Focused Sigma Nu a surprise in 2nd

In the past, Sigma Nu has not been a name prevalent among riding circles involved in the Little 500. But the past isn't what concerns this year's Sigma Nu team as the second-place time in qualifying has given its members a big first step toward becoming a staple in Little 500 discussions.\nWithout a single rider from last year, the team had to start from scratch, and there was only one thing that could bring about the change -- dedication, said sophomore Matthew Ryan.\n"The biggest difference is this year, there is just an overall dedication," Ryan said. "We all said that if we were going to do this, we were going to make sure we did it, and did it right."\nAt first, the team started training on its own, contacting some previous riders who are now in the professional circuit for training tips. Eventually, those contacts would lead to one-time Little 500 rider Brian Baker, who has since gone on to coach the team. With the arrival of Baker and the no-nonsense approach from the riders, the stage was set for a big performance, the team hopes.\n"(Baker) has made our workouts more structured for the race," sophomore Eric Graebe said. "We've done a lot of short efforts and things that are similar to what will be done in the race."\nMore than anything, the arrival of Baker has helped the team organize its training better than if it went at it alone. He has added variety to the members' workouts so they don't get bored but still get in good training sessions at the same time. \n"He's brought about a lot more organization," junior Ryan Taylor said. "With him, there is motivation for everybody because he helps decide what we should do each week. It becomes a part of our life rather than just something to do."\nThe training boost has paid its dividends rather quickly with the team's second-best qualifying time. The riders hope the success in qualifying can carry over into the actual race itself.\n"Realistically, our goal is always set high," Ryan said. "We shoot to win, and if we fall short, we've lost nothing. We are going to be out there to win the race, if you're not, then there's no point in really being out there."\nThe recent success has sparked interest in racing at the Sigma Nu house as four other people have already expressed interest in riding for the team next year, Taylor said. By next year, they already should have a full team's worth of riders who won't even compete in the race but are simply there to take over in the future.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.