8 - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, November 7, 1994 H TRADITION Continued from page 1. to her (apparent) resemblance to the character in "Silence of the Lambs." What was even more frightening than Smulders' appearance was the fact that she garnered high school All- American status, despite the damaged nose. Sincehernosehadn't been treated during the season, a surgeon rebroke it at the conclusion of the campaign in order for it to be fixed. A strong supporter of Smulders pointed out that this incident revealed the true grit of the Wolverine midfielder. "She made up her own mind to finish the season," Laetitia Smulders said. "She wanted to get selected by a college." Michelle's chances of being re- cruited by major universities increased due to her extensive participation in field hockey summer camps. For four years, she attended camps in Holland which were run by the Royal Dutch Hockey Federation. Due to the coed nature of these camps, competitive play was the norm. If the women chose not to pass the ball or not to play aggressively, they would never get the ball passed to them by the men. The United States Field Hockey National Futures Program and National Futures Tournament, which Smulders entered as a high school sophomore and continued throughout her prep ca- reer, also served to improve Smulders' level of play during the off-season. It was in these camps that Smulders play developed. "My high school coach, I guess she didn't teach me the things that I learned," she said. "My skills that I picked up came from my Futures pro- gram. In theFuturesprogram,currentIowa assistant coach Patty Shea served as one of Smulders mentors. Shea stressed the importance of basic skills, such as receiving and dribbling. These funda- mentals are required for excellence in the sport; in Smulders' words, "the great players are the ones who can do the basics well." During her quest for excellence in high school, Michelle's parents proved extremely supportive of their youngest daughter. With her extensive field hockey background, Laetitiacounseled Michelle on how to react during certain game situations. Smulders' parental support helped her earn numerous in- dividual accolades in fieldhockey while at Kinkaid. Laetitia Smulders' keen eye for talent helped her know right away that her daughter would be some- one special. "I knew pretty early, because I played so much that I can almost tell if someone has afeel forthe ball," Laetitia said. She was. correct with her predic- tion, as Michelle expressed a love for the game from the moment she was introduced to it in seventh grade. Prac- tices five days a week for the first two months of the school year didn't dispel the future high school standout from participating. "I've always really enjoyed the game," Smulders said. Smulders' love for the game mir- rored herparents' adoration for it. They built a goal in the back yard, allowing her to practice at home. Taking shots .1 I Ev They were somewhat skeptical of one of their kin playing field hockey in the United States, a nation not known as a field hockey power. But after a United States upset vic- tory over the Netherlands in a tourna- ment afew years back, Smulders gained respect among her family in Europe., Planning on attending a university whose team was beginning to enter the national rankings also helped Michelle's status amongst her Dutch relatives. She chose Michigan because of the opportunity the Wolverines of- fered. "I wanted to join a program where I could contribute something, not sit on the bench for two years," Smulders said. Her wish has been granted, as she has helped Michigan's cause im- mensely since arriving in Ann Arbor a little more than a year ago. However, until this year, the Wolverines had yet to experience the thrill of postseason play during the Smulders era. This past weekend, Michigan par- ticipated in thefirst-ever Big Ten Play- offs at Columbus. Going into the tour- ney, the Wolverines looked to make ah impact. "It's going to be a dogfight," Smulders said. "We have nothing to* lose." Smulders' confidence wasn't enough for Michigan, as the Wolvei- ines fell in the first round of the tourna- ment, losing 3-1, to Ohio State Friday. Nevertheless, the confidence stem- ming forth from Smulders shows she wants to succeed in the sport her family loves. Her mother played field hockey. Her father is knowledgeable in the his- tory of the game, stating that "field hockey is the oldestorganized women's sport in the United States." He also describes Michelle's attitude toward the game best when he says, "Once she has set her mind to something, she'll leave no stone unturned to get what she wants." But regardless of her successes and failures in the game, the sport of field@ hockey will always be with Michelle Smulders. It's in her blood. Michelle Smulders brought an All-American prep background to Michigan after a fine career at the Kinkaid School in Houston. on net with her parents provided fun and helped her game develop. But during Michelle's junior year, her father received a job transfer from Houston to Los Angeles. Not wanting to jeopardize Michelle's situation at Kinkaid, a private school with a fine field hockey program, her father de- cided to commute to southern Califor- nia during the week while spending I, I weekends in Texas with his wife and youngest child. This sacrifice exhib- ited their unwavering devotion to Michelle's further academic and ath- letic advancement. Smulders helped her parents' dreams to be realized when she won one of the two prestigious academic/ athletic scholarships at Kinkaid for her senior year. The award covered full tuition for the year and foreshadowed success on the field in her last year of high school. That season she led her team to the state title in the Southern Preparatory Conference and was subsequently named All-America. Due to these awards and honors, numerous major universities wooed Smulders, offering a chance to play with a big-time field hockey program. Yet, many of her relatives in Hol- land remained unimpressed by their American cousin's success in the sport. &a UM*Events can help! At the Which Host? prompt, type UM- GopherBlue. UM*Events is found under UM and Ann Arbor Information. Call CIC 763-INFO or 763-NCIC for assistance. RENTAL SKATES Starting at $49.95 5ThTE A BACHMAN . Continued from page 3 would return to the Wolverine lockerroom. "There's bad energy there right now from someone who's bringing them down. I know there's going to be some more disappointment for them coming up." But, she added, "Next season they're going to do real, real well to make up for this season." My curiosity satiated for the time being, I left her house with high hopes for the future of Michigan football. As I turned past the bronze eagle guarding the entrance to the stadium, something Amber said came back to me: "I feel that there's someone who's really going to give the team a boost. It's going to be one individual. It's a player. Either he's very new or he's coming soon. "It's someone who they least expect." I hope Jason Carr believes in clairvoyance. 330 S. State Street - 761-7615 '95 Graids Head for the Rockies Find out more about Janus Capital What is Janus? A mwtualf hid company What is a mutual fund? A collective pooling of people i money to be inve ted in stocks or bonds What position are we hiring for? Reearcb Analyst What does a Research Analyst do? Analyze industries and companmei " MULTI COLOR SPECIALISTS eARTIST ON STAFF " RUSH ORDERS $ NEAR U OF M CAMPUS 1217 PROSPECT, ANN ARBOR 665.1771 :Fwith this ad. a j" X X': ;: i How? 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