Thursday
January 12, 2006
sports.michigandaily. com
sports@michigandaily.com
PjeORThiS 3tilg
9A
Forward
battles
bruises to
help team
By Daniel Levy
Daily Sports Writer
Injuries and hockey go hand in hand.
In a sport where fans crave the big hit and
a gloves-off, sweater-pulled-over-the-
head brawl, getting banged up becomes
a natural part of playing. No one knows
this better than Michigan alternate cap-
tain Brandon Kaleniecki, whose physi-
cal style of play has resulted in various
injuries throughout his career.
"There's been a lot of experiences
with injuries in hockey, at least for
me," Kaleniecki said. "I've had my
fair share."
But this season has by far been the
worst for Kaleniecki - if only because
of the timing. He sat out the third period
in last Saturday night's loss to Alaska-
Fairbanks, and he won't take the ice
this Friday when the Wolverines face
the U.S. NTDP Under-18 squad in an
exhibition game. As one of five seniors
on the team, Kaleniecki sees the end of
his Michigan hockey career nearing, and
the last thing he wants to do is watch his
final games from the bench.
"It's very frustrating," Kaleniecki
said. "This is the last run for me, and to
not be able to play every game is frus-
trating."
Come on fans, let
the boo-)
STEVEN TAI AND JASON COOPER/Daily
Alternate captain Brandon Kaleniecki has played through numerous injuries to further the Wolverine cause.
Lately, the Wolverines have been
going through a rocky stretch and they
can't afford to lose any of their leaders
for a substantial period of time. Know-
ing this has fueled his drive to get back
on the ice as quickly as possible.
"We're struggling, and things haven't
gone our way," Kaleniecki said. "We're
still a good team. We just need to get
things straightened out. We're trying to
do that right now, and to not be able to
help out as much as I want to, that's the
worst part."
To his credit, Kaleniecki has not sat
around and sulked while he's been miss-
ing practices and games. Instead, he's
been finding different ways to make an
impact from the bench.
"I try to be supportive," Kaleniecki
said. "The most important thing is when
you aren't playing, you are supportive of
the guys who are playing."
Besides giving his moral support,
Kaleniecki has also taken on the role
of player-coach. Kaleniecki gets a
different view of the game from the
stands, and if he notices anything
that he thinks can help the team, he
isn't hesitant to speak up.
"You see a couple little different things
(from the stands) that they might not
notice on the ice," Kaleniecki said. "It can
be very helpful to hear things from anoth-
er player rather than from a coach:"
The support is a two-way street.
While Kaleniecki tries to help the team
despite his injuries, his teammates try to
help him recover so that he can get back
to helping them on the ice.
"The guys around you appreciate
the effort you're putting in," Kaleniecki
said. "They help you get through (the
injuries). I think your teammates are the
most important part of it."
If there is any benefit to getting
injured, it's that Kaleniecki learned how
to play through pain.
"Once you take that first hit, you real-
ize it's not that bad," Kaleniecki said.
"That's the way I like to approach it. Just
go out there, give it a run and see how
bad (the injury) is really going to hurt."
That's good news for Michigan,
which currently sits six points behind
of Miami (Ohio) for first place in the
CCHA. The Wolverines will need
their senior alternate-captain to be on
the ice as much as possible if they are
to compete for the conference title in
the second half of the season.
New Year's resolutions are
tough. They require introspec-
tion, honest self-assessment
and a strong sense of discipline. On the
night of Dec. 31, 2005,I was ... well
... not cogent enough to engage in any
of the previously men-
tioned activities.
So for 2006, I decid-
ed to defer my resolu-
tion to a more qualified
source - famed
moralist, philosopher
and world-renowned
"SportsCenter" anchor
Stuart Scott.
"When you go to the'
sporting events and you're M
watching the athletes SIN
compete as hard as they The1
can, stop booing, OK?"
Scott said during ESPN2's New Year's
Eve special. "There's no point in booing
these athletes. They've all worked hard.
They've all trained hard, and let's see
you get out there and do it, all right?
"If you want to go and have fun and
cheer your team, do that, but if your
team, if your guy, if your girl doesn't do
anything, c'mon, man, don't boo them."
On second thought, maybe I'll just
scrap the resolution thing altogether.
Maybe it's my New York upbring-
ing, but I find Scott's suggestion offen-
sive. It's not a perfect analogy, but I
liken booing's role in sports to voting's
role in a democracy.
In a democracy, the only way most
citizens can get through directly to a
politician is in the voting booth. If Joe
Schmo is unhappy with the perfor-
mance of his representative, he can cast
a vote against him. While the politician
may not enjoy being voted out of office,
he understands that the possibility is
inherent in his chosen profession.
Similarly, in a stadium, average fans
have few (legal) options for express-
ing disappointment. Booing allows
disgruntled fans to harmlessly tell their
team, "We, the fans of Team X, are
profoundly unhappy about your perfor-
mance at this juncture" (or, colloquially,
"You suck!"). And although the voices
of a scattered few are powerless, if fan
sentiment is united, the resulting chorus
of boos can send an unmistakable mes-
sage to a team and its coach.
