2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsTuesday - January 22, 2002 0 CLUBSPORTSWEEKLY 'Synchro' not as elegant when out of the water Michigan X-Games AleTidFTHEWEE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Who: Otto Olson Hometown: Everett, MI Sport: Wrestling Year: Senior By Ben Ramirez For the Daily When one thinks of synchronized swimming, images of women with swim caps diving into the water one after the other and forming a circular formation may enter one's mind. But there is much more to this fasci- nating sport besides its coordination. Synchronized swimming is one of the most physically strenuous club sports at Michigan. There are two main qualities that a good synchronized swimmer must possess: Endurance and flexibility. Therefore, the athletes must subject themselves to a rigorous prac- tice regimen. "We do distance swimming as well as anaerobic training such as sprints to keep our endurance up," coach Becky Trombley said. "Our team members must also have flexibility equivalent to that of a gymnast or bal- let dancer in their necks, arms and legs." The team practices three days a week, on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays for two and a half hours each day. These practices and competi- tions are certainly not for the faint of heart, but the rewards outweigh the sacrifices. "It's a great feeling of accomplish- ment after you've put a lot of work into and performed a routine," co-captain Alice Knoeble said. "Also, I have a lot of good friends on the team, which makes it fun." In competition, the two types of events are figures and routines. During figure competition, each swimmer is alone in front of a panel of three to seven judges to do one figure, which is a technical element that is predeter- mined before the meet. The team is comprised of 13 mem- *14 McNabb shuffle takes Bears out CHICAGO (AP) - Donovan McN- abb was too elusive, too shifty, too good for the Chicago Bears to contain. Scrambling and dancing away from rushers left and right, McNabb made his homecoming a memorable one Satur- day. McNabb maneuvered the Philadel- phia Eagles into the NFC championship game, throwing for two touchdowns and running for a third to ear a 33-19 victory. "It was very exciting to have my family and friends here," said McNabb, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs. Now he's one win 19 away from the Super . 1Bowl. "I'm trying not to even focus on that,"'he said. David Akers kicked four field goals and Philadelphia's rugged defense bot- tled up a Chicago offense crippled when quarterback Jim Miller was knocked out of the game in the second quarter because of a separated shoulder. The Eagles will face St. Louis in the conference championship. bers, many of whom have previous experience in the sport. "About half of our team members have previous synchro experience, and most have at least been competitive swimmers," Trombley said. "But we also have a couple women with no experience who are doing quite well." There are currently no male mem- bers in the club, but anyone who showed interest would not be excluded. While members of the team are committed athletes, they must also be fundraisers and artists. Each member is responsible to help raise money to cover team expenses such as trips for competitions. The artistry comes in the form of decorating their suits and mak- ing matching headpieces for each new routine. There are also some unpleasant aspects to the sport. "In order to keep our hair looking uniform and out of our eyes during competition, we need more than regu- lar old hair gel," Trombley said. "We use unflavored Jello, also known as Knox Gelatin, and paint it onto our hair and then sit under a hairdryer to harden it." Again, this sport is not for the faint of heart. The first competition will be the Maize and Blue Invitational on Sun- day, Feb. 3 at the Canham Natatorium. The opposition will include Iowa, Miami (Ohio), Minnesota, Ohio State and Stanford. On March 19-24, the team will be in Boston to compete in the National Competition. Trombley likes her team's chances. "I have been coaching synchronized swimming for many years, and this year's team has made more progress in a short period of time than any team I've coached," said Trombley. "They have far exceeded expectations." What: Ranked No. 2 in the nation, Otto Olson dominated the competition at the National Duals with a 5-0 record over the two-day event. Olson ' began his weekend with a huge upset against No. 1 Josh Koscheck of Edin- boro. This was the defending national champ's first loss in 45 matches this year. Olson was the only undefeated wrestler for the Wolverines, who went 3-2 on the weekend. Olson SPOIRTs BRIEFS BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily Ann Arbor resident Charlie Lane, vacationing in Vail, Colorado over the three day weekend, takes advantage of the heavy snowfall and pulls a backflip while skiing. Busted! Minnesota in trouble with CA MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Separate investigations have turned up NCAA violations in two University of Min- nesota athletics programs. The NCAA found evidence of major violations by former Gophers women's basketball coach Cheryl Lit- tlejohn that could result in the program being shut down for up to two years. The evidence mirrors that disclosed after the university's own investigation last year. In another investigation, the school found