- ------. "in--
SPORTS
The Michigan Daily
Thursday, February 10, 1983
Page 9
Kathy Beckwith tumbles
down the pathof success
By AMY SCHIFF
Desire... determination... dedication.
According to Kathy Beckwith, Michigan's top gymnast,
these are the words paving the road to success. Leading the
Wolverines with consistenly high scores, Beckwith appears
to be on the right path.
Against Illinois, by earning first places on both the balance
beam and the vault, and tying for second on the bars, Beck-
with grabbed the first-place all-around award. Versus Ohio
State and Eastern Michigan, hitting a season high of 35.0
gave Beckwith an all-around third. Most recently, tumbling
against tough competitors from Oklahoma, Beckwith mat-
ched her all-around high and added a season high score of
8.95 on the floor exercise. Nonetheless, Beckwith sees room
for improvement. "I'm never satisfied with my own results .
I always want to do better."
The seeds of Beckwith's career are rooted in a Richmond
Hill, Ontario neighborhood recreation program. "For the fun
:of it," at the age of ten, she spent one or two afternoons a
week at the gymnasium.
Desire ... After six months, Beckwith joined a private club
called the Winstonettes. This led to more instruction, more
workouts and more commitment.
Determination . . . While most college-bound seniors are
preparing for college after twelve years of schooling,
residents of Ontario have grade thirteen to complete. For
Beckwith, this extra year meant no gymnastics. She had
transferred to a strict, private high-school where neither
time nor regulation permitted for sports.
Heading for Ann Arbor in the following fall, Beckwith's
desire and determination combined themselves as she spent
her summer sweating back into shape.
Dedication ... Now a junior and majoring inExercise and
Sports Science, Beckwith adheres to a rigid daily routine.
Morning classes, two o'clock practice, home by 6:30 p.m. for
dinner, shower and just when it's time to relax,it's time to
study.
"If you want to be a gymnast, you can't stop working and
practicing," says Beckwith. "Training is absolutely
necessary if you want to improve."
"I was really unmotivated last summer (she spent two
months away from the sport), but I'm working a lot harder
now, incorporating new moves and am very excited to get
those scores up there," she says. Beckwith seems to be
weaving her threads of desire, determination and dedication
together in forming her strong drive towards perfection.
Daily Photo by JEFF SCHRIER
Kathy Beckwith poses on the balance beam.
By BOB WOJNOWSKI choices to Pitt and Michigan and then chose the All-American Anthony Carter. The 6-2, 170-pound day and talked to Freeman, he made up his mind
Wolverines. receiver/defensive back caught 32 passes for 700 right then."
In what is rapidly becoming a yearly oc- "I THOUGHT Michigan had a better all-around yards and intercepted seven passes last year. He Glenn Mogle, a 6-8, 275-pound highly touted
currence, Michigan bagged some standout foot- program than the other schools," said White will probably be utilized on defense at Michigan, lineman -from Sarasota and Allen Bishop, a 5-1,
ball talent from the state of Florida as high when contacted at his home. "They had a better which should end all comparisons between 185-pound linebacker, round out the Florida
school seniors began signing national letters-of- coaching staff and better facilities. I've wanted Freeman and his better-known predecessor at recruits.
f ie7 of intent yesterday. to go there ever since I was a little kid and liked Sun Coast High - Carter. "We had to get some receivers and some big
Head coach Bo Schembechler used his their helmets." "THEY BOTH played good offense and defen- lineman and I think, basically, we had a good
"Florida Pipeline" to sign five players from the Following White north will be Gene Lawson, a se," said Al Sutton, who coached both Carter and year," said Schembechler. "We're satisfied
Sunshine State among the 28 athletes that signed 5-11, 170-pound wide receiver from Ft. Lauder- pFreeman. "Carter was more of a breakaway with what we got. Other signees include:
F o ld a s on with the Wolverines yesterday. Heading that dale and a good friend of White's. The two made player but Freeman's got good moves." MICHIGAN - Kenny Higgins, a 6-2,175-pound
togroup is running back GeraldWhite, a 6-2, 205-pound their visit to Michigan on the same weekend and And when Freeman narrowed his choices to receiver caught 40 passes for 591 yards and eight
power-runner from Titusville. White rushed for decided then that they would become Michigan and Notre Dame, it was Carter's touchdowns for Battle Creek Lakeview last
1,737 yards and 22 touchdowns last season and Wolverines. recruiting pitch that tipped the scales in season; Carlitos Bostic from Ypsilanti; Dave
b e St was considered one of the top running back Dwayne Freeman, the third Florida recruit, Michigan's favor "He (Carter) had a lot to do Bergeron from Grosse Point North; Dan
prospects in the nation. He visited Notre Dame, comes from a town very familiar to Wolverine with it," said Sutton. "Everybody down here
UCLA, Pittsburgh and Michigan, narrowed the partisans - Riviera Beach, home of Michigan idolizes Carter and when he came over last Sun- Dave Falkertsma, a lineman from Grandville,
V
JOHNSON, BRANDON SUCCEED OFF FIELD:
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Ex-gridders get down to business
By RANDY BERGER
Larry Johnson and Dave Brandon
didn't dominate the headlines when
they played football at Michigan in the
early '70s. In fact, when you look back
they rarely even played. Johnson star-
ted in two games as a defensive end in
the 1974 season but injuries prevented
him from getting much more playing
time. Brandon's career was even less
auspicious as the high school quarter-
back turned defensive end earned a let-
ter in only one season (1973) and spent
most of that year on the bench.
