Thursday, September 9, 1971'
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Seven"
I
Thursday, September 9, 1971 THE MICHIGAN DAiLY Page Seven1
Thinclads' wish:
Forget
middle
By SANDI GENIS
While the Wolverine t r a c k
squad began and ended its '71
season on most encouraging and
successful notes, unfortunately
for coach Dave Martin and his
young and talented track squad
things did not go quite so well
during the remainder of the sea-
son.
With seemingly cruel and
startling regularity Fate dealt
the thinclads, who cherished
hopes of a fine showing in the
Big Ten this past season, a num-
ber of harsh blows as injuries
continually crippled the spirited
team.
Repeatedly t h e Wolverines
were forced to compete without
the services of one or more of
the major point-getters, as in-
juries took stars like super-
sprinter Gene Brown, world-
class hurdler Godfrey Murray,
and fine distance man Phil
Pyatt out of the competition.
Bolstered by a fine recruiting
campaign, that saw some of the
nation's finest high school track-
men enrolled at Michigan, the
Wolverines opened their season
in fine style, hosting the Mich-
igan Relays. The team displayed
a winning look punctuated by
fine performances from the
freshmen, who displayed traces
of super talent.
Former state schoolboy mile
champ Mike Pierce made his
Michigan debut by p o s t i n g a
4:08.9 mile, the fastest time ever
turned in by a Wolverine fresh-
man.
Meanwhile two other fresh-
men thrilled Michigan fans as
national s c h o o 1 b o y shot-put
champ Steve Adams turned in
a fine performance to cop third
place in that event while Mich-
igan prep hurdles champ Mel
Reeves posted a startling upset
victory over his teammate Mur-
ray, who earlier in the afternoon
had set a new Yost Field House
record in the 70 yard high hur-
dles with an 8.4 run.
At the same time veteran
-Daily-Jim Judkis
Wolverines like Eric Chapman,
Bob Fortas, and Rick Storrey
combined w i t h freshman Bill
Bolster to shave 1.6 seconds off
the old two-mile relay record.
And speed demon Brown was
just edged out in the 60 yard
dash by co-world record holder
Herb Washington.
Certainly Dave Martin seemed
to have a firm basis for his title
challenge hope.
But then the bad luck began
to take its toll. In their first
dual meet of the season with
prime Big Ten challenger In-
diana, the Wolverines saw their
seemingly sure victory dissa-
pated by a strong Big Red finish.
And so went the rest of the
indoor season as the Michigan
squad felt the crush of incon-
sistency, injury, and the failure
of veteran star Norm Cornwell,
a National Collegiate Athletic
Association All - American t h e
previous season to return to his
old form after a brief layoff.
Big Ten indoor championships
were the culmination of misery
for the team as it finished a
surprising and extremely dis-
appointing eighth with a total
of 13%1/3 points, as injuries struck
again to remove both of Mich-
igan's fine hurdlers.
The outdoor season picked up
where the indoor one left off
with injuries to Murray, fresh-
man short-distance men Kim
Rowe, and Greg Sphax occuring
during the first few weeks of
action.
One of the most serious in-
juries to occur was a stress frac-
ture in the leg of Brown, Mich-
igan's only real sprinter, who
had over the season developed
into one of the finest runners
around.
However Fate seemed at last
to take pity on the injury rack-
ed team as it faced its final
competition of the season at the
Big Ten outdoor championships.
Hurdler Murray, who once
again seemed doomed to be on
the sidelines for the Big Ten
finals, having aggravated a pull-
ed hamstring the week before,
managed to convince Martin to
allow him to compete and cap-
tured a first in the hurdles.
Still another surprise occurred
when barefooted high jumper
John Mann captured second
place in that event, clearing the
bar at 7-1, only to lose to na-
tional indoor champ Pat Matz-
dorf because of more misses.
Mann who had been struggl-
ing throughout his college ca-
reer to clear the magical seven
foot mark, finally managed the
feat only two weeks earlier at
Purdue after a season that saw
him struggling to clear 6-10.
