ST. LOUIS The St. Louis Cardinals’ second base experiment made it to Opening Day, even if Skip Schumaker won’t be in the lineup.

The left-handed hitting Schumaker batted .168 against lefties last year and isn’t starting on Monday against the Pirates’ Paul Maholm, against whom he’s 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Brendan Ryan, a right-handed hitter who’s 1-for-7 against Maholm, instead gets the call at both leadoff and second base.

Still, the conversion will ease an overcrowded outfield heading into a four-game series starting Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Even without Schumaker in the mix, there are four outfielders who’ll share playing time Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan and Colby Rasmus. Schumaker, who batted .302 in his first full season,Retro Football Shirts, was force-fed the job during spring training and got more comfortable and less mechanical as time passed.

“We’ll just have to let the season happen and if he can handle the day-to-day job, that’s great for us,” general manager John Mozeliak said Sunday. “There’s no reason to think he can’t handle it.”

Rookie David Freese expected to be the top fill-in for injured Troy Glaus at third base also will start the season on the bench in manager Tony La Russa’s unusual opening-day lineup. Khalil Greene has 15 career at-bats at cleanup, but that’s where he’ll be in the opener coming off a .408 spring average that was among the NL leaders. Another rookie, Brian Barden, is set to start at third and bat eighth.

The lineup is conventional in one regard, with pitcher Adam Wainwright batting ninth. La Russa had the pitchers batting eighth in every game since the final 56 games of 2007, with the No. 9 hitter serving as a second leadoff man to get more runners on for Pujols.

Wainwright (11-3, 3.20) gets his second try at a first opening day start last year’s start was postponed by rain against Pirates left-hander Paul Maholm (9-9, 3.71).

“We’re far from perfect,” Mozeliak said. “But I still think we’re a pretty good club.”

The Pirates are another story. They enter the season trying to end a string of 16 consecutive losing seasons, tied for the longest such slump in major league history, and with a roster that’s not appreciably different from the 2008 team that finished last in the NL Central at 67-95 last year.

Pittsburgh was 17-15 this spring, a bigger deal because of the struggles.

“You’ve got to start somewhere,Lazio shirt,” manager John Russell said. “In the situation we’re in, a younger team and a team that has a lot of questions from the outside, it is better to win in spring training than lose.

“I wouldn’t say huge momentum, but it’s a nice feeling knowing that we’ve played well.”

Whether they’ll get to play Monday is perhaps the biggest question,Sevilla shirt, with a forecast calling for temperatures in the 30s with snow flurries and high winds. There’s already a contingency plan, a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday in case the opener is postponed.

La Russa wants to avoid that at all costs because the compressed early-season schedule brought on by the World Baseball Classic leaves the Cardinals without a day off until April 20. Typically, the day after opening day is an off-day, but not this year, meaning the Cardinals could need a fill-in starter as early as Saturday.

The weather was much nicer, in the 60s, for Sunday’s workout.

“All I know is it could be zero and we need to play,” La Russa said. “I think we’ll play.”

Pirates manager John Russell, whose team is opening on the road for the fourth straight season, is aboard with that sentiment.

“I remember as a player on opening day, no matter where you’re at you get butterflies,” Russell said. “It’s the one day you do not want to get rained out. We spent the good part of 6-7 weeks to get here and it’s time to go.”

A key to a better start for the Pirates, 10-16 at the end of April in 2008,Wales football shirt, is more contribution early from Adam La Roche. The streaky slugger opened 2008 with two hits followed by an 0-for-25 slump and batted .174 the opening month with one homer and five RBIs.

He finished with 25 homers, 85 RBIs and a .270 average.

“I feel like all I can do is put the work in and give 100 percent on the field,” La Roche said. “I don’t know why it takes a while to get loose.”

COLUMBIA The Missouri womens basketball team isnt taking too kindly to being picked to finish last in the Big 12 Conference for the third consecutive season.

“Its an insult,” Missouri coach Cindy Stein said at the Tigers’ media day Monday at Mizzou Arena. “And were taking it as an insult. I dont know if thats going to put an extra chip,Glasgow Rangers shirt, we already have a chip on our shoulders from last year.”

Last season, the Tigers finished 13-17, winning only four of their 16 conference games. Missouri has other plans for this year.

“I feel great about the team,Valencia shirt,” senior Jessra Johnson said. “I think were going to have a good, exciting season. I cant wait to start it.”

Missouri does have a lot to be excited about. With four starters returning and a roster that includes four seniors, experience is on the Tigers side.

