2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsTuesday - January 17, 2006 CLUBSPORTSWEEKLY Outside distractions can't stop Shotokan OxW tMkiigau IBati Athlete of the Week Name: Greg Wagner Team: Wrestling Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind. Class: Senior Why: The fifth-year senior captain took care of business in the heavyweight category over the weekend. He won all four of his events and outscored his opposition by 36 points. His final victory put the finishing touches on Michigan's win over Iowa. By Daniel Greenblatt For The Daily Imagine a place where you can completely rid yourself of stress, achieve extreme relaxation and simultaneously have fun. Well, you have just entered the Michigan Shotokan Dojo, or room 3275 of the CCRB. At the Michigan Shotokan club, not only can you brush up your self-defense skills, but at the same time, you can strengthen your spiritual side. Shotokan is a school of karate developed by master Gichin Funakowski, and many study it - some starting as late as age 60. "(Shotokan) is not any sort of religion," said alumnus Dean Askounis, who has been a member for more than 20 years. Joining the club simply to be the toughest guy on the street is futile. "We're not doing this so we can go out and fight," Askounis said. Members of the club focus on exceeding their own physical boundaries by setting goals. These range from getting past an injury to perfecting a karate form called kata. The club members also respect the spiritual side of karate - bowing and meditating before and after each practice. There are three types of practice: basic, kata, and cumitae. In basic, various aspects of karate, such as blocks and kicks, are practiced. In kata, karate forms are learned, almost like dances. Specific moves must be per- formed in a certain order and can also be thought of as groups of combina- tions pieced together. Kata requires extreme practice and determination. "We do 25 to 30, or even 40 [repetitions] of one kata," said Toni Guz- zardo, alumnus and club coordinator. In fact, some members go to a special four-day training session, where they study intensely at a dojo - a learning hall for martial arts - sup- ported by the Shotokan Karate Association (SKA). There, participants practice multiple times a day, devoting their minds and bodies to the study of karate. Outside distractions are driven away. Alcohol consumption, drug use and sexual activity are prohibited during these special training sessions. "The first special training is extremely memorable," Askounis said. Karate started in Japan under Gichin Funakoshi, and Shotokan was the first form of karate to come to the United States - brought here in 1951 by Tsutomu Ohshima. Ohshima studied under Funakoshi to become a godan - or fifth-degree blackbelt, the highest ranking in Shotokan. He then moved to California and founded the SKA - a non-profit organiza- tion. In 1981, it came to Michigan through a man named John Teramoto, who studied under Ohshima to become a godan. Teramoto and Ohshima are very similar in their styles of teaching, and the members of the Sho- tokan club feel that they were very fortunate to have such a great leader and teacher. The SKA, a nonprofit organization funded by grants and donations, orga- nizes special training and also instructs the dojos about what to teach. Some of the SKA's funds were used to build the Shotokan Ohshima dojo - a cen- tral dojo located in Santa Barbara, Calif. Newcomers are always encouraged to join. In the past, it has been dif- ficult for the club to keep members because many students are intimidated by the dedication of the veteran members. For the two straight hours they practice, their faces are fixed in, extreme concentration, and their arms and legs move in the most precise manner. But the club hopes new mem- bers are not intimidated. A meeting for new members will take place on Thursday to welcome anybody that wants to join. Guzzardo encourages people to sit and watch a practice to help them decide whether the club is right for them. Throughout the years, the club has produced numerous blackbelts. It has touched many people's lives, including Askounis - he started out as a beginner and has studied the art form seriously for over twenty years. "(Who knows), you could be the next Bruce Lee," Guzzardo said. 'M' SCHEDULE Date Event 1/17 Ice Hockey at Michigan State 1/18 M Basketball vs. Northwestern 1/19 W Basketball vs. Minnesota 1/20 Hockey vs. Bowling Green 1/20-21 M Track and Field at Red Simmons Invitational 1/21 W Track and Field at Red Simmons Invitational 1/21 M Tennis vs. Western Michigan 1/21 W Swimming and Diving vs. Northwestern 1/21 W Tennis vs. DePaul 1/21 M Tennis vs. Ball State 1/21 W Gymnastics at Penn State Quad 1/21 Ice Hockey at Bowling Green ] 1/21 M Gymnastics vs. Penn State 1/21 M Basketball vs. Minnesota 1/22 W Basketball at Indiana Location East Lansing Ann Arbor Ann Arbor Ann Arbor Ann Arbor Ann Arbor Ann. Ann. Arbor Arbor Time 7:30 p.m. 8 p.m. 7 p.m. 8 p.m. TBA 9 a.m. 10 a.m. 1 p.m. 2 p.m. 6 p.m. 7 p.m. 7:05 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. Ann Arbor Ann Arbor State College Bowling Green, Ohio Ann Arbor Minneapolis Bloomington I I Fifth time's a charm for Blue By Amber Colvin Daily Sports Writer When Michigan wrestling coach Joe McFarland closes his eyes at night and counts sheep, it must be hard for him to get past the number five. This past weekend, the No. 5 Wolverines took fifth place at the NWCA National Duals in