St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 45

iwwmn1 west area post April 4, 1 983 STLDUIS POST-DISPATCH working Out fjporto, W1M By Thomas R. Raber Of th Post-Dispatch Staff Duty calls for Katie Weismiller at 1 a.m. It's the boss from the doughnut shop on the telephone, asking her to be at work in two hours. "I don't mind going in," Weismiller said. "I wasn't scheduled to work, but they got a couple of extra orders in and they needed some help." Softball practice, dinner and a session of homework seem to have just ended.

But Weismiller, 17, is again on her way to put icing on pastries until 7 a.m. By 8:10 she will be in class at Incarnate Word Academy. After school she'll be at Softball practice until about 5:30 p.m. The day is typical for Weismiller, concentrate on school and on their jobs. Some coaches are concerned.

"There are definitely more kids working now," said Brent Gregston, athletic director at Valley Park. "It's something I didn't have to worry about when I was in high school. A high percentage of them want the extra spending money, but I think some of them get pressure from their parents that they have to work." Like many coaches, Gregston divides the athletes who work into two categories: Those who work to put food on the table, or to save for their college tuition. Those who work to afford a car, new clothes or tickets to see The Clash. "In our situation at Parkway, I don't think we have too many who really have to work," said Fred McConnell, baseball and Softball coach at Parkway South.

"But you have to keep in mind that the car is very important. It's not whether to make any rules or not." might eliminate too many kids." T- Although missing a practice or-" game without notice still' is unacceptable on most teams, occasionally leaving practice early or arriving a little late generally is becoming more acceptable. Some employers agree to let athletes set their-work schedules around their sporting' commitments. "Almost all of the kids we have working are involved in sports or in band," said Faylene Bott, co-manager of an ice cream store in Chesterfield. "I say, 'That's fine.

We'll work around Kids have a lifetime to work, so they should do what you want to at school." Carolynn Bishop, a training; supervisor for a fast-food restaurant chain, said she had no reservation! about hiring students who are active in school. "We love an employee like that, she said. "As far as scheduling, we carr work around just about anything as long as we have advance notice." But because jobs are scarce, Bott and Bishop agreed that the day might be coming, or might already have come, when students who leave athletics come back to sports because they can't find work. "That could happen," Bishop said "We have oodles and oodles of applications more than we could ever hire. But you have to remember, we.

have a constant turnover." if if if Katie Weismiller has worked at the doughnut shop since her sophomore year. In the fall she will attend thfr University of Texas-Arlington a volleyball scholarship. "I don't really need the money," she said. "My parents are really behind that they didn't have them before, but they have to pay for more of the car's expenses now. The parents used to foot the bill for some of the gas or the insurance, but that's not as common anymore.

"For some kids, it comes down to a decision between the car or sports. So when kids say 'I have to work' you don't try to discourage them, but you try to make sure they know the decision they're making. Sometimes they fool themselves." Just as some students have left sports to take jobs, others have had to take jobs to afford staying in sports especially girls. According to Michael Russell, girls basketball coach and assistant football coach at Maplewood, it's a financial double standard that forces many girls to support their own athletic activity. "If a boy plays football or basketball, the parents make sacrifices," Russell said.

"They'll put out the money to buy the $60 or $70 pairs of shoes. But a girl who plays basketball is lucky to get a $25 pair. She will likely have to pay for them herself. "Many of my girls work. But, offhand, I can't think of any boys who have jobs during the season." Traditionally, coaches have insisted that players take practices and games as firm commitments of their time in other words, if you don't practice, you don't play, or if you miss a game, you're off the team.

But now some of sports' most unbending rules are being tested as a result of athletes working. "How do you tell a player, 'You can't Russell said. "It didn't used to be an issue, and I never had any rules to cover it. Now don't know Post-Dispatch graphic by Lee Rohlf lacrosse Finds who is a three-sport senior athlete. it it it In the morning, Peggy LaRue is a student at Valley Park High.

By afternoon, she's a varsity athlete. Come the evening, LaRue stays at school to mop floors and clean desk tops. She is employed through the Comprehensive Employment Training Act. "They let me work around school hours," LaRue said. "But if I had my choice, I wouldn't work at all.

