Category: Sports

MSU athletics

Ultimate Frisbee team gain national recognition

By ZACHARY COE/Montana State News

The Montana State University Ultimate team is the unsung pride of this university’s athletic program. While the common name of Ultimate Frisbee cannot actually be uttered due to trademark laws on the actual word Frisbee, the players and captains of the sport have made this relatively overlooked event nationally recognized.

Captained by Quinn Hanson, Drew Shanafelt, Than Wiggins and managed by Thomas Walz, the MSU Ultimate team has been nationally recognized as the 35th ranked team in the nation with a perfect tournament record that may lead the team into this summer’s national competition in Cincinnati.

While many in the community consider this to be a hobby rather than a serious, school endorsed activity, the last five to 10 years have seen a sharp rise in the level of support from MSU. The team is considered a varsity association and is officially called The Montana State Rum Runners. As a result of this involvement, the team is required to do fundraising and volunteering activities in the community. In exchange, the school assists with car rentals, insurance and other miscellaneous costs. Continue reading “Ultimate Frisbee team gain national recognition” →

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MSU Swim Club flies under the radar

By JARED MILLER/Montana State News

Bozeman is an active community with runners, cyclists and fitness junkies of all kinds. However, if four years ago you were a student at Montana State University and loved swimming, specifically competitive swimming, you didn’t have an organized club to practice and compete with.

Today, though, the same cannot be said.

Thanks in large part to the efforts of current MSU Swim Club President Alex Irish and club Vice President Jordan Burt, the university was able to have a club for those who like getting their exercise in the water. Irish being a lifeguard at a local pool saw he had the perfect opportunity to get the club on its feet. “I love swimming,” he said, “and I was also in the great position to start (the club).”

It took some hard work and mentoring from his boss, but some two years ago MSU’s swim club was born. “We ended up with five to 10 regular members that first semester,” said Irish and since then the club has only grown. Now they have about 15 members that attend regularly according to Irish. Continue reading “MSU Swim Club flies under the radar” →

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Sports writer took unlikely route to career

By JARED MILLER/Montana State News

Just a scant distance down I-90 midway between Missoula and Seattle sits a birthplace. Not only the birthplace of Washington’s Brian Scott but the place in which a very talented columnist was born. It was important to him that I use that term: columnist. “Not a reporter,” he stressed. And right there is where Scott’s story finds its core. A love for sports and a talent for writing met in the middle ground and that middle ground is where he resides today.

Picture a young boy watching the Seattle Mariners and trying his hardest to replicate the swing of the great Edgar Martinez. Or maybe imagine a college grad from Gonzaga entering the big bad, bad world of radio as an intern “playing the hits and poppin’ the zits,” as he put it. This is Scott. Sports and Washington are ingrained in him. It was the gift of writing, though, that would come later and ultimately define his career arc.

“I worked at a radio station during the early 90s,” Scott explained. “During my tenure there the AM station switched formats from old-school country music to an all sports format.” Bingo. The seeds of Scott’s career had been planted. Continue reading “Sports writer took unlikely route to career” →

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Football is a lifestyle for Bobcat from California

By EMMA HAMBURG/Montana State News

The sun is out with the Bobcat stadium full of fans who gather in anticipation of this season’s first home game. For most of the college students this is another event where they can party with friends and tailgating, but not for Jakob McCarthy. Instead his mind is far from the partying scene. He is focused and eager to walk onto the field. Suddenly, the crowd becomes silent in his mind.  He only is focused on starting his first Gold Rush as a Montana State Bobcat.

Fast-forward six months, on a cold but manageable day when winter and spring are mixed.  It is too cold to be outside, yet nice enough to want to go out.  Some students take advantage of this season by skiing, snowboarding, and continuing the party lifestyle of college.  Meanwhile, Jakob is still committed to his sport same as always.  He wakes up at 5 a.m. each weekday to train for spring ball. According to friends, Jakob often he seems extroverted, dedicated and hilarious, making him an easy person to talk to. Continue reading “Football is a lifestyle for Bobcat from California” →

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Bill would ban bikes on two-lane roads

By SAMANTHA SUNDLY/Montana State News

Bicyclists and joggers would be banned from most two-lane roads in Montana if a bill under consideration in the state Legislature is approved

Republican Rep. Barry Usher is sponsoring the bill, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, which concerns local bicyclists about the future of their hobby and method of transportation.