“That helps tremendously because we have a lot of leadership,” junior Shakara Jones said. “Those four starters have played and thats what we have to do. We have to teach these freshman and teach everybody else that we have to play throughout the game in order to get a win.”

This luxury makes Steins job much easier.

“Theyre helping each other out there,” Stein said. Theyre coaching each other a lot. You have coaches on the floor and that helps in every situation.”

But the Tigers lost a lot when Alyssa Hollins graduated. Hollins led Missouri in scoring last season with 13.1 points per game. She also left Missouri as the programs all-time leader in 3-pointers made with 226.

“You cant replace Alyssa Hollins,” Johnson said. “Shes a great player. You just gotta find someone, whoever they may be.”

Stein said she is unsure of who will step up to replace Hollins, but is excited about several players that would be more than capable of excelling in a starting position.

The Tigers will rely heavily on the only two returning double-digit scorers from last season in Johnson (13 points per game) and Jones (10.3). Johnson, a 6-foot-1 forward from Fayette, led the team in double-doubles, rebounds per game, and blocks last season. Jones,Lyon shirt, a forward from St. Charles, led the team in field goal percentage and contributed more than four rebounds a game.

RaeShara Brown, who led the conference in steals and the team in assists last season, and Bekah Mills will also see plenty of court time. The Tigers have a deep bench, returning more than 90 percent of last years squad, Johnson said.

“We gotta lot of returners, so we go through practice a lot easier because were only teaching two people,” Johnson said. “Its a lot of fun whenever youve been playing with each other for so long.”

Incoming freshmen Sydney Crafton of Jefferson City and Trenee Thornton of Kansas City are the Tigers’ only new players.

Stein, Johnson and Jones all agree that this year seems different.

“This years squad has a lot of energy,” Jones said. “Everybodys moving. Were cohesive.”

There seems to be a renewed passion for the team as well.

“I though last years was a really solid work ethic but these guys are putting in even more extra time right now, and thats what you ask for as a coach,” Stein said.

Even with the struggles of the past few seasons, morale and expectations remain high for the Tigers.

“We set the bar where we want to win every game,” Jones said.

Johnson reiterated this lofty goal.

“Come out and win,” Johnson said. “Only thing you can do when youre picked last.”

Stein was even more upbeat.

“We want to finish in the top four (in the Big 12),” Stein said. We want a Big 12 championship.”

Then her message got even more powerful.

“You guys bring your friends because it is going to be an exciting season,AS Roma shirt,” Stein said. “Were going to be the sports story of the year.”

COLUMBIA — “Don’t act like you’re not impressed.”

That was the slogan on the back of a shirt a Harrisburg High School fan was wearing during the boys’ basketball team’s Class 2 semifinal against Clever at Mizzou Arena on Friday night.

The team and the game lived up to that billing as the Bulldogs won 73-67 in a high-paced game that featured 26 lead changes.

Harrisburg coach Steve Combs said the teams were practically mirror images of each other. Both teams featured smaller players and relied on an up-tempo game.

“It was just two teams matched evenly,” Combs said in a press conference after the game.

One notable difference between the two teams is that the Blue Jays only have eight players on their roster and usually only play six while Harrisburg had a deeper bench and used an eight-man rotation.

“I thought we could wear them out,” Harrisburg senior guard Josh Taylor said. However, that wasn’t the case.

“It didn’t look like they would ever get tired,” Taylor said.

Combs wasn’t worried about his players getting tired saying his team plays that tempo everyday in practice.

Taylor led the Bulldogs with 21 points and 12 rebounds. However,Villareal shirt, that wasn’t the first thing he looked at when he saw the box score.

“Dang, I didn’t do good,” Taylor said when he saw the man he was guarding,Inter Milan shirt, Clever senior guard Josh Pope, scored 19 points. Taylor’s 12 rebounds were a big part of the 36-21 rebounding edge for the Bulldogs.

“Coach stresses ‘Rebound, rebound, rebound,’” Taylor said.

Harrisburg won the state title in 2006 and finished third last year. This is only the second trip to the finals in school history.

“I never thought we had a chance to be better than Fisher’s team,Birmingham shirt,” senior guard Taylor Perrigo said. Kyle Fisher was a guard on the 2006 championship team and is currently a sophomore on William Jewell’s basketball team.

Clever led by one point after each of the first three quarters, but a late 8-0 run by the Bulldogs put them in position where all they had to do was make free throws to clinch the game. The Bulldogs were up to the task as they made seven out of nine in the last 1:05 of the game.

Clever sophomore guard Jeremy Dresslaer had 11 points in the first quarter, but was held relatively in check after that. He finished with a team-high 21 points and fouled out with 1:05 left.

