The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 26, 2005 - 9 '21st man': By Sara Livingston1 Daily Sports Writer invigorates gymnasts In basketball, the crowd is the sixth man; in football it's the 12th player and for the Michigan men's gymnastics team, the crowd - along with its infamous cowbell - acts like the 21st player on the team's roster. "The crowd always helps for us," sophomore Dave Flannery said. "It helps us hit. It helps us get going. The energy in the crowd transfers over to the energy in our routines." The cowbell, which has been a tradition in Cliff Keen Arena for as long as the team can remember, is used by the gymnasts to get the crowd involved and helps the fans maintain a high team spirit, especially when the Wolverines have had a series of missed routines. Along with the crowd, the cowbell has been known to lift the team's attitude and push the gymnasts to try harder and hit their events when they are struggling. "If you're really down and there's no team spirit at all, it can really hinder you," coach Kurt Golder said. "It's not a given. But also if you have a great spirit and you start with great spirit and then you get some hit routines under your belt, you have a lot of momentum and you keep that spirit going." During home and away meets, a team member strikes the bell to begin one of the many well- known Michigan cheers, including "Let's Go Blue" and "Go Blue." In the past, the cowbell has been banned from away meets because other teams have considered it to be an unfair advantage for the Wol- verines. But, it's now allowed, and Michigan has it on the floor at every meet. "The cowbell has been around since I was a fresh- man," senior captain Geoff Corrigan said. "Ever since I was a freshman we (have brought) it to NCAAs. We aren't allowed to have it on the floor at NCAAs, so we have it up in the crowds and people use it. It's just something that gets us all together and gets everybody focused." In addition, the gymnasts frequently stand several feet away from their teammate yelling and cheering for their fellow Wolverine while he is completing a routine. The gymnasts enjoy the support, and they say knowing their teammates are right there, depending on their every hold, makes them push themselves to stick the event. Some teams and their home crowds will cheer during an opposing team's routines, often distract- ing the gymnast and causing him to miss holds and fall off the apparatus. But, the Wolverines welcome other teams to cheer during their events. They said it prepares them for the atmosphere at the NCAA Championships, where up to 10 teams are on the floor cheering during each rotation. At Michigan's last meet, No. 7 Oklahoma yelled throughout the night. At times the gymnasts were banging the floor and stomping their feet, trying to throw the Wolverines off balance. But, much to the Sooners' disappointment, Michigan was solid all night and barely noticed the "Go Sooners" and "O- K-L-A-H-O-M-A" chants that echoed the arena. "I think we were so focused and motivated by our- selves that we didn't really notice," Flannery said. "I just think our concentration and our cheering for ourselves took them out of our mind." The atmosphere at meets wasn't always this rowdy and energetic. Gymnastics has evolved into a more fan- interactive sport over the years. Today, fans and gym- nasts cheer not only before and after the routines, but during them as well. "(In the past), you could hear a pin drop during a gymnastics competition," Golder said. "Then, when the performance was over, you would hear like golf clap- ping. But now, the teams get all hyped up, and they want audience participation." TONY DING/Daily Senior Geoff Corrigan feels the crowd makes a big impact on the team's performance. Through K-Grams, tumblers give back MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD Whitehead can jump, aims for Michigan mark By H. Jose Bosch Daily Sports Writer The K-Grams program had 4,376 rea- sons to be thankful last Friday night. The single largest regular season crowd in the women's gymnastic team's history was more than just an attendance record. Comcast had agreed to write a check to K-Grams for as many dollars as there were people in the crowd. K-Grams was started in the summer of 1998 by then-sophomore Rishi Moudgil. The program pairs up college students with elementary school students through different types of programs - the pen- pal program is the most widely known program. K-Grams formally joined forc- es with the women's gymnastics team during the 2001-2002 season. At first, the gymnasts made a few visits to Detroit schools, and the inaugural "K-Grams" night at Crisler Arena was in 2002-2003. Each year, members of the gymnastics team visit a number of schools in south- east Michigan and, specifically, the Ann Arbor area. They not only promote the importance of hard work in the class- room, but also provide a fun atmosphere for kids every time they visit. Both junior Jenny Deiley and senior Elise Ray agree that the best part of these visits is the question and answer sessions. "We get a little bit of time to mingle with (the kids)," Ray said. "They ask great questions, and it's a great