12E - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition 2006
IT rY
Did you once think that you had what it took
to be a college athlete? Did your dreams get
crushed when you realized that you weren't big
enough, fast enough, strong enough or geneti-
cally blessed enough to make the cut - or
come anywhere close? Well you're not alone.
IAN HERBERT felt just as dejected as you
once did until he found competition in club
sports and carefree rivalry in intramural.
IAN
HERBERT
A satiating run on the 'B' team
ike a lot of former
high school athletes,
I came to Michigan
looking for a competitive
and athletic outlet. I was
never the biggest, strongest
or fastest, but I was often
the most competitive. I lived
off sports, and the thought
of not practicing for some-
thing every day was a little
bit shocking.
I know I'm not the only
one who felt this way. My
friend Abiman dreamed of,
and tried out for, a spot on
the basketball team. Craig
thought the cross country
team was his best chance
at Division I athletics. Last
year, I talked to a bunch of
club hockey guys who want-
ed nothing more than a spot
on Red Berenson's squad.
Many of the people I eventu-
ally became friends with were
high school athletes, and a
large chunk of those fantasized
- at least briefly - about a
spot in collegiate athletics.
I was admitted to Michigan
and Cooper Union, a small
engineering school in New
York with a few hundred peo-
ple. At Cooper Union, I could
have played on the basketball
team. At Michigan, I'd be
lucky to walk on to the aver-
age intramural team.
Obviously, Michigan is one
of the country's premier ath-
letic institutions. Few debate
that Michigan's 27 sports
teams - from football to
hockeytocross country - are
always among the best in the
nation. And even though that
may be great for the school's
reputation and recruitment,
it's frustrating for Abiman,
Craig, me and you.
But for all of us, Michi-
gan provides another option.
The University has more
than 70 club sports teams
for former athletes looking
for that competitive outlet.
I chose ultimate frisbee, but
the options are endless. Syn-
chronized swimming, tae
kwon do and roller hockey
are examples and the chanc-
es are that, if you've played
it, we have it at Michigan.
I knew it would be tough
- I wasn't one of those
who expected the ultimate
team to be filled with hip-
pies or anything like that
- but I was in no way
prepared for the amazing
athleticism I found on the
squad. Guys who can jump
over buildings and outrun
dogs. Girls who could do
the same. The coaches look
specifically for athleticism
- they figured they could
teach the rest, and, from
the success of the team, it
looks as if they might have
the right idea. The team
has made Nationals in
something like six of the
last seven years.
Even during my freshman
year, the focus was on athlet-
icism, butI remember a shift
in attitude midway through
my career at Michigan. One
of the requirements of the
team was the timed run.
Everyone on the team was
required to run a mile in five
and a half minutes and two
miles in less than 12. Group
runs, team lifting sessions
and plyometrics parties were
habit to the guys on the team.
And if you wanted to get
playing time, it had to be.
I couldn't keep up with
the top guys (literally or
figuratively), but, for three
years, I got my athletic out-
let with the ultimate 'B'
team. And at times, the
competition was just as
intense. The team travels
around the country - the
'A' team made it as far as
Oregon and Georgia for
competition; the 'B' team
stays in the area, but still
makes trips all around the
Midwest.
I played with the 'A' team
for just one tournament - a
brutal competition down in
Tennessee. It was 35 degrees
and raining for the entire
weekend, and we took turns
running back to the car just to
keep from freezing. Players,
caked in mud and drenched
from the rain, continued to
play as if it were the World
Series. Layout deflections
and picturesque catches are
an everyday occurrence for
the team.
All of these club sports -
at least all the ones that I've
seen - are worth a look.
It's worth paying nothing
(tickets are generally free)
and spending a few hours at
Oosterbaan to watch a girls
ultimate frisbee tournament
- there was one this past
weekend - and it's worth
making the trip over to Yost
at midnight some Saturday
to watch women's ice hock-
ey. If you're looking for a
competitive outlet, join-
ing one of these 70 teams
is probably the best thing
you can do. And if you're
looking for entertainment
sans football (especially on
weekends when basketball
is out of town and hockey
is just playing an exhibi-
tion game), becoming a
club sports fan is always an
option.
