2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsWednesday - October 20, 2004 A CLUBSPORTSWEEKLY Traditions keep fencei By Jack Herman Daily Sports Writer "I felt my dignity lowered to a new level, but I was willing to make the sacrifice for my team." These were the words of Drew Ahrroun, a mem- ber of the Michigan club fencing team, describing his participation in the choreographed dance com- petition at the yearly formal dance the team holds. He was part of the men's foil squad that defeated the long reigning champion men's epee team by performing a dance to Sisqo's "Thong Song." Memories like these help the members of the squad - which will compete at the Remenyik Open in Evan- ston this weekend - succeed as a team. "It's an individual sport, but you still have to work together to improve," fencer Diane Fiander said. Despite the fact that "working together" means hitting your teammate with a sharp metal object, the team gets along very well. "They are so much fun to be around," first- year member Sandhya Kirshnam said of her older teammates. "It's because of them that we get our enthusiasm." Kirshnam is not the only member who feels this way. Ask any other member of the team and you'll get a similar response - it's the people, not nec- essarily the sport, that keeps them coming back week after week. "These are the friendliest people you'll ever meet," Christina Brewton said of her teammates. It's not just the time together inside the gym that the team cherishes; it's also those special moments outside of the sport which help them bond and ulti- mately make the team successful. "It's a good thing to hang out with your team- mates after you're exhausted from practice," Fian- der said. Two traditions have held up particularly well for the Wolverine - the formal dance and, of course, the road trip. The dance is held at the end of every year, and gives the team an opportunity to have some fun with each other as well as embarrass themselves. The other tradition is the naming of the "Paper Plate Award" winners. As one can infer, the team gives out awards in the form of a paper plate to different teammates. For example, club president Josh Jacques was the winner of the "Pretty Pretty Princess" award, which he earned for spending the most time in the shower. The team also has a few traditions that it employs on every road trip. One custom of the team is to go to Outback Steakhouse before every away match. Of course this becomes twice as fun when they're in the mid- dle of Columbus wearing all of the Maize and Blue paraphernalia they can get their hands on. No mat- ter where they may be, they will find an Outback. At times they have had to travel more than an hour away just to continue this tradition. Another tradition is the "Foil Fixing Party" before every away match. Because equipment is very expensive and breaks easily, it is often more efficient to try to fix it rather than buy more. So the S laughing team gets together to fix all its equipment before the big match. Practical jokes are also the norm. Team mem- bers fondly recall staging a fencing match inside of a hotel lobby before a meet at Northwestern, scar- ing many women who were attending a convention at the hotel. But as Meg Nisch can tell you, practi- cal jokes are not only reserved for people outside the team. Nisch recalls a joke from last year, when the team was making the trip to New Hampshire for a national competition (in which it would finish fourth overall). Teammate George Kiwada was in another one of the team's vans and called Nisch to tell her he had been stopped by Canadian border patrol. Kiwada then told Nisch he was being detained by the "police" - her teammates - who then got on the phone to ask Nisch questions about Kiwa- da's status as a U.S. citizen. After answering the questions, Kiwada informed Nisch of the practical joke and had quite a laugh. "I was worried about George," Nisch said. "But there will be payback." Sean O'Brien sums up what he loves about fenc- ing for the team and why he thinks everyone, no matter their skill level, should try it. "It's not just a sport," O'Brien said. "Everyone comes in here clumsy. People who have been doing it here started out the same way. It's as much about having fun and enjoying yourself as it is fenc- ing. Fencing's a lot of fun, but its just good being around fun people." Athlete of the Week Name: Rebecca Walter Team: Cross Country Hometown: Beverly Hills, Mich. Class: Junior Why: Walter was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week after placing fourth at NCAA Pre-Nationals over the weekend. The junior finished with a time of 20:20.1 in the event held in Terra Haute, Ind. Walter's finish led the Wolverines to a second-place showing in the White Division, 15 points behind Colorado. Walter IM' SCHEDULE l Date Event Location 10/21 10/21 10/21 10/22 10/22 10/22 10/22 10/22 10/22 10/22 10/22 10/23 10/23 10/23 10/23 10/23 10/23 Ice Hockey at Lake Superior State M Tennis at Midwest Regionals W Tennis at Midwest Regionals M Tennis at Midwest Regionals W Tennis at Midwest Regionals Field Hockey vs. California W Soccer at Michigan State W Cross Country at EMU Classic M Cross Country at EMU Classic Volleyball vs. Northwestern M Soccer at Wisconsin Field Hockey vs. Ohio State Football at Purdue Volleyball vs Wisconsin Ice Hockey vs Lake Superior State M Tennis at Main Draw W Tennis at Main Draw Sault Ste. Marie Ann Arbor Minneapolis Ann Arbor Minneapolis Ann Arbor East Lansing Ann Arbor Ann Arbor Ann Arbor Madison Ann Arbor West Lafayette Ann Arbor Detroit Ann Arbor Minneapolis Boston Evanston Time 7:30 p.m. TBA TBA TBA TBA 3 p.m. TBA 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 7 p.m. 8 p.m. 2 