Of course, I'm not a Philadelphia
fan. I don't believe in booing every
bad play, loss or draft pick. In fact,
there are many occasions when boos
should be stifled. I agree with Michi-
gan basketball coach Tommy Amaker
that booing has no place in collegiate
sports. Middle-aged men and women
A
birds fly
have no business jeering 18-year old
kids who (usually) play sports for free.
But once athletes make it to the
pros, booing should be considered
fair game. There are many benefits
to becoming a professional athlete:
large sums of money, fame,
widespread admiration
and beautiful, beautiful
women practically lining
up to satisfy your every
desire. If the cost of that
is a couple of jeers after
you throw three intercep-
tions in a playoff game
(I'm looking at you, Eli
Manning), I can't feel bad
kTT for you. Every job has its
GER drawbacks, so if you don't
Balls like being booed, give up
the money, fame and mod-
els. Instead, become an accountant or
something. No one will boo you then.
I know goody-goodies will say:,
"You should support your team, no
matter what." To some, sports are
merely a diversion, a source of enter-
tainment, like going to a movie or
watching an opera. These people can
sleep well at night after their team
loses a crucial game. For these indi-
viduals, booing athletes seems silly,
pointless.
But as far as I can tell, booing is
evidence of how deeply fans care
about their favorite squads, not proof
of malevolence. These are the people
who won't turn on "SportsCenter" for
days for fear of seeing a highlight of
their team's loss. These are the people
who are silent on a two-hour drive
home because they're analyzing every
botched play, every missed opportu-
nity. These are the true diehards.
There are plenty of individuals who
fit this description but rarely, if ever, boo
their teams. That's fine - in fact, I'd
put myself in that category. But Scott's
pandering "resolution" is still ridiculous.
If you've paid preposterous sums for
your ticket, for merchandise, for parking,
for food ... if you've made an intense
emotional commitment to a team ...
if you've devoted time and energy that
could be spent more productively in
order to attend a sporting event, you
should be permitted to express your
displeasure in a nonabusive, nonthreat-
ening, nonvulgar way - by booing. No
matter what Stu Scott and a few coddled,
whining pro athletes say.
- If you didn't like this column,
feelfree to boo Matt Singer on the
Diag or in class. He can be reached at
mattsing@umich.edu.
0 WOMEN'S SWIM MING AND DIVING
Puerto Rico perfect place to bond for M'
By David VandeVusse
Daily Sports Writer
Standing over a cliff in a Puerto Rican rain for-
est, Michigan freshman Noelle Martin had to make a
choice: jump into the water below or turn back. Her
teammates cheered her on while she waited in fear.
Bravely, she eventually took the plunge.
"I was so scared," Martin said. "It took me about 10
minutes to finally jump."
That was the scene two weeks ago when the
Michigan women's swimming and diving team
traveled to San Juan for the Copa Coqui . Martin
and her teammates each took the leap of faith on
their hike through the jungle. Aside from cliffs,
the team also endured hundreds of dangerously
slippery rocks on its excursion.
"Some people took some falls," junior captain Lind-
sey Smith said. "We were amazed no one got hurt."
But the hazards and troubles forced the girls to
work together.
"People were helping one another" Michigan coach
Jim Richardson said. "It was probably one of the best team
bonding things I've ever done in my 21 years here."
Although the team was able to have fun, it didn't
travel to Puerto Rico strictly for vacation - it also
trained.
"It was an extension of our normal training plan."
Richardson said. "It gave us the opportunity to train in
some warm weather and sunshine. It's kind of a tradi-
tion with northern schools."
In contrast to Ann Arbor's bleak winter weather,
San Juan's climate offered the Wolverines the luxury
to practice outside in the fresh air. To go along with
the new setting, Richardson introduced new training
techniques focused on speed and power in place of the
usual aerobic exercises.
The team responded well to the program, much to
Richardson's delight.
"Everyone seems to be at or ahead of pace for achiev-
ing their goals for the season," he said. "I think we're
setting ourselves up to perform really well at Big Ten's
and NCA A's. That's really where our focus is."
Even though the team took the trip primarily to
practice, it still participated in one competition: Copa
Coqui 2006. Michigan dominated, winning each event
in which it participated. But, because the Wolverines
left early to catch their plane, they missed the final three
events. Consequently, they finished second to Yale.
Still, from a training standpoint, the trip proved to
be quite a success.
"A lot of people had really good practices," Smith
said. "It's easy to focus more on swimming when you're
away from home and school. It makes training easier"
Michigan now faces the tough task of returning to
class and maintaining the same level of intensity it
trained with over break.
"It will be good to get back into a routine," Martin
said. "I think that we can get back to where we were if
we just keep training like we've been all season."
The Wolverines will test their mettle against Notre
Dame and Illinois this weekend when they host the
Michigan Invitational at Canham Natatorium. -
He's back! Petway electrifies Crisler and teammates L NOTE
Running back Martin
By Kevin Wright But on Oct. 8, the team declared Petway aca- - .:.t included two ferocious dunks. leaves for Tuscaloosa
Daily Sports Writer
It had been 307 days since junior Brent Petway
last donned his maize and blue No. 23 jersey in
Crisler Arena.
