PAGE SIX THE MICHIGAN DAILY WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 1968 PAGE SIX THE MICHIGAN DAHA WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 17. 1988 " .ra.r+ .s"a a. # yr+a.+s yasav.i -.9 ivu. RV Loken's Family-Style Succeeds for Gymnasts By ROBIN WRIGHT The setting is a little cubby hole off the gymnastics room in the IM building. Enter Dave Jacobs, world tram- poline champ. "Hi Papa Newt.' The preceeding is typical of the easy-going relationship between the gymnastic team and their coach, Newt Loken. Loken genuinely considers "the boys as part of my family." He further explains this attitude, "I know when a guy shows up at practice he wants to be good and is willing to try. With the proper feeling and help he can be good in the gymnastic world. Therefore it's important to know the prob- lems, ups and downs (not intended as a pun), and academics that concern the boys. I guess I ful- fill these roles by trying to be more of a companion in an elder- ly way." "The greatest experience for me is to watch the young uninitiated freshman enter our school in com- plete awe of the greatness of the academic program, immensity of the competitive gymnastic sched- ule and then each year to watch them grow in judgment, skills and level headedness to finally emerge as young men ready for their re- spective professional fields." Loken is quite proud of "his families." His own children would even form an enviable gymnastics team. Chris, his eldest daughter, is now in New York City dividing time between dancing and drama- tic classes in the day and ushering at Lincoln Center at night. She was on the recent winning nation- al water polo team and was past state freestyle champ. Lani, a freshman at the University of Michigan, is one of two females on the diving team and is looking to- ward a place on the 1968 Olympic team. Jon, 12 and Newti, 10 are the only ones left at home. Loken de- scribes them as "little movers." Both are inclined to the tramoline, but that ought to be expected as they frequently appear at prac- tices to work out with the team. Loken and daughter Lani have conducted one day cheer clinics throughout the mid-west states for high school cheerleaders. The idea was inaugurated at a cheer- leading training program in 1955 when 3,300 cheerleaders jammed into Hill Auditorium, as Lani put it "to watch dad bounce around." Lani further commented, "It's terrible to have a father whose age is sometimes termed 'over the hill' and be able to wear you out. He can bounce around all day andt I'm always exhausted by noon." Loken is well qualified to teach these clinics. He cheered in high school and at the University of Minnesota and in 1942 was chosen by national sportswriters to the All-American Cheer Squad of seven members. He is especially noted for inaugurating tumbling into cheer routines, now so fam- iliar to University of Michigan football fans. Typical of his fitness is found in the fact that several years ago Loken won the All-Around cham- pionship for gymnasts over 35. Loken's affection for his boys becomes obvious in practice or during a meet. He's full of smilesI and winks, and during a moment' of pressure claps and yells like one of the fans. When advising a team member Loken will put his arm around the fellow's shoulders, bow his head a little and discuss possi- ble improvements. He'll finish the little conference with a "let's-go- to-it" swat and he's off again. I tion committee. In 1942 he was featured in a Life magazine article on the top gymnasts of the era. 1963 brought him the Coach of the Year award and he is now a member of the Helms Hall of Fame Selection Committee. Two of the many various ac- of good wishes to the coach and various members on the team. Loken only wishes this group would identify themselves, "so we could arrange for special block seating at the games." The later award so well describes Loken's position 'on' the team. NEWT LOKEN SPEAK WITH HOWE informally, during office hours 1000 A.M.- NOON Tuesday, January 16 Thursday, January 18 Tuesday, January 23. for appointments, call Carol: 769-0225 I RVING HOWE WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE Jan. 15-28 Loken has been coaching of Michigan gymnastic teams since the sport was reactivated at a var- sity level in 1947. Since then his teams have claimed six consecu- tive Big Ten titles-during the period 1961 to 1966-a NCAA title in 1963, and always finishing as one of the top teams in the nation. Loken's personal credits include composing nine books, from."Cheer Tips'' to ''The Complete Book of Gymnastics" and heading the All- American gymnastic team selec- Rule Change FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (P) -The Football Rules Committee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association bumped more than 20 knowledgements Loken has recent- The plaque reads: "To Die. Newt ly received range from the notori- Loken. Your ability as friend, ad- ous MFC to an award presented visor and coach, to motivate in- by last year's team. dividuals will have an everlasting The MFC is the mysterious effect upon the lives of all your Markley fan club, who send letters team members." TOP TEN: - UCA' Top Spot Rests On Lew' s Eye By The Associated Press straight, including 12 this season, The spotlight in college basket- retained its commanding lead in ball the remainder of this week is the weekly balloting. The Bruins likely to be on Lew Alcindor's left received 32 first-place votes and eye and whether or not the injured 347 points in the voting by a na- UCLA star will play in Saturday tional panel of 35 sports writers night's big game against the and broadcasters based on games Houston Cougars. through last Saturday. More