European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 08, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday february 8, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 25commentary the players Are rocking the fest Halle in Frankfurt Germany this week. They re , twirling swinging sweating. A playing what basketball ? Tennis hockey try dancing. The show filling the fest Halle these nights is a West Side Yuu d Call the players actors but you a Bce closer calling them athletes. V 0 athletes in a West Side Story of so one of the gangs is the jets and the play is set in new York City. But this Isnit Ken of Brien passing to a Toon. Its not even Vintage Mark Gastineau although he made his Markwith dancing a sack dancing. This is a stage play. A musical. Done to try to pass it on As sports. A .-.? a. ? \.?�?~- , right. Except that when you watch this a West Side Story a you can easily group these prime time players with gymnasts. Their legs bulge As if pumping on the floor exercise. Their biceps Ripple As if on the rings. If stage dancing Isnit athletics the question begs lat is watch eur sport the Cable to network Acyl consume its menu of snooker chess body build in Beven pro wrestling which is glorified acting. Eur to sport might As Well Call it eur snooze. At least the player is in a West Side Story Wake you up. Especially Kelly Woodruff. He has the most grueling part in this production of a West Side he plays Riff the Leader of the jets gang. When he a not clicking his fingers and pulling a switch Blade he a running and jumping and singing. All at once. Think of one our great sportsmen George Foreman trying that. Head Flop. A i think of myself physically As an athlete a Wood Ruff said. A i remember my teacher in Las vegas saying a done to kid yourself. You re busting your ass a lot More than Guys making $2 million a a Woodruff was sitting in his dressing room at the fest Halle wednesday night. The show was still alive upstairs but his Riff had died in a knife fight. Woodruff still had to Bow on stage so he Hung around in i. Fake blood stained to shirt and Coli do of passed for a Wikete Cevert six feet tsp pounds. Well defined arms. Not an ounce of fat then again he revealed he had 8 percent body fat. Buck Fox he looked 25 years old. 11,c turned out to be 33. How did he look like this dancing with the verve of Deion Sanders on the run at 33? by working out As if in two a Days. A a a Woodruff said he lifts weights five Days a week plus does aerobics six Days a week. Throw in jogging stationary cycling and preshow warmups. -. A a it a a hard business a he said. A plus its a helluva lot easier to do eight shows a week when you re in shape than if you re out drinking and Hetu her be in your body at 33 Isnit the same As at 22. Reach 33 in baseball football or basketball and you re finished or nearly so. Woodruff feels it. A a it a harder now done to kid yourself a he said. A. A v. 7 Woodruff has tried to step away from dancing the last five years. He pushed for strictly acting roles. He moved into the coaching Side choreographing the Disney a Dick Tracy stage / show last year. He even lifted heavier weights to bulk up. Looking Good became More important than moving Well. Then a a West Side Story came calling and Woodruff resist. The new York based production carries him a Over Earpe ending in Paris next Jan uary. A a a a. A a a a a. A a a a a a a a a a a ? its a nonstop season kind of like Tennis. Only Kelly Woodruff Woodruff is never eliminated i be plays every nigh. A this along , Hoo Sis his salary to Whai lie Calls Quot my first six figure year.�?�. Llos glamorous yes. The show opened in november in Berlin. 1 be will perform in Munich. Amsterdam Milan stops the world league of american football would envy. With actresses who you can bet kick higher than flip we aft a prospective cheerleaders. Woodruff reminds you its still work a. Team sports the re s a lot of time when they re doing nothing Ite said. A i do it Here this is a real hard show. Plus Riff has the toughest part. It s the physically most demanding. In a in everything a Woodruff rates a a cools and Quot a the rumble Quot Lias his toughest dance numbers in a West Side t hat a rumble has Woodruff mixing dancing and fighting with his gang rival Bernardo played by Gary Chryst. Its sideline sprinting and tackling rolled into one. All it needs is a touchdown Spike and end zone disco. The dance number has Woodruff reflecting a a in a really glad in a Woodruff has geared that strength toward traditional athletics. He trains for triathlons but has yet to find time to compete. A a me lettered in swimming at his High school in Brandon Fla. A 7 a��.?