The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 10, 1990 - Page 15
Camp
Fisher
* Small kids bring out big time
atmosphere in Crisler Arena
by Matthew Dodge
Daily Sports Writer
The summer silence at Crisler
Arena was interrupted last Thursday
evemng.
Shrill whistles ricocheted through
the banner-filled rafters. Air Jordans
and Reebok Pumps stripped the
rmaize and blue paint off the
basketball court as Spalding
basketballs wore out the nets.
Coaches pounded the sidelines.
Proud parents sat in the best seats in
the house. The star point guard
called the play as he dribbled over
*midcourt. Only a minute remained in
overtime...
This pressure is difficult for any
college player to handle - imagine
how it feels to a kid just finishing
elementary school.
As head basketball coach at the
University of Michigan, Steve
Fisher operates one of the nation's
largest youth basketball camps. The
camps draws hundreds of youngsters
each week during June and July.
The kids range in age from eight
to 17. The talent pool ranges from
future Division I standouts to middle
school benchwarmers.
Dozens of high school and small-
college basketball coaches spend five
days teaching the finer points of the
game. And taking names for future
recruiting efforts.
The young players come to Ann
' Arbor to refine the fundamentals of
their game and to gain playing
experience.
For around two hundred dollars,
campers receive a solid week of
teaching from enthusiastic coaches,
while playing against much better
competition than they see back
home.
A typical week for a typical kid
at the Steve Fisher Basketball Camp
might go something like this:
SUNDAY - Mom and Dad drive
Junior from Suburban Hills,
Michigan into Ann Arbor. The
family walks into Crisler Arena to
register. They spend several minutes
oohing and aahing at the fancy
scoreboard and walk gingerly across
the sacred court. As they stand in
line, they see the National Champ-
ionship banner and converse on
Rumeal Robinson and his Seattle
exploits.
A tall, mature looking man
walks into the gym. Junior's parents
nudge their son, whispering, "Is that
Tolbert or Vaught?". The other
people in line begin to stare,
anticipating the chance to see a true
celebrity in person. The man takes a
broom and begins to sweep the floor
- he is on the Crisler work crew.
Dad sighs and Mom puts the pen and
;paper back into her purse.
MONDAY - Junior's alarm clock
RUGBY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
with a late try ending the scoring at
22-10 in favor of Michigan.
The last match was easily the
most exciting of the day as eight
first year students who joined the
club last week played rival Notre
Dame with only two practices under
their belts. The game was beset
early with penalties resulting from
the rookies' lack of experience. This
inexperience was soon overcome by
the hard nose effort put forth by the
first year ruggers.
Rallied by scores from John
Cohen, Will Earle, and Brian
Howard they leapt out to a 16-0 lead.
Strong efforts were also seen by first
year students Matt Studley, Don
Thompson, and Brad Martin.
The team opens league play this
weekend with a home stand against
Cincinnati at Mitchell field on
Saturday. Information concerning
the rugby team can found at the club
sports office in the North Campus
Recreation Building.
SAY IT IN THE ...
DAILY
CLASSIFIEDS
goes off at 7 o'clock this morning.
He rolls out of bed in his South
Quad room and throws a pillow at
his roommate. He slips into a pair
of Michigan shorts, puts on two
pairs of white socks, slides on his
new Nikes, bunches his socks down
to his ankles, and rushes off to the
cafeteria. After eating four bowls of
Cap'n Crunch and a free cone of
vanilla soft serve, Junior is ready for
his first day on the job. He follows
camp recommendations by lacing his
room key into his shoelaces. The
cost of losing your key is at least
two pizzas, so he is very careful.
Still half-asleep, Junior steps outside
to join the teeming teens for the
morning pilgrimage to Crisler.
