Tuesday, September 11, 2001

Athletes’ schedules, thoughts change in wake of terrorist attacks
By Brandon Ortiz
Sports Editor

Jeff Mittie was driving away from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Tuesday morning when it happened.

TCU’s head women’s basketball coach had just returned from a recruiting trip in Amarillo. Five minutes down the road, Mittie began hearing sketchy reports on the radio about an airplane hitting the World Trade Center in New York City. As more reports came in, it became apparent that the crash was an organized terrorist attack involving a commercial jet, something Mittie had just existed. Mittie’s plane landed safely on the runway, but a soft chill ran over him nonetheless.

“It was an eerie feeling,” Mittie said. “As a coach, I travel a lot. You don’t think much about that stuff.”

Sports seemed insignificant to administrators and coaches Tuesday in the wake of what may be the worst terrorist attacks in American history. The majority of practices were canceled, as coaches elected to talk with players and attempted to reason the unreasonable. Women’s soccer and golf teams, which were expected to fly to El Paso and Albuquerque, N.M., to compete, stayed in Fort Worth instead.

Athletics Director Eric Hyman said he did not know if games , including the football team’s game against Marshall, will be canceled this weekend. A decision could be made today or Thursday, he said.

The football team canceled its weekly media luncheon. It just didn’t seem appropriate.
“Obviously, with what is going on in the world, our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone,” sports information director Steve Fink said. “A football press conference is not important.”

The Rickel Building stayed open and intramural games were played, but not because officials wanted to downplay the tragedy, they said. They just wanted to give students something to do.

“It is like a snow day, the kids need a place to go and be with people and do something,” director of recreational sports Steven Kintigh said. “We are by no means trying to minimize what happened.”

Volleyball, baseball, swimming, women’s basketball and tennis were all scheduled to have workouts or practices. All of the events were all canceled.

There was no way anybody could keep a clear head during a time like this, assistant baseball coach Donnie Watson said.

“Those kids don’t know anything about terrorism,” Watson said. “Working out a kid with a great breaking ball isn’t going to help much.”

Coaches became counselors. Instead of working with players on the mechanics of spiking a volleyball, head volleyball coach Sandy Troudt just talked with her team.

“We are a family,” Troudt said. “At a time like this, we just need to be together as a team and talk. It puts life in perspective.”

Teams attract athletes from all over the country. For many of these athletes whose family is hundreds of miles away, their teammates are their family. Talking with teammates is a way to cope, Watson said.

“You have to give them the opportunity to talk,” he said. “You have to have an ear. A lot of the time, your best therapy is your teammate.”

Hyman said, “That’s why we left (the decision of whether or not) to hold practice to the discretion to the coaches. We don’t want to take the opportunity to help away from coaches.”

Coaches also had immediate family to help. Head soccer coach David Rubinson picked up his daughter from R.L. Paschal Senior High School. Rubinson said he could feel the emotions running through both parents and teen-agers.

“It was a little chaotic, but organized,” Rubinson said. “It was organized, but a little tense. You could feel it.”

Chaos in New York City and Washington, D.C., could be felt all the way in Fort Worth. Everyone, including athletes, are affected, Rubinson said.

“It’s the whole university,” Rubinson said. “Families, teams — it affects all of us.”

Men’s soccer and football teams both conducted practices Tuesday. Head football coach Gary Patterson held a moment of prayer before the start of practice.

Assistant soccer coach Blake Amos said practicing was a way to get the trauma of the day’s events out of players’ heads.

“We are going to have to address it; we will visit it as a team,” Amos said. “We’ll still play the game. We can’t ignore our jobs or those who attack the (United States) win.

We’re not going to pretend nothing happened. But if we were sitting separately in our room, it wouldn’t help. If we’re together it helps us get out our frustration and get things off our chest.”

The women’s soccer team was supposed to fly to El Paso to play Texas-El Paso. The flight was canceled and the team had to call El Paso and players to inform them.

“It is very crazy,” graduate assistant Dewi Hardman said.

The women’s golf team was supposed to travel to New Mexico to compete in the UNM Dick McGuire Invitational. The team stayed home, searching for answers.

“At this point, the only thing to do is just pray,” head women’s golf coach Angie Ravaioli-Larkin said. “I don’t think you can say anything (about something that) happens of such a magnitude. I don’t think anyone can explain it. It makes our little worries seem not so important.

“Our tournament doesn’t really matter.”

Brandon Ortiz
b.p.ortiz@student.tcu.edu