mental toughness by playing football
and you learn that if you want it bad
enough you can achieve anything," said
Johnson.
FOR BRANDON, now vice-president
of sales for the printing company, the
effects of playing football at Michigan
are more tangible. Upon graduating
with a degree in Education in 1974,
Brandon landed a job as a salesman for
Proctor and Gamble.
"I got my first job with them totally
because of football," said the former
defensive end. "Their recruiters visited
the campus and they talked to various
members of the faculty and staff asking
for recommendations. One of the per-
son's they talked to was Bo and he gave
them my name."
After spending five years working for
Proctor and Gamble as sales manager
of their Salt Lake City office, Brandon
joined up with teammate Johnson, who
had been with Valassis since 1976. On-
ce again, his association with Michigan
football helped Brandon get a job.
FOR TWO guys who are at the top
now, it wasn't always that way when
they played football. However, even
though they didn't see much playing
time, it wasn't hard getting motivated
for practice and the games.
"It wasn't hard getting motivated
because if you did a poor job in prac-
tice, the starters wouldn't be as
prepared and the team wouldn't do as
well," stated Johnson. "It was a total
group effort. Running out of the tunnel
which was totally dark into the open
sunshine and 100,000 people was a great
thrill in itself. The first time I did it I
swear my feet didn't touch the ground."
For Brandon, football at Michigan
was a great experience but it is
something which he leaves behind with
the rest of his college days.
"College is meant for college kids. I
don't get so involved with how the team
is doing now," said Brandon. "I en-
joyed playing at Michigan but I didn't
let not starting bother me. I got to play
a little and that was really all I wanted
out of it. I had no driving desire to play
pro football and make football a
career."
As Brandon and Johnson show there
are other ways to live than playing
pro football.
Thus one might ask what makes these
men different from the hundreds of
other players who have donned the
*naize and blue uniform for Bo Schem-
pechler. Well, very few ex-Michigan
football players are president and vice-
president of a company that grosses over
$130 million in sales. And as the top
executives of the George Valassis
Company in Livonia, that is precisely
what Johnson and Brandon do.
THE GEORGE Valassis Co., a
private printing and publishing com-
pany, has existed for over 12 years, and
is the nation's largest producer of free-
standing newspaper inserts. These in-
serts, normally filled with adver-
lisements, can usually be found in Sun-
'daynewspapers across the country.
Johnson, president of the company,
claims these inserts reach 43 million
households 25 times a year grossing
$135 million in sales.
For players who seldom saw action,
one wouldn't think that playing football
at Michigan would have much effect in
their becoming successful
businessmen. But for Johnson the
emotional effects of spending long af-
ternoons on the practice field have
carried over to his business endeavors.
"You gain a certain physical and
U of M CHAPTER of AAUP
OPEN MEETING
Monday, Feb. 14 at 12:30 p.m.
Conference Room D in the new
ALUMNI CENTER
ON
RETIREMENT ISSUES
Early Retirement - Uncapping Mandatory Retirement
Speakers:
Representative Perry Bullard
Charles M. Allmand, Assistant to the Vice-President for Academic Affairs
-THE HOTTEST
JEANS IN -TOWN!1
..
oil
In Stonewashed Denim and Twill.
COMPLEMENTS for women
Brandon
... vice-president
Johnson
... president
MACHON L'TORAH-TORAH CENTER OF METRO DETROIT
- Presents -
A DAY OF STIMULATING LECTURES AND DISCUSSIONS ON
SUBJECTS OF INTEREST TO JEWISH ADULTS .. .
JEWISH AATY
LEARN. E WOME'ILM
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION WILL INCLUDE:
0 On Being Jewish - An Hour of Discovery
* Happiness, 20th Century Style ... A Jewish Perspective
0 The Reality and Illusions of the Suburban Jew
* Do Women Take a Back Seat in Judaism?
WORK WITH KIDS,
AT TAMARACK
Brighton and Ortonville, Mich.