12 The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 11, 2000
FIGHTING
Continued from Page 11
Take a look at Michigan's Mike
Comrie. The sophomore is the country's
second-leading scorer and attracts the
most attention on the team. But at 5-
foot-14, he's hardly an imposing figure.
As a result, Comrie takes a lot of
cheap shots from opposing players, cre-
ating a dangerous situation.
"You've got a dilemma with a player
like Comrie, when the other team tries to
take advantage of him, and they're doing
a lot of things and saying a lot of things,
and we have no way of protecting him,'
Berenson said. "You really don't have
the final hammer, which is someone to
go out there and beat the crap out of the
guy.
"That's what pro hockey has done for
years. That's why you have enforcers in
pro hockey ---to go out and protect your
good players. You don't have that in col-
lege, you rely on the referees."
The referees do their best to prevent
players from getting injured, but they
can't be everywhere at once Berenson
said fighting is the final check, like the
neighborhood cop on every street corner.
Flaying college hockey is a big decision
for hockey players, partially because the
allure of Major Junior Hockey is fairly
potent - it's viewed as a quicker route
to the NHL.
Those that go the college route under-
stand that giving up fighting is a sacri-
fice they'll have to make. The 2000
NCAA Ice Hockey Rule Book states, "A
player shall not fight an opponent or be
involved in a fight, on or off the playing
surface"
While the rule book may disallow
fighting, Sertich isn't sure he agrees
with the rule.
"I'm from the old school, and I get the
feeling that if fighting were allowed it
would remedy a lot of problems,"
Sertich said. "There's a false sense of
courage behind that mask. But (trying to
institute fighting) would be like robbing
Peter to pay Paul."
Rules are meant to be enforced, but to
what extent? That is the question.
"Fighting is a real volatile subject,"
Berenson said. "Some people think it's
despicable. But hockey is a contact game
with a lot of emotion. In hockey you
have a weapon that could be dangerous.
"I don't like to see fighting, but I like
to see the threat of a fight to keep every-
one honest."
Women's hoopsters
set example for kids
0
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JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily
Referee Matt Shegos cleans up the Michigan-Michigan
State brawl as Michigan State coach Ron Mason looks on.
Brigham Young, latest casualty of Title IX
By Joe Dana
The Daily Universe
PROVO, Utah (U-WIRE) -- Brigham
Young All-American Aaron Holker stood in
the wrestling room on the second level of the
Smith Fieldhouse and thought about the count-
less hours he has spent here with his team-
mates.
"The greatest lessons I learn in life are right
in this room," Holker said.
But after this season, the sophomore stand-
out, who was just beginning to bud as the most
dominant wrestler in recent Brigham Young
history, will have to go elsewhere to sweat,
work and learn his lessons.
Holker is part of a growing number of male
athletes around the country that have seen an
end to their sport on campus. After 36 years of
conference play, Brigham Young will close its
practice doors for good after this season.
Nationwide, more than 200 collegiate
wrestling programs have been dropped in the
last 15 years. The reason for such cuts is to
accommodate policies adapted to Title IX
equal rights laws.
But fans legal experts and even the leaders
within Brigham Young's own administration
doors are saying the current Title IX interpre-
tation given by the Organization of Civil
Rights is hard to swallow, fueling the argument
that Holker's end at Brigham Young is not just
discouraging, but unconstitutional.
"I agree with the concept ofTitle IX, but I'm
not sure I agree with the interpretations of how
it's being administered," Brigham Young Vice
President Fred Skousen said.
Skousen said he believes a university
shouldn't have to cut a men's sport to meet
gender quotas. And that is what Brigham
Young has done under pressure from the OCR.
The government agency said ultimately univer-
sities, even private ones like Brigham Young,
must reach "proportionality" - a term that has
caused nationwide controversy.
Defined, proportionality means opportuni-
ties and money given to women in collegiate
sports should be equal to the percentage of
women on campus.
"We're committed to complying with the
law. We don't really have a choice," Brigham
Young President Merrill J. Bateman said.
Though they don'tbelieve a quota is fair,
both Bateman and Skousen said the university
is adamant about giving equal opportunities to
both men and women in sports. After cutting
men's gymnastics and wrestling, Brigham
Young added a women's softball program that
will begin this season.
But proportionality skeptics argue that a
gender quota does the very thing Title IX
preaches against: discriminate one gender over
the other. The courts have been hearing their
plea nationwide, and the strongest case against
the policy is gaining momentum in
Bakersfield, Calif.
"Proportionality is unfair and illegal,"
Attorney Mark Martell, of Palo Alto, Calif.,
said. "These current interpretations of Title IX
have nothing to do with equal opportunity. It
means unequal opportunity."
Martell's client is former California State
University Bakersfield wrestler Stephen Neal.
He is suing the school's board of trustees for
doing what Brigham Young has done to its
wrestling program.
"We don't have proportionality requirements
in engineering, medical school, or other pro-
grams and there shouldn't be any in athletics,"
Martell said.
His argument is simple: men are more inter-
ested in playing sports than women, and a gen-
der quota takes opportunities away from males.
