. . AND IN THIS CORNER..., Mark Mihanovic t The Michigan Daily-Friday, February 12, 1982-Page 13 One victor among many losers .. . ... dropping all cynical charges I WANTED BADLY to be cynical in this final column, to bring to the fore several injustices which exist in the world of Michigan athletics and harp on them, plead for change. How about sharing just a bit of that $10 million revenue with a struggling sports club, Don Canham? And what is the holdup on the ground-breaking ceremonies for that new women's athletics building which you've talked about? Let's open up the decision- making process a little more, Mr. Canham; that Board in Control is nothing more than a rubber stamp. And, Bo Schembechler, there are quite a few alterations which you should make, as well... And, Bill Frieder... The fact is, when the topic is the Michigan Athletic Department, the positives outweigh the negatives by a wide margin, one that would make cynicism at this point a forced cop-out. It is a marvel, really-an institution that wins, wins, wins in the middle of a quagmire of defeat. Tigers, Lions, Pistons, Wings all in- variably fall short, sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot, in the quest for victory. Nineteen-percent statewide unemployment, lifeless industry, the butt of both out-of-town and in-town writers' cracks-losing extends well beyond the playing field in this part of the country. Whether competing with the Japanese or the Yankees, there is a defeatist resignation among Detroiters which cannot even be overcome by the occasional rise from the ashes of a Diana Ross or a Tommy Hear- ns. They look to Wolverines Yet there is victory, with its accompanying fruits and thrills, to be had if they just identify themselves with the University of Michigan. Not the University of Michigan, actually, although the school is fine. Rather, it is the Michigan Wolverines, the "conquering heroes," who draw the raves. The University is forced to constrict and cut and curtail; the Wolverines roll on. They are financed, of course, on the strength ofa half- dozen Saturdays in the fall by all kinds of alumni and pretend-alumni and soon-to-be alumni. The winning, though, is not in any remote way limited to the gridiron. Whether the game be tennis, track, gymnastics, swim- ming, etc., the overall program is well- represented. It is easy, as a journalist, to become inured to it. Write out a headline: "Michigan gymnasts roll past Hoosiers." Move on to the next one: "Tracksters shine." Then, "Blue tankers rip Western." And don't give it a second thought. Last weekend, for example, the Michigan hockey team swept a traditionally strong Michigan Tech unit at Yost; the Wolverine swimmers pounded Eastern Michigan; the men and women gymnasts routed their In- diana counterparts; the women's basketball team whipped the University of Detroit; the men's track team dominated the Michigan State Relays; and the women's track team qualified a pair of performers for the national championships. Even the men's basketball team won. Only the wrestling squad (now with an 8-5 record) lost. And it was not an unusually triumphant weekend, by any means. Obviously, not all Michigan teams are suc- cessful all of the time. "Down" years, like the last couple for the Wolverine basketballers, are unavoidable, but they are also the excep- tions at Michigan. Across the athletic board, there are not more than a few schools that can match the Maize and Blue. There are none in the Midwest. It doesn't happen often And that is a source of pride for folks in a depressed Detroit area. It certainly goes a long way in explaining the intrigue which this whole state found in Texas A&M's offer to Schembechler and the latter's decision. It was a complete victory for the Midwest over the Sun Belt. A few weeks after whipping the West (UCLA) in a bowl game, the coach spurned the South. Those things don't happen much anymore; it didn't take Pitt-coach Jackie Sherrill long to light out in search of the Lone Star, did it? There is no single factor that can explain how one athletic program is able to field squads competitive with the best in the coun- try in such a wide variety of sports. There is certainly more to it than tradition. The state of Michigan does not possess an overabun- dance of talented athletes which feed into the school. Canham's promotional ability has never scored a point for a Michigan team. It is, of course, the combination of a slew of factors which keeps Michigan in the win column-the greatest is a sense of self- importance among the participants resulting from the belief that they are contributing to something special. It is a feeling which cannot be taken away by the cynical opinions of any columnist. And in this corner, there is not much room for cynicism. SGymnasts host Big Ten's By JESSE BARKIN Entering today's BigTen Women's Gymnastics Championships at Crisler Arena (5:00 p.m.), Michigan State brings four consecutive titles and the number one seed into the competition, but Ohio State and the host Wolverines should provide more than enough com- petition for the Spartans. One thing the third seeded and 10-1 Wolverines have in their favor is a home court advantage. "WE'RE SO optimistic about win- hing," Michigan coach Sheri Hyatt laid, "I would say we've got the inside track because we're at home, but 'Michigan State has a big advantage because they've won it (Big Tens) four straight." The Spartans are led by veterans Alice Hagan, Kelly Enright, Colleen Smith, .and Linda Guhl, all of whom competed for last year's squad which coasted to the championship with a score of 140.3. But no team in the Big Ten has reached the 140 mark this season, and the three highest totals-139.55 (MSU), 139.15 (OSU), and 139.10 (Michigan)- are bunched so closely that a com- petitive meet is virtually assured. SECOND SEEDED Ohio State boasts a young team deep in talent and the only team to beat Michigan this season. "They've got some good depth," Hyatt said of the Buckeyes. "They've got people scoring in the 34's (all- around) consistently." Comparing the Buckeyes with Michigan, Hyatt said, "We've got people who have hit 34's, like Dayna (Samuelson) and Christy (Schwartz), but we're not consistent enough." But though they are young and incon- sistent, the Wolverines have something no other team has-Kathy Beckwith. THIS SEASON, the sophomore from Richmond Hill, Ontario has emerged as the best gymnast in the Big Ten, placing first at every meet. Last year Beckwith finished fifth in the individual all-around when the Wolverines placed third as a team, and she is the key to the Wolverines' success. Assessing her team's chances of up- setting Michigan State and winning its first title in the team's seven-year history, Hyatt §aid, "We've got a real good chance. What it would take is for us to hit every event and not make any mistakes. And we need a little luck." Tomorrow's individual all-around competition follows today's team com- petition and starts at 1:00 p.m. 737 N. 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