Varsatle, distance man Phil
Pyatt supplied more surprises by
posting a school record-break-
ing 4:05.7 in the mile to capture
third place.
Fortunately for 'the Wolver-
ines the successful note on which
they closed their season offers
optimistic overtones for next
s e a s o n. Surprisingly enough,
only two seniors placed for
Michigan in the Big Ten meet
and the Wolverines would have
claimed the fifth place spot
even without their services.
With an almost wholly veteran
squad returning, the Wolverine
coaches may well look forward
to a successful season next win-
ter and spring.
Returning in the field events,
in which the Wolverines promise
to field a strong team, will be
sophomore Adams in the shot
put and javalin. Adams man-
aged a surprise second place
finish in the outdoor meet in
the javalin while finishing fifth
in the shot put.
George Gilchrest, who came
on strong in the outdoor season,
and Mark Rosenbaum will han-
dle the long and triple jumps.
Rosenbaum turned in the best
long jump i n d o o r s, leaping
22-21/.
John Mann, a senior, returns
in the high jump, giving the
Wolverines one of the finest
high jump challenges in the na-
tion now that Mann seems to
have become a consistent seven-
foot jumper.
Bob Mitchell will handle the
pole-valulting duties, along with
Larry Wolfe, who cleared 16
feet as a sophomore and is at-
tempting to come back from a
bad ankle injury by attempting
to become a right-footed, left-
handed vaulter. Wolfe posted a
season's best of 15 feet this past
season.
In the sprints, speedy Gene
Brown will be returning. Fully
recovered from his injury, he
could challenge MSU's Herb
Washington for the conference
sprint title, as well as for the
national title.
The Wolverines should domi-
nate the hurdles events with
one of the strongest one-two
punches in the country if Mur-
ray and Reeves can manage to
avoid the injuries that plagued
them all last season. Reggie
Johnson and Greg Syphax add
depth and power, especially in
the shuttle-hurdle relays and
intermediate hurdles.
Syphax and sophomore Kim
Rowe, a Jamaican import, will
handle the 440 where last sea-
son's captain Lorenzo Mont-
gomery will be missed. Syphax
owned last season's indoor best
of 49.3.
Anchoring the half-mile con-
tingent will be sophomore Bill
Bolster, an Irish acquisition;
Eric Chapman, who posted last
season's indoor best of 1:52.6;
and Al Cornwell. Cornwell and
Chapman will also handle the
600 and 660 duties.
Sophomore Mike Pierce, who
set the record for the finest
freshman mile performance in
the University's history in his
first appearance as a Wolverine,
and senior Phil Pyatt, who holds
the varsity mile mark of 4:05.7,
both return to give the Wolver-
ine squad a strong distance
combination. Both are also fine
two-milers.
Completing and strengthening
the distance corps will be Bob
Fortas who posted a 2:12.3 in
the 1000 yard run, sophomore
Dave Eddy, Dale Arbour, and
sophomore Rick Schott. Arbour
will also handle the steeplechase
duties.
So Martin and his assistants
Ken Burnley and Jack Harvey
will take a seasoned and talent-
ed squad into competition next
spring. Given a little luck and
the absence of major Injuries
the Wolverine thinclads could
make Michigan track fans for-
get the dismal performances of
last year as the new, winning
look they betrayed traces of
earlier becomes a reality.
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Mann clears magical seven foot mark
PALMER PRINCES
Ruggers rule supreme at home
BY J. GUTHRO GREER'
Regardless of the sport considered, the home team is always
given a slight advantage.
But for the Michigan Rugby Football Club, a home game
means almost certain victory. The ruggers haven't lost a match
in Ann Arbor since the spring of 1969-a span of nearly 30 games.
This fall the ruggers hope to keep their Palmer Field un-
beaten string alive with home games every football Saturday.
Last year, the Rugby Club first -played at Palmer Field on a
permanent basis. For many of the "Hill" residents, it was their
initial exposure to championship rugby, and judging by the size
and enthusiasm of the crowds, the sport caught on quickly.
