The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - September 24, 2001- 7B
Hockey Endowment Fund provides stability
By Seth Klempner
Daily Sports Writer
TOM FELDKAMP/Daily
The new Yost Ice Arena features a modern scoreboard hanging above the ice. The
modern marvel will be paid for in one year via its 24 advertising boards.
New scoreboard wll
add to Yost experience
There is no doubt that Michigan
hockey head coach Red Berenson has
left 'his mark on the hockey program.
In doing so, he has made capital
improvements to ensure that the
Michigan hockey team remains strong
for years to come.
Some of these improvements are
palpable to fans attending games at
Yost Ice Arena - including a matrix
scoreboard hanging above the ice or
the new box seating above the student
section. But other, less tangible
improvements are not as easily seen
by fans, such as his reuniting of the
Michigan Hockey'family when he
took the job as head coach in 1984.
Another effort on the part of Beren-
son to cement the program is anS8
million endeavor to endow every
Michigan hockey scholarship. Of the
eight million, Berenson has two mil-
lion of the needed funds, leaving 18
scholarships at least partially
endowed.
Berenson's vision of the endow-
ment fund spreads past the hockey
program and into the financial health
of the Athletic Department.
"It could be argued, that (the
endowment fund) is going to help
another sport more than it is going to
help hockey," Berenson said. "It will
help hockey but because hockey is
helping itself as well, it will take pres-
sure off another sport so those dollars
are going to go into another sport that
doesn't have endowed scholarships."
The completion of-such a project
will remove the cost of hockey schol-
arships, which Berenson estimates to
be S400,000 per year, and will allow
nmoney to flow into other areas of the
Athletic Department.
Furthermore, while the hockey pro-
gram is currently making money, this
hasn't always been the case, nor will
it always be. But the endowment of
every scholarship helps ensure stabili-
ty for years to come.
"I don't go out and press people,"
Berenson said. "In my own way I
have to let people know and get the
Well-endowed
The following Michigan hockey play-
ers have or are getting at least par-
tial scholarships.
word out. It is not like I go out and
have a big brunch and invite all these
people. I am more low key."
It is this low key, business-like style
to Berenson's fund raising that makes
him successful. He does not pressure
them, but rather explains the benefits
of a donation and allows the benefac-
tor to make his own decision. He all
the while uses his creative guises to
attract such philanthropists to the pro-
gram.
Berenson first got the idea for the
endowment fund a few years ago at an
endowment luncheon for forward
Matt Herr. Herr, who graduated in
1998, was receiving an endowment
for baseball, which prompted Beren-
son to ask how many of the approxi-
mately 75 endowed scholarships were
for hockey. The answer at the time
was none.
"After talking to people in the
administration and in the development
office I got the support and approval
and decided I would participate per-
sonally in getting all our scholarships
endowed," Berenson said.
It is important to Berenson that the
donor be able to meet the athlete and
know exactly who their money is
going toward. This could lead to a
relationship between the player and
donor and he hopes that they will last
for years to come.
"The players appreciate the scholar-
ship more when they meet the person
who gave money to help fund the
scholarship," Berenson said. "And I
think the people who gave the money
appreciate where the money is going-
because the meet the kids and can't
help but be impressed with these
young kids."
ScHOLARSHIP SEATS?: Among the
additions to Yost this season is a $1.4
million overhanging balcony of pre-
mium seats opposite the press box.
The construction costs of the expan-,
sion are expected to be paid off after
three years. After that, their revenue
may go toward the endowment fund.
"It's one of the reasons we have the
new seating in Yost," Athletic Direc-
tor Bill Martin said earlier this year.
"Those are scholarship seats and once
we have reimbursed the reserves of
the department for the cost of building
those all those funds will be going
into offsetting scholarship costs."
By Steve Jackson
Dairy Sports Writer
When the Wolverines came to prac-
tice last Monday, they found a brand
new 7,600-pound scoreboard hanging
over center-ice.
"I was shocked," junior forward
Mark Mink said. "I had no idea it was
going up there until I saw it when I
came in for practice. It just makes the
arena that much more special."
The Dektronics-designed scqreboard
has four large screens and a Pro-Ad
LED Message Center, which will put
over 68 billion colors at the team's dis-
posal.
"This is the top of the line in terms of
displays," Michigan Director of Market-
ing Tom Brooks said.
The scoreboard is also equipped with
four "boxing lights" underneath it to pre-
vent shadows from forming on the ice.
When the lights are on, the scoreboard
will have little impact on thgactual
gameplay, according to Berenson.
"Maybe you'd have to skate out to
the blue-line to see the time," he said.
"But it can be hard to see the clock in
many of the places we play anyway."
Berenson's only concern about the
scoreboard was its size. He felt that it
was important for the scoreboard to fit
in with the rest of the stadium without
having a either a dominating or a puny
presence.
"I'm really happy with it," Berenson
said. "This is a huge upgrade for us.
This will do a lot to help the atmos-
phere. It'll be better for the whole
Michigan hockey community."
The players share Berenson's enthu-
siasm.
"It's great," freshman defenseman
Nick Martens said. "They had been
going with the lame scoreboard for a
while, but this organization deserves
something like this.
"I am not sure if it takes away from
the old rink atmosphere. But this tech-
nology is more up to beat and more cur-
rent with NHL teams."
But this scoreboard is missing one
key element from those in NHL arenas
- video.
The wiring has been done so that
video could be added in the future, but
Attention
CHORAL SINGERS
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University Musical Society
CHORAL UNION
Thomas Sheets, conductor
2001-2002 Season
the setup costs associated with it have
been estimated at $500,000. So, at least
for this year, the display will function
solely as a matrix screen.
"With the status of the athletic depart-
ment budget right now I couldn't tell
you if we are going to put it in next year
or ever," Berenson said.
According to Brooks, the scoreboard
will pay itself off after just one season -
thanks to the 24 fixed panels of adver-
tising that surround the display screens.
Sponsors included Pepsi, AAA of
Michigan, Northwest Airlines, Com-
cast, Ameritech, Bank One and
Damon's restaurant.
Coach Red Berenson isn't bothered a
bit by all those corporate logos.
"Advertising is a part of hockey,"
Berenson said. "You'll find them in
almost every rink. I don't know if we
could have paid for (the scoreboard)
without them."
Unfortunately, not every seat in Yost-
,will have a clear view of the new big
screens.
The overhangs caused by the press
box and the new 294-seat premium sec-
tion will restrict sightlines for fans seat-
ed in the back rows.
But Michigan has a provided those
people with some mini-scoreboards of
their own.
Sixteen new television sets (eight on
each side of the ice) will broadcast a
video feed of the large center-hung
scoreboard to those who will not be able
to view it directly.
"Every seat here is a great seat,"
Berenson said.
The Wolverines open their 2001-02
preseason at Yost this Friday at 7:35
p.m. with the annual Blue/White
Intrasquad game.
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