8B The Michigan Daily-_SportsMonday - January 8, 2001 Opposites attract: roommates give each other a needed lift R emember the "The Odd Couple"? It's the old television show that told the story of two ivorced men - a neat freak named Felix and Oscar, a compulsive slob, both living in the same apartment. Two leaders of the Michigan men's gymnastics team, Scott Vetere and Kevin Roulston, relate their roommate experience to that of "The Odd Couple." "Scott and I have completely opposite personali- ties," Roulston said. "It's like night and day. I'm a type-A personality, high strung. Scott is the more laid-back one and goes with the flow." Part of this has to do with their contrasting acade- mic challenges. Vetere is an LSA junior, while Roulston, a senior, deals with the rigors of the Busi- ness School. "I give a lot of credit to Kevin," Vetere said. "I mean there are lots of nights where he has pulled all-nighters, then came into practice the next day and has had awesome workouts. Kevin's going to be really important to the team this year." Roulston's disciplined personality helps him find balance between the Business School and the gym- nastics team. "I map out the whole week on Post-It Notes because I have to be on top of things to keep up with practices, group meetings and my homework," Roulston said. While Roulston can help keep Vetere's mind focused on his academics, it is Vetere that helps add some social excitement to Roulston's busy lifestyle. "He makes sure that I don't stress out too much over school or gymnastics, and that I have fun and enjoy myself," Roulston said. "I help him out with homework and make sure he's on top of his studies." "We'd be studying at like 2 in .the morning and I'd start a water fight in the middle of the house," Vetere said. "We talk about the team, girls and have snowball fights. It's a lot of fun." Both Vetere and Roulston enjoy being teammates and roommates. "Living together has allowed us to become friends in addition to being teammates," Roulston said. "With only 13 guys on the team, you get to know one another. There are probably people on other teams that are larger who don't even know the names of everyone on their team." Differences also exist between Vetere and Roul- ston as far as their accolades from their work in the gym are concerned. Vetere, though just a junior, has already racked up six of the seven Michigan school records. He has captured the 1999 Big Ten Freshman of the Year award, the 2000 Michigan Male Athlete of the Year, the 2000 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and made the All-Big Ten Team. Attention from the media is now a constant. Like Vetere, Roulston won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award in 1998 and was named to the All-Big Ten team. Along with his athletic accom- plishments, Roulston earned Academic All-Big Ten Honors. But he clearly remains more of a behind- the-scenes type of a guy in comparison to Vetere. Unlike "The Odd Couple," Vetere and Roulston use their uniqueness to get the best out of each other. "We're both really intense in the gym," Roulston said. "We have similar a work ethic and attention to detail. Our personality differences help balance us outside of the gym, and our similarities help us to push each other in practice and competition?' Despite the differences, Vetere and Roulston have one thing in common - they remain hungry for a NCAA championship. "Everyone on this team wants to win NCAAs this year," Roulston said. "There's no pressure for a repeat national championship, but everyone can taste it, and that desire is going to be the fuel that drives us all season?' One would expect the quietly intense Roulston to lead simply by his actions. Oddly though, Roulston is the vocal leader on the team. Roulston, a senior tri-captain on an injury-ridden team, knows that he must step up. "My biggest thing this year is going to be com- peting well in the all-arounds, to set an example in the gym, and to keep the team motivated to work hard," Roulston said. Unexpectedly, Vetere chooses to be more of a quiet leader. "I work hard in the gym and hope that my actions set a good example for the others," said Vetere. "This year, I'm going to have to be one of the team leaders similar to the role I played last year when Justin Toman got hurt." Vetere came into his own last season when Toman, a tri-captain, suffered a knee injury prior to the Big Ten Championships. He carried the torch and proved durable, competing in every meet last season and amassing 26 first-place finishes. After finishing a painfully close second in the NCAA championships and winning the Big Ten title last season, there are high expectations for the gymnasts. This season's team motto: "retain and regain" - as in regaining the NCAA title that belonged to Michigan two seasons ago. Apparently, the rest of the gymnastics world also chooses Michigan, led by its "Odd Couple," as the team to beat. The Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches Association preseason poll selected Michigan as its national championship favorite. "It was easier my freshman year