18A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 22, 1998
'M' women's golf heads south to finish fall
Short game is key element if Wolverines are to compete with Michigan State
Grind
Sharat Raju
By Nita Srivastava
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's golf team
is looking for a peak performance in
its last tournament of the fall season
at the Notre Dame Invitational in
Bonita Springs, Fla.
The goal is to implement every-
thing the Wolverines have learned
from the previous tournaments into
the competition this weekend.
Throughout the season, Michigan
has been struggling with inconsis-
tency and an inexperienced line-up.
Each practice and competition has
helped to improve tournament
scores.
"I think we have so much ability,"
Michigan coach Kathy Teichert said.
"I'm looking forward to this week-
end to see what the fall season has
done for our team - I'm hoping we
really shine."
High scoring averages in previous
tournaments can be attributed to the
inconsistency of the short game in
particular. Since the Wolverine
Invitational earlier this month,
Michigan has been focusing on mod-
ifying the short game.
In the qualifiers for this week-
end's competition, Teichert said she
noticed improvements in the short
game - as well as lower scores.
Teichert said the reason for this is
that the players are getting the ball
closer to the hole sooner, so there is
not as much pressure to sink a long
putt.
"Seventy-five percent of our
practices have been devoted to the
short game," freshman Misia
Lemanski said. "We have definitely
benefited a lot from it."
As of now, the Wolverines do not
know much about the course that
they will be playing. Teichert said
that because the tournament is being
held in Florida, there will probably
be a great deal of water and sand.
The course should be relatively flat
with a few palm trees.
Rain and heat could be a factor
this weekend as well, but it doesn't
appear to be too much of a concern
for the Wolverines.
"We have played pretty decently
in rain here and any good team real-
ly should be able to play in rain or
shine," Lemanski said. "As for the
heat, it shouldn't wear us out too
much because we are only playing
for two days."
Six Wolverines will be participat-
ing in this competition: Lemanski,
Sharon Park, Bess Bowers, Jen
Baumann, Trish Watkins and
Stephanie MacAdams.
MacAdams, a freshman, will be
making her college debut this week-
end. MacAdams said that in the qual-
ifiers this week everything seemed to
click, which was why she was select-
ed to travel this weekend.
"Stephanie played very well in
the qualifiers, and we are just hoping
that maybe she has been our missing
catalyst this season," Teichert said.
MacAdams said she is looking to
use the skills that she has learned
from teammates who have already
competed this season to improve her
performance.
"I have seen how they all have
such a great attitude and every shot
they try their best. I want to con-
tribute in the same way," MacAdams
said.
While it is not expected that
Michigan will win the tournament,
the Wolverines are expecting to show
their improvement.
"We are planning on going out
there, focusing on believing in each
other and ourselves," Lemanski said.
"Every time the goal is to win, but in
this particular tournament, we just
want to peak, to do the best we have
all season."
As of now, the team that poses the
biggest threat for the Wolverines is
Michigan State.
"Michigan State is a great team,
but we have a lot of young players
that have just as much potential as
Michigan State," Lemanski said.
"Hopefully in the spring we will be
able to compete better with them."
"8
Fratemft y makes rnk
deciingetsMud
own on State Street sits Schembechler Hall. Named after the legendary
coach following his retirement, it's a pleasantly modern building that hou
es the football offices, athletic department rooms, various trophies and a
museum dedicated to Michigan sports.
Upstairs, there is a large lounge that looks across the athletic campus. Huge
photographs of famous alumni - Gerald Ford, James Earl Jones, Arthur Miller,
etc. -- adorn the right-hand wall as you enter the blue-colored room, often used
for press conferences.
Across the walls in the room hang professionally taken photos of the buildings
- athletic or otherwise - beautified by a sunset in one, or a vibrant crowd in
another or some spring flowers along the sides.
But on one wall sits a picture of a different nature. In it, a girl wearing a yell
sweatshirt and a pair of dark shorts is perched in a menacing stance, her forearms
resting across her thighs.
No one else is in focus, but people can be seen standing in the background.
There is one thing, the only thing, that makes this picture instantly recognizable.
Mud. The picture is from some Mud Bowl of the past, dated only by the fact
that it is in color.
The athlete is covered in mud. Across her face, on her sweatshirt, on her shorts
- everywhere. There is no ground, either - it is just a muddy mess, enveloping
the bottom half of her feet.
This is Mud Bowl, encapsulated in one photo.
Within these hallowed halls, where the legends of Michigan football are dis-
played prominently throughout the building, where sports accomplishments are
immortalized - the one non-varsity athletic campus tradition enshrined is the
Mud Bowl.
For 65 years, people have gathered around the field at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
house at the corner of Washtenaw and South University to watch two rival frater-
nities duke it out in a game that can truly be called 'football.' Two sororities play
each other during halftime, and that is even more brutal than when the guys play.
There is one simple reason why it is truly football: Phi Delta Theta, the neigh-
boring frat, and SAE just absolutely hate each other.
It's a hatred borne of some ancient feud, a Hatfield-versus-McCoy, Montagues-
versus-Capulets-style fight. It's a Who-cares-when-it-started, but we-won't-stop
mentality. Consider the street-blocking brawl between the two frats that erupted
just two weeks ago.
Now, I know that Phi Delt has been kicked off campus for the unfortunate
events that surrounded the sudden death of LSA first-year student Courtney
Cantor last week. I don't know whether their expulsion is right or wrong - there
is a lot more involved than I know to make a fair comment. I don't know whether
it is right or wrong that they're not going to be SAE's opponent on Saturday or
ever again.
I don't know if it's right or wrong that a fraternity should attempt to be alcohol-
free. I'm not in the Greek system and don't know the impact or effect such a
move can make.
But I do know that one absolutely positive and insightful plan has sprung in 0
light of this whole tragedy.
SAE decided in a meeting last night that a portion of the profits from sponsors
will go directly to the Cantor family and the fund it established after Courtney
died.
Mud Bowl will still be played this Saturday.
As early as yesterday morning, there was some question whether Mud Bowl
will or will not happen. Maybe it would be canceled. Maybe they would just play
on as if nothing happened over the past week. Maybe this, maybe that.
In one deft move, however, SAE has done the following things: 1. Respectfully
paid homage to a tragic, Greek-life-related incident. 2. Dissuaded the myth that
fraternities and sororities isolate themselves from the world around them. 3.
Proved that fraternities do more than binge drink and party. 4. Behaved pro-
actively, turning a negative into a positive.
It's a rare turn of events, worthy of praise. SAE - a Greek organization that
does not compete in the philanthropic Greek Week - apparently has a reputation
as an 'Animal House'-type frat.
Being outside the Greek system, I don't know too much about the reputations
that fraternities have. But if I were a casual observer, I would think that SAE is
the most intelligent fraternity on campus.
While the interviews were going on at the Daily, I overheard yesterday that one
sorority member said something to the effect of, Of course Mud Bowl is going on
since Courtney's death had nothing to do with it.
True, it did not specifically have to do with Mud Bowl. But that kind of atti-
tude and response is what would have been typical: "Well, it didn't happen here,
so let's not worry about it."
Thankfully, SAE did not make this mistake. They do have to worry about it -
all fraternities and sororities have to be mindful of this tragedy, since it is Greek-
life related.
The stance that SAE is taking is, Yes, we realize that last week's incident was a
terrible thing - but we are doing something about it in an effort to move onward
That's refreshing.
Hopefully, other fraternities and sororities will be as responsible and follow
suit.
- Sharat Raju can be reached via e-mail at sraju@umich.edu
&y
aA
I