6B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMoriday - April 13, 1998 TENNIS 'M' tennis superf an leads small crowd' Eric Sturgis, a.k.a. Superfan, watches and roots for the Wolverines during. a close matcha betweena Michigan and Minnesota thisk past weekend. LOUIS BROWN/Daly 11PAC KIN' UP? Let Parcel Plus lighten your load. 10% OFF! By Mark Francescutti Daily Sports Writer f you have been to the Varsity Tennis Center for a Michigan tennis match lately - and judging by the crowds, you probably haven't --you may have noticed a particular 12-year old boy cheering in the stands. That's Superfan. He cheers for the team he adores, for the game he adores and for the people lie adores. That's Superfan. He talks with all the coaches and the players - they know him by his first and last name. That's Superfan. He knows who's playing, can tell you about late updates in the lineup, and knows more about Michigan tennis than most of the coaches in the country. That's Eric Sturgis - the 12-year- old Michigan tennis superfan. His grandmother, a huge tennis fan herself, started it all when she gave him a racket when he was three. He started to swing it and his love for the sport snowballed through the years. Sturgis participated in peewee tennis at age four and now plays for the Huron Valley Tennis Club where he participates in numerous tournaments throughout the year. An Ann Arbor res- ident, Sturgis hopes to play tennis at Michigan sophomore John Long's alma mater - Huron High School - and then, of course, play collegiate tennis for the Wolverines. But how does one become such a great fan of Michigan tennis? Well, Sturgis' grandmother knew Michigan women's tennis coach Bitsy Ritt through an old high school friend and when Sturgis was seven, she brought him to one of the women's meets. He's been coming to almost every single one ever since - includ- ing the Big Ten championships. But for anyone, becoming a Michigan fan is as easy as stepping through the doors of the Varsity Tennis Center. "It's because you can get to know most of the players, and its fun to talk to the coaches," Sturgis said. "I can go up to Bitsy and talk for 15 minutes she gives me the Big Ten composite sched- ule." When was the last time you asked Lloyd Carr for the Big Ten composite schedule? Probably the biggest draw of tennis matches is the accesibility of players and coaches. After their exhausting matches are over, the players come and sit in the stands and talk with the few. loyal fans who came. But there are still other appeals to watching tennis matches at the Center. First of all, every match is free. Twice each season, hors d'oeuvres are served before the match - also free. Like Crisler Arena, Yost Ice Arena and Michigan Stadium, there is an overpriced concession stand with the standard fare. But unlike those other places, the Varsity Tennis Center is only a year old - and has nice new bath- rooms, to boot. The excitement experienced in those other Michigan venues exists in the new tennis facility, also. One such case hap- pened just this past weekend, when senior Arvid Swan battled back to win a 9-7 tiebreaker - giving the Wolverines a close 4-3 win over Minnesota. The few fans at the Center were on the edges of their seats for more than 10 minutes. Although the Center is new, there are some areas that can be improved - and Sturgis has his own suggestions. "I think they should have a person who can direct the people," Sturgis. "I suggest they have a host here and an announcer that could help people out." And still, Michigan's home courts are empty. Even worse, there seems to be more fans for the opposing team at IW f'-" Packaging & Shipping with Student ID (Excludes US Mail) Call or e-mail for a free quote 677-4477 shipping@lamppost.parcelplus. com U of M Student Owned! Glob~al Shooin. and Commu itions Want to earn credit ||1 this summer without setting foot on campus? Two independent study programs available: Summer Independent Reading Program Open to undergrad students with at least a 3.0 GPA Enrollment deadline: May 15 Hundreds of potential courses Tuition: $197 per credit hour* Independent Learning Course Program Open to all students No enrollment deadline Selected courses available the meets. Last Wednesday's match against Michigan State might have confused a newcomer. About 200 fans sat in the bleachers of the center. About 150 of them were rooting for the green and white. "Come try it once, if you don't like it, don't come" Sturgis said. "Tennis is gaining popularity and if we could draw more and more fans it would great" Sturgis says he can explain why Michigan fans are nowhere to be seen at the meets. "I think its because a lot of people don't care about it" he said. "I know a lot of kids and adults who like to play but don't like to watch it." So Sturgis has tried to bring as man. friends from his tennis club as possible to support his favorite team. "It will be fun for them and it gets them really learning about tennis - you'll be able to see them play and learn how the players play and learn the game,' Sturgis said. "I would rather go to a college match than any other match because the fans can sit here and relax and do whatever they want." The next match for the Michigan tennis team is Thursday against Notre Dame. LIONS Continued from Page 1B their serve. "We've just been really consistent' said Blain. "We've won every point so far on our serve. The No. 3 doubles team did not hav as easy of a time. Senior Mike Pusztai and sophomore John Long, trailing the entire set, lost 4-8 to.Matt Nielson and Marc McCallister. This doubles spot has played inconsistently all season for the Wolverines and Eisner has tried four dig, ferent combinations at this spot and is considering another change. "No. 3 has had some ups and downs" said Eisner. "We're going to have to ta a look at that to see if that is the team that should be together. We've tried all different combinations and we still have not found the right solution:' The No. 2 doubles team of Jake Raiton and Matt Wright found the right solution. The duo battled back on more than one occasion and finally defeated their opponents Marc Dortman and Eric Meditz, 9-8 (7-4). Michigan's No. 2 duo has also won six straight matches. The Wolverines showed fatigt9 throughout their singles play but nonetheless came up with all six victo ries, including five in straight sets. Senior David Paradzik, Blain and Long all won easily, withoug having problems with their opponents. Long got back on track after his first loss of the season against Michigan State on Wednesday by clobbering Marc McCallister 6-1, 6-3. "When you play against guys like we have, playing the opponent is like a break" Long said. Arvid Swan had a little bit more trou- ble against his opponent, Marc Dortman, but was still able to come up with the victory. He won the first set easily, 6-2, but struggled throughout the second, and found himself in a tiebreak. Dortman "wasn't playing as well, as he was capable of in the first set," Swan said. "Then he started to play better a4 I did not raise my level." But Swan has played well all season. in singles and he didn't let up, winning the second set tiebreaker an the match with a dominant finish. "I'm trying to concentrate and I'm in better shape," Swan said. "Luckily, I won the match" Swan earned his 11th straight victory and leads the team with a 27-9 record. Matt Wright and Will Farah alsi struggled in their matches, but came back to earn victories. "Matt was extremely exhausted and L saw that in Will Farah too." Eisner said. For further information and to register, please contact: University of Michigan Academic Outreach 1210 Buhr Building 837 Greene Street 764-5300 aocourses@umich.edu Tuition: $245 per credit hour* LOUIS BROWN/Daily Michigan men's tennis player Matt Wright won his No. 2 singles match yesterday at the Varsity Tennis Center, defeating Penn State's Colin Smeeton, 7-6, 6-3. * plus infrastructure fee " , st . u. ,. . ; , VOM VLIV I'S IJA MR, N, .IV jvf, "'% L. ( I or fast relief from the nagging ache of taxes, we resommend TIAA-CREF SRAs. SRAs are tax- deferred annuities that can help you build additional assets- money that can make the difference between What else do SRAs offer? 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