A successful mistake
Kaylakie earns trust of coaching staff after
being virtual unknown

By Matt Stiver
skiff staff

It was a mistake.

When TCU football coaches drove to San Antonio one fall morning in 1995, they had no intention of scouting a place kicker from St. Michael’s Academy in Austin.

The coaches, who departed with former coach Pat Sullivan, just happened to be in the stands when the St. Michael’s place kicker, Chris Kaylakie, caught their eye.

“We were supposed to play a night game, but the other team’s stadium didn’t have lights,” Kaylakie said. “So our game moved to 4:30 in the afternoon at another stadium. They were just killing time, I guess, and just happened to be at my game.”

Five years and 181 points later, Kaylakie is finishing a career that will likely place him as TCU’s second-highest scoring kicker.

When current special teams coach Mark Tommerdahl came to TCU in 1998, he said Kaylakie was an “unknown entity.”

But after winning the job and performing solidly for two seasons, Tommerdahl said only one word describes Kaylakie.

“Trustworthy,” Tommerdahl said. “He has earned our absolute trust. We trust him on the field, we trust him in the classroom and most importantly, we trust his character. He’s the type of guy you win with.”
Adjusting from the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools to Division I-A college football proved difficult. Kaylakie credits former All-American and Lou Groza Award-winning kicker Michael Reeder with helping him adjust to the college game, including switching to kicking off the ground and adjusting mentally.

“Mike was great,” Kaylakie said. “We’re still friends. He taught me everything I know.”

Perhaps the best advice Reeder gave him was realizing his dependence on his teammates, Kaylakie said.
Calling kicking a “three-part process,” Kaylakie quickly thanked his deep snapper, senior Brian Edmondson and his holder, junior Matt Schobel, for his success.

“If they don’t snap and hold, then I can’t make the kick,” Kaylakie said.

When Reeder, who spent his final season on the TCU football team as graduate student, turned over the place-kicking duties, Kaylakie responded with a solid 1998 campaign. He made 15 of 20 field goals, 24 of 25 extra points and was named a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award, the highest award for collegiate place kickers.

Kaylakie played a major role in a 19-16 overtime win over Vanderbilt two seasons ago. With the Commodores leading 13-10 with 4 seconds left in the game, Kaylakie walked on the field to attempt a 52-yard field goal.

“It was just like any other kick; I imagined it going through,” Kaylakie said.

He made the kick and TCU went on to win the game in double overtime.

Head coach Dennis Franchione congratulated him afterwards.

“It meant a lot because it showed the coaches had confidence in me,” Kaylakie said. “It gave me the respect of the team. They knew that if I had a big kick, I would be able to make it.”

Tommerdahl said the kick validated the faith TCU coaches had put in Kaylakie.

“I don’t care what he does the rest of his life, he’ll never face a pressure situation like that again,”

ommerdahl said. “Joe Average on the street will never face that kind of pressure, and Chris came through for us.”

Following a 1999 season in which he made only 10 of 18 field goals, Kaylakie said he is attempting to return to his 1998 mindset.

“I took it one practice at a time, and I’m trying to get back to that this year,” Kaylakie said. “The most important kick is the next kick. I want to do whatever I can to help the team win.”

Matt Stiver
mrstiver@student.tcu.edu

By Colleen Casey
skiff staff

Head coach Sandy Troudt said she believes every talented athlete needs to work hard in order to harness that talent on the volleyball court.

In Troudt’s estimation, the Volley Frogs have shown their talent and hard work in the past few matches they’ve played by doing what she has asked of them.

Troudt said the Frogs’ recent wins against Texas-El Paso and Rice were extremely motivational games. These matches also serve as preparation for what Troudt said she considers to be a stressful road trip this weekend.

“I feel we’re on track, and we really feel that our opponents should beware,” Troudt said. “We’re looking to get out there, play hard and let the chips fall where they may.”

Troudt said the five-game victories in both the UTEP and Rice matches were representative of the current attacking attitude of the team.

“We’ve shown that we can fight when we want to,” Troudt said. “This thinking has really improved our minds, and our focus is right where it should be.”

