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October 2004
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Volume 1, Issue
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Two worlds, one game
When Annabelle Janairo lived in America Samoa, an island in the South Pacific, she remembers that at 5 p.m. every night she had to be in her home praying. If she wasn't, there would be men called the Sa (meaning forbidden) riding around in the back of pickup trucks carrying two-by-fours making sure nobody was out in the streets. MORE
A letter from Athletic Director Don Read
Griz Athletics has been moving forward. As of this letter our teams this fall have already won contests in soccer, volleyball and football.
This success stems from coaches and athletes that prepared well. Their execution reflected doing the correct things at the right time.
MORE
GSA announcements
Want to know all the hapenings of the Grizzly Scholarship Association? Check out the announcements for the month of October. MORE
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Click below for complete statistical capsule
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Two worlds, one game
by Timothy San Pedro, MontanaGrizzlies.com
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When Annabelle Janairo lived in America Samoa, an island in the South Pacific, she remembers that at 5 p.m. every night she had to be in her home praying. If she wasn't, there would be men called the Sa (meaning forbidden) riding around in the back of pickup trucks carrying two-by-fours making sure nobody was out in the streets.
"On Sunday's its even worse," Janairo said. "It's their day of rest, you go to church, you go home and you eat a huge Thanksgiving-like meal."
Janairo, a senior tennis player for the Montana tennis team, has seen and experienced quite a bit since she first left her village of Leone after her sophomore year in high school, but tennis has been her foundation.
"I'm far from home, but because I had tennis I was fine," she said of feeling a little homesick.
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Before coming to Missoula on a full-ride athletic scholarship to pursue her degree in human biology, Janairo lived in Las Vegas where she was first noticed by tennis coach Kris Nord.
"Kris went to Vegas to watch me," Janairo said. "I played the worst match ever. I thought it was all over. He saw some potential I guess."
"I remember (watching Janairo in Las Vegas) real well," Nord said. "She was playing one of the best girls in the intermountain region, but I was still impressed with her tennis. She is real competitive. She had very few gaps in her game meaning she had all the shots. I saw a real good tennis player out there so I wasn't discouraged at all."
Nord invited her to come up for a visit to Missoula, but Janairo didn't know what she was getting herself into.
"I absolutely hate snow," Janairo said, laughing. "I came into a really bad blizzard, the worst blizzard possible I think, but I still came. I couldn't turn down a full-ride."
Janairo, whose ethnicity is half Samoan and half Filipino, was used to hanging out on the beaches and on the tennis courts in a much warmer climate. She was used to a much simpler life, one with fewer choices.
"At Wal-Mart you see hundreds of cereal boxes," she said. "In Samoa you get five choices of cereal. It's simple."
Another glaring difference is transportation, she said. "It's a tradition to get a car at 16 years old here. There you walk your (butt) to school.
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She's also noticed a large difference in her two coaches' teaching technique.
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"You could hear my old coach (from Samoa) screaming from a mile away," she said. "But Kris is laid back. He tells you what you're doing wrong when you do it wrong, but he doesn't yell."
"I'm not a yeller. It doesn't accomplish anything, especially in tennis," Nord said. "I want them to learn for themselves."
But Janairo, who started playing tennis when she was nine, considered her coach in Samoa like a second father to her because she spent so much time on the tennis courts.
Her village had six courts right next to the beach, where she spent most of her days.
Her ability allowed her to gain sponsorship to play tennis in the International Tennis Federation. This allowed her to travel to New Zealand, Australia, Guam and Fiji to play kids from all over that region.
"She's a lot more traveled and has seen more cultures and I think that helps you grow as a person," Nord said. "She's pretty adaptable, very mature and easy to get along with."
To Janairo's roommate Lindsey Torgerson, she's just a good friend.
"I don't notice that she's from another country," Torgerson said. "I don't know much about her culture. She's just a Vegas girl to me."
Even though Janairo can find a number of differences in her culture and that of Missoula, she said that there is one thing that reminds her of home.
"The only similarity from Montana and Samoa are the friendly people," she said.
That and the tennis courts have the same dimensions.
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| A letter from Athletic Director Don Read |
Hi Griz Fans,
Griz Athletics has been moving forward. As of this letter our teams this fall have already won contests in soccer, volleyball and football.
