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THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Nine
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THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Nine
The Mourning
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Politics is nasty ..
espectaty in sports
IT USED TO BE that the Midwest dominated college gymnastics.
Nearly every NCAA championship saw such teams as Southern
Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota grabbing the top:
places. In the last couple of years, however, this has changed drama-
lically as West coast schools have suddenly surged into the lead.
What caused this?
After all, most of the nation's gymnasts still come from Illinois.
It is true that the West has been using Japanese athletes, but this
has always been the case. It isn't any change in the performers, that
is fairly certain. Perhaps it just might be rule changes?
If the past two annual sets of rules changes are looked at, the
situation at once becomes obvious. The Midwest and in particular the
Big Ten are being screwed by the NCAA Gymnastics Rules Commit-
tee and the NCAA Executive Committee. In order to understand
this, examine the rule changes enacted in the past two years for
gymnastics.
Two years ago, qualification for the NCAA Gymnastics Champ-
ionships was through four district playoffs each qualifying three
teams, a total of twelve teams in the tournament. The trampoline, an
event the Bid Ten is especially strong in, was included.
THEN THE NCAA went to work. Hacking like a DAR censor
would with Fanny Hill, it revamped the whole sport. It changed the
qualification for the national meet by eliminating the district meet
and using six conference champions plus an eastern and a western
qualification meet for the non-conference schools. Then it attempted
to drop the trampoline as an event. The tramp motion, however,
was first passed by the Executive Committee and' then reconsidered.
after the Gym Rules Committee objected to the idea.
Last year, the Executive Committee managed to push through
the ban the tramp motion over nearly everyone else's objections. Then
the gymnastics rules committee added its own measure by disallow-
ing a proposal which would allow the Big Ten and other conferences a
chance to get more than one team in the national championships.
Apparently, the NCAA is finally satisfied with the situation since
the gymnastics rules committee chairman, Eugene Wettstone, com-
mented, "I don't see any rule changes coming up this year." While
those in control are satisfied with the present situation, it is biased
against the Big Ten Conference, and detrimental to the sport. The
nature of the rule changes proves this.
Limiting the Big Ten to one representative in the NCAA's is
easily the worst of the areas. Two years ago, under the district
system, the Big Ten grabbed second and third spots with another
midwest school, Southern Illinois, taking the title. Last year, the Big
Ten ended in a three-way tie for the title, but only one school could
go. Iowa won a playoff and ended up third with one of their worst
performances of the year..
This year, Iowa edged out Michigan in the qualification meet
while the Wolverines swept the conference championship. In addi-
tion, Michigan had posted the highest total in the nation in the
NCAA events. But what makes the whole situation ludicrous is
when Memphis State from the Southern Intercollegiate Gymnastics
League is invited with only a 133.65 total. Seven of the eight Big Ten
schools with gymnastics topped that score in the Big Ten Meet.
HOW THIS INEQUALITY could come about is obvious when
the composition of the NCAA Gymnastics Rules Committee is looked
at. The committee included Wettstone, coach from Penn State which
has only Temple to stop it from winning its conference; Glenn Wil-
son, from Arizona which has only Arizona State to possibly keep it
from the nationals; Bill Meade, coach at Southern Illinois which is
all but handed its invitation as top eastern independent; A. Carl Pat-
terson, the coach from Temple which is in the same situation as Penn
State; Gordon Maddux, California State at Los Angeles coach who
is concerned mostly with the small college competition; and Otto
Ryser, the Big Ten representative from Indiana.
It is in most of these committee member's benefit to limit the
number of Big Ten schools as much as possible. The argument they
use is that of money, it is too expensive to run the district system.
It is also mentioned that basketball uses a similar method.
The basketball argument is foolish for the strength is not con-
centrated in one area as gymnastics it. The odds of the NCAA
coming up with the top national team are very drastically impaired
using this system in gymnastics. If the NCAA considers the district
system too expensive, it should come up with a more equitable system
than the present one, such as allowing the second place finisher in
the Big Ten a chance to qualify in the regional meet.
THE ELIMINATION OF the trampoline as an event has been
justified on the grounds that it is expensive and dangerous. If the
NCAA is worried about money, why is it conducting a separate
championship for the event? That is definitely more costly. As far
as the danger of the sport, it has been shown that the pole vault
in track is just as dangerous. Perhaps Jessie Hill, athletic director
at Southern Cal and leader of the fight to drop the tramp, would also
like to eliminate that track event, one which his college usually dom-
inates. The trampoline is dominated by the midwest schools, and it
was very, helpful to the east and west coast teams to hav, the event
dropped.
