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December 2005
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Volume 2, Issue 4 |
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Behind the scenes with the GSA
Take a look at what the Grizzly Scholarship Association is doing for UM Athletics ... MORE
Bulking up: 2005-06 Griz hoops
The Griz basketball team has worked hard in the weight room. Grizzly Times took a look at their recipe for success ... MORE
A Lady Griz Christmas
Allow the Montana Lady Griz to put you in the holiday mood a little early this year with some of their favorite Christmas memories and traditions ... MORE
Athletic department announcements
Check out what's going on in Griz Athletics ... MORE
A letter from Griz A.D. Jim O'Day
Take a look at what Jim O'Day, UM's Director of Athletics, had to say in his monthly letter to the Griz Nation
... MORE
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Behind the scenes with the GSA
by Trent Makela, MontanaGrizzlies.com |
The University of Montana’s rise to athletic prominence in the last 50 years has had many causes; from top-notch coaches who found their first opportunities at the foot of Mount Sentinel to players, shunned by larger schools, who proved that the Big Sky truly is the limit.
The sustainment and growth of that success, however, can easily be traced back to one fortunate fact: the fans are as good as gold.
Though it might sound like a stereotypical sales pitch from a media-savvy coach or player in a post-game interview, the financial support of Grizzly boosters has given Montana’s athletic programs a growingly identifiable advantage over the years.
With athletic scholarships costing UM roughly $2.9 million during the 2005-06 school year, the fundraising group known as the Grizzly Scholarship Association chalked up nearly $1.1 million to help cover that cost, and the amount they can give is growing.
The members of the GSA, currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of their group’s organization, have seen many changes since they began as a small local band of fans.
Even the group’s name has changed. First known as the Century Club, due to its $100 required donation, and later the Grizzly Athletic Association, the GSA now has 12 recognized chapters across the state and a few more scattered around the nation.
Greg Sundberg with fellow GSA staffers Colleen McChesney and Kimberly Shay. |
“[The GSA’s] former staff, board members and volunteers have done a great job of building this organization. Not only on a monetary basis but the support of the teams as well,” GSA interim director Greg Sundberg said. “Our commitment to athletics is the largest it’s ever been. A lot of that is a result of the hard work and dedication of people in the past. The mission behind us has always been to help the kids and that has helped us grow. It’s the largest annual giving organization in the Big Sky by far.”
Becoming the largest booster support group in the Big Sky Conference has allowed the GSA to give the Griz an advantage few fans realize.
While teams within the conference are required to maintain a minimum number of scholarships and are restricted, likewise, by a maximum amount, few schools can afford a number near the maximum except Montana.
“I believe Montana State generates the second most in the conference,” UM athletic director Jim O'Day said. “And they’re at around $500,000 right now. Northern Arizona just recently reached $300,000.”
The GSA, which is a nonprofit organization and is overseen by a board of members from all of its chapters, generates most of its profits by offering season tickets for prime seats at Grizzly athletic events in exchange for established donation amounts.
Roughly two-thirds of the GSA’s money comes from such donations, and because it is organized as nonprofit, 80 percent of the money that is donated for the seats is tax deductible.
Montana Athletic Director Jim O'Day |
Another large portion of the group’s money comes from donations made by members who do so without expectations of seating or any sort of return from the GSA. Such donations are completely tax deductible, which has helped make joining the group a more attractive option in recent years, O’Day said.
In addition to donations, the separate chapters of the GSA organize their own fundraisers throughout the year. Some of the most popular events include a tour of the state by Grizzly coaches and administration members that includes golf tournaments, dinner parties and auctions.
“We call that the spring tour,” Sundberg said. “A lot of the support we get is just from our coaches and everybody else traveling around and meeting and greeting their supporters. We go to Choteau or Glasgow and we get the red carpet thrown out for us. You go way up in the corners of the state and you feel like you’re in a different state sometimes but they always make us feel right at home.”
O’Day and Sundberg agree that there is still room to grow for the GSA, but many Griz fans either are not sure how to support UM athletics or think that they have to make a pricy commitment to help the team.
“Somebody in Glendive, Montana might not want season tickets but they can make a $50 or $500 donation and that’s all tax deductable,” O’Day said. “It’s great to see more and more people going above and beyond to help us out. I want to see the increase in the scholarship account keep going up. We need to continue to fight the gap between rising tuition costs and what we’re able to raise so we can continue to help these kids out.”
