Well… in all my memory, I can’t remember a USC-UCLA dual meet that wasn’t fraught with controversy. Last year, it was the ‘lost’ long jump results that would have given USC the win… this year it was the long jump again… but it went USC’s way. Although it was a USC home meet, there was some talk about a former UCLA hurdler turned judge who disqualified the USC athlete who was the big winner… and it goes on and on. Naturally, UCLA had their own take on the subject. I’d have more sympathy for my former team if I hadn’t watched the circus of deliberate distractions happening while my daughter was trying to throw last year for ‘SC… Karen’s tough and she won anyway. We got a big chuckle later watching and listening to the film of folks trying to razz Karen. Champions don’t beat themselves.
In issue 176 of Karen’s Blog… she writes about the USC-UCLA meet… “It doesn’t get better than this!”.
One of the things people ask you about this duel … and I was asked three times at the meet… “How did you do when you competed in it?” In those days, UCLA won so infrequently against ‘SC that they passed out silver track shoes if you scored any points! They stopped this after 1972. As for me, I only lost once against the now former Trojan record holder in the shot… and only lost once to a Trojan as a freshman in the discus. One kindly older gent asked me why I wasn’t on the all-time Trojan list… some nice folks forget. Yep, I threw for the other guys.
It is always a great meet.
Fight On!
Roger Freberg
PS. UCLA needs someone (Nigel, perhaps) to help them design better uniforms… the old ones were much better….. and the sweats were very cool.
My daughter competed for the University of Florida earning a Bachelors in Public relations, before (happily for me) she finished her last year of eligibility as a graduate student at the University of Southern California as a Trojan… however, it seems very interesting to me that she is now going to one of Florida’s arch rivals as a doctoral student in Communications. Karen has good memories of Tennessee as this was the place where she won her first SEC Championship.
me… ‘what might seem trite and cliché’ in one industry when applied to another may be considered innovative!’ He was right. So, I can really see the beauty in attending a variety of universities and communities, learning from each and building a wealth of positive experience.