- ------. "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: ........... ........... ............... 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.