@n the national scene, it was Alabama that was number one in football (or Southern California, if one goes by Associated Press rankings). But if one is sitting in the south bleachers of Alumni Stadium on a chilly October night, most likely he is a Bison fan. Crowd support was a definite plus in most of Harding's sports this year. "The spirit in the stands was the best ever," commented one cheerleader. Perhaps it was the football team proving to be stiff competition for top place in the conference. Or maybe it was the smooth tip-in style of Stan Eckwood in basketball, who scored an average of 25.6 pOints per game. Support for the track team gained momentum when they presented an impressive slide show in chapel, us- , ing the theme from "Rocky." Pregame spirit was generated by the hilarious chapel skits of the cheerleaders. Whatever their reasons were, Bison fans were supportive all the way, even when a promiSing season came to 'a disappointing close . There were 44 full and 6 partial scholarships available to athletes in basketball and football. As a result, several of the Bison athletes competing in other fields commented at the need for scholarships in all sports. With and without scholarships, several athletes excelled in academics as well as sports: Jeff Earnhart, Mark Piller, David Stotelmyer, Cliff Parker, Ron Wheeler and Jim Erickson. The two-year-old gymnastics team that last year won first in the state of Arkansas disbanded this year. While lack of funds was a considerable hindrance for the team, the main reason for the disolution of the group was the general lack of interest in gymnastics in the Arkansas colleges. "It's a dying sport in Arkanas as far as collegiate competition / ' commented gymnast Paula Warnack. "We were too good for the four conference teams and we didn't have the talent to compete in the out-at-state meets." With the termination of the gymnastics team, the opportunity for women to compete in a Harding sport was also eliminated. In spite of this, last year's movement to establish women's intercollegiate sports at Harding waned this year and discussions of the possibilities remained over the dinner tables and in the dorm rooms. Athletes Insights ~ 131
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