European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 21, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 26 stars and stripes Friday March 21, 1986 Buoniconti the turned the Corner Miami a after nearly five months of despair and anger Marc Buoniconti has accepted the spinal injury that ended his athletic career and he is ready to fight Back. I think i be turned the Corner he said slowly his Raspy voice a Mere whisper because a tracheal tube is implanted in his Throat. I be gotten Over the Shock. I be gotten to the Point where i realize what i have to do said the 19-year-old. He was left a quadriplegic by a broken neck suffered when he made a tackle for the Citadel during an oct. 26 foot Ball game. During the Early weeks of agony and depression Buoni Conti s weight dropped from 190 pounds to 132. He did t want to eat. At times his family feared he did t want Tolive. Two weeks ago he began rehabilitation therapy three times a week. Recently he ate barbecued hot dogs an baked Beans. Thank god for Little things said his father Nick Buoniconti a former linebacker for the Miami dolphins. What might seem Little though is a momentous Occa Sion us he told the Miami Herald in an article published thursday. Struggling for each breath Marc has exercised his diaphragm until he can now live More than half a Day breath ing without the help of a Respirator. He looks Forward to living at Home where his family is building an addition for him. I Don t know if there was any one thing that happened to make me More positive he said. I think it s All the support. It s great to see it. I be had thousands of letters from people i Don t Marc s room in the West Wing of Jackson memorial Hospital is lined with reminders of the athletic world. There s a card signed by All the Miami dolphins an Auto graphed football from the St. Louis cardinals and a basketball signed by All the Boston celtics. Saturday Joe Namath Howard Cosell and Don Shula will help Honor the Young Buoniconti at a roast at the Omni International hotel. Profits from the roast and from two concerts that night will go to the Marc Buoniconti fund to cure paralysis also known As the Miami project. If s not the care we re thinking about it s cure said Marc s Mother Terry who spends almost every Day with her son. And we believe a cure is within Thomas excels on ice a photo Debi Thomas. I could say i m the Best Geneva Switzerland a Ameri can Debi Thomas catapulted into the Lead in the women s Competition at the world figure skating championships wednesday with a Short program that sparkled As brightly As her sequined costume. The defending Champion East German Katerina Witt dropped to fourth. Thomas footwork and artful spins and jumps provided a crowd pleasing contrast to the pulsating disco beat of relax that accompanied her two minute routine. The Triumph boosted the 18-year-old National Champion from san Jose calif., ahead of soviet Kira Ivanova in the stand Ings after two of three events. Thomas had a 1.6 score while Ivanova dropped to 3.0. Ivanova had been first and Thomas Sec Ond after tuesday s compulsory figures. The women s championship will be decided Friday night. Hey at least i m first right now said Thomas who became the first Black to win a . Seniors National title this year. I could say i m the Best in the world at Fig ures and Short program and Thomas had a fellow upstart in Tif Fany Chin also 18, of Toluca lakes calif., who beat Witt for third place at 3.2. Witt was in fourth at 3.4. Thomas a pre med student at Stanford University put on a delicate yet spirited routine. She can Clinch the title with either a first or second in Friday s Long program making her the first american since Rosa Lynn Sumners in 1983 to capture the women s Crown. Witt 20, gave the night s most original performance a sinewy but fast footed harem number to caravan that lacked Only Finger cymbals. The crowd loved it As Well As her pop Art Mermaid outfit with its glistening Rainbow coloured Scales and belly cutout. Judges awarded her the highest Marks for style and composition. But Witt faltered during a triple toe Loop double Loop combination Landing on both feet and losing Points. Chin part of this season s dynamic american threesome with the up and com ing Caryn Kadavy appeared fully recovered from injuries that kept her off the ice most of last year. Back were her Well remembered floating flips and jumps in a clean fast routine. Soviet Anna Kondrashova was in fifth place at 4.4. In sixth place was West Ger Man Claudia Leistner who had the same total of 7.4 As Canadian National Champ Tracey Wainman but skated the Bette Short program. Kadavy of Erie pa., was in eighth place at 7.8 after a spill coming out of a double Axel that marred an otherwise dynamic Rou Tine to a Cha Cha beat with of fancy footwork. Thomas performance was the first break in the soviet domination of these championships after 14-year-old Ekaterina Gor Deeva and Sergei Grinkov won the Gold medal in the pairs tuesday night. In thursday s Early Competition soviets Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko sprang to life off the top of a music Box to win the second portion of the ice dancing Competition but trailed compatriots and defending champions Natalia Besteman Ovaland Andrei Bukin. Beste Dianova 26, and Bukin 28, skated a playful and skillful original set pattern dance retaining the Overall Lead with a 1.4 score with one phase remaining. But Klimova and Ponomarenko who nearly out danced the champions during last month s european championships were dressed in Matching Swiss Alpine costumes As they received five of nine High scores with fast colourful and confident