2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 8, 2004 01 C eBSPORTsWEEKLY Size doesn't matter m1n itsu By Ben Voss Daily Sports Writer It didn't look like it would be a fair fight. ,Michigan 120-pound Brazilian Jiu Jitsu captain Mandeng Tirmizi looked up at his 200-pound opponent tower- ing over him. He planned his first move, and considered his alternatives if his plan should fail. Though confi- dent in his abilities, he wasn't sure if he could win against the largest oppo- nent he had ever faced. People in the audience at the Gra- cie National Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tour- nament in Columbus covered their eyes as though they were going to see a massacre. But little did they know, David was about to defeat Goliath. After a series of tumbles, locks and pins, Tirmizi defeated his opponent 3- 2 in his biggest win of the season last weekend. "That was the best feeling ever," Tirmizi said. "When the referee raised my arm (to show victory) after the fight, I started jumping around I was so excited." The crowd that sat on the edge of their seats for most of the match pre- sented Tirmizi with a standing ovation. Tirmizi's teammates were completely shocked at his performance. "They couldn't say anything for a couple seconds," Tirmizi said. "They were impressed and surprised at the same time." Tirmizi's match demonstrated the concept behind Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; it's not the size of the competitor that wins fights, but how well he masters the techniques. The moves mainly involve different ways to immobilize the opponent. The sport is a blend between the principles of wrestling and Jiu Jitsu. "It's a lot like chess," senior club president Jason May said. "Every move sets up another move to be made." A Judo and Jiu Jitsu master devel- oped the art in Brazil in 1914. It was later made famous in the '90s by Ulti- mate Fighting Championship compet- itor Royce Gracie. When walking into the mat room where Michigan's club trains, one quickly realizes the sport is not like other martial arts. The sparring takes place like a wrestling match on the ground. There are no boards to mile Efithlgan gal Athlete of the Week Name: Katie Bruzdzinski Team: Volleyball Hometown: Naperville, Ill Class: Freshman Why: The freshman recorded a career-high 23 kills in Michigan's 3-2 comeback win over Purdue on Saturday. In the deciding game, Bruzdzinski had three kills and the match-clinching ace to lead the Wolverines to a 15-13 final-set victory. 'M' SCHEDULE break, elaborate forms to memorize or "ayah's" to yell. The studio is rela- tively quiet as fighters tumble on the ground, smacking into the mats. While the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club has members from a wide variety of martial arts backgrounds, some of its members have joined without any previous training. The club's member- ship not only includes undergraduate and graduate students, but professors at Michigan, as well. Those who join see the sport as an opportunity to learn an art that keeps them in shape, while giving them the skills they need to defend themselves in real-life situations. "They say that 90 percent of real fights end up on the ground," Tirmizi said. This season, the club's only two women joined after hearing about the. organization's benefits at Festifall. "I really liked the idea that size doesn't matter in the fights," 5-foot-4 freshman Anna De Caneva said. "It's good for self-defense." Upon joining the club, De Caneva realized she would be the only female in the group. She called her friend, freshman Lynn Siarelli, to see if she would be interested in joining the club. "(When she called), I was like, 'yeah, I want to beat someone up!''' Siarelli said. For those with prior martial arts experience, they enjoy the challenge that comes with earning belts in Bra- zilian Jiu Jitsu. Unlike other arts, where one can advance multiple belts in matter of months, it may take years for a competitor to advance from the first to the second level. "A competition is very important because you advance based on beating other competitors in your own rank," said May, who took four years to rise from white belt to blue belt. Tirmizi, who also has a green belt in Tae Kwan Do, felt Brazil- ian Jiu Jitsu was a perfect fit for his small size. He trains five to six days a week with the club and at a local dojo. While he has been successful in the sport, he credits his accomplish- ments to his talented instructors and teammates. "I'm always the smallest guy," said Tirmizi. "When I won, I proved that (the art) works even for the small guys." Date 11/10 Event M Basketball vs. Wayne State 11/11 W Basketball vs. Australian Inst. 11I/1 M Soccer First Round 11/12 11/12 11/12 11/12 W Swim/Diving vs. Ohio State Volleyball vs. Minnesota W Soccer First/Second Rounds M Soccer Semifinals Location Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor. TBA Ann Arbor Ann Arbor TBA TBA Ypsilanti Ypsilanti Ann Arbor Ann Arbor TBA TBA Time 7 p.m. 7 p.m. TBD 5 p.m. 7 p.m. TBA TBA 11 a.m 11:30 a.m. noon 7 p.m. TBA TBA 11/13 M Cross Country at NCAA Great Lakes Regional 