“We thought Taylor (Perrigo) was as athletic as him,Porto shirt,” Combs said of the matchup against Dresslaer.

Blue Jays senior forward Bryce Huddleston also had 21 points. Harrisburg junior forward Cory Via had 18 and Perrigo added 15.

Harrisburg will play South Iron of Annapolis for the state championship at 6:10 p.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena. Clever will play for third against West Platte of Weston at 9:30 p.m.

After their 35-24 loss to Kansas State on Nov. 6, many Missouri football players thought their preseason goals had evaporated.

The Tigers fell to 4-5, 2-4 in the Big 12 Conference with the loss, leaving little hope to win the North Division and reach the conference championship game. Even reaching a bowl game suddenly seemed daunting.

Second chance with the Border Showdown

But after Missouri watched a Saturday in the division unfold with a bye last week, the Tigers still have a chance to reach those goals, beginning with the Border Showdown against Kansas (3-7, 1-6) on Saturday.

“Well,Lazio shirt, it’s pretty remarkable first of all,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. “It’s just one of those years that things are shaking out like they are… I really think this KU game is bigger than these other things that are involved. It’s a crazy year in our division, as you all know.”

Senior offensive lineman Scott Paffrath was just one of many dismayed Tigers after the Kansas State loss when he said that as a senior his goals were gone. But during the Tigers’ weekly media day on Monday, he seemed re-energized by Missouri’s new opportunity.

“I’d say it’s definitely interesting that somebody with a losing record in the Big 12 could win the Big 12 North,” Paffrath said. “If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, that’s our own fault.”

Still, Paffrath said the Kansas game has no extra meaning because of the Tigers’ bowl hopes. Instead, it comes down to Missouri against Kansas.

“I think it means more because it’s the Kansas rivalry,” he said. “That adds into it that we need a win,Ajax shirt, but this is the Kansas game. If we were both 0-9 or 0-8, I don’t think it would matter. I still think it’d be a good game and everybody would want to get after each other and that’s what’s going to happen.”

“Rivalry…goes beyond the football field”

Players and coaches on both sides of the game echoed Paffrath’s statements that this game is important even with both teams struggling.

Missouri’s senior guard Joe Gianino said the rivalry between the Tigers and Jayhawks goes beyond the football field.

“Well, the rivalry is always big,” Gianino said. “You can’t look at last year’s game. You can’t look at 10 years ago. This game has been passed down from generation to generation. So every year is separate and we got a responsibility.

“It’s a huge rivalry. If you look at it, it goes back to before us. It goes back to before football. It goes back to blood.”

Kansas’ sophomore offensive lineman Travis Dambach, a Jackson, Mo., native said he had little understanding of the rivalry until he reached Kansas.

But he soon learned of the historical importance of the game.

“It wasn’t until I got here and started talking to some of the people here that I learned what this rivalry means,” Dambach said. “One of our coaches has lived in Lawrence his whole life and told us how it goes beyond football, back to the Civil War.

“Until you hear that, you don’t realize the importance of this game.”

Pinkel and Kansas counterpart Mark Manginoalso realize the magnitude of the Border Showdown.

Mangino said the game is one of the best rivalries west of the Mississippi River and during his news conference Monday, Pinkel said the game against the Jayhawks is the biggest game on the Tigers’ schedule,Bordeaux shirt, even bigger than a possible bowl game.

“I’ll have a record here when I leave, what my KU record is going to be and it’ll be etched in granite and every player will, every single player will have his record versus KU and really no other team as much as that game, and that’s how big it is,” Pinkel said.

To buy a good glove of baseball can make a world of the difference in your play. You must buy a glove made starting from materials of quality because they will last longer and will be easier to employ. And, naturally, you ensure that the adjustment feels exact. While you can want to buy a cheaper glove – sometimes it wages right of doesn’t because your play will suffer.

A thing that you must make is to seek the various manufacturers and scales of price. Discover which is lit the best blow for the male. Choose some marks which call upon you move then to the store and try on the gloves. Ensuring itself they judge that the line and the line of average relationship are important. A part of Here inclines on what to seek in various types of gloves.

Gloves Of Gloves of baseball

Is you a serious player or the disorder right around behind the dish each of time to other? This could be a great deciding factor in your decision on which the glove to be bought as good glove of gloves of baseball can cost you hundreds of dollars. If you play only several times per year, then a professional glove of category could be too expensive for you. In addition, the gloves of good quality better are made and more durable thus it will probably last you a life. The gloves of high quality will be smelled better and functioned also better.