Martell won in the district court and in
January a ruling will be applied at the state
level. If he wins there, then the issue of gender
quotas in school sports would likely be placed
into the hands of the Supreme Court.
"We have to be mature enough to realize that
men and women are different," Martell said.
If proportionality is declared an illegal
quota, then colleges would need to look at
other options besides cutting men's sports to
ensure equal treatment to student athletes.
Brigham Young President Bateman said he
believes looking at the "interests and skills
test" of the student body is a better solution.
"I believe it should be based more on inter-
ests than a quota," President Bateman said.
A 1997 university study showed the interests
were being met. A university employee said the
study found that those students that had both
the ability and interest to play athletics, 63 per-
cent were males and 37 percent were females.
The actual varsity participation was almost
identical.
By Dena Beth Krischer
Daily Sports Writer
Jessica Rampton, a nine-year-old girl from
Ann Arbor, loves Michigan women's basketball.
Alison Miller, Michigan's center, is her favorite
player.
"I like basketball a lot," she said, elated for
Michigan's victory over Purdue on Saturday.
"I'm thinking about playing when I'm bigger."
Frank Rampton, Jessica's father, smiled as his
daughter raved about her favorite team and her
aspiration to be a "baller".
Maybe in 10 years, he will watch his daughter
break the Big Ten career steals record set by
Michigan forward Stacey Thomas this past
Saturday.
"I think the girls look up to athletes," Frank
Rampton said. "I know for a fact they do. I
know very well that the kids listen and the ath-
letes set an example."
And as much of an influence the athletes have
on'the kids, it's reciprocal.
Take it from somebody who knows: Percy
Stamps, Michigan's P.A. announcer since 1985,
says that as a "washed up athlete," he knows
"that when you get people behind you, cheering
for you, yelling words of encouragement and
making a lot of noise, something goes through
your body, and you want to perform. It increas-
es your intensity level.".
Purdue coach Kristy Curry said the 2,106
fans in Crisler didn't affect the Boilermakers'
play. That's hardly one-sixth of what they see in
Mackey Arena.
"What I want is for people to come out and
support Michigan because they deserve to be
supported," Curry said. "It's great for Michigan,
it's great for women's basketball and it's great
for the Big Ten."
OLSON
Continued from Page 11
How do the Wolverines replace the best 174-
pound wrestler in college athletics? They can't -
figuratively or literally.
Michigan does not have a natural 174 wrestler
on the roster, as evidenced by the six-point for-
feits the Wolverines gave up in the Virginia
Duals' remaining matches.
That is where the thread comes in. Wrestling
statistics are normally dominated by abbrevia-
tions such as W, L and WGT. But the most impor-
tant one for the Wolverines yesterday was MRI.
And last night, the verdict was not in.
More salt in the wound.
Right now, Olson's knee is in a brace - the
future of his season and perhaps his career are
locked up in an immobilized left leg.
"I was on top of the guy and I decided to give
him time to recover," Olson said. "He decided he
Michigan showed its talent in Saturday's
game, and the Wolverines give some credit to
the second biggest crowd they have seen so far
this season.
"When you see all of the fans and all of the
little kids that come to the game, you can't help
but think that we have to be role models for
them," Michigan forward Raina Goodlow said
after contributing 10 points to the 74-67 win
over the Boilermakers.
"I think it really helps when we have a big
crowd," Goodlow said. "You look up and see all
of the little kids cheering, and it really helps.
You really feel appreciated when you see a lot of
fans in the stands."
Goodlow has been fortunate enough to be on
a first-name basis with her role model, Dena
Head, the former point guard for the Utah
Starzz.
"I got to work with her a lot this summer,"
Goodlow said, "and I really appreciate what
she's done for me."
Goodlow defines a role model as "somebody
who has a character about themselves, who
takes responsibility for being a role model and
doesn't go out and do stupid things because they
know that everybody's watching."
So Goodlow tries to stay humble, but still
makes time for those who look up to her.
The kids "love us," Goodlow said. "They
come up to us and ask for our autographs after
the game, some of them e-mail us. We are defi-
nitely role models for them."
The Wolverines enjoy their notoriety. To
them, it's an honor.
"They're taking the time to ask for the auto-
graph, so you want to give it to them," Goodlow
laughs. "It's great, it makes me feel good that,
well somebody actually wants my autograph."
would finish off the match.
"He went after it, it was definitely a cheap-
shot. It was frustrating and something the sport
doesn't need."
Here's a kid who has done everything right on
the mat. This season he has grappled to a 19-1
start and the No. I ranking in 174.
More important, it doesn't take long to recog-
nize the impact of Olson's tenure as captain.
Olson seemingly breathes fire from first round
to final every time he steps on to the mat - he is
just that intense.
On a young team, that is invaluable.
"Otto is always fired up," McFarland said. "I
am hoping this is not season-ending. We'll have
to take it if it is. I'm prepared."
But is Olson? When you wrestle at Michigan,
you don't just practice it - you eat, breathe and
live it. Now, what was second nature for Olson
may be snatched away for a long time.
"I've worked too hard to let it all go," Olson
said.
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