8A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 03, 2003

Favorite songs 'pump up' Michigan at bat

By Megan Kolodgy
Daily Sports Writer

In the Brittney Spears movie
Crossroads, Spears travels with three
friends across the country in search
of her long-lost mother. When the
quartet runs out of funds, they clev-
erly enter a karaoke contest to make
some quick cash. Their previously
dormant musical talent emerges, and
they leave the seedy bar victorious
and financially secure.
One could argue that without a
high-quality contest entry, Spears
and her cronies would not have
stood a chance against their compe-
tition. So what song did they per-
form?
The Joan Jett classic "I Love Rock

and Roll."
Each time senior softball captain
Meghan Doe steps up to the plate
during a game at Alumni Field, the
crowd hears Spears' voice over the
speakers as she asks, "Is this thing
on?" before the singer proceeds with
her rendition of the song.
Doe feels that hearing that song
prior to each at-bat helps her have
just as much, if not more success,
than Spears did in that fateful
karaoke contest.
"I think hearing that song definite-
ly makes a difference," Doe said. "It
really does pump me up."
Though this song has proven effec-
tive for Doe so far this season, she
didn't play a large role in choosing it.
"(Catcher) Lisa Mack picked it for

me," she said. "I knew I needed a
song that sounded good at the begin-
ning, since that's generally the only
part we hear, and she suggested that
one."
One should not mistake this as
indifference on Doe's part. Rather, it
is a kindly effort to save fans and
teammates from her musical tastes,
which she thinks some may find
unpleasant.
"I mainly listen to country," Doe
said. "I don't really like a lot of rap
or anything, and I thought that my
music might be a little hillbillish."
Other team members - namely
freshman second basemen Tiffany
Haas - have had very distinct songs
in mind when they were approached
by Mack, who according to Doe has

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taken on the role of "music coordina-
tor."
"My song is 'Eye of the Tiger' by
Survivor," Haas said. "It's a classic,
and it has a good beat."
This particular number has played
a large role in Haas' pre-game ritual.
"If we are on the road, I play it on
my laptop," she said. "It's part of my
routine, and it helps get me fired up.
It's similar to how some players take
some dirt from their home field. It's
sort of lucky, I guess."
A legitimate concern may be that a
player might get sick of hearing the
same song over and over, game after
game. Haas does not feel this will be 
the case.
"I downloaded the song about
three years ago on Kazaa," she said.
"And I'm still not tired of it."
Doe does not seem to share the
freshman's sentiments.
"I'm not tired of it yet," she said.
"We'll see how that goes, though. We
don't change the songs at all during
the season, although sometimes I
think that we should."
This is the first year that each
player has her own personal theme
song played, and the general con-
sensus is that this practice is a posi-
tive one.
"It's kind of cool," Haas said.
"During the game, everyone works DANNY MOLOSH(Daiy
as a team, but that one moment rep- Senior Meghan Doe doesn't want the Alumni Field crowd to learn about her tae
resents you. It pumps us all up." of country music, so she uses Brittney Spears to get her ready for her at-bat.
Sebmucker rising- among golfeis

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By Julie Master
Daily Sports Writer
With the first nine matches of the
spring season under her belt, freshman
Amy Schmucker is a rising star on the
Michigan women's golf team.
Schmucker is no stranger to the game
- she swung her first club at age
three, and has practiced on the golf
course since she was six.
"My dad is a diehard golfer,"
Schmucker said. "I've always been

golfing."
Schmucker's dedication has paid off
- she is the only freshman who has
competed in every tournament this
season. In her first collegiate match,
the Wolverine Invitational, Schmucker
tied sophomore Laura Olin with a
fourth-place finish out of 66 girls and
11 teams.
"Amy is young, and she kind of
needs to learn the system," Michigan
coach Kathy Teichert said. "But she's
in a good position right:now. She's

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solidified herself in our lineuand
now we just need her to keep )ing
better and better every time out."
To help with her game, Schnrker-
sticks with her long-time supsti-
tions. She always warms up wit the
same clubs, marks her ball tailide,
and starts out with four tees iiher
pocket.
"I think way back when, when :ad
the best round ever, I had four te in
my pocket," Schmucker said. "Soow
it's just become something obsesve-
compulsive."
Schmucker has become an inor-
tant part of the team, but Teiche is
looking for more consistency fromer
freshman.
"There is room for improveme in
her game,"Teichert said. "Amy cebe
shooting 75s day in and day outut
it's a mistake here, a mistake the, a
pulled shot, a shot in the water,r a
shot out of bounds that leaves he>ne
or two shots away from making all
come together."
Although her game isn't peict,
Schmucker has been dedicat( to
improving her swing and betterinher
up-and-down percentages.
"Her last two tournamentsiat
we've had, she's hit the ball mucliet-
ter, her up-and-down percentages ive
increased, and these small impre-
ments have been enabling her to ing
down her scores,' Teichert said.
Only with hard work has Schmk-
er been able to strengthen her wk-
nesses. In terms of work etc,
Schmucker knows that she alwaysas
room to improve as a player.
"I set goals, and I work harco
achieve those goals," Schmucker si.
"So I think in doing that, I am alws
striving to do better and go above d
beyond my expectations."
Schmucker has made a name r
herself, and her teammates and coa-
es expect great things from her for a
rest of the season.
"Amy has a fire in her eye
Teichert said. "She has the potent,
and she has the ability to be an exc+
lent player. With time, she will st,
getting the mental aspect down, bu
think she's very comfortable in ti
role she's playing now. She's real
starting to understand in practic(
what she needs to make it to the ne:
level."

"

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