By selecting a glove of gloves of baseball you must adapt it to your hand. The size of model of the glove is a measurement of the gloves g?tent where your wrist is jusqu with the top of the palm of the glove where your fingers start. A small glove for youths measures typically 8 with a foot,Glasgow Rangers shirt, and a glove of adults has a measurement of 12 or 13 inches.

Gloves Of Baseball For Women

The isn’t of baseball right for boys and maintaining the always young girls and women more than join this whole the American sport. There is a special challenge, in some manner that for women by making shopping for the equipment of baseball and particularly the gloves of baseball. The majority speed of baseball are a manufacturer motionless with the men with the spirit,Manchester City shirt, and the women,Celtic shirt, whose hands are much smaller, can have one difficult moment finding a good adjustment with their gloves.

The women making of the shopping for gloves of baseball must seek gloves designed to adapt smaller and female hand. If you are equipped with a suitable glove for the size of your hand you will note that you will play better. Seek smaller stalls of finger which will give you a better order than a belt of adjustable wrist is desirable because it will enable you to adjust yourselves with the fluctuations in fluids which can make your wrist a little larger or smaller.

First Basic Gloves

Any first basic player will say to you that the first basic gloves are very important when it has suddenly played the baseball. A thing to be sought in a good glove is to buy the good kinds of materials and strap which you have need in a glove to play at the first base.

The most important thing is with the thnk about the way in which the glove feels. You should buy a size which feels good and is easy to handle. Important It that you can open and close the glove quickly and that your fingers have a comfortable adjustment but not too douillettement.

To make shopping for the glove of right baseball is as important as obtaining the footgear or the espadrilles right. Take your time and select a good glove and you could see your play improving,Fulham shirt!

So you think you’ve got what it takes to be a bodybuilder? Can you go through grueling workouts with almost no glycogen storage? Can you avoid all simple sugars for nearly two months? Can you get down to below 5% body fat?

If you are one of the few, dedicated individuals who think they can become a bodybuilder, ask yourself this question. “Can I stop drinking all fluids for nearly 24 hours?” If you answered no to the last question, I don’t think any less of you. In fact, the last 24 hours before a competition are perhaps the most miserable for most bodybuilders. In my case, I can honestly say the hardest part was the carbohydrate depletion. As an author and a Personal Trainer, I found it extremely difficult to function without the primary source of energy– carbs. That being said, my experience as a bodybuilder has molded me into the strongest person I have ever been. I’m going to illustrate my latest experience at the Border States Classic in October 2008, in the hopes of inspiring and educating those who are interested in the sport of bodybuilding to compete.

First and foremost, I should tell everyone that bodybuilding is truly a competition against one’s self. This means that one must constantly be battling their urges to consume junk food, overeat and skip on workouts. No one else can make you do this. Even a Personal Trainer can only give you a roadmap, but you must follow the path. I knew that I could keep myself from indulging in the non-essentials so I decided to try my hand at the Border States. Ten weeks before the show I weighed in at 168 pounds and around 11% body fat. I figured that I couldn’t make bantamweight (up to 143lbs.), but I knew my muscular development was good, so I began to go through a journey of fat burning.

Supplements:

The edge I had over many of my competitors was my knowledge of supplementation. I knew that the right combination of supps could fine tune my body and allow me to go on stage super tight. I was right! I was very, very tight. Below is the list of supplements that I used during pre-competition:

Green Tea Extract, 600 mg daily

7-Keto, 300 mg daily

CLA, 8 grams a day (4 before bed)

Tribulus, 3000 mg daily

Gaspari Novedex, 3 capsules at bedtime

Fish Oil, 30 grams a day

Max Nitro L-Arginine, 10 grams a day on empty stomach

L-Glutamine, 30 grams a day (10 at night)

Controlled Labs Purple Wrath

AST GABA, 5 Grams before bedtime

Alpha Lipoic Acid/ L Carnitine/ Co Q 10 compound, 4 capsules a day

Milk Thistle

Probolic-SR (not the last week before the show)

BSN Lean Dessert (not the last week)

Nature’s Best- Whey Isolate (not the last week)

MHP-XPEL water loss (8 capsules daily for the last week)

This may seem like a lot of supplements, and it is! Remember, a bodybuilder cannot deprive his or her body of the nutrients it needs to repair itself. Actually,Napoli shirt, no one should deprive their body. All we have in life is time and health. It is important to make both of these as good and enjoyable as possible.

