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The Michigan Daily
How to be an athlete without being athletic
aise your hand if you played
spqrts in high school.
R I'm sure many of you did
because this
school is full
of former high
school athletes.
You might
have been the
BMOHSC (Big
Man on High
School Campus)
because you were H. JOSE
the only kid who BOSCH
could compe-
tently throw a Bosch Watch
football. Or you
might have been
a star until you were sidelined by an
injury.
But whoever you are, you still
haven't lost that competitive edge.
And as a college student, you can
take out that frustration on two of
Michigan's great intramural fields or
at the bastion of higher athletic com-
petition (The IM Building).
Unfortunately, not all of us for-
mer athletes are willing to go head-
to-head against a 250-pound brute
with an anger management prob-
lem. Yet there is still a competi-
tive fire that burns within us. So, if
you're like me and just too "busy"
(cough)lazy(cough), here are several
ways to keep that competitive flame
burning and make you feel like a true
athlete without having to lift up any-
thing heavier than your remote con-
trol.
1. Video games
This is the obvious solution to
quenching that competitive jones.
Ran a 6.740-yard dash in high school?
No problem. Just give yourself a
99 speed rating on NCAA Football.
You'll be the nation's best scrambling
quarterback while you lead Hawaii
to three consecutive National Cham-
pionships.
Were you jealous of your friend
who was always just a little bit bet-
ter than you at any sport you played?
Get back at him by playing a game of
MLB 2K6 - and don't tell him he has
the messed up controller.
Don't know how to skate? That
won't stop you from being the next
"Rocket" Richard, skating circles
around Nick Lidstrom, all in the
comfort of your living room.
Whatever you decide to do, video
games are the perfect outlet to make
you feel like an athlete without hav-
ing to go through those early-morn-
ing workouts like Michigan football
players.
2. Sporting events
Sure, you're going to watch the
real athletes take the field, but that
doesn't mean you can't get geared up
for the game like they do.
Bust out those lucky shirts and
socks on gameday. Or always put
your clothing on from left to right.
Or make the sign of the cross 15 times
before pointing to the sky. If you had
a pre-game ritual in high school,
don't let the fact that you no lon-
ger play keep you from doing them
before your school's biggest games.
You may not be a Wolverine on the
field, butyou can help the Wolverines
off the field. And don't be too shy to
wear eye black, especially if you have
Maize and Blue colored paint.
Love watching the Wolverines
storm out of the tunnel and jump up
to slap the "Go Blue" banner? Just
burn a copy of the 'M' Fanfare and
The Victors and play both as you run
out of your room and slap the top of
your door frame before heading out
to pre-game. While you're at the tail-
gate a simple game of cornhole will
not only keep your competitive juices
flowingit's aboutnthe onlycthingyou'll
be able to do after you challenge your
friend to see who can drink a can of
beer the fastest.
3. Tests
Yes, even something as painful
as studying and taking an exam can
turn into your own personal Michi-
gan-Ohio State week. How?
First, be like all the "experts" on
television and hype up the event
weeks before it happens. A simple,
"Man, I have a monster test on Nov.
17" or "In three weeks, Iwill be tak-
ing the hardest test of my life" will
suffice. Once you have that out of
the way, get yourself pumped for the
exam.
Finda friend who's obviously jeal-
ous of your superior grades and then
challenge him by saying, "I bet I get a
better grade on this exam." Now you
have yourself a real battle.
Then, when it comes time to study,
make yourself a "Pump up mix" play-
list on your iTunes and include songs
like "Hell's Bells," "Final Count-
down" and Brent Petway's "No. 1"
and start studying.
A test beard is a must for guys.
Don't shave for at least a week before
the exam, maybe even sooner if you
want to look like an NHL player late
in a Stanley Cup Finals run. If you
can't grow facial hair, then let your
hair grow out until test day.
Finally, when you get your grade
back and it's better than your friend's,
pull a T.O. - run back to your friend's
desk and spike your test down on it.
Just watch out for another student
who might try and tackle you.
These are just a few examples of
how you can take little moments in
life and turn them into the grand
spectacle that is the sporting world.
But they aren't the only ones.
So remember, when you're leaving
class today, don't think of yourself
as simply walking down the stairs
of Angel Hall. Just imagine the beat
of the Michigan Marching Band's
entry cadence and over 100,000 fans
cheering you on as you march out to
the middle of the field to form the
block 'M'.
- Bosch can be reached at
hectobos@umich.edu. This column
originally ran on Nov. 7, 2006.
BORSETH
From page 6E
nificant factor in her coming
here. She knows so many of
our kids
because she -
had been
recruiting a
lot of them,
too."
Asked
about his
coaching
style, Bors-
eth said he BORSETH
intends to
play a consistent lineup each
game and will "generally start
five players and stay with
them."
Burnett was known for
constant lineup shuffling and
frequent substitutions when
players made mistakes on the
court.
Borseth said he'd like to run
a motion offense and give his
players freedom in decision-
making.
"Really, I let the animals run
the zoo," Borseth said. "I allow
the players to have input. Obvi-
ously, I'm responsible for what
happens out there, but you've
got to let the players do what
they do."
Borsethmet the team for the
first time Thursday and said he
is "not at all" familiar with the
current roster.
And because the semester
ends tomorrow, Borseth won't
get a chance to hold a practice
with the team until later this
Sophomore Carly Benson
said the team can't wait to start
working with Borseth to turn
things around.