11/13 W Cross Country at NCAA Great Lakes Regional 11/13 Football vs. Northwestern 11/13 Volleyball vs. Iowa 11/13 Field Hockey at First/Second Rounds 11/13 M Tennis at Day 1 a 11/14 11/14 11/14 Wrestling (Maize and Blue scrimmage) Ann Arbor M Tennis at Day 2 TBA M Soccer Championship game TBA noon TBA TBA F Atbe lid tgan u-U STAFF PICKS Predictions against the spread for 11/6/04 Indiana (+2.5) at IIIioIs Ohio State (+2) at Michigan State Northwestern (+4) at Penn State Minnesota (+6.5) at Wisconsin Oklahoma (42) at Texs A&M Southern Cal. (-18) at Oregon State Colorado State (+26) at Utah Notre Dame (+7) at Tennessee Pittsburgh (+4.5) at Syracuse Maryland (+14) at Virginia Oregon (+21) at Cal. Oklahoma State (+12.5) at Texas Georgia Tech (+7,5) at N.C. State Clemson (+17) at Miami Arkansas (+4) at South'Caroliina SBest Bet Weaksyrecord (Bestbet) Season record (Best bet) George Washington Parking Meter Feeder Chris Burke Gennaro Filice Bob Hunt Sharad Mattu Illinois Ohio State Penn State Wisconsin Texas A&M Oregon State Colorado State Tennessee Pittsburgh Maryland Oregon Texas N.G0. State Miami South Carolina N.C. State 7-8(0-1) 68-61-4 (6-3) Illinois Ohio State Penn State Minnesota Oklahoma Southern Cal. Colorado State Tennessee Pittsburgh Maryland Oregon Oklahoma State N,C. State Clemson South Carolina N.C. State 11.-1(0.1) 64-65.4(5-4) Illinois Ohio State Northwestern: Minnesota Texas A&M Southern Cal. Colorado State Notre Dame Syracuse Virginia Cal Oklahoma State Georgia Tech Miami South Carolina Northwestern 47(1-4) 6465-4 (5-4) iliis Illinois Ohio State Northwestern Minnesota Oklahoma Southern Cal. Colorado State Tennessee Pittsburgh Maryland Cal Oklahoma State N.C. State Clemson Michigan State Penn State Wisconsin Texas A&M Oregon State Utah Tennessee Pittsburgh Maryland Cal Oklahoma State N.C. State Miami Varsity not the only one to take bye week There was a time when the Michigan Daily football writers ripped on their colleague Bob Hunt. He was an easy target, being as many as six games away from his nearest competitor. They said that he was too focused on "On the Road" to make quality picks. But things are starting to turn around for Mr. Hunt, as the Wolverines weren't the only ones to take a bye week. Gennaro Filice, who repeatedly knocked Hunt for having a sub-.500 record, finds himself tied with his beat member at, wouldn't you know it, 64-65-4. Even the coin Filice flipped this week, which served as a campus celebrity, went an abysmal 5-10. Sharad Mattu, who took pride in ripping on Hunt the most, fell back to earth and no longer has the lead. Even Hunt hasn't gone 5-10 this season. The new leader is Chris Burke, whose picks of Oregon State and Texas gave him a 7-8 week and a one-game lead. But with everyone within four games of each other, it should be an interesting finish. °1 *1 Arkansas South Carolina Tennessee 5.10 (U1) 67-624(5-4) Miami 540fl(04) 67-62-4(6-3) II HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED Associated Press Poll for the week of Nov. 2-8 Games updated through Nov. 8 NEW AP TOP 25 (first-place votes in parentheses) Team: 1. Southern Cal. 2. Oklahoma 3. Auburn 4. California 5. Wisconsin 6. Texas 7. Utah 8. Georgia 9. Tennessee 10. Michigan 11. Miami 12. Virginia 13. Florida State 14. Louisville 15. West Virginia 16. Boise State 17. LSU 18. Virginia Tech 19. Oklahoma State 20. Iowa 21. Southern Miss 22. Texas A&M 23. Arizona State 24. Boston College 25. UTEP This week: beat Oregon State 28-20 beat Texas A&M 42-35 idle beat Oregon 28-27 beat Minnesota 38-14 beat Oklahoma State 56-35 beat Colorado State 63-31 beat Kentucky 62-17 lost to 17-13 idle lost to Clemson 24-17 beat Maryland 16-0 beat Duke 29-7 beat Memphis 56-49 beat Temple 42-21 idle beat Vanderbilt 24-7 beat North Carolina 27-24 lost to Texas 56-35 beat Purdue 23-21 lost to Cincinnati 52-24 lost to Oklahoma 42-35 beat Stanford 34-31 beat Rutgers 21-10 idle Next week: Arizona Nebraska Georgia at Washington at Michigan State at Kansas at Wyoming at Auburn at Vanderbilt Northwestem at Virginia Miami N.C. State TCU Boston College at San Jose State Alabama Maryland Baylor at Minnesota at Memphis Texas Tech Washington State at West Virginia Rice TEAM 1. Southern Cal. (52) 2. Oklahoma (10) 3. Auburn (3) 4. Wisconsin 5. California 6. Texas 7. Utah 8. Georgia 9. Michigan 10. Virginia 11. Florida State 12. Louisville 13. West Virginia 14. Boise State 15. Tennessee 16. Virginia Tech 17. LSU 18. Miami 19. Iowa 20. Arizona State 21. Boston College 22. Texas A&M 23. UTEP 24. Notre Dame 25. Oklahoma State 9-0 9-0 9-0 9-0 7-1 8-1 9-0 8-1 8-1 7-1 7-2 6-1 8-1 8-0 7-2 7-2 6-2 6-2 7-2 7-2 6-2 6-3 6-2 6-3 6-3 REC PTS PVS 1,611 1,555 1,512 1,384 1,341 1,259 1,245 1,210 1,133 971 887 866 862 788. 654 631 628 593 522 345 254 160 148 143 131 1 2 3 5 4 6 7 8 10 12 13 14 15 16 9 18 17 11 20 23 24 22 25 NR 19 Others Receiving Votes: Texas Tech 84, N. Illi- nois 77, Alabama 52, Ohio St. 28, South Carolina 24, Southern Miss. 12, Bowling Green 4, Georgia Tech 3, Oregon 3, Toledo 3, Clemson 1, Navy 1. . °g . . . .. ..: : '.'., 6. 0 .« 0 BIG TEN BURRITO NOW AVAILABLE: NnfRT1 CAMPTC :i i i i i i .