2B - March 23, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 0
Berenson created 'M' dominates Buckeyes in
a winning model final regular-season meet
0
Building a program" has
become a buzz phrase
around Michigan athletics.
John Beil-
ein is doingit
with the men's
basketball
team by taking
a big step in
that direction
this year. Rich
Rodriguez
promises he NATE
is doing it for SANDALS,
football.
But what
many people forget is that once
you've built a program, you have to
work just as hard to keep it strong.
Any coach looking for advice on
how to build and maintain a top
program should have one name at
the top of the list of people to learn
from: Red Berenson.
Berenson's Michigan hockey
team made the NCAA Tournament
for the 19th season ina row yester-
day, building on a record that will
probably never be broken.
Berenson, now finishing up
his 25th year behind the Michi-
gan bench, took over a program
without direction in the mid-
1980s. By the early 1990s, he had
a powerhouse. In 1996 and 1998,
he coached teams to the National
Championship.
That quick bio ignores his pro-
lific playing career, both at Michi-
gan and in the NHL. Before he
returned to coach the Wolverines,
he had already won an NHL Coach
of the Year Award.
Berenson gets the job done no
matter the circumstances. It's as
simple as that.
Just take a look at this season.
Michigan lost its top three scor-
ers from last year. Two of its best
defensemen missed extended time
with injuries. Still, Berenson and
Co. got the job done.
Year after year, players graduate,
leave early for professional hockey
or just plain leave, but Berenson's
teams keep on winning. And that's
the most important thing, isn't it?
When Rodriguez and Beilein
came to Michigan, there was a
lot made of the new systems they
brought with them (the spread
offense and 1-3-1 zone, respec-
tively). What most people failed to
focus on was a simple question: do
they win?
History says yes, and winning
transcends system.
A coach's hardest task isto teach
his or her team how to win. Even
with all the talent in the world, if
a team can't win a close game, it
won't be successful.
Berenson's teams have been
winning close games for two
decades now.
This is where Berenson's old-
school style deserves so much
credit. Michigan hockey has been
scarily consistent for many years.
It's almost like a perpetual-motion
machine.
Berenson built his program by
instilling solid values and work
ethic in every player. Now, the
players pass down that ethic to
their younger counterparts. Even
though the college game is differ-
ent now, with more pressure on
players to go pro than ever before,
the system still works.
Berenson makes coaching look
easy, even though it's not.
Michigan fans used to take it
for granted that the football team
would make a bowl game. Think
again. The same goes for Kentucky
basketball in the NCAA Tourna-
ment and the New York Yankees in
the MLB playoffs.
Dynasties don't just last forever
without some driving force.
Some time in the future, Michi-
gan hockey will miss the NCAA
Tournament. Maybe not next year,
or even in 10 years, but some year
down the road.
It's no secret Berenson is getting
older, even though he still might
have the best backhand of anyone
on Michigan's bench. He recently
signed a one-year contract to coach
again next season, but he won't be
here forever.
Whenever Berenson decides
to step down, his legacy will be
secure.
His hockey program is the
example against which all others
should be measured.
And all others will have a hard
time measuring up.
-Sandals can be reached
at nsandals@umich.edu.
Tumblers notch
first win in
Columbus since '77
By COLT ROSENSWEIG
Daily Sports Writer
COLUMBUS - It may have
been the speech the coaches
gave before the meet, telling the
No. 5 Michigan men's gymnas-
tics team to just have fun.
It may have been senior co-
captain Phil Goldberg snipping
the head off a Brutus the Buck-
eye doll on the way to St. John
Arena.
Or it may have beenthe team's
air of confidence heading into
the meet, even though the Wol-
verines hadn't won in Columbus
since head coach Kurt Golder
competed for Michigan himself.
Whatever it was, it worked.
For the first time since 1977,
Michigan beat Ohio State in S
Columbus, 357.60-349.70. Mich-
igan not only got its highest
overall score of the year but regis-
tered season highs on four of its six
events against the sixth-ranked
Buckeyes.
And the Wolverines had the
time of their lives doing it.
"It was totally different," said
Michigan assistant coach Derek
Croad, who at one point danced
on the vault runway. "We were
joking, we were having fun. If
something went bad, we were still
having fun."
Even the coaches consciously
changed their mindsets. Golder
said spectators have often told
him he doesn't stop scowling until
the meet is over. In Columbus, he
made an effort to smile and relax,
even as the two teams added a new
chapter to the rivalry.
"Does anyone ever get their
peak performance when they're
uptight?" Golder asked rhetori-
cally. "Does anyone ever get their
best being timid? The answer is no.
Then, be confident. When you're
confident, it brings the best out of
you."
The saying held true for Michi-
gan. From the start, the Wol-
verines looked looser and more
a
a
SAI DALSLAH/Daly
enior Phil Goldberg, shown here on the pommel horse, scored a 15.20 on the still rings Saturday night in Michigan's rivalry win.
confident than they had all season.
The new mentality paid immedi-
ate dividends as they hit all six
pommel horse routines to open
the night.
Normally, a team starting on
pommel horse falls behind by a
significant margin after one rota-
tion as the other team competes in
the floor exercise, a higher-scoring
event. But after one event, Michi-
gan trailed the Buckeyes by just a
tenth of a point.
"When we walked in the doors,
we felt like we could win based
on our preparation throughout
the week in practice and our new
attitude," senior Ralph Rosso
said. "But I think what sealed
it was our pommel horse team,
staying so close to Ohio State on
floor."
After the floor exercise, where
sophomore Thomas Kelley won
the individual title, Michigan
grabbed a sizeable lead and never
let go. The gymnasts posted their
highest hit percentage of the sea-
son, hitting 31 of 35 sets. The few
missed routines came amid clus-
ters of clean performances.
The Wolverines cheered and
laughed their way through the
meet. They exploded for hit rou-
tines by redshirt freshman Devan
Cote, who Goldberg has dubbed
"The People's Champion," and led
responsive chants with the small
but vocal Michigan fan section.
"In my four years, this was
absolutely the most fun we've ever
had," said senior Scott Bregman,
who spent much of the meet imi-
tating a train and telling his team-
mates to board the Fun Express.
"This was the most laid-back
(meet) and probably one of the
best hit percentages. (Posting) our
season-high at Ohio State? That's
unheard of and ridiculous and
amazing."
Sophomore Chris Cameron,
who won the pommel-horse, par-
allel-bars and all-around titles,
performed the last Michigan set of
the night.
Returning to the bench, he
joked, "Should we start singing?"
All his teammates laughed but
waited until the very end of the
night for their celebration.
When the Wolverines win, they
sing "The Victors" together after
the meet. On Saturday, it followed
Ohio State's somber alma mater.
For Michigan's seniors, who
endured a loss to Illinois on their
own Senior Night last weekend,
the win was especially sweet. In
the final regular-season meet of
their careers and on the Senior
Night of their biggest rivals, they
left the stage exactly the way they
wanted to.
On Saturday, every senior pres-
ent crammed into the circle's cen-
ter to belt out their fight song.
"It felt like our Senior Night
as opposed to theirs," senior Joe
Catrambone said. "It was a pretty
good way to end a dual meet - my
last dual."
Catrambone, who tends to pace
nervously beside his events before
competing, looked relaxed in
Columbus. He waited comfortably
for the judge's signal to begin prior
to his high bar performance, going
on to post his best score of the sea-
son (15.1).
For the whole team, the meet
was concrete proof that staying
loose - and having fun - can
actually lead to winning.
"We actually did that," Cam-
eron said, marveling at the victory.
"Knowing we can do it and doing
it are two different things; and we
just did it."
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