I'd like to just play, but I need the money." LaRue's parents moved from Valley Park to Montgomery City, about a year ago when Peggy's mother changed jobs. Since then, Peggy has lived in various homes of friends, largely supporting herself by the salary she earns working at school. "My parents wanted me to move with them pretty bad, but I wanted to keep playing here," said LaRue, who is a senior. "They might give me 10 dollars here and there, but it's nothing big. I have to work.

It's pretty rough." it if it Their examples are extreme, but Weismiller and LaRue are part of a trend. They are students who compete in athletics while also holding part-time jobs. In the recent past, varsity athletes usually did not hold jobs during a season in which they were competing. Most felt they had no time to fry hamburgers or bag groceries after a day of solving equations and running wind sprints. They were told their grades would suffer if they worked during the sports season.

And they knew they could count on their parents to put up the money to support their interest in athletics. But today, whether because of the economy or because of an increasing desire for financial independence, more high school athletes are holding part-time jobs. While many have found a way to balance a schedule of school, sports and part-time work, others simply have chosen to drop sports to Wheeler's Memories Are Vivid It has been nearly. 26 years since Sam Wheeler laced up a pair of Harlem Globetrotters sneakers. And 40 years since he lost two fingers off his right hand while working in his high school woodwork shop in Little Rock, Ark.

For many people the injury would have marked an end to an athletic career. For Wheeler, the marketing and public relations director for Wonder Bread and Hostess Cakes and a University City resident, it was a beginning. Three years after his accident, Wheeler became a starter as a senior for Dunbar High School. Later, when his family migrated to St. Louis, he joined the St.

Louis Argus' semipro team. And in April of 1946, on the court of Vashon Community Center, Wheeler unleashed a 29-point attack against the Harlem Globetrotters' farm team, the Kansas City All-Stars. In the audience that night was Abe Saperstein, the Globetrotters' founder-owner. A stout little man from London, England, Saperstein had a penchant for spotting and recruiting exceptional talent. Even with eight fingers, Wheeler impressed Saperstein with his athletic ability.

After the game Saperstein approached Wheeler with an offer. While not impressed with the Globetrotters organization at the time, Wheeler admits that he was impressed by the money. "The Globetrotters weren't very well known back then." Wheeler said. "But I was only making $120 a month at the Vashon Community Center as an athletic director. And Saperstein offered me $200 a week, plus $5 a day for meal money.

That was a lot of money." So Wheeler quit his job at the center and packed his bags for Kansas City, where he began playing for the All-Stars. He progressed rapidly, and the following year the organization began grooming him behind Goose Tatum. Tatum was a gifted athlete with gigantic hands who could do unheard-of things with a basketball. But Tatum also was a moody and unpredictable athlete who would mysteriously disappear at times. Wheeler, more stable, was Saperstein's insurance.

But Wheeler soon realized that there was no glamour attached to being a Globetrotter. In fact, it was sometimes humiliating. "In the beginning it was not very good." Wheeler said. "We traveled to many small towns north and south where there was a lot of prejudice and segregation. We had Mmm Turkheimer, who played at North Carolina.

John Seeley, who lives in Ellisville, is co-manager of the team with Rowe. "Pretty much anybody with reasonable coordination can play," Rowe said. "The biggest thing is probably stamina. Traditionally, the attackmen (similar to hockey forwards) are the most skilled players. The defense is a little slower, and the midfield is mostly the players with the most stamina." The Washington U.

club, which was organized about five years ago and had a 4-2 record last season, is funded partly by money from the school's student union treasury and partly by dues from team members. "We don't practice a whole lot," said Farley, who manages the team along with Kevin Kurtain. "We're a real good team for around here, but we'd probably get killed by a team from the East." Both Rowe and Farley think the game is misunderstood. "The skills aspect of lacrosse is often overlooked," Rowe said. "People hear about the contact, or they see the game once, and they think it's a goon sport.

