1 8 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, June 18, 2001 The Academy Over 500 women supported the Comprehensive Cancer Center by learning about the game of football By Steve Jackson. Daily Sports Editor The bleachers at Michigan Stadi- um were empty when she was sprinting down the sideline. She scored on the game's first play. Her head was completely bald, but she was the best football player on the field. She was a hero. Her name is Kim Turner, and she is suffering from ovarian cancer. Turner scored three touchdowns Saturday afternoon at coach Lloyd Carr's third-annual Michigan Women's Football Academy. This was Turner's first time with the program, and hopefully not her last. "Oh, I loved it," Turner said. "If I'm still here, you can bet that I'll be back next year." Following Turner's postgame hugs from many of the players and partici- pants, Carr's final words put the exclamation point on the afternoon. "You will now forever be Michigan women." A record 500-plus Michigan women participated this year, and all proceeds from the event were donated to the Michigan Comprehensive Can- cer Center. "It is a great cause," Michigan wide receiver coach and camp director Erik Campbell said. "Cancer is something that everyone's been affected by." Lloyd and his wife, Laurie Carr, established the Coach Carr Cancer Fund in 1998, when he donated fids from a speaking engagement to the Familiar faces There were a number of Michigan football players leading demonstrations and drills at coach Carr Football Academy for Women this past Saturday. Every player helped in the preparation for the event, but only these lucky few were given the opportunity to work with the ladies this weekend. Name No. Yr. Pos. Ht. Wgt. Cats June 2 Jr. FS 6-1 213a Victor Hobson 6 Jr. OLB 6-1 242 Walter Cross 8 Sr. RB 5-11 209 f John Navarre 16 So. QB 6-6 242 Jermaine Gonzales 18 So. QB 6-2 201 Ronald Bellamy 19 Jr. WR 6-0 193 Jeremy LeSueur 21 So. CB 6-0 191 Chris Perry 23 So. RB 6-2 228 Navarre Hayden Epstein 25 Sr. K 6-2 205 Calvin Bell 27 So. WR 6-1 190 John Spytek 42 So. LB 6-3 243 Carl Diggs 43 So. LB 6-1 245 Grant Bowman 60 So. DL 6-1 281 Kurt Anderson 71 Sr. OL 6-4 299 Tony Pape 77 So. OL 6-6 299 Bennie Joppru 83 Jr. TE 6-4 258^ Jake Frysinger 99 Sr. DE 6-4 277 * James Hall - Former Michigan star and current defen- sive lineman for the Detroit Lions was also in attendance. * Sue Guevara - the Michigan women's basketball coach brought a recruit with her. Cancer Center. Soon afterward, it was suggested that Carr partner with the cancer center to begin a fund for patient care programs in memory of his mother, Pauline, who died of breast cancer. "With cancer, early detection is so important," Carr said. "We raised some money, but we really want to raise awareness. That makes a differ- ence." But coach Carr and Campbell couldn't make that difference alone. Everyone involved with Michigan football pitched in and volunteered on their day off. "When we say the whole program, we mean the whole whole program," Campbell said. "Everyone in Schem- belcher Hall is involved - every coach, player, grounds crew and maintenance guy, secretary, and equipment manager." In fact, so many players volun- teered that coach Campbell had to turn some away. "This teaches the young kids to give something back to their commu- nity," Campbell said. "And they enjoy doing it." Michigan junior offensive lineman Kurt Anderson relished the opportuni- ty to participate in the camp this year. "It may seem kind of corny, but it's really great to meet your fans," Anderson said. "These people are what make Michigan football great." THE WELCOME MAT The preparations, the instructions, the food and even the grass - coach Campbell needed everything to be immaculate for this special occasion. "It's like gameday," Campbell said. "This is our first Football Saturday." Gametime was 9 a.m. Saturday. When the women began to arrive at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse, the first thing many of them saw was this year's likely starting quarterback, John Navarre. The 6-foot-6 giant and his team- Offensive lineman Kurt Anderson congratulates Beverly Booth after their team scored their final touchdown. mates, linebacker John Spytek and offensive lineman Tony Pape, arrived in golf carts to transport the ladies to the registration desk. Photos and autographs started to slow the process, but no one seemed to care. Audrey Demak,, a veteran of all three football academies, will always remember forcing a humble and shy Navarre into a photo last June. "It was so great to see him excel last season," Demak said. "And I told everyone that I knew him before." Demak's husband, a Michigan alumnus, signed her up without warn- ing for the first year, but now she looks forward to the event. "I still don't really know football," Demak said. "But now I'll watch the game more because I have some idea what they are doing." Once inside of Oosterbaan, the ladies were given commemorative maize T-shirts along with a variety of other gifts, including the 2000 sea- son's media guide for Michigan Foot- ball. "If I didn't pick one of these guides up for my husband, I'd be walking back to Tennessee," said three-time participant and Nashville resident Connie Hensley. The Hensley's make the drive north for every Michigan home game. "It's not healthy," Hensley said. "It's an addiction. Once you're hooked, you can never give it tsp." LET THE GAMES BEGIN After all the gifts were compiled and stored away in bags on the perimeter walls, the camp began with its first lesson - equipment. Hanky Van De Wege, proprietor of Moe's Sports Shop in Ann Arbor, was chosen to model the gameday garb and demonstrate how to put it all on. "It really shows you how compli- cated the game is, when it takes that much work just to get dressed," she said. Carr followed the demonstrati with a speech on how to win footba games. He provided five key elements: Play hard, play smart, tackle, block and do it all as a team. Carr's winning message reached women of all ages. Michigan alumna Deborah Smart of Gurnee, Ill. braved treacherous road conditions to bring her daugg ters, Jasmine (11) and Jillian Walker (15) to the event. "The best part is getting so up close with all the players," Jasmine said. Despite her father's Michigan State pedigree, Jillian plans on attending Michigan when she is old enough. "Dad will be mad," Jillian said. "But he'll get over it." Carr also laid down the one rule for the day - do exactly what your coaches tell you. His wife, Laurie, was also in atteo dance. "I wish she would do everything she was told," Carr joked to the crowd. Carr closed his speech by stressing the use of water, rest and sunscreen during the afternoon's festivities. T HISISS HOw WE 00 IT The human sea of maize floode out of Oosterbaan and into the brig sunlit practice field behind the facili- ty. Next, the women were divided into 10 groups for the morning's drill and instruction period. Each group would learn something Tight end Bennie ioppru teaches a group of campers the art of the three-point stance.