footwork that snatched the heaviness from the Polk music. They finished with a 1.6 score. Natalia Annenko and Genrich Retensky kept the soviets in the 1-2-3 positions with a 3.0 score after a Breezy and Coy number. In fourth at 4.0, were canadians Tracy Wilson and Robert Mccall. Suzanne Semanick and Scott Gregory of Wilmington del., held fifth place at 5.0. Later thursday soviet Alexander Fadeev was to defend his world title against Canadian Brian Orser and czech Jozef Sabovcik in the men s final. Gibson shoulders the Burden As tigers beat reds from press dispatches Kirk Gibson s shoulder May be hurting but there s nothing wrong with his Bat. Gibson making his first appearance since receiving an injection Over the week end for his sore left shoulder served As de troit s designated hitter and drove in five runs with a pair of tape measure homers wednesday As the tigers outlasted the Cincinnati reds 11-10 in an exhibition game. What 1 was Happy with was that i was real Sharp mentally and that started with the morning intr squad game and carried Over into the exhibition game said Gibson. He hit a Solo shot off Bill Gullickson in the first inning and a tremendous two run smash off Ron Robinson in the fifth that hit High on the right Field Light Tower. I was t swinging at balls i should t have i was getting bunts Down and i was getting Guys Over Gibson said. That ground Ball in the third inning with run ners at second and third and no outs not Only got a run in but it got the Guy to third and he Nelson Simmons and Mike Laga also Hom ered for the tigers who needed Chet Lemon s ninth inning single for the winning run. Rangers 7, royals 3 non roster do John Stearns homered and singled twice and Tom Paciorek had three singles for Texas. Stearns who spent last season with Denver of the american association homered off Dennis Leonard in the third inning and rapped an rib sin Gle to snap a 3-3 tie in the sixth. Baseball Roui Dup Leonard in his longest of three Spring stints surrendered six hits and three runs in four innings. Kansas City scored its runs in the fifth ending a string of 22 scoreless innings. Obviously i needed this Day said Stearns a former Star Catcher for the mets who has been plagued with Arm problems for four years. I showed a Little bit of the tools i once had Hustle aggressiveness a Little Speed and Power. It was Nice because it s getting he was walking on a thin wire said manager Bobby Valentine who plans a Ros Ter Cut saturday. John came Here with will and desire but i have to see How Rusty his tools Are. Today they were pretty much White sox 1, braves 0 Tom Seaver allowed two hits in five innings in his second straight Strong Outing and combined with Tony Brizzolara Bill Long and Gene Nelson on a three hitter. The Only run scored on Daryl Boston s seventh inning single off Gene Garber. Dodgers 13, astros 9 Mariano Duncan went 5 for 6, including three triples and Steve sax went 4 for 6 for los Angeles. Duncan scored three times and drove in two runs. Sax had a double scored three runs and drove in two. Houston accumulated 20 hits including two triples by Bill Doran and four Bis by Jose Cruz but still dropped its seventh straight game. Duncan who is still learning to switch hit is batting .421 this Spring. His 16 hits include eight triples five of them from the left Side. Indians 13, Brewers 2 Cleveland erupted for 11 runs in the eighth inning to break open a 2-2 game. Brook Jacoby s double off Bob Mcclure drove in the Lead run and Carmen Castillo added a three run triple. Jacoby went 4 for 5 with three Bis giving him a team leading 13 Bis this Spring. The indians also got Strong pitch ing especially from starter Tom Candiotti who hurled five shutout innings and struck out five. Brewers is 9, indians is 6 in a game Between split Milwaukee and Cleveland squads at a different site Joey Meyer s three run Homer highlighted an eight run ninth inning for the Brewers. Mil Waukee scored All eight runs off Jim Kern who lasted Only one third of an inning. De Williams and Jay Bell homered for Cleve land. Mets 7, red sox 4 Danny Heep s two run single in a six run seventh inning broke a 2-2 tie for new York. Heep delivered off Calvin Schiraldi who was dealt from the mets to the red sox during the of season. Phillies 5, expos 1 Philadelphia s Juan Samuel had two hits including a tie breaking single in the third inning and Shane Rawley worked five innings allowing three hits and one run. Pirates 12, twins 5 Pittsburgh had 19 hits including seven in a six run fourth triggered by Jim Morrison s Lead off Homer. Before the inning was Over the pirates added a double and five singles off John Butcher and Ramon Romero. Blue jays 9, cardinals 8 Toronto clouded five Home runs two by George Bell. Jesse Barfield Cliff Johnson and Cecil fielder also homered with fielder s Solo shot in the Bottom of the ninth accounting for the winning run. Jack Clark homered for St. Louis. Padres 4, mariners 2 san Diego s three run rally in the top of the ninth included a two run Homer by Mark Parent. Seattle reliever Edwin Nunez making his first appearance in 10 Days following a Groin injury was roughed up for five hits in the inning including sin Gles by Kurt Bevacqua Mario Ramirez and John Kruk after Parent s Homer gave the padres a 3-2 Lead. Cubs 6, Angels 5 Chicago rallied for five runs in the sixth including an rib single by Shawon Dunston who also singled a run Home in the fifth. Yankees 7, orioles 3 Henry Cotto collected three hits Ken Griffey drove in three runs and Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly recovered from a bruised thumb made his first Spring appearance and went 2 for 3