time." The children aren't the only ones hav- ing fun. The gymnasts also enjoy them- selves and can take home stories that they tell their friends for years to come. When elementary school students are presented with a chance to ask college-aged stu- dents questions, they make the most of it. "I tend to get, 'Do you have a boy- friend?' " Deiley said. " 'What's you favorite subject?' Nothing related to gymnastics, usually." Ray also recalls the young pupils' fascination with the gymnasts' ability to bend and twist like a pretzel. Unfortu- nately for the young kids, the Wolverines can't perform their routines on the spot. "I think our coach would be mad if we got hurt," Ray said with a laugh. "That's always our answer." Michigan coach Bev Plocki believes the visits do even more than making a difference in other' lives. She explains that Michigan athletes are fortunate to be a part of such a well-funded program. She said that community service projects - such as K-Grams and other programs like C.S. Mott Children's Hospital visits - help keep athlete grounded. "(At Michigan), it is pretty easy to start feeling like you're something - I think it's really important for our kids to get out to the schools with K-Grams and be a part of something that keeps them real- izing what kind of role models they are," Plocki said. Plocki added that the visits are By Pete Sneider Daily Sports Writer Butch Starmack should be shaking in his boots right now. He might not know it, but his days could be numbered as Michigan's record holder in the triple jump. Starmack's 19-year reign is in danger of being over- thrown by 19-year-old sophomore Michael Whitehead. Whitehead showed he was one of the top triple jumpers in the conference last year when he placed third overall in the Big Ten Indoor Championships. His personal record of 51-1 is just 14 1/4 inches away of Michigan's record - a record holding on for dear life. "My plan for (the Boston Indoor Games) is to break the school record," Whitehead said, referring to this weekend's event at Boston University. "I will crush it. I want to go 54 (feet) by the end of this year." Fifty-four feet should be good enough to qualify for the NCAA Championships, a benchmark Whitehead expects to achieve. "It would definitely be adisappointmentif I didn't make it," Whitehead said. "Because I want to go 54 (feet) and because I think I can go 54, that should put me around fifth or sixth nationally. It will be a disappointment if I go anywhere lower than eighth." Whitehead looks, talks and struts like a star football player. He carries himself with a certain swagger, adding a little hop, skip and jump to his step - a technique he also displays in the triple jump. Com- ing out of Norristown Area High School in Pennsylvania, Whitehead was recruited to play wide receiver and cornerback at schools like Iowa and Virginia. He claims a 4.4-second time in the 40-yard dash and a 39-inch vertical leap. Whitehead wants to add a similar swag- ger to a field event that lacks widespread interest. He knows the triple jump is not the sexiest or the most recognizable event, but he feels he can add a little flavor to it. "It's not the glamour event, but, if the person who does it is glamorous, then it becomes the glamour event," Whitehead said. "The triple jump is graceful and elegant, but, at the same time, you have to have a certain amount of power for it. Peo- ple will understand the triple jump when I get done with it. Football players who know me know what the triple jump is." Whitehead is also looking to garner some respect for his teammates, especially his fellow field athletes. "People forget to look at us nationally, but we finished fifth overall last year," Whitehead said. "We got cannons out here. Our jump and sprint group will show up (at the NCAA championship). We will show up as a team. We will show up unified.... I just want to say that our track team has really been disrespected as far as getting the clout we deserve on the national level." If the Wolverines can carry themselves with a similar confidence, Whitehead believes some of that "clout" will come their way. MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily Senior Elise Ray enjoys working with kids through the K-Grams program. extremely helpful for the young children. She hopes her student/athletes will help inspire the kids to make the right choices later in life. "I would like to think we've touched some kids' lives," Plocki said. "That (the kids) will have been motivated by something that one of our kids have told them about - hanging on to your dreams and working hard and how that will pay off down the road." After Friday night's win over Penn State, the gymnasts stuck around to sign autographs and talk to their admir- ers. The moments after a meet are another opportunity for the Wolverines to interact with their fans. On Friday, it was another chance to touch the lives of the young pupils who looked up to the gymnasts in the classroom. "I absolutely love when I walk by and the little kids (say), 'Jenny rocks!' " Deiley said. "I get so into it. I'm glad that our team really goes out of the way to make sure we acknowledge all their (presences)."