because we were the underdogs, but we're just going to take it one step at a time, Vetere said. "We don't want to put too much pressure on ourselves. We want to com- pete hard and have fun. Hopefully the fans will come out to Cliff Keen Arena to cheer us on." 2001 MEN'S PRESEASON COACHES POLL Rank Team . MICHIGAN 2. Ohio State 3. Oklahoma 4. Penn State 5. California 6. Iowa 7. Nebraska 8. Illinois 9. Stanford 10. Michigan State 11. Massachusetts 12. Minnesota 13. Temple 14. Illinois-Chicago 15. Air Force 16. William & Mary 17. Army 18. Navy 19. California-Santa Barbara 20. Springfield 2001 SCHEDULE Date Meet Time Jan. 13 Windy City invite 7 p.m. Jan. 20 Ohio State 7 p.m. Jan. 26 Illinois 7 p.m. Feb. 3 Penn State 7 p.m. Feb. 9 Winter Cup TBA Feb. 18 Okla. and Mass. 1 p.m. Feb. 24 Minnesota 1 p.m. Mar. 3 Spain Nat. Team 7 p.m. Mar. 16 Michigan State 7 p.m. Mar. 23 Big Tens 7 p.m. Apr. 5-7 NCAAs TBA 2001 ROSTER Name Year Tim Dehr Sr. Daniel Diaz-Luong Jr. Chris Gatti Fr. Jamie Hertza So. Kenny Keener Sr. Brad Kenna Jr. Josh Levin Jr. Louis Levine Jr. Conan Parzuchowski So. Kevin Roulston Sr. Justin Toman Sr. Scott Vetere Jr. Kris Zimmerman So. Head Coach: Kurt Golder Assistant Coach: Mike Burns Assistant Coach: Mike Racanelli 2001 RULES CHANGES The NCAA implemented a new points system that devalues points given to certain performed skills. As a result, a gymnast will have to perform more difficult skills to gen- erate the same score. The change is intended to separate good routines from poorer ones. 2000 NCAA RESULTS 1. Penn State 231.975 2. MICHIGAN 231.850 3. Iowa 231.525 4. Oklahoma 230.850 5. California 230.825 6. Ohio State 230.800 1999 NCAA RESULTS 1. MICHIGAN 232.550 2. Ohio State 230.850 3. Nebraska 229.600 2000 ALL-AMERICANS Kenny Keener (rings) Kevin Roulston (floor) Justin Toman (parallel bars) Scott Vetere (all around, rings) Kris Zimmerman (parallel bars) Team (second at NCAAs) Scott Vetere junior Vetere was dominant last year down the stretch. An improved high-bar routine should give this All-American a strong chance to win the all-around in every meet. Kevin Roulston Senior Will play a pivotal role in this year s title run. The steady tri-captain will be counted on to have a breakthrough season in light of his team's early-season injuries. Minus injuries, gymnasts primed for another run GYMNMASTS Continued from Page 1B Younger gymnasts like Conan Parzu- chowski, Jamie Hertza, and Kris Zim- merman need raise their scores as well. Zimmerman, in particular, seems to show the most promise. "He has unbelievable talent and work ethic," Vetere said. "If he hits (his rou- tines) he will be amazing." The focus for this season is different as well. Last year, the Wolverines trained for the NCAA championships with the Olympics in mind, requiring the gym- nasts to peak twice. This year, the only peak is the NCAA championships, leav- ing this year's team craving just one prize. VAULT: Right now, Michigan has four solid performers on the event in Vetere, Diaz-Luong, Roulston and Kenna. They need some others to improve to provide some depth in case any of the top four falter or get hurt. Zimmerman, Dehr and Parzu- chowski need to improve and con- tribute in the event. F L O O R EXERCISE: T h e Wolverines BRANDON SEDLOFF/Daily have two If Brad Kenna can remain healthy, expect him to be a major N C A A contributor as he launches into the naton's elite. f i n a l i s t s returning in Keener and Roulston, but the loss of Toman on the event hurts them here. Look for Vetere to put up some strong scores. Hertza and Zimmer- man need to come up with quality scores from time to time to shore up any incon- sistencies. PARALLEL BARS: A definite strength. Diaz-Luong, Vetere, Keener, Zimmer- man should dominate all season. In the highly unlikely scenario that any of them does not hit, Parzuchowski, Dehr and Roulston will provide solid insurance. If Toman competes in this event, the Wolverines will be untouchable. POMMEL HORSE: Michigan should fare very strongly here again this season. Vetere, Hertza (scored a 9.85 at NCAAs), Diaz-Luong, and Dehr provide an imposing quartet-even if one of them happen to falter, Roulston is just half a step down from their level. If healthy, Toman could contribute here as well. HIGH BAR: Always a Michigan weak- ness, an improvement here could take them very far. Vetere has improved a lot in the offseason, and if a few others such as Keener, Zimmerman or Kenna improve as well, Michigan could limit their losses in the event. RINGS: Every year, Michigan domi- nates in this event. The strength program is one reason why. Any of seven gymnasts can fire up high scores, and they do it with deadly consistency. Freshman Chris Gatti could contribute points on this event as well. Jamie Hertza Is one of the promising gymnasts who needs to deliver this season. t T after this, the corporate ladder will be a piece of [cakeL In the course of facing challenges like this, you'll learn how to think on your feet. Stay cool under pressure. Take charge. Thik to an Army ROTC rep. Youl find there's nothing like a little chimbing to help prepare you for