TUESDAY - Junior's team,
Alabama, is having a good week. It
beat Florida and Tennessee yesterday,
and is set to take on Mississippi this
afternoon. Junior's coach tells his
players to just work hard and think
about the things they have learned in
the camp. Junior is excited but
nervous. He played well yesterday,
but he is very tired. The routine is
starting to wear him down. The
coach does not start him, but puts
him in at the first substitution
break. Junior scores several baskets
and earns some nice comments from
the coach. Though his team loses
the game, Junior's happy because he
played well. After all, that is why he
is here.
WEDNESDAY - Tonight is a big
night on the social calender. A dance
for all the campers in all sports
living in South Quad. To Junior,
this means cheerleaders, cheerleaders,
and more cheerleaders. He hurries
back to the dorm with his roommate
after his last game of the day. Junior
showers and jumps into his slickest
clothes and nicest shoes - and uses
his Old Spice for the first time. At
the dance, Junior and his friends
dance a little and eat a lot. They talk
about the girls, but do not follow
through on most of what they say
they are going to do.
THURSDAY - The last full day
has arrived, none too soon for
Junior. Too many late nights and
too few nutritious meals have left
him dragging. Even the coaches are
exhausted, but most people manage
to put in one more day of hard work.
Junior's confidence is rising. He
cannot wait to get home and whip
his buddies in their daily driveway
duels. His new shoes are scuffed up
and slightly damp from a full day of
play. But Junior does not mind. To
him, these shoes are a trophy
symbolizing his progress and effort
for the week.
FRIDAY - Mom and Dad are
back in town to see their son play in
his final game this morning. They
stop at the souvenir table on their
way into Crisler, then walk up to a
prime seat in the fifth row. The
family claps for Junior and mention
his improvement among themselves.
Junior walks over after the game and
says, "I am really ready to go
home." The family drives up to
South Quad, and loads the station
wagon. As they head out of town,
Dad thinks wistfully that he may
return someday to see Junior in a
Michigan uniform.
Fisher's camp, despite several
flaws - it places too much
emphasis on competition between
the kids - does what it promises to
do.
The youngsters learn the game of
basketball and have fun at the same
time.
JOSE JUAREZDafiy
Senior Julia Strum and her fellow Wolverine volleyball players tough it out during another draining match.
Strum is the only senior on a young Michigan squad, which picked up its first win of the season against
Central Michigan on Saturday, 15-9, 15-12, 15-12. The victory equals last year's season total and represents the
first win at Michigan for rookie coach Peggy Bradley-Hoppes. The team returns to Varsity Arena this Tuesday
night at 7:30 p.m. against Eastern Michigan.
SPIKERS
Continued from page 11
team has been so bad for so long
that they are satisfied with just
improving."
It is unlikely the team will do a
complete turnaround from last year's
1-17 Big Ten record. Not only does
Michigan have a new coach, the
team has only one returning senior.
There are ten first-year students on
the roster, five of which are being
placed into the regular rotation.
"We didn't play 'young' this
weekend," Bradley-Doppes said. "We
played with maturity and good
discipline."
This year's frosh are getting a
little more exposure early on because
of the injuries to two Wolverine
starters. Setter Tarnisha Thompson
tore ligaments in her knee over the
summer and just had her cast
removed last Thursday.
Outside hitter Hayley Lorenzen
was the victim of a freak play in
practice last Thursday. She jammed
two fingers when she collided with
captain Julia Sturm.
Michigan has one more match to
look at their new players before the
Big Ten season begins. The team
will host Eastern Michigan this
Tuesday at Crisler Arena.
The main thing Bradley-Doppes
will be looking for is consistency.
No one player has really stood out.
"Who plays well changes every
match," Bradley-Doppes said.
"Someone plays great one gameInd
then you wonder what happened in
the next one."
Some of the first-year players
who have had a strong showing are
outside hitter Andrea Lucadam- and
middle hitter Fiona Davidson.
Lucadam picked up 11 digs against
Louisville.
"I did well," Lucadam said. "The
whole team looks good, and werare
improving all the time."
The heart of the team, however,
will key on the play of Sturm. ;The
middle hitter did well over -the
weekend, leading the team in kills.
fi r . . : . .: ::
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