The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 9, 2001- 11
WOLVERINE FOREVER: GANDY'S 'M' TATTOO
BY DAVID ROTH. DAILY SPORTS WRITER
Most Michigan enthusiasts claim that they bleed
maize and blue. Most do - but only figurative
speaking.
Word play isn't for everyone. Michigan women's basketball
freshman Stephanie Gandy redefined bleeding her school's
Opolors by subjecting herself to needles Uith blue dye punctur-
ing her skin in the form of a block "M" tattoo.
After signing a letter of intent to play hoops for the
Wolverines, Gandy etched herself a reminder of what team
she's on, one that doesn't wash off with soap and water. On her
right shoulder, a blue "M" representing the Michigan logo,
along with a basketball and the printed letters, "Steph G.,"
show her school spirit and reduce her maize, white or blue jer-
seys to a redundancy.
So far, the "M" tattoo has been a good omen to start Gandy
off in the right direction. Starting most games, she has become
a leader who generates for her teammates both points and
.motion - and definitely pride.
THE CHOICE
As an upperclassman at Detroit Northern High School, the
idea of getting a tattoo appealed to Gandy. With a 4.0 grade-
point average, the class presidency and All-State First Team
honors in her hands, Gandy enjoyed the leisure of picking
which university she wanted to attend. Luckily, her first-
choice school also had an emblem that could suffice as arm
ar.
"Right after I signed with Michigan, I wanted a tattoo, but
I didn't knouv of what," Gandy said. "I thought the block 'M'
Was real sweet. There's no other school that has a sweet 'M.'"
But her parents didn't exactly hop in their car and offer her
a ride to the tattoo parlor.
"They were against it at first, so I[begged and pleaded to let
me have one," Gandy said. "My mom told me when I was 18
I could just get whatever I wanted to get."
As her 18th birthday passed, Gandy prepared for the trip to
Motor City Tattoos.
"I was hesitant with her decision at first,' said Geraldine
Gandy, Stephanie's mother. "I didn't know if she really want-
ed it."
At Motor City Tattoos, Gandy was introduced to artist
Logan Dunavanz.
Gandy's first question to him was a natural one.
"Mostly people ask how it's going to feel," Dunavanz said.
"All I can say is it doesn't really feel like anything else other
than a tattoo."
"I didn't really think I could handle the pain," Gandy said.
After concluding that the decision was the right one for her,
Gandy focused her attention on making sure the tattoo she
envisioned would be the same one that ended up on her upper-
arm. She showed Dunavanz the block "M" and both felt mutu-
ally ready to proceed. But before busting out the needles, he
made sure to put the process into perspective.
"Two years after you die, you will still have this tattoo," he
said.
THE PAIN
"She can take pain," Geraldine said of her daughter. "She's
usually just very quiet. I have to get it out of her to see what's
wrong and only then she'll tell me."
Good thing Gandy had a high tolerance for pain, because
Dunavanz was no masseuse.
Getting a tattoo involves a group of needles in a machine
that make holes in the skin, with a particular dye injected in
the holes.
"No two people deal with the pain in the same way,"
Dunavanz said. "Some people find it unbearable, and others
manage."
Gandy, who got a second tattoo just days after getting her
wisdom teeth pulled, qualified it.
"I had two wisdom teeth out the day before I got the one on
my leg and the wisdom teeth felt good compared to getting the
tattoo," Gandy said. Michigan coach Sue Guevara "asked me
if I liked pain."
THE REACTION
"My friends just couldn't believe I got it " Gandy said.
Neither could Michigan players who were already on the
squad.
"The first time I saw it was when she was still being recruit-
ed," teammate Raina Goodlow said. "I was so shocked that she
had that big old block 'M' on her arm."
After showing it to her mother, Stephanie finally won over
Geraldine.
"I think it looks nice Geraldine said. "It seemed to work
out fine for us and she likes it."
Gandy's coach also had a favorable reaction. But as the only
other person on the women's basketball team to a pair have tat-
toos, Guevara didn't want Gandy to outnumber her.
"I love her 'M,' but I told her she can't have more tattoos
than me," said Guevara, who herself has tattoos of a purple
rose and an infinity sign on her ankles.
"She's got two now, so that's enough," Gandy's mother said.
"I don't want her to have too many."
Though Gandy is unsure if more tattoos are to come in the
future, it's unlikely that her teammates are going to follow suit
in showing external team spirit.
"I talk about where I'd get one and what I'd get, but I don't
think I'd ever do it" LeeAnn Bies said. "I've had few press-ons."
THE Now
After getting the "M" tattoo, Gandy splurged last month to
add masks of happy and sad faces on her leg, doubling her
repertoire of branding.
She said she might get one or two more, but right now she's
happy.
Gandy's venture was indeed a daring one, permanently
staining her skin before even stepping foot on campus as a stu-
dent. But now that she has gotten more than a heaping spoon-
ful of a taste of the Michigan women's basketball program and
the University itself, she has no regrets.
"I feel like I represent Michigan," Gandy said.