As of now, the guidelines for bicyclists on two-lane roadways require that “every person operating a bicycle upon a street or roadway shall ride as near to the right-hand side of the roadway as practicable” and that “whenever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a street or roadway, bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the street or roadway,” according to the city of Bozeman’s bicycle municipal codes. Continue reading “Bill would ban bikes on two-lane roads” →

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Looking back on a life defined by climbing

By NATHANAEL JOHNS/Montana State News

“I just thought it was the most beautiful place on earth. I mean I’d seen nothing but snow and ice for almost a month and eaten just freeze-dried food, and the beauty was just overwhelming. And I wasn’t the least bit sick and tired of it.”

Growing up in Kentucky, Larry Day has always had a love of nature and being outdoors. He was fascinated by the unexplored landscapes that surrounded him, especially the Red River Gorge. It was there that he was first introduced to climbing, seemingly by accident.

Day’s first climb came after he was invited to join a spelunking club. Before one expedition the leader told them that he had loaned out the equipment, and asked if they would want to go rock climbing instead. His first ascent was a climb in 7-degree weather up Tower Rock.

This incredibly difficult climb had a profound effect. “I was hooked. It was just the greatest thing I’d ever done.”

Day explained that while exploring caves was fun, it held a stifling quality of being inside all day. But climbing was different.

“I can’t tell you how many times, at the end of the day of doing a climb…this sense of elation was just so powerful,” he said. “I was exhausted, but I felt like my feet weren’t touching the ground.”

Continue reading “Looking back on a life defined by climbing” →

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For hockey lover, coaching was next logical step

By ROSS SELLERS/Montana State News

Hockey is gritty; anyone who’s been to a hockey game knows that, so perhaps the personalities that surround it should fit the mold, and they often do.

As the head coach of the Bozeman Icedogs, a North American Tier III Hockey League team (NA3HL), Mark Vichorek understands Hockey isn’t just about aggression, it’s a sport built on respect.

“I think it is very important that this position holds a great amount of leadership and respect to teach and pass on to my players,” he said.

His office is located at Hayne’s Pavillion, and offers warm relief from the surrounding cold that inhabits the skating rink. Although small, his office feels cozy and lived in.  The whiteboard behind his desk is littered with humorous phrases along with a calendar sporting a variety of women in bikinis.

Continue reading “For hockey lover, coaching was next logical step” →

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Natural talent can’t stay away from football

By JACK SEEGER/Montana State News

Every once in awhile, an athlete demonstrates such natural talent that coaches from thousands of miles away offer them a spot on the team. It’s no surprise that only a very elite few get the opportunity to walk on to any football team, and Montana State University is no exception.  However, Californian Jahan Asadi is prepared to take the plunge into becoming one of the proudest things a Montanan can be: a Bobcat.

As rare as this opportunity may be, sophomore Asadi is on the path to joining the elite after being invited to attend fall tryouts following an impressive return to the sport that he loves.  After presenting himself to the MSU coaching staff last week, Asadi was invited to partake in summer tryouts, and is “excited to receive the opportunity to play football again.”

Continue reading “Natural talent can’t stay away from football” →

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Local business, fans gear up for Super Bowl

By: ALLISON ERWIN/Montana State News

Bar-goers can expect to encounter long lines, cheap drinks, and drunken fans this weekend for Super Bowl Sunday in Bozeman.

The buzz surrounding the big game has more than just fans talking. Bartenders and kitchen staff at bars in and around the downtown area are already preparing for the busy weekend ahead.

“With the big game, comes a lot of patrons and of course, a lot of booze… we’re keeping an extra bouncer on just to make sure things stay under control during the game,” said a Bar XI bartender Christian Wallace.

Increased security won’t be the only measure local bars and restaurants will be taking this Sunday. Working with local bars, law enforcement officers will be increasing foot patrols around the downtown area in an effort to minimize confrontation among intoxicated bar-goers, according to a police secretary on Monday.

Continue reading “Local business, fans gear up for Super Bowl” →

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Griz challenge ‘Cats on home court

By JARROD PLANT/Montana State News

Martin Breunig and the University of Montana basketball team will play at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Saturday, Jan. 30, in the famous Brawl of the Wild. The first place Grizzlies provides a challenge for two-win streak Montana State Bobcats as they hope to dominate the Big Sky Conference.

“I think he has been a monster no matter who they have played whether it is Boise State or in our league play or whatever; he’s been a consistent double-double guy, he walks around with a tremendous amount of confidence,” Bobcat Head Coach Brian Fish said of Breunig’s play.

The Bobcats will have to guard well against center Martin Breunig who averages 18.7 points per game and 9.2 rebounds.  The game plan will be to keep a fresh player on Breunig to make things tough for him in the paint, according to the Cat Chat podcast.

Continue reading “Griz challenge ‘Cats on home court” →

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