six minor NCAA violations in its wrestling program since 1999 and improper use of university resources by head coach J Robinson. In a report sent to University Presi- dent Mark Yudof this week, the NCAA warned that the women's basketball violations, along with the academic fraud in men's basketball under Clem Haskins, could subject the university to penalties under the "repeat violator rule." University general counsel Mark Rotenberg said the penalties that apply for repeat violators shouldn't apply in the Littlejohn case. The university reported major violations last spring. They shouldn't be considered repeat violations, he said, because they occurred before Oct. 24, 2000 - when the NCAA placed the university on probation in the fallout involving Haskins. Rotenberg will argue the school's case before the NCAA's Infractions Committee in April, and the panel will rule sometime after that, he said. His airness returns to Chicago in new colors CHICAGO (AP) - For all his com- petitiveness, this was one game Michael Jordan didn't want to play. After 13 years and six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, playing against them in his old house was like facing family. And no matter how many fights or squabbles you have, no matter how far away you move or how long you've been apart, family is always family. "I've got a lot of gratitude for this city, for what they gave me and the motivation of playing, and here I am, I'm playing against their team," he said after his new team, the Washington Wizards, beat the Bulls 77-69 Saturday in Jordan's first game in Chicago as a visiting player. "It was a tough night. Tough," he said. "I played like it, too. I don't want to put blame, but the enthusiasm and motivation was not quite the same as I normally play with." Sam ras' drought reaches 21 events MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Another tournament turned into one more disappointment for Pete Sam- pras, whose winless streak now stretches to 21 events. Marat Safin hurt Sampras with his power game early and then held off a late comeback bid by the Grand Slam king to advance to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (8) vic- tory Sunday. Safin saved two set points in the final tiebreaker before finishing Sampras off. During the three-hour, 33-minute match, both players were upset by some line calls, and the normally reserved Sampras vented his frus- tration at a spectator at one juncture in tie second set. "I was one point away from tying it up," said Sampras, who is winless since capturing Wimbledon in 2000 for his record 13th Grand Slam tournament title. Blue light special: Linebacker arrested MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) - Purdue linebacker Ladrelle Bryant was arrest- ed on charges he helped a woman steal items from a Kmart store. and then struck a parked car as he drove away. The 18-year-old freshman from Muncie was apprehended Sunday as a suspect in a merchandise theft that occurred at a Kmart. According to police, Bryant sat in a car in the store's parking lot waiting for a woman to leave the store with stolen merchan- dise. After the woman was in the car, Bryant backed the car from the park- ing space and hit a parked car, then left the parking lot before police offi- cers arrived. Officers spotted Bryant a short time later and caught him after a brief car pursuit. Bryant was arrested on preliminary charges of assisting a criminal, crimi- nal recklessness and leaving the scene of an accident. Detroit's Yzerman gets 1,000th assistS D TO, , ;Rlt4 k fF 13' s NEW ORLEANS,'.'.... YY' t.YY a A Snow job: Oakland 16 loses review, game 13 FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) - A snow- storm and an apparent fumble didn't stop former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots from adding an amazing victory to their magical season. Helped by a controversial video replay that overruled the fumble call with 1:43 left, the Patriots beat the Oak- land Raiders 16-13 Saturday night in overtime after trailing 13-3 going into the fourth quarter. Adam Vinatieri, whose 45-yard field goal tied the game with 27 seconds left in regulation time, sent the Patriots into the AFC championship game with a 23- yard field goal in overtime. The Patriots, who finished in the AFC East cellar at 5-11 last season and started 0-2 this season, are 12-3 since Brady succeeded an injured Drew Bled- soe in the third game. Pack's0' rammed by St. Louis D' Grbac useless in loss to Steelers PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Steel Curtain would have loved this. The Pittsburgh Steelers held the defending champion Baltimore Ravens to three first downs in three quarters, harassed former Michigan quarterback Elvis Grbac into numerous mistakes and advanced to the AFC championship game with a 27-10 rout Sunday. It was the kind of dominating defense that 27 allowed the Steelers to win four Super Bowls ' during the 1970s - and, if they can beat New England on Sunday at 10 Heinz Field, will get them back to the NFL title game again. "When you come here, you hear about Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, the Hall of Famers, the tradition of the defense;' Steelers linebacker Mike Jones said. "It makes you understand what you have to do to live up to that." The Ravens did plenty of talking beforehand, bragging about their ability to win playoff games on the road, only to see their chances of repeating ended before they got their initial first down. DETROIT (AP) - There isn't much left for Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings to accomplish this season - other than winning the Stanley Cup. Yzerman assisted on Mathieu Dan- denault's game-winning goal 59 sec- onds into overtime, giving the Red 'Wings a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night. It marked the 1,000th assist of Yzer- man's career, and the Detroit captain became just the ninth NHL player to reach that milestone. "There's a lot of respect for the play- ers that have achieved that," Yzerman said. "I look at it that I've played a long time on a good team with a lot of good players and it's slowly added up, so I don't really look at it as a real great achievement." 