The Wabash soccer team is 0-0, none of the cross country runners has posted an official time, and not a single yard has been recorded by a member of the Little Giants' football team this season.

But believe me, the 2007 fall sports season is well underway!

Events "officially" started last Thursday when the soccer team took to the pitch for a friendly scrimmage against Anderson University. Because of the heat the teams played 30 minute halves with a water break 15 minutes into the period.

The heat didn't diminish the effort by the Little Giant strikers, however. After watching several shots just miss the goal (including one that hit the crossbar, but bounced away harmlessly), sophomore Christian Krenk blasted a header into the net. Not only was it a phenomenal goal, but it was scored by an outstanding contributor to the Wabash soccer program.

Christian came to Wabash last year, but felt his best role with the team was as a manager. He kept practices organized for the coaching staff and helped his teammates stay focused on the game. After participating in spring soccer, Head Coach Roberto Giannini asked Christian to spend the 2007 season on the pitch instead of on the bench.

"Christian understands his limits as a player, but that never keeps him from giving total effort at practice or during a match," Giannini said after Thursday's scrimmage. "If I had a team full of Christian Krenks, I would never have worry about whether that team would come ready to play. And I know it would be a successful team because of that."

Saturday started with wet weather, but Mother Nature must have known something special was planned. Shortly before 8 a.m. the rains ended, allowing more than 20 Wabash alumni cross country to return for the annual Charlie Finch '51 Memorial Fun Run. 

It was more than a fun run, though. Greg Birk '77 spent much of his time over the past few months organizing a tribute to retiring cross country coach Rob Johnson. A legendary coach at Wabash, Rob is handing the cross country coaching duties over to one of his former charges, Roger Busch '96. Johnson will remain as the track and field coach and will help Roger in recruiting young men to continue the outstanding tradition of the cross country program at Wabash.

The camaraderie and fellowship normally shared among former teammates all turned to Johnson. After the race, the runners and their families joined together to pay tribute to Johnson at a luncheon.

The season also officially started for Jim Amidon and the rest of us in the public affairs office. Jim not only took his usual outstanding photos, but his also wrote his thoughts on the tribute to Johnson.

Those photos also included the final activity Saturday, the annual Red-White football scrimmage. The 2007 football team hit the newly-sodded field at Hollett Little Giant Stadium and gave the fans and family members assembled an early glimpse of what to look for from this year's team.

If you didn't make this past weekend's events, I can share them with you through Amidon's lens (cross country race photos, Johnson tribute photos, Red-White scrimmage photos, soccer scrimmage photos). Even better, you have a chance to be a part of the real start of the season this week. The soccer team starts the action Friday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. against its arch-rival, DePauw University, at Mud Hollow Field. Saturday morning the cross country team will compete against four other teams in the annual Wabash Hokum Karem, and the football team will wait one more week before its opening contest on September 8 against Franklin College.

Hope to see you at one or all of those events as we all prepare to enjoy the real start of the 2007 sports season.

Photos
(soccer - junior Mike Kaster drives the ball against Hanover on Sunday.)