Andy Morris Sports Beat

Former Appalachian State University track and cross-country runner Shane Austin will shed his black and gold uniform for the red, white and blue colors of Team USA in September.

Austin will compete in the Long Course Duathlon Championships on Sept. 9 in Venray, Netherlands with a prize of $50,000 to be divided among the top 10 finishers. A duathlon is similar to a triathlon except there is not a swimming leg.

The competition starts with a run, then a biking leg, and another run to finish it.

Austin began his running career at Watauga High School and then moved to Appalachian.

He won the 5,000-meter in outdoor track in both his junior and senior years at Appalachian and was part of a cross country team that won the Southern Conference championship in 1997.

However, the 24-year-old, a graduate of Appalachian in May 2000, moved away from strictly running and began competing in duathlons last November.

Austin says that an interest in biking and some friendly peer pressure got him started in duathlons.

"I've always wanted to be a biker," he said. "I also had a friend from cross-country who did duathlons, and he got me interested in it. Duathlons seemed like a good way for me to do two sports I loved."

The switch from just running to doing both running and biking was difficult at first for Austin. "I've always loved biking and I've always loved running," he said. "The transition to both was pretty hard for a while."

Just a few months after starting his duathlon career, Austin has already qualified to compete for the American team in the world championships.

At the Power Man competition in Alabama, he completed the event in the time necessary to qualify.

"It was a great feeling (to make the national team)," he said. Although he will compete with Team USA, he will still compete as an individual. "You wear an American uniform," said Austin. "But you're still on your own."

Austin has set realistic goals for the championships. "I'd really love to win my age group, but I doubt that I'll be able to because I just started," he said. "I hope to make at least top 30 or 40."

Even if he does take the championship, simply competing in the event will create opportunities for Austin.

"This opens the door for people to see my name, and I might be able to get some big sponsors," he said. "Maybe I could make a living doing this for a while."

Austin wants to attend massage therapy school, so that if he does get a sponsor, he could still set his own hours and be able to train on his own time.

With the championships about five months away, Austin is right in the midst of heavy training. He runs about 60 to 70 miles a week and also bikes about 200-300 miles per week.

His workout consists of a three hour bike ride in the morning and then about an 8 to 12 mile run.

"Right now, I'm doing a lot of mileage," he said. "As it gets closer to the competition, I'll probably back off some."

Austin says that competing for Appalachian has helped him greatly. "It kept me in great shape," he said. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that."

James Nix Intramural Sports

The Appalachian State University triathlon club will host its third annual triathlon benefiting OASIS (Opposing Abuse with Service, Information, and Shelter) this Saturday.

The triathlon will be held at the Watauga County Parks and Recreation Department Aquatic Center in Boone and will start at 9 a.m. with a 300-yard swim, followed by a 16.3 mile bike ride and a 5-kilometer run.

Approximately 250 individuals will take part in the race out of ten age groups ranging from 19 and under to over 60. The ASU triathlon club has added a collegiate division to this year's race.

Any college student who is currently enrolled in nine or more semester hours will receive a $10 discount on the $40 entry fee and will be eligible to receive collegiate division awards.

Also, if three or more students of the same gender from the same college enter, they will be considered a team and can compete for a team award.

ASU students do not have to be a member of the triathlon club to compete with the team.

Other college teams, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, James Madison University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University will be at this weekend's event.

For the ASU triathlon to successfully take place, volunteers are greatly needed to assist in the timing of the race, work in the transition area and pass out refreshments.

Volunteers will receive a free T-shirt and refreshments. Anyone interested in participating or volunteering is encouraged to come out and support the ASU team.

Since the event is sanctioned by USA Triathlon, participants who are not members of USA Triathlon will be required to pay a $7 "one day" membership fee.

For more information on the race, please contact Catherine Crumpler at 297-6133 and for volunteer information, please contact Khalisa Bolling at 266-7571. Also, please visit the Web site www.set-upinc.com

James Nix Intramural Sports

After several years of dwindling interest, the Appalachian State University lacrosse club is about to rejuvenate its program.

Daniel Davenport, the recently appointed president of the club, plans to lead his club into this new era of ASU lacrosse with a new attitude and more dedication.

Lacrosse is a growing sport in North Carolina. According to Davenport, who played for four years in high school, when he started playing there were a total of 12 high school teams in the state.

Now there are a total of 36 teams after four years. Davenport, who received a lacrosse scholarship to Catawba College, transferred to Appalachian to help the program grow.

"I know what it takes to make a good program," said Davenport. "A lot of that is hard work and practice. Practice is the most important issue. If you don't practice, you're not going to get better."

Davenport is looking for committed people only and hopes to weed out everyone that is not dedicated to making the team better. He hopes to start this process with the freshmen coming to Boone next fall.

"My target next year is the incoming freshmen," said Davenport. "They're the most influential, and they're looking for some kind of group."

With a group of dedicated freshmen who are committed to coming to practice twice a week and working hard, Davenport thinks his club will become a dominate force.

"I just want to see the program grow," said Davenport. "I'd love to eventually see a varsity program here at Appalachian State. "That's what I'm trying to do, I'm trying to make our team the caliber of a varsity team."

As of right now, the lacrosse club is a member of the North Carolina Lacrosse League but plans to move to the Atlantic Coast Lacrosse Alliance (ACLA) by next year.

In the ACLA, the club will compete against seven other clubs including Wake Forest University, Furman University, Winthrop University, Elon College and several others. In this new conference, the Mountaineers will play a spring season of seven games and then compete in a conference tournament.

The winner of the conference tournament will go on to a national tournament held in St. Louis, Mo. "I think being in this conference is going to make people strive harder," said Davenport.

According to Davenport, the fall will be used as a pre-season, and the club will play some bigger schools like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University in hopes to establish a fan base on campus.

The club's number one priority in its rejuvenation process is finding someone to coach the team. "I think our biggest issue right now is the fact that, even though we're only a club sport, we need a coach," said Davenport. "No matter how good I am, no mater how good another guy is, we're still in the same age vicinity as these other guys.

It's hard for the other guys to look at us like a coach, and I understand that." Davenport uses the recent success of the AHO Rugby Club under the coaching of David Rogers as an example for his club.

He is looking for someone who can just come out and watch the practices and help structure it. The club should start practicing by the third week of school next fall, but Davenport hopes to get the members together before that to bond.

"I think the thing I want to do is, just like rugby, make us more of a family, like friends," said Davenport. "We'll all respect each other and if one of us misses a practice or a game, we'll understand that we're letting our friends down."

Davenport feels that the key to success is having that bond within the team and that the team can go as far as it wants to.

"Only we are going to stand in the way of our success next year," said Davenport. "We're the only people that can do that. "The school gives us a place to practice, Club Sports gives us money to play with, but we're the ones who have to actually take it up and do it ourselves."

To go along with his generic coach's pep talk, Davenport added that he would like to see the members of the club get more serious about conditioning.

"I have a love for lacrosse, I have a passion for it," said Davenport. "I'd love to see it succeed here."