Training: High Volume

I used a routine that consisted of hitting every body part twice a week, taking Sunday off. I hit legs and deltoids three times a week. My training was very high volume and looked similar to this:

Shoulders:

Lateral Raise– 4 sets of 15-20 reps, superset with 4 sets of Front Raises 15-20 reps

Overhead dumbbell press– (35 lbs) 4 sets of 25 reps

Wide Grip Upright Rows– 4 sets of 20 reps

Shrugs with light weight– 20 reps, superset with Lateral Raises to finish

My cardio increased significantly the last 3 weeks. I did one half-hour session of cardio on the recumbent bike first thing in the morning, after a shake with Purple Wrath.?I did this again at night after my last meal to ensure that I would deplete my glycogen stores.

Diet: Carbohydrate Cycling

This is truly the hardest part of bodybuilding. I opted to cycle my carb intake; taking in only 40 grams of carbs from oatmeal for 4 days. On the fifth day, I would take in about 200 grams of carbs from oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and brown rice. All of my meals contained about 6 ounces of fish (no salmon), chicken or ground turkey. These are very lean meats, which allowed me to maintain an adequate protein intake. All meals contained 2 cups of green beans, spinach, or bok choy. I would take in 5 meals every day, or the equivalent of 1 meal every 3 hours. I made sure to supplement with plenty of fish oil and Branched Chain Amino Acids?to maintain energy levels and muscle tissue. In essence, I tried to focus on lean protein and veggies.

Note: The last week before competition, I ate only 30 grams of carbs per day until the day before the show. I also drank only 2 gallons of water until two days before (Thursday); that day I drank only a ? gallon of water. Friday I only drank 8 oz. of water. Saturday morning I only had black coffee. I was very thirsty to say the least.

Posing and Tanning: Contest Prep is Vital,Benfica shirt!

A few weeks before the competition I began to tan. This is one of my least favorite parts of my experience. In addition to the regular tanning,Fulham shirt, I applied 6 coats of Pro-Tan, a tanning liquid that is painted on the skin. Now, I have the unfortunate disposition of having body hair, so my stubble was somewhat noticeable. Therefore, before the night show, I applied one more coat to hide the stubble. Tanning is a pain, but it is necessary and very aesthetically pleasing. The lights on stage are white, which makes the competitors look pale. Pale white skin would wash away like sand on the beach. Remember, this sport is about how good you look!

Posing is perhaps the most important part of bodybuilding shows. Flexing each muscle is a form of isometric exercise and helps etch in the definition between muscles. A competitor should be used to flexing for at least 60 seconds to build up endurance. Judges do not like to see competitors shake on stage from lack of muscular endurance. I think I posed for at least 30 minutes every day starting from two weeks prior to the show. The last two days,AS Roma shirt, flexing and posing were my only forms of exercise.

Conclusion: Although it was a challenge, my bodybuilding experience was one of the greatest times of my life. It was a blast being onstage with my fellow athletes. It was even more fun standing right in front of the biggest guy onstage and posing down with him. I suggest that if you are interested in Bodybuilding Competition, you should go to a show to see what the atmosphere is like. See the competitors in person and decide if you have the discipline to transform your body with the necessary strategies.

Keep the Fire Burning!

-Sean Covell

BestSupplementGuide.com

COLUMBIA Jim Larue remembers deciding one year, even though there couldnt be competition, there would still be a winner.

As commissioner for tennis in the Show-Me State Games, Larue was in charge of making sure the weekend competition ran smoothly. With days of rain preventing the tennis players from competing, he decided to flip coins to determine winners, ending the weekend on a light note. He doesnt remember what year this happened, perhaps because he has been a commissioner for 24 years.

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There is at least one commissioner for each of the 40 sports in this year’s Show-Me State Games, which end Sunday. They request the space, equipment and volunteers needed for each event as well as organize brackets, determine competition times,Bordeaux shirt, and coordinate with participants. The position is normally held by a person active in the sport. Besides running the games, commissioners build relationships with competitors.

Larue said he finds the position enjoyable because he gets to connect with people from all around Missouri. He has seen multiple generations of tennis players compete in the Show-Me State Games and looks forward to seeing familiar faces. Many of the competitors that travel to Columbia for the games are a special type of once-a-year friend.

“A couple from Grain Valley came to compete every year and when their children were old enough, they played too. Now, their children are out of college, and Im sure in a couple of years, Ill be seeing their grandchildren play,” Larue said.

“Competitors come all the way from the bootheel to the northwest corner of the state,” said Joe Garcia, the commissioner for powerlifting for more than 15 years, about the competitors he oversees. “This year was a really great one. Everything went fast and smooth and we even got a thank-you note.”

Each day as commissioner starts at 7 a.m and is a madhouse, Garcia said. He works until 4 p.m. without much of a break. He describes the weekend as “fast and furious.”