Iowa, making this season the fifth time they have placed fifth at the meet. And the magic number doesn't stop there. Four Wolverines boasted perfect 5-0 records over the weekend. Two of them were fifth-year senior captains Ryan Churella and Greg Wagner, the only undefeated wrestlers on the squad. But the one five that got away from Michi- gan was the one they wanted most - to win all five of their dual meets. With a tough loss to No. 14 Nebraska, Michigan's hopes of claiming first place evaporated. After the 24-16 defeat in the quarterfinals, the best place Michigan could get was that familiar number five. "It was sort of an emotional loss for us after we loss to Nebraska," McFarland said. "That was a match that I thought we were on track to win, but every now and then, some freaky things happen. We got ourselves in some tough positions, and Nebraska capital- ized on them." Rebounding after the defeat was a true test for Michigan, who had to win its remaining matches against Cornell, Arizona State and Iowa to earn the No. 5 spot. "I think so far this season, that's probably the highest level of wrestling we've seen all year," McFarland said. "All the top teams in the country were there." The bracket-style tournament included 16 of the best teams in the country, and Minne- sota came out on top. Though it was a team tournament, individu- als got their chance to shine throughout the weekend. In his final match, Michigan junior Nick Roy had a big win at the 174-pound level over Iowa's Ben Stedman. Roy started the'bout with a strong lead, but he squandered the mar- gin in the second period after Stedman eked out an escape and a takedown. Before the peri- od was over, Roy came back, bringing Sted- man down to the mat for a pin. "I think our team showed a lot of heart coming back," Roy said. "I know a lot of guys were disappointed because we wanted to win it. But not everything goes as planned, and really, it's the end of the year that counts. I'd take a national championship over a national dual championship any day." Wagner dominated the heavyweight cat- egory the entire weekend, notching four shutout victories and one forfeit. Overall, he outscored his opponents 36-0. The 4-0 deci- sion in his final bout sealed the 19-15 victo- ry over the Hawkeyes - and the fifth-place standing for his team. McFarland noted that individuals like red- shirt freshmen Tyrel Todd and Steve Luke also had praiseworthy performances, even if they didn't result in a "W" on the score sheet. "My young guys, Tyrel Todd and Steve Luke, had good matches," McFarland said. "They were in every one of those matches. They proved to themselves that if they continue to work, it's going to start happening for them." With five dual meets crammed into two days and a long bus ride to and from Iowa, the weekend was taxing for the Wolverines. Four of the matches took place Saturday, making for a long day at the gym. "We were in the gym for 15 hours Satur- day," Wagner said. "It gets hard to sit around all day. We couldn't relax, and we had to keep our focus. It really shows how tough a team is mentally." After the grueling weekend, the Wolver- ines will enjoy a short break before Big Ten competition kicks off against Northwestern. Though he is pleased with where his team is at right now, McFarland has plans to improve the team's intensity level, mat strategy and condi- tioning. With that progress, fifth place could become a distant memory. 0 AARON Junior Josh Churella and the Wolverines compiled an impressive record over the weekend. The NFL Conference Championships The conference championships are now set, and we at Daily Sports figure that, being a sports section, we should offer our two cents on what will happen next Sunday. AT 6:30 p.m., FOX Carolina (13-5) Seattle (14-3) In Seattle, the Seahawks will kick off against Carolina in the classic East Coast vs. West Coast battle royale that Biggie and Tupac died defending. If defense wins championships, then Seattle is in trouble. The Panthers allowed the third few- est yards per game in the NFL and were the best team in the NFC against the rush. NFL MVP Shaun Alexander will be beaten around more than former Cleveland Indians pitcher Chuck Finley, and it will be interesting to see how he holds up over the game. Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme could have a big day through the air since Seattle's pass defense has more holes than the Bush administration. Expect a low scoring affair in which the only entertaining thing will be listening to see if Joe Buck's voice changes tone. Carolina 13, Seattle 3 a> AT B3RONCOS 3:00 p.m., CBS Pittsburgh (13-5) Denver (14-3 ) Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer is living proof that to succeed in the NFL, one doesn't necessarily need to shower or shave. The dirty Grizzly Adams look may not be the reason for Denver's success, but Plummer's reemergence as a clutch player has made it cool again to be a Broncos fan. On the other side of the field, the Steelers come off a wacky weekend in which a drunken idiot kicker was the only reason they walked away with a win against the Colts. The Pitts- burgh offense won't wow you, but hard work does go a long way. Unfortunately, one needs more than hard work to win a championship. And although the Steelers may seem like a team of destiny, the mile-high atmosphere will be too much to overcome for Pittsburgh. Besides, unlike the Colts, Denver actually likes its quarterback. Pittsburgh 28, Steelers 24 4 ,. :; .. . ., _ :. I