It's not. It takes a lot more finesse than people think." Farley agreed. "A lot of people think it's a bunch of See LACROSSE, Page 2 By Thomas R. Raber Of the Post-Dispatch Staff Given a chance, the big-shot fan of baseball and football will tell you about lacrosse. "Great game," he'll say.

"Very old. It was played by the Indians, you know." Chances are, that's all the big-shot fan will be able to tell you. And in the Midwest, that's about as much lacrosse as the average sports fan knows. But the fast-moving game, which often is compared to ice hockey in speed and style, is popular in high schools and colleges on the East Coast, And because of a group of local athletes with experience in the sport, lacrosse is alive if not highly visible in the St. Louis area.

They are the members of the St. Louis Lacrosse Club and the Washington University club lacrosse team. "I don't really know why, but not too many people play around St. Louis," said Jack Farley of the Washington U. club team.

"I guess it's mainly played on the East Coast. Baltimore and Long Island are really the hot spots. In Baltimore, it's one of the biggest sports, next to football." Both the St. Louis club and the Washington U. team are able to attract a full roster of players.

But because game officials are scarce, club members must take turns officiating their own games and the games of the other local club. "That's been a continuing problem," said Jim Rowe of the St. Louis Club. "Referees are virtually non-existent out here. Usually we use one of our own players, or if Wash U.

doesn't have a game, we try to get one of them. If somebody's injured, we get them out there to do it." To find opponents, the local clubs must travel long distances. On the St. Louis club's spring schedule, for example, are road games with the University of Missouri-Columbia, Illinois and Louisville. Last season, its first as a formal team, the St.

Louis Club posted a 4-3 record. "We really started playing in the spring of 1981," Rowe said. "One guy put an ad in the paper. We got some games together and played all that summer. In the case of our club, probably 75 to 80 percent of the people have played the game before in high school or college." Rowe, who lives in Kirkwood, played at Denison University.

Doug Zirkle, a Ballwin resident, and Dick Dean of Chesterfield both played at Cornell. Dean was the club's leading scorer last season. Other St. Louis Club players include Rick Suozzi of Ballwin, the team's second-leading scorer; Peter Barbaresi, who played at Williams College in Massachusetts; and Larry me, and I could do without it. I work, just because I really want to.

I like to have my own money." if it it Peggy LaRue has excelled in three sports for Valley Park. She would like to attend college in the fall and continue playing basketball, but she might not be able to. "I didn't do too well (in school) this year. I think it would have been better if I didn't have to work," she said. "Sometimes I wish my mom and dad would never have moved, but I guess it was best for them.

"I get down sometimes about going' to school, and then to practice, and then to work, and to do homework after that. It seems as if I only have time to eat! and go to bed. When we get out there and win the games, though, I guess it's all worth it." "People looked at us as a bunch of clowns." Wheeler said, remembering that no one considered them authentic athletes. "They didn't think that we had any real talent. And believe me we had some unbelievable talent.

We had players like Marques Haynes (the great dribbler), Sweetwater Clifton, and Goose Tatum to mame a few. But what people didn't realize is how could we do all those tricks having talent. We were basketball players first. Showmen second." Wheeler saw no change the first two years with the club. The daily grind was beginning to take its toll, and still no one took them seriously.

Then one day in 1948, Saperstein called a meeting and announced that after three years of badgering, the National Basketball Association champions, the Minneapolis Lakers," would finally play a game against them. Their chance finally had come to gain the legitimacy that had eluded them for so long. Nearly 21,000 fans huddled into Chicago Stadium to witness the game. The George Mikan-led Lakers, who had won three straight NBA titles, were heavy favorites over the nomadic troop. Much to everyone's surprise, the contest was close as neither team led by more than three points.

With three seconds left, and the score tied 59-59, the Globetrotters' Erma Johnson shot a 30-foot set shot that touched nothing but nets, putting the See WHEELER, Page 2 Sam Wheeler (right), poses with Sugarfoot Johnson in this 1960 picture. Wheeler was a member of the Harlem Globetrotters for 11 years before coming back to live in University City. UG9SL ears (For Big Year to stay in black hotels. If there were none, we had to stay with different families who would take us in. Two here.