“Its a panicked pace the whole day, but I do look forward to it.” he said.

For other commissioners, the games are much more relaxed.

Kathy Sanford, owner of Show-Me Gymnastics is in her second year as gymnastics commissioner and plans to do it as long as shes happy in the job.

“I have a ball doing it,” Sanford said. “The environment is really fun and very relaxed.”

Sanford has the opportunity to reconnect with people who have been away from the sport for several years and have decided to come back because the Show-Me Games are open to most anyone who wants to compete.

“This year we have a 26-year-old mother of one,” Sanford said. “When you get out of it competitively, there is usually not a place to compete after. Its great to see so many people come out just for the love of the sport.”

William Todd, 23,Werder Bremen shirt, remembers when as a child he would help out his father Dan Todd run the table tennis competition for the Show-Me State Games. Eventually, William Todd briefly became a commissioner himself.

“My dad would give me 20 bucks to help him as commissioner, which seemed like a lot of money when I was 8 and 9 years old,” William Todd said. “It was really a great time.”

Dan Todd, who was a commissioner for the Show-Me State Games from 1986 to 2006,Real Madrid shirt, said he doesnt miss the administrative aspects of organizing the event, but rather the people he met and spent time with during that period. After each Saturday of the event, Dan Todd would go out to dinner and talk with many of the out-of-town table tennis players.

“It was like a family atmosphere, we were all in it together,” Dan Todd said. “The level of the competitor didnt matter, we were all friends.”

The television inside the Jefferson City Country Club Wednesday featured golfers preparing for today’s Masters Tournament under a warm Georgia sun.

A peek outside the window of the same clubhouse,Villareal shirt, however, displayed high schoolers competing under slightly different conditions. It was a golfer’s worst nightmare: cold weather mixed with gusting winds.

“It was extremely cold,” Hickman junior Nick Wilson said. Though no one blamed the weather completely for poorer scores, many golfers admitted it was a detrimental factor.

“I almost feel like I complain about it too much,” Rock Bridge senior Mark Kollias said. “It’s really not that big of a deal, but I probably let it affect me too much today.”

Rock Bridge coach Doug Daniels said that the elements usually affect golfers more when they play poorly.

“It’s like if you’re a quarterback and you are playing fine in the rain, then it doesn’t bother you. But if you miss a few passes, all the sudden it’s in your head,” Daniels said.

Host Jefferson City appearedleast affected by the weather, finishing first with 161 strokes. Hickman was second,Sevilla shirt, shooting 169. Rock Bridge placed third with 170 strokes, and Helias finished last at 171 strokes. Jefferson City’s Will Nixon shot the best individual score with a 1-under par 35.

Daniels said that the course difficulty was another reason for inflated scores. He said that it is probably the toughest course that his players will see all year.

Hickman ace Chris Johnson agreed.

“This course is so hard, especially when there’s wind. If you’re a little off, you hit it in the trees,l.a.galaxy shirt,” Johnson said. “But there are no excuses. I didn’t play well, anyway.”

Hickman coach Clark Swisher created a positive out of the weather.

“What they have to learn from this is your expectations have to change on a day like today. The weather’s cold, wind’s blowing,Real Madrid shirt, ball’s wet…Your goal should be around 40,” Swisher said.

Wilson was the only golfer under 40 for Hickman or Rock Bridge. He shot a 39 which was 3-over par. Joe Neal, John Treche and Mark Kollias all shot 42 for the Bruins.

The Bruins and Kewpies will likely face the same conditions today as they tee off at 8:30 a.m. at Tanglewood in Fulton.

“This is good for us. We’re going to see who can persevere through this ugliness,” Swisher said.

COLUMBIA — It’s the middle of the night, and sergeant Gilad Kaufman, 20 at the time, of the 188th infantry battalion is standing guard in one of the watchtowers, looking out into the waves of grass surrounding the small village and military base in northern Israel.

Kaufman checks his binoculars and sees nothing, merely wooded area and grasslands, a scene he’s been protecting for hours.

Without warning, shots are fired at the base. In the distance Kaufman can see the small flashes coming out of the woodland.

He hears the bullets whiz by his head — enough warning to duck for cover. He finds safety in the watchtower, behind the small wall dividing him from the combatants.

He rises momentarily with his M-16, not knowing where, who or how many and fires instinctively into the distance.

“I didn’t think at all; I just shot. When someone is shooting at you, that’s what you do,” Kaufman said.

