Page 12 -The Michigan Daily- Wednesday, September 27, 1989
Going
by the book...
y
Mike Gill
Remembering the Wonder
Years this past summer
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GillAgain
Remember what it was like to be 12-years old?
Swimming lessons, soccer matches, early bedtimes, and red pop?
Yep.
And I got to relive it all last summer.
When you coach a softball team of 10-12 year olds boys for two
months, it lets you be 12 again. Where else would you find a college
student, as darkness lurked on our practice field, playing Capture the Flag
with menacing little maniacs?
Do you remember Capture the Flag? I never had played it. When I told
my team that, they felt I had a deprived childhood. But late in the season,
with our team looking so good that it seemed there were no more excuses
to have fielding practice we played it. We armed for wits battle to find
where the other team hid their flag.
I hate to admit it, but it was fun. And I think I was sore for two days.
That's a reason I came back for a fifth season. Winning makes you
come back, too. But most of all, it was the 16 kids I spent the summer
with, trying to develop their skills, that kept me yearning for more.
For the second straight season, the year had a happy ending. This year
we were undefeated, one less loss than last year's championship campaign.
But what really makes each year fun is development. You see a player
mature by one year, but it often seems much, much more.
This year, I knew we had a great team as soon as I read my roster. Sure,
there would be skills to be taught, but the team was solid. And yes, I did
my best Bo Schembechler impressions throughout the year, telling the
team that although we beat a certain team 33-1 last time, it could be a very
different saga this time.
It worked. At the end of the year, we outscored our opponents 159-32.
At the start of the season, all the team did was fight and goof around.
For that reason, one blustery evening, the team was sent through a drill
sequence of push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, laps, and finally, down-ups
to the cadence of a Thistle.
It struck a chord. Attitude changed, and the development began.
Most 12-year old teams don't have captains. For the most-part, at that
age, the foam has yet to rise. But this year, naming a captain seemed a
perfect idea. And when the idea was announced, players had their juices
flowing with anticipation.
I guess you could say that this year's season centered around developing
leadership and character. It's hard to make kids see past the facade of a
baseball diamond. But we tried.
Each week, players had to write an essay. I know, that's mean. The
assignments consisted of writing about personal goals, team goals, ways
for each team member to grow. In addition, we frequently had team talks
about leadership and working together.
The message clearly struck home.
With the conclusion of our season, the essays all centered around the
words of accomplishment, leadership and character. When we voted for
Most Valuable Player, to a man, each wrote the word "leadership" as a key
reason for their vote.
The team was thinking.
On a trip to Tiger Stadium a couple players encountered scenes they had
Huskies Public Relations
The Huskies celebrate their 1989 championship by drenching players
and coach with non-alcoholic champagne, Pepsi, and water.
never experienced before. We walked quite a few blocks to reach Michigan
and Trumbell.
What we saw was acute poverty.
There were homeless people sleeping in parks, others begging for
money. Still others sitting with a pint of alcohol in their hands, muttering
worries out of their mouth.
They had never seen them before.
"Why," asked a player, "if my dad works downtown and there are so
many big buildings, are these people poor."
This was heavy stuff. Now, try explaining the poverty cycle to him.
Try to explain that race does not influence this matter, only finances and
standard of livings. Try to give an example that makes sense.
It's hard. But you know, despite the complexity of the explanation,
some sunk through. You could also tell by the inquisitive look on Scott's
face, that there were other questions to be asked too.
So in the end, what will everyone remember?
Probably games, scores, hits, RBI's.
Probably Detroit sports superfan Joe "The Brow" Diroff cheering
"Strawberry Shortcake, Gooseberry Pie," at our championship game.
Probably the six bottles of non-alcoholic champagne, 16 bottles of
Pepsi, and ice-cold water buckets which were quickly sprayed and dumped
after the clincher.
Those are the memories that will linger.
But somewhere, you hope the lessons that were learned off the field -
of character, leadership, poverty, and everything else - hopefully, those
will sometime be remembered.
I.M. Department
makes vast changes.
by Anil Chaddha
Daily Contributor
A chilly wind blows through Ann Arbor, and with it comes change for
the 1989-1990 Intramural season. Those of you who have participated in the
first two sports, soccer and softball, have already been exposed to some of
these changes.
The soccer season, which once began in October, was moved to
September this year, while the softball season, normally a two to threeg
week affair, was shortened to a five-day schedule. Jan Wells, Director of the
Intramural Program, cited weather, field conditions, and participant pleasure
as reasons for the adjustments.
"The soccer season was moved to September to escape cold weather
conditions as well as to lessen wear and tear on the fields," Wells said.
"Elbel Field, the main site for soccer and softball games in the past, has
taken much abuse through the years, making playing conditions somewhat
dangerous."
Softball changed from a double elimination tournament to single
elimination, and the five-day schedule forced some teams to play
doubleheaders.
"This was done," Wells said, "so the football season could extend an
extra week, from a three-game round robin to a four-game regular season."
More changes are in store for football. The "touch" meihod of tackling
has been replaced by "flag" football, and there can be no contact between
offensive and defensive lines but only "shadow" blocking. This has drawn
criticism from some participants.
LSA sophomore Tom Foote complains, "These rules negate size, ar'
important aspect of football, as a factor. It takes away from the game. Can't-
we just sign release forms before playing?"
According to Wells, "a study was done last year to determine ways of
reducing injury and liability on the part of the school. Release forms do
little more than make participants aware of the risks; they don't hold up in
court.
"'Screen' blocking and flag football have been successful and are used by
98 percent of the IM programs around the country. The National Intramural
Recreational Sports Association promotes flag football over touch and
tackle."
Another important change-the sportsmanship rule. Each team is graded
after each game, A through E, on sportsmanship. If the team doesn't
maintain a "B" average in sportsmanship through the regular season, it is
ineligible for the playoffs. Examples of "bad" sportsmanship include
"inappropriate language and behavior as determined by the referee."
Anyone interested in participating in the IM program or have questions
about the rule changes should contact administration at 763-3562.
BLONDER
Continued from Page 10
A long-overdue across-the-board
emphasis is being placed on
academics.
Athletic department trouble-
shooter Jeff Long was attached to the
hip of former Michigan coaches Bill
Frieder and Bud Middaugh in an
effort to ensure things were done
properly.
And this portly columnist
questions whether any direction is
being given or progress is being
made?
To most observers, there is no
need to "go back." To retreat only
means to return to an era gone by.
The examples given by this
columnist to justify a trip to the
past seem to miss the point because
he leaves out vital background
information. But I guess that's what
happens when a columnist is so set
on spewing a certain brand of
rhetoric.
Several athletic department
insiders warned several weeks ago
that the public would probably be
inundated with propaganda from the
Canham allies. The reason - to
embarrass Schembechler because he
has departed from past policies and
has told several Canham allies, to
stay out of the way.
The first shots were fired several
weeks ago when Frieder ripped
Schembechler in a parting interview
with the Detroit News.
And we can only assume that
yesterday's column in Detroit's
"non-failing newspaper" is a
continuation of the battle, if not an
all-out declaration of war.
Don Canham is not a person whoa
enjoys being out of the spotlight.
But being pimped for by Joe
Falls, whose past demonstrates
warped judgment, is a demeaning
way to get the attention.
That's "wasting his talent."
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