"It's been one of the hard-
est experiences of my whole
life," Benson said of the past
two seasons. "Tobe that down,
you're just frustrated with los-
ing and everything seems tobe
going wrong because you can't
win. With coach Borseth, it's
just his mannerisms and every-
thing about him. He's very
easy-going and easy to talk to.
He's going to make basketball
fun again."
Borseth said winning games
will help cure those pains that
fans and players have felt the
past few seasons.
Asked about the biggest
difference between the job at
Wisconsin-Green Bay and his
new position, Borseth noted
the level of competition Michi-
gan plays against on a consis-
tent basis.
"I really think who you play
against can make you better,"
hesaid. "TheseplayersatMich-
igan have been playing against
the best players their whole
life. Not to knock the kids at
Green Bay, but they were over-
achievers ... The potential here
is far greater."
This story originally
ran on April 16, 2007.
Women take fifth straight Big Ten Championship
By ANDY REID
Daily Sports Writer
BLOOMINGTON - Michigan
women's cross country coach Mike
McGuire's hand has five fingers.
And, after the Wolverines won the
Big Ten championship at Indiana
University Golf Course yesterday,
McGuire now has five consecutive
championship rings to fit snugly on
each of those digits.
Junior Erin Webster, who hasled
the Wolverines all year, finished as
the top team runner in five events
and won four events overall. Yes-
terday, she asserted herself immedi-
ately and stuck with the top tier of
runners.
Eventually, she pulled ahead to
take the individual crown (20:23),
winningthe race by 12 seconds.
"I've put in a lot of time and
worked really hard this year," Web-
ster said. "It feels awesome to see it
all that work paying off."
Cementing Michigan's domi-
nance in the race was junior Alyson
Kohlmeier, who finished in second
place. Kohlmeier hung in the back of
the lead pack and picked off runners
as they started to tire. She eventu-
ally pulled into second place and
finished in that position (20:35).
No.3 Michigan's best five runners
on the day (which are used to tally
the team's final score) all finished in
the top 22, giving the Wolverines a
final score of 52. Wisconsin finished
in second place with 91 points.
Although Webster and Kohl-
meier stole the show, McGuire was
especially congratulatory of senior
captain Arienne Field - who has
been on the team for all five Big Ten
Championships. She redshirted her
freshman season.
"I just wanted to acknowledge
Arienne because she has been such a
great asset to this team as a captain
and a runner," McGuire said. "She
'has run on three Big Ten champion-
ship teams now. I just wanted to say
hats off to her."
Field, who finished in 18th place,
was a little more humble. She took
time to thank her teammates for
helping her finish off her career
with another championship.
"Five in a row - this one was
icing on the cake," Field said. "I've
enjoyed watching the younger girls
develop and improve into great run-
ners. This was a huge accomplish-
ment for everyone involved."
McGuire noted that the final
score wasn't indicative of the entire
meet. Running in the Big Ten, which
boasts six teams in the top 25, is a
brutal experience.
"This is the best the Big Ten has
been in the 15 years I have been
coaching here," McGuire said. "We
took the tough competition as a
challenge, and we definitely exceed-
ed that challenge."
Another factor contributing to
the difficult race was the course
itself, which contains more hills and
sloping terrains than other courses
the team has run.
"If you can show me a flat lie on
this course, I'll give you a dollar,"
McGuire joked. "I'll tell you, it's
cross country at its finest."
To get ready for the difficult
course, Kohlmeier said that the
team did extensive hill training in
the Arb, which she admitted helped
her prepare for the tough hills.
"Usually, I run better on a track-
type course, but I felt really good
on the hills today," Kohlmeier said.
"Running the hills in the Arb 14
times a day is a little tougher than
what we had to runtoday."
Along with the physical train-
ing and hill workouts, McGuire
attributed Michigan's victory to the
experience the team has at this level
of competition. Four of the top five
finishers had run in a Big Ten cham-
pionship race before. That experi-
ence helped the team know what to
expect and kept the younger run-
ners calm.
The record for most consecutive
Big Ten championships in women's
cross country for Michigan is six.
The Wolverines, who lose only two
runners who finished in the top
forty yesterday, aren't about to slow
down. They will be viable contend-
ers for the Big Ten title next year
and beyond.
Webster looked at the win as
a springboard into the National
Championship, which is Nov. 20 in
Terre Haute, In. Before nationals,
however, the teamwill compete will
compete in the NCAA Regionals,
which take place on Nov.-11 in Bowl-
ing Green.
This article originally
ran on Nov. 30, 2006.
I
Hockey Band
The tradition continues... C' Ya there!
Rehearsals will be on Thursdays
beginning at 7:30 PM
Women's Basketball Band
Jain the Women's Basketball Band
and we'll support you while you support
the team...get paid to play The Victors!
Rehearsals will be on Tuesdays
beginning at 8:30 PM
Men's Basketball Band
Bea part of the Beilein Era...
On the road to victory with
the Men's Basketball Band.
Rehearsals will be on Tuesdays
beginning at 7:00 PM
Auditions will be held at Revelli Hall
Sunday, September 16,2007
through
Wednesday, September 19,2007
Audition will include scales and sight reading.
To schedule a time for an audition
please call 764-0582.
Revelli Hall
350 E. Hoover
Ann Arbor, MI
48104-3707
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