This success stems from coaches and athletes that prepared well. Their execution reflected doing the correct things at the right time.
This theme, we hope, will touch all those that assist the Griz. Never has Montana's athletes needed more trust and support from our Grizzlies family.
It's so very easy to be ordinary or to lose. To win, for sure, requires intent. When there is a united purpose among caring folks, the end result is almost always SUCCESS.
This letter to our Griz Nation is part of a bigger message to promote confidence. We start by stating these truths:
1. We have hard-working, creative employees here in the Athletic Department that care.
2. There is a plan in place to keep the Grizzlies on top in those sports that are excelling and to help those sports that have struggled in the past.
3. Our University administration is supporting and cooperating with us in countless ways to help us succeed.
The following are a set of the Athletic Department's long range goals.
1. Make the University of Montana the BEST of the best
2. Do everything with Class
We trust you will continue to assist us in whatever manner you can to accomplish these committed objectives.
Reality tells us to be the BEST, we must first understand the opposition we face and then eliminate these obstacles. This you are helping us do by staying involved in whatever way you can with Grizzly Athletics.
Our pledge is, now and always, to make you proud to be a Griz.
The appeal today is for the future. The Grizzly Athletics future, where we go from this time is up to us. You have earned the right to help determine our destiny. How well we perform now and always is tied to all of us that are part of the Griz nation.
Please continue to do what you can, when you can. There are many ways to influence our forward course. I leave you with this thought: Winning is all-the-time thing. There are no shortcuts. If we are not moving forward it means we are standing still or regressing. The opponents our teams face have the goal of overcoming the Grizzlies. We can't allow this to happen.
Thanks, once again, for believing in our mission and for being a Griz!
Warmest Regards,
Don Read -
Athletic Director
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| Grizzly Scholarship Association announcements |
Polls open for mascot of the year voting
Monte, the pride of Montana, and the 11 other members of the Capital One All-America
Mascot Team are gearing up for the biggest kitty-litter slinging campaign in
history as they pursue the most coveted title in the land -- “Capital One Mascot
of the Year.”
CAPITAL
ONE RELEASE | VOTE
Spokane GSA chapter to host "Beer and Finger Food Social"
The Spokane Chapter of the Grizzly Scholarship Association will be hosting
a “Beer and Finger Food Social” on Friday night, Oct. 15, prior to the UM-Eastern
Washington football game. The event will take place at the Quality Inn Valley
Suites (Argonne and Freeway; phone 1.509.928.5218) starting at 6 p.m., and will
run throughout the evening. Representatives of UM Athletics will attend. There
will also be raffles of Griz items. For more information, contact Clayton Linnell
at 1.509.927.0800.
Football post-game socials to be held in the Grizzly Sky Club
Following Griz home football games, the post-game wrap-ups will be held in the Adams Center Sky Club. The socials will be sponsored by the Grizzly Scholarship Association, and will include game re-caps by head football coach Bobby Hauck and other members of his staff. Following the Homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct. 9, however, the event will take place in the Ballroom of the Holiday Inn-Parkside in Missoula.
Hobbs Cabinets supporting Grizzly Athletics with Fund-Raiser
Tom and Kathy Hobbs of Hobbs Cabinets in Missoula have started a new fund-raising program for Grizzly Athletics whereby they will donate 10% of the sale of their custom kitchen cabinets if a customer mentions they would like to support UM Athletics. The Hobbs' will be advertising the program on local television in the near future. For more information, please contact either Tom or Kathy Hobbs at Hobbs Cabinets (406.251.1382). Grizzly Athletics appreciates the support of this fund-raising effort.
Helena GSA Chapter sponsoring drawing for 'Griz' stain glass artwork
The Helena GSA Chapter had Gateway Glass of Helena create a beautiful one-of-a-kind stain glass artwork using the GO GRIZ Claw. Rhonda Umsted, Gateway Glass Owner, and Nancy Church created this exciting piece of glasswork using light gray translucent spectrum glass as a border, white wispy translucent spectrum paw and claws, black opaque spectrum lettering, and maroon English muffle textured glass as background. The circular shape of this exquisite work is approximately 24 inches. It will be on display at the GSA Tailgate before the game to buy tickets. The ticket costs are as follows: 1 ticket - $2; 3 tickets - $5; 7 tickets - $10; or 10 tickets - $15. For more information, contact the Grizzly Scholarship Association at 406.243.6485.
