Page 12 -The Michigan Daily- Wednesday, September 27, 1989 Going by the book... y Mike Gill Remembering the Wonder Years this past summer r $ 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. 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