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 7:30 p.m. TBA TBA 12:33 p.m. 2 p.m. Oakland, Seattle finalize Rice deal 10/24 W Rowing at Head of the Charles 10/24 M Soccer at Northwestern 6 V9 NOTES golfers with 215 (70-70-75) strokes, and her team led the entire time. - Max Kardon ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) - Jerry Rice is leaving the Bay Area, where he quickly developed into the great- est receiver in NFL history with a relentless work ethic that still defines him today. Disgruntled for weeks at a lack of playing time for the struggling Oak- land Raiders, Rice got his wish, when a trade sending him from Oakland to Seattle was finalized and announced yesterday. The move reunites him with Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, Rice's former offensive coordinator in San Francisco. The Raiders received a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2005 in return for Rice. The Seahawks will owe Rice the remainder of his $1.35 million base salary this season. The 42-year-old Rice, in his 20th NFL season, said goodbye to his teammates Monday, even signing autographs for some before leaving. Women's golf rallies for sixth-place finish Strong final day not enough for men's golf A trophy and his belongings remained in his locker. "Yeah, we knew," fullback Zack Crockett, one of Rice's longtime friends, told the AP in a phone inter- view. "Right now, everything is so fresh. This is a real sad day. You lose a lot of close friends as well. We'll definitely miss him." In one dramatic day, the last of the Oakland's old guard was swept away. Earlier, injured quarterback Rich Gannon announced he won't return to the field for the Raiders this season because of a broken vertebra in his neck. Gannon acknowledged that with longtime receiver Tim Brown already gone and Rice virtually out the door - and his own football future uncer- tain - this could mark the end of a special era for the Silver and Black. "You could look at it that way," Gan- non said. "Obviously, when you hire a AP PHOTO Jerry Rice holds up his new Seattle uniform, during yesterday's press conference. The No. 17 Michigan women's golf team hauled its clubs to Rogers, Ark., over the weekend to compete in the Lady Razorback Invitational at Pinnacle Country Club. The Wolverines saw mixed suc- cess, battling strong winds in Monday's second round to post a disappointing score of 315. Despite the second round struggle, Michigan managed to finish near the top of a strong field yesterday with a three-day total of 923 - placing sixth in the 19-team tournament. Sophomore Brianna Broderick post- ed an impressive score of 225 (74- 77-74) to propel herself to seventh place, her fourth consecutive top-10 finish. Junior Amy Schmucker claimed ninth place with a 228-stroke total that would have improved the Wol- verines' standing, but she competed as an individual entrant. Iowa State dominated the field, taking home the toiirnameiint trophy with 905 combined strokes. The Cyclones' Lisa Meshke posted the lowest individual total, leading all Even with a tournament-best final round score of 297, the Michigan men's golf team placed 13th out of 14 teams at this weekend's Cola-Cola Duke Golf Classic. The team got off to a rough start, tallying rounds of 310 and 305 the first two days of the tournament. The Wol- verines redeemed themselves in the final round, but their tournament total of 912 was not enough to push them past Virginia Tech, Charlotte or Drake, who claimed 10th through 12th. Junior Christain Vozza was tied for fifth at the end of the first day with two rounds of even-par 72. But after some less successful rounds on the final two days, Vozza dropped back to a tie for 21st place overall. Other highlights included a 2- under-par round of 70 by sophomore Kevin Dore, as well as another even- par 72 round from freshman Brian Ottenweller. Fifth-year seiior RobTighe (34th) and Ottenweller (49th) were the only other Wolverines to place in the top 50. - Ellen McGarrity new coach there are some changes. I want to think of it as a beginning of an era." Rice asked last week to be traded before yesterday's deadline because he knew his role the rest of the season would continue to be minimal in new coach Norv Turner's offense. "I would think it would give any team a boost, but really it's up to the Raiders," Holmgren said. "It's really their call." Holmgren was Rice's offensive coor- dinator from 1989-91 with-the 49ers, and Holmgren was San Francisco's quarterbacks coach starting in Rice's second season with the team in 1986.. Seattle was a logical destination for Rice because he knows Holmgren's offense and Seahawks could use some help at receiver. I INi K. REC SPORTS INTRAMURALS The University of Michigan Department of Recreational Sports Intramural Sports Program www.recsports.umich.edu 734-763-3562 I . REC SPORTS I NT RAM RAtS Entries due: Wed, 10/20 4:30 PM IM Building Entry Fee: $35.00 per team Manager's Meeting: MANDATORY Thur, 10/21 6:00 PM IM Building Tournament Dates: taken online 10/23, & 10/24 Mitchell Fields Pre-Season Football ' , Entries due: Wed, 11/03 4:30 PM IM Building Entry Fee: $180.00 per team Manager's Meeting: MANDATORY Thur, 11/04 6:30 PM IM Building Tournament Dates: 11/7- 11/18 Yost Ice Arena Ice Hockey s ' Entries taken: Mon, 10/25 ONLY 11:00AM-5:30PM IM Building Entry Fee: $88.00 per team Manager's Meeting: MANDATORY Wed, 10/27 6:00 PM or 9:00 PM IM Building Play begins: Thurs, 10/28 Mitchell Fields Pinar Innhn I Entries taken: Mon, 10/25 ONLY 11:00 AM - 5:30PM IM Building Entry Fee: $55.00 per team Manager's Meeting: MANDATORY Wed, 10/27 7:15 PM IM Building Play begins: Thurs, 10/28 IM Building WaffvhalI 1: ILJ 4 ' -h -1 II, I