4 2E - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - Tuesday, September 3, 2002 i1 :I:4. , x. _ z f a. :o. ....J:J 8$ £-. , .2 N J3W MO g -a M. a x r f a4 10 \ Ilefi F o, 0 l\ft Alumni Michigan could be the model for a new lacrosse to promote to every audience . .. }" ,, t k :. k : Lacrosse has always seemed to me to be a sport for upper middle-class white boys who were somehow too Abercrombified to play soccer and tennis and golf like the rest of us upper middle- class white boys. I grew up in upstate New York - the sports Mecca - but all my life, lacrosse ° has been this off- putting after- thought in my consideration of American sports. DAVID5 It is seen by HORN many as a leisure activity, reserved Tooting for privileged my own preppies - polo for guys who don't like to ride on horses. That view is pretty common in the East, I think. Some guys play lacrosse and absolutely love it; a lot of other guys don't get it and resent the sport and its culture. But what about here in the Mid- west? I got a chance to take a look at the Michigan lacrosse team this past April, and it reminded me that lacrosse is a lot of fun and deserves to receive more attention. It is at least as good a game as soccer in terms of complicity, pace, necessary skill and required athleticism. There's scoring, which Americans can't do without, and a degree of contact and violence that would surely satisfy the popular appetite when football and hockey (tame as they really are) go into hibernation. My hope is that, as lacrosse spreads in popularity west of the Appalachian Mountains (where it has been, until recently, relatively unknown), a new generation of ath- letes will find a way to make it a game for everyone. Currently, there are 34 players on the Wolverines' active roster; 16 hail from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts or Mary- land. Not only are they predomi- nantly New Englanders, but they are also from some of the nation's wealthiest hamlets like Chappaqua, N.Y. and Weston, Mass. They went to schools at places like Fordham Prep. and Milton Academy. Not to take anything away from these Michigan athletes, but in a way they represent that elitism of lacrosse that keeps the sport from achieving real cross-cultural and cross-coun- try popularity. I spoke with Michigan coach John Paul, who assured me that the sport is growing in cities such as Baltimore and New York. He said that the success of schools, like Maryland, Johns Hopkins and Loy- ola (MD), has prompted inner-city athletes in Baltimore to pick up a lacrosse stick. That news was very encouraging. Paul conceded, though, that here in Ann Arbor, the high school ath- letes who are choosing to play lacrosse are ... I could have guessed ... white and upper-middle class. 4 But what if Michigan, like Mary- land and Johns Hopkins, was a pre- mier D-I team? How might that affect the sports popularity among minority and economically disad- vantaged athletes in Ann Arbor and Detroit? Lacrosse ought to be embraced in America because it is truly Ameri- can. It has its origins in Iroquois culture, but has been adopted by contemporary non-Native American athletes. I think part of why lacrosse hasn't caught on nationally is the stereo- types (stereotypes grounded in real- ity) surrounding it of a sport that is both culturally and geographically elite. The Michigan Athletic Depart- ment is a number of years -per- haps as many as 20 - from promoting its lacrosse team to full varsity status. When it does, a new tradition could be born - one that is as far removed socio-economical- ly as it is geographically from upstate New York and the Aber- crombified culture of prep lacrosse. I was impressed by Paul's aware- ness of these negative stereotypes -negative realities, really - sur- rounding his sport and believe that with him at the helm of this pro- gram, it could be a model of Mid- western lacrosse and a true champion of the West. David Horn can be reached via email at hornd@umich.edu. 4 _ v ' 0 Vy .awl t .1901UMMKI. I 9 -f ni . r il Fw13 4 W.M V % One and done: Webb leaves 4 ............... 'M' to turn pro By Bob Hunt Daily Sports Writer As Alan Webb walked onto the Michigan campus in Sep- tember, he was supposed to bring home multiple national titles to the Wolverines. He was supposed to team up with Canadian star Nathan Brannen to form the greatest distance running class in colligate history. It wasn't meant to be. Webb announced on June 17th that he would be leaving Michigan to train at home. The All-American will take class- es at George Mason University near his home in Reston, Va. and train with his high school coach Scott Raczko. Webb received much publicity after he broke the 36-year- old American High School mile record last summer and got off to a good start to his Michigan career when he finished lth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last fall. But Achilles Tendonitis kept Webb from racing during the indoor season and Webb ran below expectations before plac- ing 4th in the 1500m at the NCAA Championships in late May. Toward the end of the outdoor season, Webb had discussed leaving school with Raczko, the USA Track and Field 2001 NIKE Coach of the Year whom he had been close with throughout his time in Ann Arbor. Then two weeks ago Webb with prep coach called Michigan coach Ron Warhurst to say that he was leav- ing school and that he had signed with running agent Ray Flynn. "(Raczko and Webb) I'm sure had the plan for a long time," Warhurst said. "It had nothing to do with me." Neither Webb nor Flynn returned calls from the Michigan Daily, but Raczko said that Webb would take a low-key approach for the remainder of the year while focusing on school and training. Raczko also said that while no schedule had been laid out for Webb, he would not race until some time next year. "His intention and mindset will be to prepare for the future," Raczko said. "He is very dedicated to a .long term plan." But Warhurst is unclear as to where Webb would run if Webb does indeed turn professional, which at this point appears likely. Despite his fame nationally and on campus, Webb ranked just 20th in the World in the Mile and 77th in the World in the 1500m. According to Warhurst, it couldbe five years before Webb would be in position to make an impact on the professional circuit in Europe. "He would be eaten alive if he was in pro races right now," Warhurst said. "He's got a lot of physical tools, but he needs to learn how to race. That was pretty evident by how he raced by the end of this season." I Address: Phone Number: Fax Number: Hours: Athletic Directo Faculty Represe Executive Asso4 Executive Asso Associate Athle Associate Athle Associate Athle Assistant Direc' Assistant Direct Executive Secr Athletic MediaI Athletic TicketI Margaret Dow 1 Central Campus Intramural Spor North Campus F Michigan Athletic Department 1000 South State Street 734-647-BLUE (2583) 734-764-3221 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri. r: Bill Martin ntative: Percy Bates ciate Director: Michael Stevenson ciate Director: Jason Winters tic Director: Megan McCallister tic Director (Senior Woman Administrator): Warde Manuel tic Director for Compliance: Judy Van Horn tor: Dale Bahr tor: Ragine Dvorak etary: Sandy Burdi Relations: 734-763-4423 Office: 734-764-0247 rowsley Sports Museum: Schembechler Hall 1200S. State St. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Recreation Building: 401 Washtenaw Ave. 734-763-3084 ts Building: 606 E. Hoover St. 734-763-3562 Recreation Building: 2375 Hubbard Rd. 734-763-4560 I Central Campus North Campus 324 S. State Pierpont Commons 214 S. Main KRO0.