Last fall's doubleheaders began at 9 a.m. but the matches will
be held after the football games during the upcoming season.
Rugby Club president Jacque Fassino explained the move: "It
was not only tough to get the fans up .that early, the players found
it difficult also."
Currently the largest sports club on campus, the Rugby Club
is popular with players and fans alike. The post game parties are
among the most popular at Michigan.
The club originated in 1961 as the Ann Arbor Rugger and
Cricket Club to make available the "Opportunity to enjoy health-
ful participation in a clean, contact sport; opportunity to learn
sportsmanship, develop leadership, cooperation, competitiveness
and respect for authority based upon enrichment of one's llife
through the stimulation of companionship of fellow man, wheth-
er teammate or opponent, in athletic competition."
Its continuous involvement with the University community
triggered the organization of the Michigan Rugby Football Club.
Michigan, aloeg with many other schools in the area, is a member
of the Midwest Rugby Union which sanctions all matches.
Again this fall the club will have four squads but only two
will actually compete. The "Blues," according to coach John Rob-
son, is the "representative" team which is currently among the
nation's top ranked squads. The "Golds," called the "nursery" is
the second team while the "Old Blues" consist of the older players
who are not firm enough to survive the rugged competition.
The fourth squad is made up of the "rookies" who work ex-
ellusively on fundamentals.
The regulars will start practice earlier than usual this fall
for a couple of reasons. Passino expects an unusually high turnout
this fall and he wants to start an expanded program for the be-
ginners.
"Wefll probably start the second week of August," he added,
"We have a tournament (Windsor Invitational) coming up the
first week of September and we weren't ready for it last year."
Last fall the ruggers battled to an 8-3-1 record, losing road
games to Indianapolis, Toronto, and Wisconsin, and finished a
disappointing fifth in the Windsor Invitational
The spring season fared much better at 4-0-1 before the
ruggers fell to Wisconsin in the Big Ten final.
Rugby, in brief explanation, is an offspring of soccer and very
similar to American football. In fact, American football is an
offspring of rugby. Rugby is a very simple game to follow, and
like football, the object of the game is to move the ball across the
goal line.'
The name of the game, as well as the game itself, originated
by accident in an experiment in England in 1823. During a soccer
match at Rugby College, one of the players (rightfully named
William Webb Ellis) picked the ball up and carried it over the
goal line for a score.
A new variation of soccer was thus formed although nothing
resulted from the experiment untill 1939. That year Ellis' trick
was tried again at Cambridge during an intramural soccer match
and was called Rugby's game.
Rugby was first played in America around the turn of the
century in California. Internationally, Rugby was played in the
1908, 1920 and 1924 Olympics. The United States captured the gold
medal both in 1920 and 1924.
An ideal rugby field has maximum dimensions of 75 yards by
-Daily-Terry McCarthy
Thornton takes the lead
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See the A-i
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owl
-Daily-Terry McCarthy
Rugger rough stuff
of pitch-outs and runs produce yardage. Unlike football blocking
is not allowed.
When a tackle is made the ball getters, or forwards, form a
ruck to move the ball along the ground to the link and pivot. The
scrum-half, who is similar to the split-T quarterback, gets the
attack formed by pitching the ball back to the penetrators.
Scoring is divided into four areas. A touchdown, called a try,
is worth three points. The ball must be touched-down within the
in-goal for the try to count.
The conversion, which is worth two points, is kicked through
the uprights from a point twenty yards froni and perpendicular
to the goal line from the spot of touchdown.
It is common for a rugger free in the in-goal to touch the
ball down toward the center of the field thus getting a more
direct angle for the conversion.
Although an uncommon occurrence, three points are awarded
for drop-kicking between the uprights during play.
A penalty or free kick produces three points and is awarded
from the spot of the foul.
Also, when points are scored, the victimized team must kick
off.
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1971 FALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 4-5 at Windsor Invita-
tional
coi 1.. ,' r~ri~xn rr rr fllflA
Bridesmaids again
(Continued from Page 6)
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