Spring Break
The Daily OrangeTrack and field | Canned yams serve as reward for scarcely used distance runners
By Jackie Friedman
Posted: 5/10/06, 7:44 PM EST Section: Sports
Bell chimed in, "And it has to be Bruce's, Bruce's Canned Yams."
The yam tradition began because of a joke Bell had with buddies in college. When one of his friends arrived at the Sam Howell Invitational to watch Syracuse race, he bought a can of yams as a reminder of their college days. After being interrogated by the athletes about the randomness of having yams in his van, Bell invented an excuse for their purpose: a trophy.
Graham, whose name is etched in black permanent marker on the yams can, said winning the Deuce was exciting, but because his teammates are his competition, there has to be a certain sense of maturity and respect.
"We're a whole team so you've got to be happy for whoever wins," Graham said. "A lot of kids took it seriously and may have gotten frustrated, but two days later you realize it's just a time trial."
After achieving victory in year one, Graham said he never plans to repeat the accomplishment.
"If I'm running another Dumb-Bell Deuce it means I've gotten hurt or everybody else on the team is better than I am," he said. "It was a good experience as a freshman, but because it would mean I'm not competing in the more serious part of the sport, I hope I never run another Dumb-Bell Deuce again."
The yam tradition began because of a joke Bell had with buddies in college. When one of his friends arrived at the Sam Howell Invitational to watch Syracuse race, he bought a can of yams as a reminder of their college days. After being interrogated by the athletes about the randomness of having yams in his van, Bell invented an excuse for their purpose: a trophy.
Graham, whose name is etched in black permanent marker on the yams can, said winning the Deuce was exciting, but because his teammates are his competition, there has to be a certain sense of maturity and respect.
"We're a whole team so you've got to be happy for whoever wins," Graham said. "A lot of kids took it seriously and may have gotten frustrated, but two days later you realize it's just a time trial."
After achieving victory in year one, Graham said he never plans to repeat the accomplishment.
"If I'm running another Dumb-Bell Deuce it means I've gotten hurt or everybody else on the team is better than I am," he said. "It was a good experience as a freshman, but because it would mean I'm not competing in the more serious part of the sport, I hope I never run another Dumb-Bell Deuce again."
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