CONCORDIA COLLEGE ATHLETICS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12
Swimming - at MSU-Moorhead Dual Meet - 6:00pm

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13
Wrestling - at St. Cloud State Invitational - 9:00am
 

Menâs Basketball
Current Record: 4-2 Overall, 2-1 MIAC
Recent Results: Concordia 56 at Gustavus 76 - December 6; St. John's 71 at Concordia 79 - December 8
Upcoming Events: at home vs. Macalester on Saturday, December 13 at 3:00pm; at home vs. Mayville State on Friday, December 19 at 7:30pm
Highlights: Josh Downey Scores 22 in win over St. John's. Cobbers beat Johnnies for the first time in seven games.

Womenâs Basketball
Current Record: 3-3 Overall, 1-2 MIAC
Recent Results: Concordia 43 at MSU-Moorhead 97 - December 3; Concordia 58 at Gustavus 62 - December 6; Concordia 76 at St. Ben's 97 - December 8
Upcoming Events: at home vs. Macalester on Saturday, December 13 at 1:00pm
Highlights: Mandy Pearson scores a season-high 21 points in loss to St. Ben's. Concordia shoots 51% from the field and still loses by 21 points at CSB.

Menâs Hockey
Current Record: 1-8-0 Overall, 0-2-0 MIAC
Recent Results: St. Thomas 4 at Concordia 1 - December 5; St. Thomas 6 at Concordia 2 - December 6
Upcoming Events: at home vs. UW-Superior on Wednesday, January 7 at 7:00pm
Highlights: Matt Hansen scored in both games against St. Thomas. He has now scored in four of the team's last five games.

Womenâs Hockey
Current Record: 3-3-0 Overall, 2-2-0 MIAC
Recent Results: Concordia 5 at Hamline 1 - December 5; Concordia 6 at Hamline 1 - December 6
Upcoming Events: at home vs. Michigan State on Saturday, December 13 at 7:00pm
Highlights: Freshman Hannah Impola scored her first collegiate goal and hat trick in Saturday's win over Hamline. She also had two assists in the game.

Womenâs Swimming and Diving
Recent Results: 3rd Place at the St. Mary's Invitational - December 6
Upcoming Events: at MSU-Moorhead Dual Meet on Friday, December 12 at 6:00pm
Highlights: Cobbers had 22 season-best times and two personal best times at SMU Invite. Annie Cullen finished 7th in the 1-meter diving event in her first-ever diving competition. Jenny Berg finishes in the top five in all three events she entered.

Wrestling
Recent Results: UM-Morris Cougar Open - Canceled
Upcoming Events: at MSU-Moorhead Dual Meet on Wednesday, December 10 at 7:00pm; at St. Cloud Invite on Saturday, December 13 at 9:00am
Highlights: Cobbers renew their rivalry with MSU-Moorhead on Wednesday night at MSU-M.
 
 

Different Perspective Index: November 25 - December 2

December 9, 2003

"Rivalry Week"

One of the great things about living in a town that supports three colleges and three college athletic programs is the chance to see, and be a part of, the rivalries that develop between the schools' athletic teams. It is one of the unique occurrences that we have a pleasure to be a part of every year. Not only is the rivalry heightened by proximity, but it is also elevated by the different approach that each school has towards athletics. Whether it be the Division III mentality of the Cobbers, the smaller Division II setting of MSU-Moorhead or even the bigger DII approach that NDSU takes, there is some program for a fan to cheer for and support.

The Cobber Sports Weekly staff was thinking about this topic after watching the Cobbers and Dragons square off in men's and women's basketball this past week. We are also anxiously awaiting the wrestling and swimming and diving dual meets between the two schools later on this week. It is nice to cheer from afar for the Minnesota-Wisconsin, Duke-North Carolina or even the Vikings-Packers clashes but what is truly memorable in Moorhead, Minnesota are all the times we get to see the Cobbers and Dragons in action against one other.

