Page 10-The Michigan Daily-Thursday, February 15, 1990

Michigan icers receive youthful praise
by Peter Zellen
Daily Hockey Writer

One would have to agree that on the inside of every sports fan and
athlete alike, lies the heart of a child.
Nowhere is this more evident than at Michigan hockey games.
When the game is over dozens of people, mostly children, swarm the
bottom of the steps that lead up to the Michigan locker room. These people
wait patiently until the players are dressed to come down the stairs and greet
them.
One group of regulars at this gathering is the Dow family of Ann Arbor.
Nick Dow is waiting for defenseman Doug Evans. He particularly wants to
congratulate Evans on his goal on Friday night against Alaska-Anchorage.
His youthful sister Katie, who mischievously describes herself as a
"sophomore in high school" waits to greet goalie Tim Keough. "He's a
really nice guy and always says hi, a lot of the other players do also."
How do the players feel about the adulation that these kids express?
"It's nice to have them down there with their smiling faces," Keough
says. "They're always there whether we win or lose and I never feel it to be
a pain to talk to them or give them an autograph."
Rightwinger Ted Kramer is the first to come down dressed and he is
"immediately swamped by 10 kids clamoring for some attention. Programs
wsurround his face and small hands grab at his pants leg.
o "It makes you feel good when they look up to you like that," Kramer
.says. "I remember when I was that age and going to college games. Seeing
:the players off the ice and talking to them. It really makes everybody feel
w goal.
r Two of the most recognizable youngsters are John and Annie Chaivre
from Ypsilanti.
Both children come with their father to every Monday's practice and are

in attendance at this particular series.
After the game, the two run around frantically. Desperately, both parents
try to contain their offspring but to no avail. Their pleas urging theirO
children to slow down fall on deaf ears as the youngsters cannot contain
their excitement.
John spots leftwinger Don Stone coming to the foot of the stairs and
immediately pounces, grabbing hold of Stone's pants leg.
At first Stone looks shocked at the initial attack. Then he looks down
and sees the familiar face and is relieved. Stone reaches down and accepts
John's tiny hand for a high-five, an acknowledgement that John appreciates.
Also present at the bottom of the stairs is Nikki Arthur, 11, from
Ypsilanti. Nikki is a friend of Katie Dow and has been coming to Yost for
the past three years.
Nikki is a big fan of rightwinger Denny Felsner. She likes them all but
Felsner is her favorite.
"We usually don't find out about the fans who like us better but it's nice
to know," Felsner said.
Felsner hits the bottom of the steps and Nikki can only smile and
occasionally look towards the floor. She watches as Felsner stands around
the Yost Arena hallway, too shy to say anything. Whether it. is fan
adulation or an innocent schoolgirl crush only Nikki knows.
It makes a person feel youthful to see the children at Yost and makes one
yearn for the simpler years of one's past.

Michigan center Jim Ballantine takes a moment after a game to sign a
young fan's program. The children are a familiar sight for the players
after all home games and are appreciated.

Men's

tumblers set


Blue tumblers need win

to badger Wisconsin

BIG TEN
STANDINGS
w


by Albert Lin
Daily Sports Writer
Coming off of a disappointing
weekend meet, the Michigan men's
gymnastics team will try to bounce
back Saturday against Wisconsin.
Following their season-high score
of 269, against Michigan State, the
Wolverines fell apart last week and
only scored 260.4 points in a loss to
Ohio State
"The judges used sharp pencils,"
head coach Bob Darden said. "We're
not used to such harsh review of our
routines."
The Badgers come in with a
strong team, with a season high of
272 points.
"They are moving up in their
scoring, and we've had a
setback...and are moving down,"

Darden said.
However, Darden welcomes the
familiarity of Varsity Arena. "We're
looking forward to being in our own
gym, to retrench and forge ahead," he
said.
The entire year though, Michigan
has had problems on the parallel bars
and the horizontal bar. In order to
overcome these difficulties, Darden
feels that the squad must perform
well in the first four events.
"We have to post season's bests
on each of the first four events so we
can trade baskets with p-bars and
maybe take a little loss on high
bar," he said.
Redshirt frosh Eliot Kim will
return to the lineup after being out
two weeks with a shoulder injury.

Purdue
Michigan St.
Michigan
Illinois
Minnesota
Indiana
Ohio State
Iowa
Wisconsin
Northwestern

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by Dan Zoch
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's gym-
nastics team is slowly sinking into
the depths of mediocrity and des-
perately needs a win against Wis-
consin to keep their ship afloat.
The Wolverines (4-3 overall, 2-2
in the Big Ten) will face the Badgers
in a coed meet this Saturday at
Varsity Arena. The Badgers have
averaged 183 points this season but
Michigan is coming off a road loss
and feels the home field advantage
will give them an edge.
"In home competition the kids
feel more comfortable, more pumped
up," coach Beverly Fry said. "They
want to take charge of the meet."
The team is reeling from the
loss of gymnast Christine Furlong,
who suffered a severe neck injury

while dismounting from the balance
beam in the meet with Ohio State.
Furlong will be out for the
remainder of the season and will be
sorely missed by the team in its
efforts to rise in the Big Ten
standings.
"She had a small fracture in her
vertebrae," Fry said, "but she's
going to be fine. The doctors say
she's going to heal nicely."
Instead of replacing Furlong
with one all-around gymnast, Fry
has decided to insert several ind-
ividuals to fill the gap. Con-
sequently, first-year gymnasts such
as Tiffany Kinaia will be able to
compete in Big Ten competition for
the first time.
"Our strength is that, even in
adversity, the team has enough depth
to pull together," said Fry. "It's

great that someone can come in and
make up the difference."
Fry expects sophomore Diane
Armento to provide the squad with a
strong peformance when the squad
faces off against Wisconsin.
Armento has been improving on the
vault throughout the season and
should begin to take a leadership role
with the loss of Armento.
"Diane is really starting to
become consistent on her handspring
vaults, which is always a key
event."
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Wisconsin at Purdue, Sat.
Illinois at Michigan St., Sat.
Iowa at Indiana, Sat.

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