SWIMMING AT MU

In the middle of the afternoon, swimming practice is about to begin at the Mizzou Aquatics Center, and junior Gilad Kaufman, now 23, listens intently as coach Brian Hoffer gives instructions for the day and commentary about last weekend’s performance. The meeting ends, and Kaufman begins to congregate and joke with his teammates on the MU swimming and diving team.

Almost every group of players he approaches inevitably ends up laughing — with Kaufman as the instigator.

“He’s got a great sense of humor,” junior Byron Carlisle said.

Eventually, he reaches his swimming lane and dives in for a warm-up session. With a steady and smooth stroke,Ajax shirt, Kaufman works primarily on his freestyle and butterfly techniques, strokes that have brought him serious Big 12 and MU accolades. Kaufman swam the third leg of the 800 free relay team that broke the school record at the 2006 Big 12 Championship for the event.

THE FIREFIGHT ENDS

The combatants flee, and the two- to three-minute firefight comes to a halt. Kaufman and his comrades are sent to a room to be debriefed on the situation. Officers inform Kaufman the next morning that the combatants were most likely terrorists and that their exact numbers were unknown. All they tell him is that there was more than one. Kaufman, though, can only wonder what could have been. He suffers mentally from the crossfire long after the guns stopped firing.

“I had nightmares about the conflict for about a week and a half.”

The firefight in northern Israel is a fluke for Kaufman. His days are not usually that exciting, and his enemies are predominantly bartering landowners instead of camouflaged terrorists.

Kaufman works as a real estate marketer for the military, finding and negotiating for property around Israel. The Israeli Security Forces (ISF) use Kaufman’s skills in land speculation to build housing projects for officers. Kaufman only found himself in the firefight because while his primary job in the military is real estate, he and his battalion were regularly sent on security tours around the country which lasted from a week to a month. That particular tour was for two weeks.

The brief firefight is just one of many experiences for the Kaufman family. Born in Kfar Saba and raised in Netanya, both in central Israel, he grew up in a family with a strong military heritage. His grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, earned a medal of bravery for guiding his troops through a minefield. His father fought in several conflicts, and his older brother was a tank operator, a highly respected position in the Israeli army. Kaufman’s chances of reaching such heights in the military are limited,Werder Bremen shirt, though.

His position in the general infantry rarely puts him in conflict situations, something about his duty he has no choice but to accept.

“Yeah, security was a bit boring, but sometimes you realize where you could be (fighting in combat), and it’s not that bad,” he said.

A “BREAKOUT SEASON”

“His first year was all right. His second was much better, but I think this is the year he really breaks out,” Missouri coach Hoffer said.

The 2007 season started off well for the Tigers with Kaufman performing at a high level. Swimming as the third leg, Kaufman played a crucial part in the first-place finish of the 400 freestyle relay event at the Big 12 Relays.

Performance hasn’t been the issue for Kaufman at MU, though. Life outside of the military complex gave Kaufman a big change. In Israel, Kaufman’s daily routine was regimented: swimming practice before work, work and swimming practice after work. His time at MU is distinctly less crowded. Besides practice and class, Kaufman decides what to do instead of listening to a higher-ranking military officer.

“You’re on your own routine, and it’s much less strict,” he said. “Everything is organized and coaches take care of you.”

A SACRIFICE FOR SWIMMING

He knows he belongs in the Elite Forces — the Israeli equivalent of the Marines. That’s where his friends are. That’s where his family had made its service the stories of heroes,Porto shirt, but that’s exactly where he isn’t. Kaufman’s talent precludes him from doing as such. Because he is an athlete, joining the Elite Forces is not an option for Kaufman.

“The Elite Force is a full-time job, and sometimes you could be away for a week on a mission,” he said. “I would never have found time to swim.”

It would be impossible for Kaufman to continue swimming and competing if he were in the Elite Forces because of the time commitment.

“I could have chosen to (be in the elite unit). I wanted to, and if I wasn’t a swimmer, I would be a soldier,” he said.

Kaufman’s time in the general infantry is a trade-off.

“Swimming was very easy because it distracted me,” he said. “Physical pain is easier than mental pain.”

Swimming is not merely a hobby for Kaufman; it’s a sport in which he has excelled. He had already been named to the Israeli junior national team and netted three separate individual national championships for his country in 2002 and 2003.

“Everyone wants to go to America because of its the land of opportunity, and for me, it was a chance to swim and get an education for a job that would make me much more successful than in Israel,” he said.

Georgia Tech, Kenyon College (Ohio) and Missouri were his suitors. All three offered engineering programs, his desired major, and all three boasted strong swimming programs.

A NEW WORLD

As a junior, Kaufman can still readily see the differences between his old and new lives. No more monthly roadblocks in high-traffic areas. No more military tours in areas such as the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and no more firefights.