Conoco Grizzly Golf Scramble is October 8
The 24th annual Conoco Grizzly Golf Scramble has been moved to the fall in conjunction with a Grizzly home football game. This year's tournament will take place on Friday, Oct. 8 at the new Phantom Links Golf Club in Missoula. The cost is $150 per person, which includes green fees, cart, range balls, dinner and tee prizes. For entry forms, or to reserve a spot in the tournament, contact the Grizzly Scholarship Association at 406.243.6485.
GSA truck raffle underway.
The second annual Grizzly Scholarship Association Truck Raffle is underway. Tickets for this year's drawing are $10 each, or 15 for $100. Proceeds go toward funding scholarships for UM student-athletes. The Ford F-150, custom-detailed truck will be drawn at this year's Griz-Cat men's basketball game in Missoula. Tickets are available at the GSA office in the Adams Center, as well as from members of the Missoula GSA Board of Directors and members of the State GSA Board of Directors. For more information, contact the GSA at 406.243.6485.
GSA sponsoring 'Griz Prowl' fundraiser
The Montana Grizzly Scholarship Association has launched the Grizzly Prowl, an effort that uses art to raise money for athletic scholarships for student-athletes.
The Grizzly Prowl is similar to other fund-raisers/art exhibits that have been started around the country. Chicago used cows in its exhibits, Seattle had pigs and Billings had horses. Missoula, of course, will use grizzlies.
Thirty-five life-size, fiberglass grizzly bear sculptures will arrive in Missoula by June to be decorated/painted by regional artists. Each bear will be six feet long, three feet high and 20 inches wide. Once the bears are given the artistic touch, they will find their homes in area businesses that have sponsored them. Then by early fall, people will be able to take the "Grizzly Prowl" and view the bears at various sponsor locations. In 2005, the bears will be available for purchase during an auction. For more information, visit the following web site: http://grizzlyprowl.com or call C.J. Peterson at 406.531.9444. Also, information is available at the Grizzly Scholarship Association at 406.243.6485.
Class of '54 to hold 50-Year Reunion at Homecoming
The Griz of the Class of 1954 will hold a 50th reunion during the week of Homecoming this fall. They will gather to cheer on the Griz football team of 2004, which will be playing host to the Idaho State Bengals on Saturday, Oct. 9. Team captains from the '54 squad will be recognized during the game.
The last of Coach Ed Chinske's teams had arguably one of the toughest schedules ever thrust upon a gang of Grizzlies. A non-conference game against Iowa and a 12-day road trip added to an already rugged Skyline Conference schedule. The reunion also includes anyone on the 1952-53 and 1955-56 teams, who were teammates of the Griz of '54. The Griz of 1954 won three of four home games but struggled to break into the win column on the road. However, two of those games were against nationally ranked teams, including the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes. The games against Iowa and Denver comprised one of the longest road trips in UM history. The team traveled by train to Iowa and then on to Denver. They left on September 29, 1954, (the same day Willie Mays made his famous over the shoulder catch of a blast by Vic Wertz in the 1st game of the World Series) and didn't return until October 10.
The Hawkeyes, led by coaching legend Forest Evashevski and featured future National Football League quarterback/receiver Jerry Reichow, were fresh off their opening day victory against Michigan State and ranked No. 3 in the country. This was, as far as can be determined, the highest ranked opponent in school history and the Griz held their own for much of the game before bowing 48-6. They also built a lead against Denver University before losing by a touchdown. Denver went on to win the Skyline Conference crown, suffered one loss all season and ended up 18th in the final UPI poll. The Griz also beat a good Bobcat team, coached by Tony Storti. Montana's Dick "The Penguin" Imer set a new Skyline Conference rushing record and finished the season as one of the leading rushers in the nation. Imer's 1953 average of 8.2 yards a carry (86 carries for 703 yards) in 1953 is still a Montana single-season record.
Many of the seniors from that '54 team went on to play in the first alumni game the following spring to help raise money for the Athletic Department. They established the "spring" tradition, which continues to this day. They are also in the process of cementing their legacy by securing a $20,000 endowment to fund a scholarship for a Grizzly football player. The 1954 Grizzly football team: continuing to promote the Griz heritage through the years.
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