than a few eyes, though, Houston, 16-0, drew three votes also will be focused on another for the top spot and 317 points, important game Thursday night, the latter on a basis of 10 for a matching undefated New Mexico first-place, 9 for second, 8 for and once-beaten Utah on the third, etc. Lobos's court. Alcindor's left eye was scratched Utah, 13-1, climbed one place to last Friday in a game against the fifth in the latest Associated Press California Bears, won by UCLA poll while New Mexico, 14-0, 94-94. The 7-foot-1V center is surged three positions to sixth. being treated for impaired vision. UCLA, which has won 46 f The victory over California was -- one of two scored by the Bruins last week. They also defeated 1 udStanford 75-63. Houston downed 's ne I ~West Texas State 98-53 in its only start. Other possible changes lay in The Top Ten, with first-place rules governing communication votes in parenthesis, season rec- between players and coaches at ords through games of Sat., Jan. the sidelines; a reduction in the 13 and total points on a 10-9-8-7- CLARK NORTON 4 ,ikin9 Ot. . Mixing politics with football is bound to produce some pretty explosive combinations. Just look at Bobby Kennedy. And there's * nothing more intriguing than a grid referee on the take. 'And now these two All-American pastimes have merged on cam- pus in the biggest way since Romney was booed crossing the field at the State game. The object is called "Pick a New Athletic Di- rector" and it's become the greatest Guessing Game since Jean Dixon met Charles Van Doren. The major result has been to give a lot of people a lot of head- aches. Bump Elliott, for example, was deluged with congratulatory phone call and telegrams Monday. The only problem is that Elliott was no closer to becoming athletic director then than he was last week-and he knew it. Very embarrassing. It seems that the sports director of WCBN, the Voice of the Quads, had talked to some people in the Athletic Department and a couple of Daily sportswriters and had come to the conclusion that Elliott had the job sewn up. All well and good-he may even have guessed right. But if WCBN predicts that Nixon will win in '68 it doesn't mean that the nation's leading newspapers should run a front-page headline reading "Nixon Will Win In '68." But that's just what the wire services did with the WCBN "scoop." And of course most of the Detroit radio and TV sportscasters picked it up eagerly without questioning the source. Why the wire services ever ran the story in the first place is still unanswered. Ken Wilson, the WCBN sports caster who phoned in the story, told The Daily Monday night that "I never claimed to have any official confirmation of Elliott's appointment." Apparently the wire services never bothered to ask Wilson what his sources were- The Daily did, and Wilson replied that he had no official sources. So all over Michigan and the surrounding areas the "word" was out that Elliott "will be named," "had been named," and maybe even was already sitting at Fritz Crisler's desk, even though President Fleming and Bump Elliott have vehemently denied any such appointment. More important, WCBN itself admits that they had just "gathered a consensus of opinions" within the Athletic Department and had not even bothered to talk to Fleming or any of the Regents, who are charged with making the decision. Wilson; it should be noted, still doesn't see anything wrong with 4 what he did. He is convinced that Elliott will be named "since press- ures on Fleming to name a Michigan alumnus, a good public relations man, and a figure popular with the press, alumni and students" will eventually dictate the choice. Certainly there is a good chance that that's true. Elliott has al- ways been a leading candidate for the athletic directorship and along with Davey Nelson, Delaware's athletic director, Dr. Robert Bronzan, * San Jose State's athletic director, and Don Canham, Michigan track coach, remains as such. But if President Fleming has picked Crisler's suc'cessor, which is doubtful, nobody knows it yet. And it isn't news until he does and someone finds out. Just more speculation, acid more head- aches. Maybe if Robben Fleming had to take some Excedrin last night, he'll let everyone know the choice before the drugstores start doubling their business. suggested rule changes off the length of timeouts; restrictions on agenda yesterday and concen- signaling fair catches; a cut-down trated on eight issues. on the substitution rule and a re- Two knotty problems lay in vision of clipping rules and punt clarifying rules for tackle eligible coverage. pass plays and the so-called # Final decisions on the rule "sucker shift." changes are expected today. Daily Classifieds Get Results 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. UCLA 32 Houston 3 North Carolina Tennessee Utah New Mexico St. Bonaventure Kentucky Vanderbilt Columbia 12-0 16-0 11-1 9-1 13-1 14-0 12-0 9-2 11-3 1-3 347 317 270 205 178 137 131 101 55 40 I :Y. .nwt ~ . . ..... .,. .. -nrre. . .. . ...... .. ... ........... ...:.:: ..M.WA:::....%.........:.;;...:.x":., Y. '. 6.'... .rn ..... n .1 . S . ..... .. ..........n n4 .% ....g . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Start Thinking AL SUBLETTING YOUR APAR.TN lout lENT r !I 01]1 v.4 aitti This* Week in Sports Friday Hockey-Western Ontario University at Coliseum, 8:00 p.m. Saturday Basketball-Michigan at Ohio State Wrestling-Iowa at Events Building, 1:30 p.m. Swimming-Frosh-Michigan State at Matt Mann Pool, 3:30 p.m. Gymnastics-Michigan at Iowa if] III * S Monday Basketball-Ball State at Events Building, 8:00 p.m. Wrestling-Oklahoma at Events Building, 4:00 p.m. 4 Ill I * 11 * UI for the Summe Advertise in Y Ici gan :43