Looking at the two situations in perspective, it is obvious that
the changes were definitely political in nature. They stopped the
best teams from competing in the championships, lowered the quality
of that competition, and discriminated against the Big Ten.
As political decisions, they also hurt the sport itself. Without the
best teams competing, the NCAA Championships lose their legitimacy.
Without the trampoline, they lose a large portion of their crowds.
, A professor at Michigan insists that "Witch hunters were sincere
individuals." The NCAA is sincere too. I just hope it doesn't cause
as much damage.
NCAA
Big Eight lead
wrestling bout
Special To The Daily
PROVO, Utah-With the pre-
liminaries over and the quarter-
finals started, Michigan wrestlers
had four wins and four losses in
the opening of NCAA Wrestling
Championships yesterday.
The luck of the draw wasn't with
the Wolverines, as Michigan mat-
men drew both of last year's re-
turning NCAA champions in the
preliminaries held yesterday after-
noon.
At 123, the Wolverine's Tim
Cech clashed with top-seeded Ken
Melchior of Lock.Haven and lost,
16-3. In the 137 division, Mike
Rubin met Iowa State's unbeaten
Dan Gable and was pinned at
4:11.
Michigan's only fireshman, Ty
Belknap, advanced into the quar-
terfinals by decisioning Del Lock-
art of Colorado, 11-1. Then in last
nights quarterfinals, he outfought
Northern Iowa's Mary Reiland,
9-7.
Both 167-pounder Jesse Rawls
and 177-pounder Pete Cornell took
down their opponents. Rawls got
past Steve Metro of Louisiana
State, .6-2, and Cornell pinned Tim
Nichols of Princeton at 6:39.
The other two Wolverines out
in Provo, 115-pound Jerry Hoddy
and 160-pound Tom Quinn, lost
'CAT WALK:
Wildness h
Special To The Daily
TUCSON - Michigan's baseball
team took its lumps again yester-
day as the University of Arizona's
Wildcats took advantage of Dan
Fife's wildness to defeat the Wol-
verines, 8-3.
The loss dropped Michigan's
spring record to 2-6.
a The Wildcats used two walks,
abalk and two singles to open up
a 3-0 advantage in the opening
inning. Two more walks, a wild
pitch, and a triple by Rod O'Brien
highlighted a second inning up-
rising, which put the game out of
reach.
O'Brien proved to be Michigan's
undoing in the contest. He had
a perfect day, garnering three of
Arizona's nine hits, and knocked
in four runs.
meets:
no
daily VIndiana opens swimming lead; Hawks blast
daily . The Asociated Pres Earl Monroe., who led Baltimore
: W olverines grab fourth place BALTIMORE - Walt Frazier with 32 points, rallied the Bullets
scored 26 points and assisted on 11 to within 101-94 with eight points
Special To The Daily tenth of a second behind Hickeox. more baskets as the New York during a three-minute span before
BLOOMINGTON -- Defending Wolverine Gary Kinkead was Knickerbockers defeated the Balti- the Knicks spurted ahead 109-95 to
NCAA Swimming Champion In eleventh, more Bullets 113-101 in the open- put the game out of reach.
eNCof themEasternaDivision semv-nth.
NIGHT EDITOR: diana shot out to a quick lead after Southern California's Dan Fraw- erfnals of the National Basketball ATLANTA-The Atlanta Hawks
the first day of competition as the ley was the only non-Hoosier to Associationh n itonBkdlA aT a th rten poink
PAT ATKINS Hoosiers won four of the first five capture first last night as he took ast night. stormed back from athirteen point
events on the card. They amassed the 50 yard freestyle in 21.04. Frazier scored 17 of his points to a 107-9 dvictory over San Diego
152 points, far ahead of second During the preliminaries, he set a in the second half and twice sank in t fir to y o r ational
their preliminary bouts. Hoddy was place Southerp California's 95. new NCAA record with a 20.81. three consecutive b a s k e t s to Basketball Association playoff last
downed by John Morely of Moore- Stanford was third with 65 points, Purdue's Dan Milne, Big Ten thwart Baltimore rallies. night.
