 500 events the largest IUPHC fund-raiser.