More information about the GSA and a list of upcoming events around the state can be found at www.GoGriz.com.
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Bulking up: 2005-06 Griz hoops
by Joel Carlson, UM Sports Information |
Go to a Montana men’s basketball game these days and you’ll not only see new faces on the team, but new bodies. When the team reported to campus to start the fall semester in late August, the gains made by last year’s team was like a Weight Watchers bizarro world. Matt Dlouhy up from 191 pounds to 206. Jordan Hasquet up from 230 to 246. Andrew Strait up from 230 to 255. Need we go on?
Bench presses measured shortly after the NCAA tournament and again at the start of fall classes also exploded off the charts. Kevin Criswell improved from 205 pounds to 265. Matt Martin up from 170 to 235. And Strait again, which explains the weight gains, up from 205 pounds to an impressive 295.
Head coach Larry Krystkowiak |
No one ever needed to convince men’s basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak of the importance of strength training.
“It’s a huge part of the game,” the second-year coach said recently. “It’s involved with basic physics when you’re measuring ability to run and jump and hold your ground. It’s dealing with your mass and strength, so it’s part of the equation.
“Years ago the thinking was that if you lifted weights you were going to throw off your shot, that you couldn’t possibly lift and have a shooting touch at the same time.
“Then I think it started to evolve when guys like Karl Malone came along. Guys like that kind of put an end to the myth that you weren’t supposed to lift and play at the same time. He became the epitome of the positive impact weight lifting can have. He was strong, chiseled and could run forever.
“When I played here, there was a small weight room and there was no coach in charge of it. The thing that got me going with weight lifting was there was a little bit of a buzz about the possibility of playing in the NBA when I was a freshman and sophomore. But the thing that everybody said would keep me from doing it was that I wasn’t strong enough.
“So that inspired me. I said, ‘OK, here’s my weakness. I need to get bigger and stronger.’ So I was pretty motivated to get into it. And I give my coaching staff at that time a lot of credit. The best thing I ever did was a million step-ups, where you have a big weight rack on your shoulders and you step up on a two-and-a-half-foot box.
“I started noticing the mass on my legs and backside getting bigger, and I was all of a sudden jumping above the rim. It all kind of fell into place as far as validating what I was trying to do. Not everybody was that excited about the weight room, but for me, that was the difference. I was just stronger than most of the guys and could outwork them because I was stronger and bigger.
“I don’t need a lot of fancy books and Xs and Os in a program. To me, it just comes down to work. You need to go in there with your hardhat on and sweat and lift and go to work.
Lacey Degnan, Dir. of Athletic Performance |
“I’ve talked with (strength and conditioning coach) Lacey (Degnan) about what we’re trying to do. The previous staff liked the idea of getting the guys as big as possible, and so that took Lacey in a certain direction. My thing is less mass, just more functional core strength. I didn’t need guys to be heavier necessarily, but I wanted them pound for pound to be stronger and more efficient. So I think he’s tailored that to our guys. I’m pleased with what he does down there.
“Our guys know that it’s important. Everybody’s had some gains, but I can’t take any credit for it. Those guys are the ones getting it done.
“Take Andrew Strait for example. He went back to Yakima, Wash., for the entire summer and worked, so I can’t take a whole lot of credit for him coming back like he did.
“I think our guys got a look at the Washington Huskies last year at the NCAA tournament and said, ‘Hey, wait a minute. Those guys all look a little bit different than we do.’ I think that carried through six months of our workouts. I think our guys realized that that was one of the areas we needed to improve on.”
In charge of putting Krystkowiak’s vision into day-to-day reality is Degnan, UM’s Director of Athletic Performance.
“Larry’s goal is for the guys to be the best physical specimens a basketball player can be, meaning not just how much weight they can push around, but their flexibility, their athleticism, their jumping, their agility, their strength. Basically the full package.
“That’s what we try to design and provide for Larry and the guys.”
Grizzly Times hung around with the men’s basketball team the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 30, to get the inside view of what makes a team quicker and stronger in the weight room during the season. Degnan focused on four lifts this particular afternoon.