Even though the programs have different philosophies, with each holding merit and each one offering something very special, it is a spirited affair when they compete against each other. Concordia usually takes a back seat to the other two programs in head-to-head competition because of the lack of scholarships but that is not what makes the rivalries and games so special. What makes the games so special is the amount of excitement that is generated around each campus and the memories that are formed by the players. The Cobber Weekly staff recently attended a dinner honoring fall athletes. Each athlete was asked to stand and tell everyone what their favorite memory of their career was, and who they most liked to compete against. Of the 13 Concordia football players in the room, nine stood up and said their favorite memory will be the big game against MSU-Moorhead and 10 of the players said their favorite team to compete against was the Dragons. We are sure if you polled the MSU-Moorhead senior players that there would be a similar percentage of players who responded with their love of playing in the Power Bowl and against the Cobbers.

After watching the basketball games we couldn't help but think about  what a special occurrence that each athletic program gives to the players and fans when the two cross-town schools get to play one another. The chance to see students from both schools cheering for their teams, and against the "much-hated" other school, is what college athletics can do for a community. It brings people together to support one of the groups on campus, and shows everyone how much pride they have in their college. It draws people in and gives them a clear-cut, black and white line on who the good guys are, and who the bad guys are. It is a chance to root for the villain or the knight in shining armor - to root for the Jedi Knight or the Evil Emperor.

Some times things get out of hand and players, and fans, go over the edge in their support. It is unfortunate that this happens but it is a sign that people care greatly about their school and the colors they wear. The Cobber Sports Weekly staff wishes that everyone would understand that you should cheer for your school and be animated during the game, but once the game is finished we should all agree to disagree and relish the opportunity that just happened.

Back to the games from last week. The Cobber men's and women's teams were beaten pretty soundly but that will happen every once in a while. Even though the scores were a little lopsided, both the Concordia teams benefited from the step up in competition and got better the next game out by understanding their weaknesses and what they had to work on.

This year's Concordia teams were relatively inexperienced compared to their Dragon counterparts. Next year, or the year after, the tides might be reversed and the games will go down to the wire. When that happens, everyone will be rewarded with a performance that will last for years to come in the memories of fans and athletes who cherish that competitive atmosphere.

That's what makes the games so special, a chance to perform in a pressure-filled situation where losing will not only be a mark in the loss column, it will mean that you lost bragging rights for a full year. It will mean that the other school has the one-upsmanship in that sport until the next time the teams meet. It brings out the best in the players because they don't want to have to tell professors and alumni that they lost to the Dragons. It brings out the best in coaches because they know that they will have to spend a full season expelling how they lost to the Cobbers at all the athletic gatherings. So far this year Concordia can push out their chest and tell everyone about the victories in football and women's soccer, and the Dragons can hold up the victories in basketball as to why wearing red and black is far more superior.

We need to celebrate these meetings, not shy away and try to play other teams for the sake of money or a different opponent. As of this writing, the Concordia-MSU-Moorhead basketball games for next year are still up in the air. If the CSW staff could have one wish for Christmas. it is that each school would sign an agreement that for every sport that is similar at the two schools, the teams will play. Whether it be women's soccer or volleyball in the fall or basketball, swimming and diving and wrestling in the winter or softball (and hopefully baseball) in the spring -  the two schools need to continue this memorable occurrence.

By not allowing the athletes to play against the players they see most every day around town and back at home, they are being stripped of one of the great memories they will carry with them from the college playing days. By stopping this great tradition they will break a link that every player from every team that has ever played for either school has. At alumni gatherings and homecoming festivities it is always with great joy that you get to see players of different generation talking about what happened when they played the Dragons or how close they came to beating MSU-Moorhead. We are sure that the same holds true at reunions on the MSU-M campus.

We understand that the readership for this newsletter does not reach that many people, but if you happen to be reading this and want to send it to the "powers that be" so they will understand how much it means to the players - and the people that cover and root at the event -  then go ahead and try to grease the wheels of bureaucracy.

As for the CSW staff we will be wearing our maroon and gold and waiting for tonight in order to have another chance to cheer for the Cobbers against those arch enemies at MSU-Moorhead. We can hardly wait and then for next week for swimming and diving and then for softball and then for Power Bowl 2004 and.....hopefully!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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