Troudt said in order to be successful, the team’s focus needs to be solely on volleyball. For this reason, Troudt spends time during practice not only on improving physical technique, but on coaching them from a mental standpoint as well.

“Sometimes we all have to stop and ask ourselves what we are doing at a particular moment,” Troudt said. “Often times players will get too wrapped up in their busy lives and forget what’s going on in the game.”
Assistant coach Chris Rudiger said she thinks the team’s comeback in the UTEP match and the its determination during the Rice match were evidence of how confidence can affect mental stability and one’s performance on the court.

“Anytime you start slowly and make a comeback, it improves mental focus,” Rudiger said.

Troudt said she expected confidence to surface from these recent matches, and said she hoped the energy would carry over into the Baylor match last Tuesday.

But TCU lost 3-0 to Baylor in a match that assistant coach Barbara Kovacs said she didn’t expect to be a loss.

“It wasn’t one of our better nights,” Kovacs said. “We just didn’t know how to handle Baylor’s fast playing.”

TCU lost early leads in all three games of the match, mostly due to its weak offensive and defensive showings.

The lack of productivity was demonstrated in the Frogs’ individual statistics, in which none of them recorded double digits in any offensive or defensive category.

“We knew they were good going into the match,” said Jennifer Cuca, a sophomore outside hitter. “We tried to do everything right. Perhaps we overtried and just couldn’t fix it.”

The match against Baylor was just another bump in the road for TCU in October. Troudt said she believes this month is crucial in determining which direction the rest of the season will take.

For Troudt, success is only determined by the way her team feels about how they are playing.

“To be successful we have to battle and give all we have, all the time,” she said. “If this happens then it shows on the scoreboard, but otherwise the score is not important to our game.”

Colleen Casey
c.m.casey@student.tcu.edu

By Kelly Morris
skiff staff

It’s minutes before the start of a women’s match at the new Garvey Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.

Outside, their fans await them. Inside, each player pulls on her shin guards in the locker room.

But instead of preparing quietly for the 90-minutes of action to come, the team dances around the locker room to the music of the “Coyote Ugly” soundtrack.

“We’re big fans of the ‘Coyote Ugly’ soundtrack,” sophomore forward Sherry Dick said. “To get pumped up for the game, we all dance and do funny cheers around the locker room. It’s sometimes hard to leave here.”

File Photo Freshman midfielder Jenny Swanson battles for a header in a win against Texas-El Paso Oct. 1 at Garvey Rosenthal Soccer Stadium. TCU is 6-1 at home this season, but just 2-5-1 on the road.

With a home record of 6-1, sophomore midfielder Lori Robbins said the team has an significant advantage when playing on its home field.

“Anywhere you go, the home team has an advantage,” Robbins said. “Having your own crowd in front of you helps you mentally, and traveling always hurts you. Our goal this year was to go undefeated at home, and I think we carried out that goal very well.”

Freshman midfielder Rebecca Repaskey said having the comforts of the home setting makes playing soccer easier.

“When we’re at home, we’re sleeping in our own bed, and we’re in familiar surroundings,” Repaskey said.
The Frogs have scored 15 goals at home but have only scored seven goals on the road.

Senior defender Christy Filice said the team is not experiencing the kind of success in road games she would have liked. Thus far, the team sports a 2-5-1 record in road games.

But Filice said the team is making special preparations for today’s game against the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine in Honolulu.

“With an eight-hour plane ride ahead of us, we are doing efficient things in practice, so we aren’t as fatigued once we get there,” Filice said. “It is very tough on the road, and flying makes it far more difficult.”
At home, the team has allowed 11 goals, compared to the 17 they have given up on the road.

Repaskey said the Hawaii trip should be viewed as a wonderful experience instead of a distraction.

“This is a very interesting surrounding for us, but if we make sure to stay focused, I know we can win against Hawaii,” Repaskey said. “For the past three games we have been very focused, so I think we’ll continue that in our next two games.”

While a trip to Hawaii could be seen as recreational, the Horned Frog players said they still must focus on playing soccer and getting those road wins that have eluded them this season.

Kelly Morris
k.l.morris@student.tcu.edu

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