Lift No. 1 - The Inch Worm
“The first lift, and one of the most important exercises, is called the Inch Worm. We do that with a Power Wheel. What that focuses on is their core, which is their abdominals and lower back, which is a very vital area for basketball and for any ground-based sport. Plus it helps with the flexibility in their hamstrings and hip flexors, because obviously there is a lot of running in basketball.
(Freshman center Eric Van Vliet pictured)
Lift No. 2 - The Sandbag Lunge
“A second lift is going to be lunges, with what we call sandbags. That works their legs, hamstrings, quads and glutes. Obviously you need strength in that area to play basketball because it’s a ground-based sport.
(Senior guard Virgil Matthews pictured)
Lift No. 3 - The Jammer Step
“Another lift we do to work on their explosiveness is the Jammer Step, which is accomplished on the Jammer machine. It works on their explosiveness and triple extension lift, which means the ankle, knee and hip all are exploding in one movement, which carries over to jumping and leaping in the basketball arena.
(Freshman forward Kyle Sharp pictured)
Lift No. 4 - The Bench Press
“The last major lift we’re doing today is the bench press. That just works on their upper body strength and their size in their chest, arms and shoulders."
(Sophomore guard Matt Martin and junior forward Matt Dlouhy pictured)
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A Lady Griz Christmas
by Joel Carlson, UM Sports Information |
Few college students appreciate and enjoy Christmas more than basketball players, who typically only get a couple of days (at most) off to enjoy the holiday season before having to return to campus for practice. Allow the Lady Griz to put you in the holiday mood a little early this year with some of their favorite Christmas memories and traditions.
Head coach Robin Selvig |
Robin Selvig: “My biggest Christmas memory is when I found out there was no Santa Claus. I had snooped through all the typical hiding places looking for a Fort Apache, which I really wanted to have, and I found it in a closet. And then I (later) got it from ‘Santa,’ so I figured that one out. That sticks out to me.”
Jody McLeod: “My favorite tradition is we always go up to the woods and cut down a Christmas tree. I go there with my family and friends and we go have an all-day thing where we eat and build snowmen and pick out and cut down the perfect Christmas tree.”
Shadra Robison: “My favorite one is going to my grandpa’s ranch, and we go sledding on the hood of a car. The whole family goes out there and we spend the entire day sledding. It’s fun.”
Johanna Closson: “My favorite Christmas tradition is probably celebrating Hanukkah, but I’m not Jewish. Or the under-the-bed presents where your parents sneak in, put a present under your bed and then you wake up and open it in the morning. It’s always fun.”
Dana Conway: “The thing I remember most about Christmas is playing my new Monopoly Junior game with my sister, my brother and my mom the next morning. I lost, and it was my game, and I was so mad I threw the Monopoly board across the room. I got sent to my room.”
Sophomore guard Laura Cote |
Laura Cote: “One Christmas I wanted black hockey skates. That’s all I wanted, so I snuck out in the middle of the night to see what Santa brought. I couldn’t find anything but my sister’s Barbie house, so I came back and I started bawling because I assumed Santa didn’t like me and there was only coal for me. The next morning I didn’t want to wake up for Christmas. But I ended up getting them. My parents hid them from me because they knew I’d (be snooping.)”
Sonya Rojers: “On Christmas I enjoy going to church on Christmas Eve and then going to Grandma’s house afterwards and eating food and opening up Christmas presents that night. Then the next day we have a prime rib meal and that’s my favorite meal of the whole year.”
Lauren Beck: “When I was nine it was the first time I found out Santa wasn’t real. I kind of knew he wasn’t real, but it was the first time I really found out. I set my alarm for two o’clock in the morning and I came out and saw my mom putting out all the presents. I was really disappointed. It was heartbreaking, but I still had a fun Christmas.”
Mandy Morales: “My favorite Christmas memory is when I got my first Jordans and then I was able to run fast and jump high.”
Britney Lohman: “One of my best Christmases would have to be two Christmases ago when my whole family went to Maui. We really didn’t do presents or anything that year, but it was really fun to be in a tropical area. We went surfing on Christmas morning. It was just a really neat experience.”
Senior guard Katie Edwards |
Katie Edwards: “I have two. Since I’ve been in college, it’s driving home with Michela every Christmas in the snow. It’s just a fun time. We sing Shania Twain and stuff. It’s embarrassing to admit, but we do. The other one is the Christmas Story marathon on TBS. You can just lie around all day and watch. It’s fantastic.”