head State, 9-3, while Jim Guyer while Michigan was fourth with champion in the event, was The Bullets, division champions Hot shooting by Lou Hudson,
Qof Northern Iowa decisioned 47 Ohio State was a surprising second. =during the regular season, fell be- who led all scorers with 39 points,
Quinn, 7-5. fifth, scoring 37. but Yale was a Indiana continued to display hind 54-44 at halftine as they keyed the second quarter surge
"We haven't been fantastic," disappointing sixth. managing only their perennial diving strength as sank only 32 per, cent of their that put the Hawks in front to
Assistant Coach Rick Bay said, 32. Hoosier's captured the first three shots Kevin Loughery, ailing with stay. Elwin Hayes, the league's
"but we had lousy draws. At least Indiana freshman Mark Spitz places. Olympic bronze medalists a groin injury, missed all seven leading scorer, had 31 points to
we lost to men with a good chance set a new NCAA record in the 500 Jim Henry and Win Young were field goal attempts during Balti- pace the Rockets, who are partici-
to go all the way, so we have a yard freestyle preliminaries with a !first and second while John Hahn- more's sloppy first half. pating in their first playoff.
good opportunity for w r e st 1 e 4:33.2, then went on to take the feldt was third. Michigan's Bruce - -
backs." event in the evening finals. McMannaman was a pleasant sur- __ _ _ _ _-
hsteam leaders were osier Olympian Charlie Hick- prise as he took seventh, while
The early cox barely won the 200-yard indi- Wolverine sophomore Dick Rydze ~~ "
much as had been expected, with vidual medley with a 1:54.43. was ninth.
Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Iowa Michigan's Juan Bello, an Olym-
State, and Michigan State all pian from Peru, finished only a la eamof Char nicdcy.rD-
holding their own. - ' ' ''-- .
surprises
Knicks riddle Bullets;
Still to go for Michigan last
jnight were matches between Cor-
nell and Ben Cooper of Southern!
Illinois, and Rawls and Rick Sicilia
of Washington State.
Action continues today for Mich-
igan wrestlers who won yesterday,
but the lo'sers will have to sit out
until tomorrow's matches deter-1
mine the wrestle backs..
1lts M 1nine
the final canto when Mark Carrow
drew a walk and advanced to sec-
ond on an error. Chuck Schmidts~
double delivered one score, and
Glenn Redmon's second hit of the
game brought home the other two.
The game marked the second
time this season that Fife has had
trouble with his-control. He walked
eight batters, yielded seven hits
and gave up all of Arizona's tallies
in the game. He did strike out
six during his 4-1/3 innings on the
mound.
Carrow, who relieved Fife, turn-
ed in his second impressive outing
of the spring. During his 3-%
inning stint, he yielded only two,
hits and walked none.
Tonight Michigan will attempt
to get back on the winning track
when they meet the same Arizona
SCORES.
College Baseball
Arizona 8, MICHIGAN 3
Michigan State 16, Florida A&M 1
Yale 4, North Carolina 2
Houston 7, Oklahoma State 3
New Mexico 3, Illinois 1
Exhibition Baseball
Pittsburgh 6, Chicago (A) 2
Washington 5, Los Angeles 4, 12 inn,
New York (A) 2, Minnesota 1
St. Louis 4, New York (N) 0
Atlanta 7, Baltimore 1
Houston 5, Kansas City 1,
Boston 4, Cincinnati 3
Montreal 8, Los AngelesB'
Philadelphia 5. Detroit 4, 12 inn,
Seattle 6, San Diego 3
Oakland 3, California 2
Toronto 4, Detroit 2
New York 3, Boston 3
Philadelphia 4, Los Angeles 2
1 NBA Playoffs
New York 113, Baltimore 101
Atlanta 107, San Diego 98
AAU Tournament
Akron 84, W. Virginia State 59
Armed Forces All-Stars 80, Cocoa
Beach, Fla., 59
Lexington, Ky., 74, Stephen F. Austin
College, 64
McKenzie, Steve Borowski, and
Mark Spitz, three of them Olympic
gold medalists, set a new NCAA
record of 3:25.8. Stanford was sec-
ond. Southern California was third,
and Michigan finished fourth. The
Wolverine medley relay's time of
3:29.9 bested their fastest time of
the year by four seconds.
-Alleviate tensions between gen-
erations in the community 'by in-
volving y.twng people in the deci.
sion-making process.
(Paid Political Advertisement)
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EARTHRISE
at
NEWMAN
331 Thompson
8 P.M., Friday, March 28
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