Page 10 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 22, 1992 it T - -- ' ]ven's runners race at EMU by Wendy Law 'M' women harriers ready for Big Tens With the Big Ten Conference Championship in two weeks, the Michigan men's cross country team looks to tomorrow's Eastern Michigan Classic as a final tuneup for the squad. Six runners have already qualified to go to the cham- pionships for Michigan. Seniors Matt Smith and Chris Childs, sophomores Ian Forsyth and Jim Finlayson and freshmen Scott MacDonald and Theo Molla firmly es- tablished themselves as the top six runnersby virtue of their outstand- ing performances in winning the Michigan Invitational last Sunday. These runners will be kept out of tomorrow's competition, leaving the rest of the team to compete with each other for the final three spots on the Big Ten Championship team. "My seventh, eighth, and ninth runners and the rest of the bulk of S m iit h the team are going to run over at Eastern Michigan," Michigan coach Ron Warhurst said. "It's a non-scoring meet. It is low key as far as team scores are concerned, but there will be a lot of competition for who'll be my seventh, eighth, and ninth man. They're going to have to beat each other to make (the travel) team." Michigan will be one of twelve teams competing at the EMU Classic. "The biggest competition there is probably Eastern," Warhurst said. "There are not going to be many larger schools there. Everyone kind of re- laxes the week before (the Big Tens). Eastern Michigan is doing with their team what we and the other teams are doing." Aggression is the key to the Wolverines' improve- ment for the upcoming Big Tens. "This conference is very strong," Warhurst said. "Penn State is starting to improve quite a bit. Wisconsin is probably way over and above a heavy fa- vorite and we're going to be looking at Penn State and us for second place. "We've got to get a whole lot more aggressive in the beginning and the middle (of the race). Smith is taking care of everything up front, but we can't have a minute spread between first and second or else Wisconsin and Penn State will put nine people in there. We finished strong on Sunday, but we have to be much more ag- gressive in the middle." The Eastern Michigan Classic starts for the men har- riers at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Huron Golf Course in Ypsilanti. by Rich Mitvalsky Daily Sports Writer The Michigan women's cross country team hopes to turn in one more outstanding performance be- fore the rapidly approaching Big Ten Championships. The Wolverines travel to Eastern Michigan tomorrow to compete with several teams from around the region. For several Wolverines, this competition marks the final opportu- nity to compete this season, due to conference restrictions upon the number of athletes allowed to attend the conference championships. However, this meet also may provide some Wolverines with the chance to fill out the team's Big Ten lineup. Either way, the Wolverines are eagerly anticipating this meet with a light-hearted attitude. "The team is looking forward to this meet, and it should be a fun meet, too," Wolverine junior Kristi Wink commented. "I think that re- laxing can definitely help, because everyone's not as nervous, and any- thing can really happen." The course that will be used this weekend should be less challenging compared to one week ago. Amidst rain, wind, and chilly temperatures, Michigan hosted the Interregional Champion-ship on a very hilly and slippery course. Eastern Michigan sports a course similar to what the Wol-verines should see in Champaign one week from now at Big Tens. "This course is fairly flat, and should be nothing to worry about," redshirt frosh Mayrie Richards said. "It's going to be a relaxed race, and we are pretty positive about the meet." "What Coach (head coach Mike McGuire) doesn't want is for this meet to become a runoff, in the sense that there are a few runners who could still run at Big Tens,' Wink added. "Coach will determift who runs on the basis of the wholO season, and not just one race." 0I The Big Ten Championships are shaping up to be a real doozy. With Michigan's success throughout tht season, team members and cross country gurus figure this meet to le a three-way contest between de- fending champion Wisconsin, Penn State and the Wolverines. "This team is definitely the strongest Michigan team we've ever had since I have been here," Wink said. "We've got all of our guns oit for this one." The Wolverines will experience one new rule change from a year ago, which could make things a bitO more interesting. In past years, teams were forced to declare their top seven runners at the champi- onships, while running nine total. The declared seven were then the only runners on each team eligible to score. "In other words, if your eighth runner placed third overall, she couldn't score because she wasn't declared as one of the top seven'," Richards explained. "Now, all of the runners can score. After Big Tens the runners will enjoy a weekend off from heated battle before engaging in the district championships. There, the Wolvq- ines hope to finish among the top two teams, which would qualify them automatically for NCAAs. One year ago, Michigan bene- fited from a wild card berth at dis- tricts, for which the third and fourth- place teams are eligible. Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan all fall in the same district, and expect to be joined by Kansas State in the strug- gle for the district crown. Karen Harvey leads the Ypsilanti this weekend. MOLLY SIVENS/Uaify women's cross country team into the Eastern Michigan Classic in The squad is preparing for the Big Ten Championships in two weeks. The Daily encourages its readers to voice their opinions. All letters should be 150 words or less. All op-ed pieces should be no more than 3,000 characters. The editors reserve the right to edit all letters and columns for style and space. Send all letters and:columns to: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. T - H - E [SPORTING VIEWS]I by Ken Sugiura Daily Sports Writer Lots of people have special causes. For some, it's prevention of cruelty to animals. Others devote them- selves to reducing our trade deficit, a noble cause if ever one existed. As for me, I fight for something a little closer to home. I'll tell you what it is. It's getting those buffoons who stand up during football games to sit their fannies down. I know by bringing this issue to the fore, I am walking on eggshells. I can just foresee how this will divide our campus, pitting roommate against roommate, fraternity brother against fraternity brother, regent against regent. But it's time we stopped running from the issues, or in today's vernacular, "pulling a Clinton." Now let's examine the evidence. Our opposition's first utterances after I hurl pizza boxes at their backsides and suggest, "SIDDOWN JERK!" is usually, "Be a real fan, you sissy!" Now what does standing have to do with being a real fan? It's not like anybody makes more noise when they stand up (let's face it, Michigan fans are a rather quiet lot). If by standing we were louder, I'd happily stand, but we aren't, so I'd rather sit, thank you. And perhaps sitting makes us louder. Michigan's real fans - I mean, real real fans - are those who watch Michigan hockey. They sit, and yet, create all sorts of cacophony. You see, standing has nothing to do with being a real fan or showing school spirit; it's about being loud, which the standees really aren't. Standing is uncomfort- able and a bother. If we continued Real Fan's line of reasoning, we'd be "real" students only if we CRISPed into 8 o'clock classes which had senile professors. I get the feeling that many of our standees had trou- bled childhoods, full of parents who constantly harped, Hey buster, could '. J. you please sit down "Junior, eat your liver souffle. If you were a real Smith, you'd be finished by now." I have a question for Real Fan. When you watc} Michigan on television, do you stand on the couch, or do you sit down? It doesn't matter if I sit down when it's on t.v. because the team can't see or hear me. Okay, so they can't see or hear you. But you are perfectly comfortable with the notion of yelling at im- ages being transmitted from hundreds of miles away into a little box, aren't you? Something doesn't com- pute. If you had so much as an iota of school spirit, ac- cording to Real Fan's logic, you would stand up in your living room, too. Real Fan says that if we stand, we can help the team. Okay, this time tell me that without laughing. If you'll remember, we stood during the Florida State debacle last year. Oh wait, you're right. I remember Coach Moeller saying after the game, "Section 30 started slouching a little bit back in the second quarter, and it just took the wind right out of our sails." I remember during the Houston game, I sat down during a timeout. I swear, I saw Elvis Grbac wipe away a tear. A few more points. When you open your SportsMonday, would you rather read, "Tyrone Wheatley's electrifying run brought the fans to their feet," or "Wheatley's electrifying run prevented the fans from sitting down?" Think about it. And if you were Derrick Alexander, would you want to receive a standing ovation, or an ovation from peoyfe who happened to be standing? Please, enlighten me about school spirit. One more thing. Don't you find it funny that when the fourth quarters of blowouts roll around and the stands empty, everyone sits down. If it is true that real fans stay for the entirety of the games, isn't it odd that the fans who do remain sit down? Hmmm. RM Consider... T HE MICHIGAN BBA I~. . Or _ - w ' METHE .VCR AND STEREO SERVICE SSPEARER REPAIRS AND COMPONENTS PONO ERIEAD NEDLS CANRhIDC E AIFIE STUD1O. . Attend an Information Session * Thursday, October 22 - 4:00 - 5:00 pm " Hale Auditorium (Michigan Business School Assembly Hall) 0 S 1 I USED bEPT. '' .f C I I