� he was More into dry runs so he went to Florida state to study acting. In his last year he quit Atti hit the Road to Atlanta then vegas Hern new York. He has lived off Broadway for to years., its a go go life take this weekend. Woodruff and his a West Side story7�?T players have five shows Friday through sunday. No wonder he loosens his legs with rubbing Cream during those blitzes the mails 33. What do void think he is a Mere actor to Star mid strip Aba teams skidding on hazardous Road by Mark Bradley the Atlanta Roumal Constitution Atlanta a the Road is a hard cruel place. On the Road one thing can go wrong for every 10 things that go right and the one thing wrong will be of sufficient magnitude that the visitor loses. It might no to make sense but that show it is. The Road is where pro basketball teams go to get sick. Home is where those same teams go to get Well. The Atlanta Hawks were Home tuesday Home for the first time in two weeks that seemed like two years Home at blessed last. Did it show a Well yeah. A. V the Hawks showed up and shot a few jump shots which is All a Home team needs to do when the honoured guests Are those sudden sad sacks the Cleveland Cavaliers. At halftime the Hawks led by 15 Points after doing nothing special. The same Effort on the Road would be earned them a 10-Point deficit. The More Aba games you see the More you realize just How much it takes to steal a game any game on the Road. Even if you re the mighty Trail blazers and you re playing one of the Flimsy exp Arisio neers you cannot play poorly and expect to win in someone else a building. But when you re Home you can Slop around for three quarters and still save yourself a or be saved by the crowd or the refs or Harry the Hawk a come the fourth. Two Winters ago the astute fashion plate Pat Riley put it thusly a you cannot go on the Road and be flip and frivolous and count on winning. You be got to be More focused and More precise on the commentary Road. You cannot play the same Way on the Road that you do at Home and win. And if you think Yoice going to you re Riley it should be noted was speaking specifically of his lakers one of the finest teams in the history of the sport. If the Road was that Tough for them imagine How it is for mortals like say the 1990-91 Atlanta Hawks. As has been noted the Hawks Arentt bad. Counting tuesday they be won 15 straight at the Omni hammering Glamor boys Boston and Chicago and Utah and san Antonio. And How have these same Hawks been on the Road of late pretty Rotten they lost six straight on their sorry sojourn to Washington and Points West. They be lost eight of nine in All the exception coming after first fall ing behind by 19 at Indiana. If its the same team Why Are the results so different. Because teams Arentt the same on the Road teams Are tired from travel achy from air plane seats and hotel Beds Cranky from 5 30 . Makeup Calls. Teams tend not to shoot As Well on the Road the Hawks have made 50 percent of their shots in but five of 23 away games. Road teams also get fewer Calls that matter unless the game is in Boston Garden in which Case the visitor gets no Calls at All. Says the Road Warrior Dominique Wilkins a a you be got to play defense on the that Stile difference. Its Mot offence has defense a i the unwritten Law of the league is that unless the Home team absolutely positively reeks that night the Road team Dominique Wilkins driving in Cleveland. Hawkis on recent trip a. A a a must be clearly Superior to win. Not just a Tad better. Clearly Superior. T consider with seven minutes to play tuesday the cars were shooting a better percentage than Atlanta had taken More rebounds and free throw and had the Hawks big time in the second half the one that a supposed to mattering the Aba. Yet. Cleveland was Down by a four Points soon to be a l l8-j14 loser. It happens All the time in this league a Road team working like crazy and falling Short. Only seven of the a bad a 27 teams have winning Road records while Only eight have losing Home records. All of which Means if you re at Home you re dangerous if you re not you re usually takes Bird s place new York a guard a Lersey Hawkins of the Philadelphia 76ersthurs-Day was named to replace injured Forward Larry Bird of the Boston celtics on the East team in sundays Aba All Star game. V. A ? a .7 v 7ahawkins received the highest number of votes among All players not selected As reserves by the Eastend conference in his third season in the league is averaging 21.6 Points 4,2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. This will be his first All Star appearance. Bird a perennial All Star and selected in fan balloting to be a starter sunday has a bad Back. He has missed 14 of Bostons last 15 games. 7vicenza hosting meet basketball a Vicenza is looking for menus and women a teams for a Percsi dents Day tournament feb. 16-18 at Camp Enderlc. The entry fee is $95. For More information Call Doug Erncr at ets 6347009/7887. Boxing a the Darmstadt Community is planning night at 6 30 . Feb 23 at Cambrai Fritsch Cavern participants 5 should be novices with a boxing history of two fights or less. Two passport photos Are required at registration and weigh ins which will go from 10 .-noon. Call ets 348-7359 for More information. An sports. Television hockey a Edmonton at Washington 2 . Saturday