45 e 17 ST. LOUIS (AP) -'Members of the St. Louis Rams kept running into the end zone with the football, just as they always do. There was one significant difference: These were Rams defenders scoring all those points. Marshall Faulk and Torry Holt got touchdowns, too, as did seldom-used fullback James Hodgins. They, and league MVP Kurt Warner, were over- shadowed, however, by Aeneas Williams, Tommy Polley and the rest of the vastly improved St. Louis defense. All-Pro cornerback Williams led the way by returning two interceptions for touchdowns, an NFL playoff record, in a 45-17 rout of the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The overwhelming ball- hawking display against Brett Favre, along with the Rams' usual offensive theatrics, lifted St. Louis into its second NFC championship game in three years. Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles come to the Dome at America's Center, and they'd better be more careful with the ball than the Packers were. 'M'OC HEDULE Thursday, Jan. 24 M Basketball at Ohio State, 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25 Wrestling vs. Minnesota (Crisler Arena), 7:30 p.m. Hockey vs. Bowling Green, 7:35 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26 Water Polo vs. Cal-Santa Barbara, 11 a.m.. M Tennis vs. Western Michigan, 12 p.m. M Basketball vs. Vermont, 2 p.m. Water Polo vs. Michigan State, 2 p.m. M Gymnastics vs. Penn State, 7 p.m. W Gymnastics at Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. Hockey vs. Bowling Green, 7:35 p.m. W Track/Field hosts Michigan Intercollegiate Sunday, Jan. 27 - 11 a~m.RYAN LEvENTHAL/Daily Water Polo vs. Hawaii, 11 a.m. Michigan will face Minnesota at Wrestling vs. Purdue, 1 p.m. Criser Arena this Friday night. Water Polo vs. Indiana, 2 p.m. W Basketball at Illinois, 3 p.m. DAILY SCOEDBOAR D I - m- - II~I--VON" ~ 18 0 LSAT COMPANY One of the best LSAT tutors in the nation is offering her first Ann Arbor Workshop on logic games. Seating is limited. Call today for information and screening: (313) 600-8366 (734) 368-3361 By: Mayssoun Bydon, J.D. On: Friday, January 25, 2002 GRE students welcome NBA STANDINGS NHL STANDINGS EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W New Jersey 2 Boston 24 Washington 1 Orlando 2: Philadelphia 1 New York 14 Miami 1 Central Division W Miiwaukee 26 Toronto 2' indiana 2 Detroit 19 Charlotte 19 Atlanta 14 Cleveland 13 Chicago 8 WESTERN CONFERENCE Midwest Division W Minnesota 31 Dallas 29 San Antonio 2 Utah 22 Houston 13 Denver 1 Memphis 1 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division L PCT GB PF PA 7 13 .675 - 95.7 91.0 4 16 .6003 95.7 .93.2 .19 .5007 90.5 91.8 ?21 .500 7 100.6 97.7 .21 .475 8 89.7 88.4 .25 .359 12.5 88.6 92.7 .3 26 .333 13.5 84.9 89.1 L PCT GB PF ? 13 .667 - 98.3 4 18 .585 3.5 92.0 2 21 '512 6 97.2 .20 .487 7 94.0 .21 .475 7.5 93.7 26 .350 12.595.0 3 28 .317 14 91.8 332 .200 18.5 85.3 PA 96.4 91.5 97.5 93.5 95.5 100.8 97.1 94.7 Philadelphia NY Islanders NY Rangers New Jersey Pittsburgh Northeast Division Boston Toronto Ottawa Montreal Buffalo Southeast Division Carolina Washington Tampa Bay Florida Atlanta W 29 24 22 20 19 W 26 25 25 20 20 W 21 19 18 17 12 L T OTL Pts GF GA 13 5 1 64 153 110 165 2 55 129 125 214 3 51 133 149 196 3 49 119 120 225 2 45108133 L T OTL Pts GF GA 143 6 61 141 115 155 4 59141121 174 3 57 154 124 217 2 49 131 137 234 1 45 128 125 L T 19 7 23 8 23 5 27 3 28 6 OTLI 5 ! 0 2 3 3 Pts GF GA 54 139 150 46 135 153 43 96 109 40 109 153 33 119 176 i A STUDY IN JAPAN 5 iiiiN3tt ( .,+ .+ i/86*t.4- Pacific Division Sacramento LA Lakers Seattle Phoenix Portland LA Clippers Golden State w 3W 28 21 21 1 VL Q 10 ?9 12 ?7 11 2 19 3 28 2 27 .227 L M39 1 19 0 20 3 20 ?0 21 .327 PCT GB PF PA .750 - 102.2 95.3 .707 1.5 103.4 99.6 .711 2 98.9 92.8 .537 8.5 96.7 95.3 .317 17.5 91.3 95.9 .308 17.5 92.5 97.4 .308 17.5 90.4 97.4 PCT GB PF PA .769 - 103.4 96.4 .7571 102.0 92.1 .525 9.5 97.5 96.5 .500 10.5 98.6 97.4 .500 10.5 94.2 93.2 .488 11 94.9 95.2 .325 17.5 94.9 99.6 Detroit Chicago St. Louis Nashville Columbus Northwest Division Colorado Edmonton Vancouver Calgary Minnesota Pacific Division San Jose Dallas W 34 29 27 18 13 W 26 24 23 20 17 W 25 23 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division L T OTL Pts GF GA 9 4 2 74 155 107 149 0 67149135 126 3 63 139 107 238 0 44 124 130 287 1 34 96 138 L T OTL Pts GF GA 166 1 59 122 99 197 2 57 133 123 244 1 51 149 141 188 2 50118124 218 3 45 119 142 Affordable - Scholarships Available m W .rmm ..= =.- - 2i. / 46 Yesterday's games Charlotte 111, NY KNIcKs 68 ATLANTA 95, Houston 91 L T 14 6 16 6 OTL Pts GF GA 3 61 141 117 4 56 134 128 o: &I