Tamara Guardipee: “My favorite Christmas memory is a couple of years ago when I got a lot of presents, more than all my sisters and they were all jealous. It made me feel like I was the spoiled one just once, even though I’m not."
Michela Schmitz: “Every Christmas Eve we have dinner with my family and some friends and then we all get in a bunch of cars and go look at Christmas lights. Then we go to church. I have little siblings, so when we wake up Christmas morning we have to get up at the crack of dawn. It’s just a fun day to be with family and enjoy each other’s company. I don’t get very many chances to be at home.”
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| A letter from Director of Athletics Jim O'Day |
Montana A.D. Jim O'Day |
Another successful football season is behind us. Now it’s time to look ahead to men’s and women’s basketball. With Larry Krystkowiak, Robin Selvig and their staffs leading the charge, along with a talented group of student-athletes, expectations are high once again in Missoula. Hopefully, you can join us for some exciting basketball action.
As for football, Bobby Hauck and his staff did a marvelous job this year molding a young team into a Big Sky Conference contender. For the eighth consecutive year the Griz were league champs, and UM advanced into the Division I-AA playoffs for a record 13th-straight season. For those efforts, the team is to be commended. The future continues to look bright in Grizzly football as the coaches hit the recruiting trail. 2006 should be something special.
As you most likely heard, we have decided to change directions with the volleyball staff. Assistant coach Allison Weston has been retained as the interim coach, and may be a candidate for the head job when it is advertised in March. Our timeline is to interview candidates in April and May, announce the new coach around June 1 and have him/her on board starting July 1.
Soccer, men’s/women’s cross country and golf were also in session the past few months. Golf shows a lot of promise heading into the spring season, while the women were third and the men sixth in cross country. Both squads will return almost intact next year as they were very young. The same can be said for Neil Sedgwick's soccer team, which started seven freshmen in a rebuilding season.
As for personnel, I’m excited to announce that Kent Haslam will begin his new duties as Assistant Athletic Director for Development starting Jan. 9, 2006. Kent comes to us from Northern Arizona University, and has a wide-range of talents in various aspects of athletics fund-raising. He will be an asset. As for the Grizzly Scholarship Association, Greg Sundberg is the interim director and will remain so until a permanent director can be named in mid-May. The process calls for the GSA State Board of Directors to make a recommendation to the Athletic Director, who will make the final call. The new director will start July 1.
As 2005 comes to an end, we are very thankful for all that has taken place this year in Grizzly Athletics. We hope you will continue to support our programs, and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, GO GRIZ!!!
Jim O'Day - Director of Athletics
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| UM Athletic Department and GSA announcements |
Tickets on sale for annual "Driving the Griz" car raffle
Attention Griz fans, tickets are on sale for the third annual “Driving the Griz@ car raffle, sponsored by the Grizzly Scholarship Association. This 1998 Ford Mustang Cobra SVT will be raffled at halftime of the Griz-Sac State basketball game on Monday, February 27, 2006. Tickets are available at the GSA tailgate, GSA offices and Blue Ribbon Auto Body. All proceeds from the raffle benefit the Grizzly Athletic Scholarship Association. This is 1 of 542 Mustang Cobra SVT’s made in 1998 and was painted and detailed in Griz spirit by Blue Ribbon Auto Body. For more information, contact the Grizzly Scholarship Association at 243-6481.
Thanks again to Blue Ribbon Auto Body for their support of the G.S.A.
12th man jerseys on sale, funds to support Grizzly
Athletes
The Bookstore at The University of Montana, the Grizzly Scholarship
Association and UM Athletics have teamed up to create the 12th Man Program.
White Nike replica jerseys with the No. 12 are being sold with proceeds
going to the GSA for purchase of lettermen's jackets for all Griz letterwinners.
Be part of the team and get in the game buy picking up your 12th man jersey
only at The Bookstore or online (link below) at the Griz Shop.
ORDER
ONLINE AT THE GRIZ SHOP
Griz Nation wristbands on sale
Purchase the Griz Nation wristband and help support Grizzly Athletics.
ORDER
ONLINE AT
THE GRIZ SHOP
GSA apparel available
Grizzly Scholarship Association apparel is available at the GSA
offices in the Adams Event Center. There is an open invitation to all Griz
fans to check out the selection and help support the Montana
Grizzly Scholarship Association.
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