Two there. That's how it was. "I remember we had just left Fargo, N.D., in 1950, on our way to Minot, N.D. When we got there banners where all over town announcing our arrival. We were surprised but pleased." There was only one hotel in town.

And Wheeler and the rest of the Globetrotters were in for one more surprise. "When we reached the desk in the hotel lobby, the man at the desk said: 'We don't cater to colored At the time Jesse Owens (the four-time gold medalist of the 1936 Olmypic games) was traveling with us as our manager. And Jesse said: 'Hey, but we're the Harlem The man said he was sorry, but that was hotel policy, and the law of their town," Wheeler said. "Then the man pointed to a sign hanging on the back wall. The sign said: No dogs.

No Indians. No niggers. That hurt." Owens calmly telephoned the mayor, Wheeler recalled, and said that they would not play if they did not have a place to stay. "Later that evening the city council and the mayor agreed to let us stay in the hotel, and they agreed to abolish that law," Wheeler said "We did help to break down some barriers." Racial discrimination was not the only barrier the Globetrotters had to break down. Wheeler recalls their frustration.

College Baseball The baseball team at the University of Missouri-St. Louis will probably have its best chance in several years of reaching the NCAA Division II World Series if it can slip past one particularly tough opponent rain. "We've been washed away in 20 games so far this season," said assistant coach John Kazanas. "We haven't played since March 11, and the way it looks now we'll be playing 38 games, maybe 40, between now and May 6." UMSL's 2-2 record does not reflect the quality of this year's squad, Kazanas said. The Rivermen have had several so-so seasons recently, but Kazanas said the team's pitching and hitting should pull the program back to national prominence.

Senior Dave Lawson, a four-year starter at first base, has the best swing of any college player in the Midwest, according to a number of scouts who have seen him play, Kazanas said. "Lawson has hit over .300 the last few years," he said, "and he should continue to hit that well this year. He's one of the better seniors on our team, but we have about four or five who coiljd be signed to a big league contract." One such senior, Mark Hupp, has improved his hitting a good deal. "He's begun to pull more of his hits because he's stronger this year," Kazanas said. "He had a couple of really good hits in our first few games, and he definitely has a major league arm." The pitching at UMSL is equally strong.

Kazanas said the coaching staff had not decided on the top three or four pitchers because of the cold weather, but he thought junior William Shanks and sophomore Mark Demien would be the top two hurlers. Kazanas classified senior Brian Price as a "smart pitcher" who should help the team and said senior Mark Hahn would be effective coming out of the bullpen. Hahn should break the school career record for saves early in the season. Prospects look bright for the Rivermen if they ever play again. "People slow down in the cold," Kazanas said.

"They spend their time blowing on their hands to keep them warm instead of getting in position, and they don't swing as hard because they're afraid of getting a handful of bees. "We're hoping to get some good games in soon, though. It's kind of funny we told all our younger players that we were going to red-shirt all our seniors so we could have them around next year. The young guys didn't think that was such a good idea." Here is a look at three other area college baseball teams: MARYVILLE: "Last year we were 22-12, and we were passed over by the NCAA when they were handing out the bids," Coach Ron Edgar said. "This year, they told us if we pretty much do it again we'll get the bid." Maryville, a Division III school, is 6-3.

The Saints are led by Dave Slimmer and Jeff Fawcett, two powerful hitters who transferred from Florissant Valley Community College. Edgar said Fawcett was one of the better hitters in the area, and Slimmer will probably sign a pro contract at the end of the year. Pitching should be an area in which Maryville excels. Last season, the Saints had the second-lowest earned-run average in the nation among Division III schools. One of the better hurlers should be senior Troy Tyner, who is being watched by scouts from three pro teams, Edgar said.

Larry Hawkins tried out for the team as a walk-on last year and finished second in the nation in stolen bases, making good on 47 of 49 attempts. This year he already has 18 in nine games. Edgar got some coaching help in January and February from former Cardinal Ken Reitz. "Ken called last week and said he was working out with the Detroit ballclub," Edgar said. "When he's done with his career, he'll be working with me here at Maryville.

He'll help us out." Besides Reitz, another thing that See BASEBALL, Page 2.