/ THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Nine "1 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Nine The Mourning andy barbas A fte r l r i r . wr rin m 4 r rr win i +r i i iw , r 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) E ..... SHOWING RENE CLEMENTS Anti-War Masterpiece FORBIDDEN GAMES W WINNER I Michigan scored all its runs in I team. I Abe Saperstoin's Faus MAGICIANS .OF .. i Y f 1 t \ Now! A wall poster of the pic- ture the Apollo 8 astronauts took when they first came from behind the moon. A big 23"x30" this beautifully lithographed poster will excite anybody in- terested in science or engineer- ing. ft records the first view man ever had of earth rising in the sky above the moon. 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