- This column originally
ran Jan. 17, 2006.
The Michigan varsity lacrosse team prepares for the season with a preseason scrimmage.
So now you think
you can play?
T he variety of club sports that
Michigan provides is cer-
tainly an exciting prospect
for all of the former athletes paying
their overpriced rent in Ann Arbor.
Intramurals are the best place to
play strange sports with a bunch of
your guy and girl,jock and dork;
smart and stupid friends.
The IM Building is superior to
the CCRB for a variety of reasons
- better location, better staff and
a bigger weight room. But the
intramural sports that are consis-
tently provided down at 606 E.
Hoover St. are really what make
the IMSB the hallowed brick
building that it is.
Some of these contests are not
appropriate for everyone. Basket-
ball, for instance, is stiff competi-
tion between groups of guys who
spend hours practicing. Hockey is
another one that is really only for
those who know what they're doing
- they deter novices by charging
$200 for ateam and making you
bring your own gear.
But if you stay away from the
ones with the die-hards, IM sports
can provide an athletic outlet slight-
ly less intense than club sports and
two steps below the varsity level.
Don't get me wrong, there's still
screaming and shoving and maybe
the occasional punch (only accept-
able if the other guy swings first).
Competition tends to be fierce and
some people even feel the need to
practice, draw up playbooks, etc.
A lot of people don't know the
secrets behind IM sports, and that's
why I'm here. I've spent more than
four years at this University. I've
played on dozens of teams and
I've probably watched hundreds of
games. So I've decided to make the
beginnings of the intramural sports
handbook:
Get there early for signups:
This seems obvious, but people
insist on coming whenever their last
class is over. The only way to be
sure to get a time slot that you want
is to get to the IM building early
- and by early, I mean before the
11 am. start time. The line starts
forming around 10:30 am. Find
someone in your group who can get
there by then - or skip class if you
have to. By this point, you should
know what's really important.
Get there even earlier for play-
off scheduling: There's nothing
worse than losing your star goalie
for the semifinal game because he
can't miss his midterm. Make sure
you know everyone's schedule.
Know the rules: There are a
lot of strange rules in intramurals
- like having to involve a girl in
every other throw of a co-ed flag
football game. If you know them,
you can take advantage - like
double-teaming girls or recruiting a
girl quarterback.
Get everyone youknow to play
in the regular season: Or just have
all your friends come by and swipe
their M-Card for the last game of
the year, even if they don't actually
play. It may seem like cheating,
but it's better than being caught
off-guard and out of players for the
playoffs.
Speaking of forfeits,never take
one until the last possible minute:
This goes with the same idea of
having fun and, you know, actually
playing games. You should disre-
gard this rule if you know that the
other team is very good.
When signing up for the play-
offs, don't take the spot with the
first-round bye: This one always
gets me. If you take a first-round
game, that'sjust one more game
you get to play. It's not like you get
tired after playing four games in
two weeks. It's supposed to be fun,
so get in the extra game.
Be nice to the officials: I've done
it. It's hard. Don't yell. They're get-
ting paid $7 an hour, and I'm sure
they're trying their best. I know
it's hard to believe sometimes, but
they don't actually have something
against you. Unless you're really
an asshole - then expect some
bad calls, but don't say you didn't
deserve it.
The BA finals are always better
than the AB finals: The AB finals
are between two teams that thought
they were good and are actually
bad. The BA finals are between two
teams that thought they were bad
and are actually good.
Watch the finals: I always found
it fun to watch the AA basketball
finals in particular. Two years ago
I saw the football team - with
Braylon Edwards andJason Avant
- get fooledby a sharp-shooting
team that played a solid zone. It was
a blast to watch, and Braylon had
a few dazzling alley-oops. The IM
staff usually brings out the bleach-
ers for the AA finals. Take advan-
tage of an exciting game that's free
and fun.
Mostlpeople will tell you to make
sure that you have fun. I couldn't
agree more, but make sure that you
also have the biggest, stongest, fast-
est guys you know to make it even
more fun and get those free t-shirts.
And if all else fails,athey sellbthe
extra shirts for a dollar at the end
of the year. Buy some and pretend
you're an intramural champ.
- This column originally
ran Jan.23, 2006.