BRENDAN O'DONNELLtIU
Stephanie Gandy signed her letter of intent two ways. One
on paper, and one in ink permanently etched into her skin.
Women's tumbler Senior hopes to
have last laugh against Georgia
Seeking a REWARDING SUMMER Job?
Payment is room + board plus stipend.
The Michigan Intercollegiate tomorrow
Is the final meet before the Big Tens.
crave itle
in Ypsilanti
By Shawn Kemp
aily Sports Writer
It's just two weeks before the Big Ten
track and field championships.
But the Michigan men's track and
field team has another meet to conquer.
Tomorrow, the Michigan Intercollegiate
takes place in Bowen Field House at
Eastern Michigan, and the Wolverines
are looking for a team title.
"Our intended goal as a team is to go
there and win the, team championship,"
dichigan coach Ron Warhurst said.
"We're looking to win something this
year."
The team lost its only scored meet this
season against Indiana, 85-77. But the
Wolverines have gained experience
through invitationals and practices since
that loss.
Facing teams such as Eastern
Michigan and Michigan State in prior.
*nvitationals allows Michigan to better
estimate its
O S chance of
YPSILANTI winning the
Who: Michigan (0-1) title.
When: Field events 3 p.m., While win-
running events 5 p.m. ning the meet
Latest: Ike Okenwa in the is the primary
200-meter was Michigan's goal of the
only first-place finish at the team, qualify-
Meyo Invitational. ing for nation-
als is a side concern of many of the ath-
letes. Athletes need to attain certain
utomatic or provisional NCAA quali-
fying standards in order to compete in
the meet four weeks from now.
But Warhurst is not worried about his
athletes qualifying. He said merely com-
peting against others should produce the
standards, and he doesn't want his ath-
letes worrying about making the marks.
"I'm not concerned about their dis-
tance or their height or their times - I
vant them to perform and compete
against these people. They've got to
learn how to race, and when it comes
time to race fast and hard, they'll have
that feeling in them" Warhurst said.
Some of the athletes received the
opportunity to compete at last week-
end's Mevn Invitational at Notre Dame.
By Chris Burke
Daily Sports Writer
Four years ago, Karina Senior had
a decision to make.
The talented gymnast was about to
make the jump from high school to
college athletics and had to decide
which college would reap the bene-
fits of her ability - Michigan or
Georgia.
After a visit to Ann Arbor, her
mind was made up.
"I came here and loved
the team," Senior said.
"The Michigan atmos- ATHE
phere just dominated. It Who: Michil
wasn't a hard decision." Georgia (10
Now Senior, in her When: 7:30
fourth and final year, will Latest:TheI
lead the No. 8 Michigan coming offa
women's gymnastics team last meet ag
into a big regular season and Aubumn
showdown tomorrow nation's ben
night against the team
that she turned down, fourth-ranked
Georgia.
The 'GymDogs'' have had the
Wolverines' number during Senior's
career, defeating them all nine times
the two teams have met in the last
four years. Those losses include the
1999 national championships where
Georgia won the title by holding off
the Wolverines by the slimmest of
margins, 196.850-196.550.
"It's still a little motivating,"
Senior said of trying to get over the
hump against Georgia. "We know
that we just have to go out there and
beat them, so we've really tried to
stay away of focusing on this one
team."
Adding to the pressure of trying
to overcome the Georgia curse is the
fact that Michigan is battling to
shake off a disappointing perfor-
mance last weekend in a loss to
Florida, a team that Georgia has
already defeated this season.
Senior struggled right along with
m
EN
igan
p.
sw
as
gai
1,
itta
her team last week. Problems on the
balance beam and the floorexercise
caused Senior to total only a 37.825
in the all-around competition - her
lowest score of the year.
Despite that, Senior is confident in
her abilities.
"I don't think I've hit my highest
level yet," Senior said. "I don't real-
ly think of it individually, but I don't
think I've peaked yet."
Sitting eighth in the national rank-
ings, Michigan is in
prime position to make
a run to the national
S, GA. championships at the'
n(7-4) at end of the year. That
1) competition will be
m. hosted by Georgia at the
overines, same location as
#it in their Saturday's meet.
nst Florida This meet gives
ok to make Michigan a golden
gainstof the
eeafs opportunity to not only
rebound from last
week's performance, but also to
make a statement at the arena they
hope will be sight of its national title
celebration come April.
There's no question that a long
weekend trip to compete against a
RoUtimE SCORE
vault: 9.715
uneven bars: 9.819
balance beam: 9.560
floor exercise: 9.725
all around: 38.725
Senior leader
Senior gymnast, Karna Senior,
could have chosen to attend
Georgia. But instead, Michigan has
benefited from her play this season
instead.
PERO RAS
5
4
5
5
4
very talented Georgia team will pose
a challenge for Michigan. However,
a win serves notice to the nation that
the Wolverines will be a major factor
the rest of the year. *
"We have to regroup from last
week;' Senior said. "We've just got
to go in and compete as a team.
"I think we can do it."
LOWEST PRICES!
HIGHESTQUALITY! E
* FASTEST SER VICE!
* 1002 PONTIAC TR. U
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