But it didn't take long for Michigan fans to
remember how he could affect a game.
In Saturday's win over Purdue, Petway entered
the Wolverines' lineup six minutes into the first
half. Two minutes later, the 6-foot-8 forward
brought the Crisler crowd to its feet.
Senior Daniel Horton dribbled to the left side of
the court while Petway brought the Boilermaker
guarding him up to the right wing. Then, fresh-
man Jerret Smith set a back screen, and Petway
cut to the basket. Horton lobbed the ball to Pet-
way, who threw it down with a familiar tenacity.
"It was pretty much a dream play," Petway
said. "I got the alley-oop play, and it worked.
I didn't think that (Horton) was going to throw
it at first. It was great to hear the crowd chant,
'Air Georgia.' "
Coming off a sophomore campaign in which he
averaged seven points and five rebounds a game,
Petway looked to improve on last season.
demically ineligible for the first semester. The
announcement left the junior to watching his
teammates race out to a successful 10-1 record.
"Sitting (was the hardest part)," Petway said. "(I
wasn't) even in uniform, so I didn't even have a
chance to check into the game:"
Even though Petway ached to get back on the
court and contribute, he took advantage of his
time on the bench. He learned more about the
intricacies of basketball strategy and the Michi-
gan offense.
"I was able to study the game," Petway said.
"Now, when I'm on the bench, I'm a student of the
game. I can see what's going on in the game and
where I can have more of an impact."
Petway returned to action when the Wolverines
traveled to Bloomington to face then-No. 16 Indi-
ana. He waited behind in Ann Arbor until he got
official word that he could once again suit up for
Michigan. He then flew to Bloomington with sev-
eral assistants who had stayed behind and arrived
an hour and a half before tipoff.
He registered just two points in his first action
of the season, Petway looked remarkably more
comfortable in the cozy atmosphere of Crisler
Although the junior may feel the pressure to
make up for lost time, he knows that he can't jeop-
ardize Michigan's season with his personal stat
line.
"You can't do that, because you start hurting the
team," Petway said. "You just have to stay within
yourself. I just have to come in and energize the
team like I did before."
The impact of Petway's return isn't lost on
his teammates.
"We love when he's on the floor giving us ener-
gy," sophomore Ron Coleman said. "He always
brings a lot of energy to the game. He's always on
the backboard getting rebounds and dunking, and
that helps us out a lot."
With Petway back, Michigan coach Tommy
Amaker can utilize a much deeper frontcourt. The
junior's return also allows Coleman - who played
as a forward in Petway's absence - to rotate back
to his natural guard position.
Playing in a Big Ten ranked first in the nation in
nonconference winning percentage, the Wolver-
ines have entered what will be a dogfight for the
rest of the season.
And they're glad that Brent Petway can pull on
Sophomore running back Max Mar-
tin will leave Ann Arbor and enroll at
Alabama, the Huntsville Times reported
yesterday.
Martin was part of a highly touted
backfield coming into the season and
split time with freshman Kevin Grady
and junior Jerome Jackson as backups to:
starter Mike Hart. But at the end of Mich-
igan's 7-5 season, he didn't travel with the
Wolverines to the Alamo Bowl because
he broke an undisclosed team rule. Mar-
tin finished the year with 53 attempts for
226 yards, 217 of which came before Oct.
25. He also had two touchdowns and one
fumble, in Michigan's loss to Wisconsin.
The Madison, Ala.,native went to Bob
Jones High School in his hometown. He
shunned Alabama, Auburn, Louisiana
State, Notre Dame and more to come
to Michigan two years ago. It is unclear
whether Martin will receive a scholar-
ship, and the Daily could not reach Ala-
bama coaches for confirmation.
Arena last Saturday.
During pregame warmups, he entertained those
who had trekked to the arena early, performing
a variety of slam dunks. In the game, he scored
seven points in 14 minutes, in a performance that
Amom
Michigan announced full football schedule Tuesday
SEPTEMBER
4 VANDERBILT
9 CENTRAL MICH.
1 eNotre Dame
23 WISCONSIN
30 Minnesota
OCTOBER
7 MICHIGAN STATE
~EASTERN MICHiiIGAN VUNI'VERSITY.
Commemorating the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
JU4
Friday, Jan. 13
Fifth Annual Color of Drums: Progres
8 p.m. (doors open at 7:30p.m), Pease
Saturday, Jan. 14
Hip-Hop Explosion Talent Competition
7:30 p.m., Pease Auditoriim
S
0e
H
s Through Poetry
Auditorium
Monday, Jan. 16
Step, Look, Listen and Breakfast:
Bringing the Past into the Present
8:30-10 a.m., McKenny Ballroom
Concurrent Sessions
10-11:35 a.m., McKenny Union
25th Annual President's Luncheon
Noon-1:30 p.m., Lakeshore Ballroom, Ypsilanti Marriott
at Eagle Crest
47I
I