Sports Shorts

With Hamilton back, hockey sets sights on ECAC championship

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Luke Earl, JE '02, struts his stuff for men's hockey.

The team, however, would do well to focus first on improving upon last year's disappointing ECAC showing. Indeed, for a squad that finished seven games below .500 last winter (9-16-5), any title aspirations are presumptuous at this point.

Last spring, Yale graduated 11 seniors, a group of players that complemented their on-ice talents with unparalleled leadership. Now, Taylor faces difficult decisions as he attempts to find a winning formula. "We're trying to establish proper roles," he explained. "We lost so many seniors from last year."

The offense will be without hard-hitting forwards Cory Shea, BR'00 and Paul Lawson, BK '00, making the squad smaller and less physical. But, as defenseman Joe Dart, BR '01, pointed out, "We were kind of big last year, but we still didn't play that physical."

The defense will have to cope with the loss of Keith Fitzpatrick, TD '00, and James Chyz, BR '00. The burden will fall primarily on Dart and John Gauger, JE '01. The challenge, as Taylor explained, is "to find another couple of guys to work well together."

While Taylor and company must address some crucial questions, there are many positives for the team to focus on, not the least of which is the return of standout forward Jeff Hamilton, SM '01. Last fall, the star center, hampered by injury, withdrew from Yale in the season's early stages, retaining his final year of NCAA eligibility. Now he's back, and, as Dart commented, "He's given the team a more offensive look. We're definitely counting on more scoring."

The Bulldogs will also rely on goalie Dan Lombard, SM '02, who will see his first season of full-time action this year. "He should be real solid," Taylor said. "But, wait a couple of months. Then we'll know if the same can be said of the rest of the team."

—James Fagan



CLUB SPORTS

Athletic Department talks budget decisions and space

The Yale Athletic Department, under pressure from the University Faculty Committee on Athletics, has decided to launch an extensive review of the Club Sports program.

In the first step towards improving the status of club sports, Assistant Director of Club Sports and Outdoor Education Tom Migdalski and Associate Director of Sports and Recreation Larry Mathews spoke with club sports representatives in two separate meetings on Wed., Oct. 25. The informal atmosphere of the meetings allowed representatives to voice concerns ranging from Yale regulations on club monetary expenditures to the process of attaining varsity status. The overwhelming theme of the meetings was the lack of practice and competition space for club sports. Outdoor squads such as men's and women's rugby, women's lacrosse and women's soccer complained about poor field conditions and the reluctance of the Facilities Department to line fields for games. Indoor teams complained about tight Payne Whitney Gym space scheduling.

Several representatives raised a common concern that community renters and intramural sports were given priority over clubs in PWG. Mathews explained that "it's more a matter of tradition than anything else. I am not saying that it's right, and I'm not saying that club sports aren't being short-changed."

Mathews said that the issues raised during the meeting would go directly to the faculty committe, which would then work with students to reform the University's current policy on club sports. Representatives from both the administration and the club sports community walked away feeling unresolved but optimistic.

—Anna Dolinsky

BADMINTON

Serving to the top

Yale's badminton squad is among the campus's lesser-known athletic teams, but it's witnessing a membership explosion this season. With 26 undergraduate and 16 graduate players, participation is so large that the facilities management at Payne Whitney can't provide adequate court facilities.

"We didn't anticipate the number of people we would attract, and the club office can't give us more money or space," Co-captain Anna Dolinsky, JE '03, said.

Co-captain Ben Kass, DC '03, said that the club's boom in popularity is a result of its increased exposure around campus. "The team has been around for a while, but it kind of slacked off," he said. "There are a lot of people who would like to play, but didn't know about the club. We made an effort to boost participation, and we succeeded."

The team's first match of the year is against Columbia on Fri., Nov. 3. Yale badminton is sending 17 players to compete in men's singles and doubles, women's singles and doubles, and mixed doubles.

During Yale-Harvard weekend, the team will travel to Boston for the Harvard-Smith Open, a prestigious tournament open to both collegiate and public teams. The No. 1 men's singles player in the United States, Kevin Chung, is expected to participate in the tournament.

According to Kass, despite the strides the team has made, "We'll have a hard time against top-flight teams like Harvard and Princeton."

—Ben Reiter

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