The only hazardous condition he sees regularly is weather — and even that doesn’t faze him.

“When the tornado came a few years ago, I was walking down the street,” he said. “I mean, it wasn’t a big deal.”

A “FAMILY-LIKE” ATMOSPHERE

A year away from his release from the military, Kaufman decided once more to choose swimming over military service. He wanted to go to America to swim but choosing a college was difficult. Netanya is a city that practices kibbutz, an Israeli collectivism mind-set that emphasizes a form of socialism and community.

Kibbutz stresses family and communal well being, and only one of his three potential schools offered a relatively similar environment.

“Missouri offered a family-like atmosphere, something I was looking for in a school,” he said.

His three-year military almost finished, Kaufman had decided where his new home would be. He had plans to leave for Missouri almost immediately after he was released and start a new life in America. Two weeks after that release, he found himself in Columbia, 6,466 miles away from his home and his battalion. A new world presented itself to Kaufman, a world he was willing to acclimate to.

His choices had taken him this far, and even on retrospection,Kaizer Chiefs shirt, he felt comfortable with them.

“Sometimes I think about what it would have been like (in the army),” he said, “but I feel OK with my choice of coming here.”

COLUMBIA Nebraska fans have a reputation for being polite to visitors, no matter what the situation is on the field. But nicer fans doesnt necessarily mean the playing environment is any easier.

“Its hard to go into a place like that when youve got 85,000 or 90,000 screaming fans,” Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel said. “Even though all of them are really nice, theyre the greatest fans Ive ever (encountered) except ours, its pretty frightening.”

As the Missouri Tigers found out in 2006, the Cornhuskers famed “Sea of Red” is a very intimidating foe and an important ally for its team.

“(We were) not very good,” Missouri defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said of his defenses 2006 performance against Nebraska. “We didnt play very well, we didnt execute very well, and, obviously, we were very disappointed in our team.”

In that last trip, the Tigers struggled on both sides of the ball in the first half and found themselves down three touchdowns after 30 minutes. Missouri outscored Nebraska in the second half, but it was too late to matter.

Daniel attributed that problem to youth on the 2006 team, and he admitted that he was shaking and scared when he last played in Lincoln.

“Even though I was a sophomore, it was the sixth or seventh game I had started,Benfica shirt,” Daniel said.

Inexperience shouldnt be a problem for Missouri for this trip to Lincoln. Fourteen of the Tigers 22 starters played in the 2006 game at Nebraska and know what to expect from the Cornhuskers crowd.
Eberflus said he hopes that will make a difference.

“You learn from those things, try to focus and get better,” he said. “I think weve hopefully matured from those experiences.”

Safety William Moore,Valencia shirt, who is expected to return after missing two nonconference games, thinks thats exactly the case.

“The players that weve got now (are the difference),” Moore said. “If you look back at the players we had, they werent bad guys, but when it came down to it, sometimes theyd (be) double-guessing themselves. The guys weve got now, theyre fighters. Were competitors, and thats why were where were at right now.”

How much the Tigers have matured has yet to be seen in 2008. Missouris trip to Nebraska will be the first time this season that it has either played a true road game or left its home state.

“Thats true, and I dont know what to tell you,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. “Hopefully, we can handle that. I think you embrace it; I think you like to play it. I think if youre a competitor, you like being in that environment.”

Thats a perfect description of how linebacker Sean Weatherspoon views this trip.

“I think itll be fun,” he said. “We havent been on the road yet this year, so I think itll be a great experience for our team. Itll definitely help us later on down the road, and I think we can go out there, focus and dont worry about the crowd.”

But the crowd could be a big issue for the Tigers defense. Defensive tackle Ziggy Hood said the defense has struggled with communication this season and given up big plays as a result.

“Weve been working on communication ever since it started happening,” Hood said. “(In this game), we (might) use hand signals or getting really close to each other and talking really loud.”

To help prepare for the Sea of Red,Porto shirt, the Tigers will practice this week with the speakers on to simulate crowd noise. Pinkel said that is standard practice procedure before any road game the Tigers play, whether or not the crowd has a reputation.

But the atmosphere isnt the concern for defensive end Stryker Sulak, who was a sophomore in 2006. He said poor execution on the Tigers part, not intimidation, was what cost them the last time they were in Lincoln.

“I think we handled it all right, (but) we made a lot of mistakes,Lazio shirt, especially on the defense,” Sulak said. “I had a lot of mistakes myself. But as a team, were more mature this time around. I think we can handle it this time, I think well play well under pressure.”