Monday, July 14, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Gymnast turns to Cirque du Soleil By ALEX PROSPERI Daily Sports Writer Inside the Mirage Hotel & Casino at the hit show "LOVE," is a familiar face to the Michigan women's gymnastics program. The show, in which Cirque du Soleil performs Beatles songs, is the home to former Michigan gymnast Elise Ray. She's not tumbling across the floor or elevating off the vault, but Rayloves performing in Las Vegas, where she's been living for more than a year and a half.' "It's an incredible line of work," Ray said. "We work hard for sure, but being out on that stage every night, it's just crazy." Ray's life has taken a complete turn from her days as an Olympic gymnast to her life on the strip. Nowadays, Ray relaxes during the day and then goes to work around 5 p.m., getting off around midnight. "I love my work, it's amazing," Ray said. "We do 10 shows a week. It's tough, but being out on that stage is incredible. It really is." But before Ray was performing in front of thousands in Sin City, she was busy becoming a legend- ary gymnast. GETTING THERE Ray didn't have a normal child- hood, to say the least: Six days a week Ray woke up before dawn so her parents could drive her to 6 a.m. club practice. After practice ended at 7:30, Ray went to a full day of school. Then she returned to the gym from 3- 8 p.m. before going home for the night. "It was crazy," Ray said. "I could do it because you just get in the rhythm of it. When I look back, I don't know how I did it, the hours I did." Ray's coaches advised her to attend public school, unlike most elite gymnasts, so she had a life outside gymnastics to help her stay "sane." Before 1999, Ray didn't think about the Olympics for fear it would jinx her chances. But with one year left before the 2000 Sum- mer Olympics, Ray finally gave in. "I'm like 'OK, now I need to make this definitive, I need to make this happen,' " Ray said. "When I went to championships at trials, I just put it all out there, I gave it everything I had because it was like 'This is it.' I made myself win to secure my spot, there was no fuss about it." Ray cried after her name was announced as a member of the U.S. Olympic Team. Ray, who would soon be named team captain, real- ized that her dream was right around the corner. Former Michigan gymnast Elise Rayjoined the Cirque du Soleil show "LOVE" in Las Vegas after the 2000 Sydney Olympics. THE 2000 SYDNEY OLYMPICS The aura, excitement and eupho- ria normally associated with the Olympic games were minimal for Ray. The women's gymnastics team wasn't allowed to stay in the Olym- pic Village with the other athletes from around the world because the U.S. Gymnastics officials felt that the environment was a distrac- tion. Instead, the team stayed in a girl's dormitory. Worse, the officials didn't allow the athletes to go to the opening ceremonies because they would be on their feet too much. But on the mats, Ray did get to enjoy some of the special moments that come with the Olympics. "I do remember the first time we walked into the arena," Ray said. "It was completely overwhelming. All the equipment had the Olym- pic rings on it. 'Sydney 2000' was all over the arena. It was just like See ELISE RAY, Page 14 Was Rodriguez's lawsuit that big of a deal? We're closing in on a - week since Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez set- tled the lawsuit West Virginia filed against him. Do you feel - better now? After so many people DAN complained FELDMAN about Rodri- guez dragging Michigan through the mud and unnecessarily distracting the Wol- verines, are we really better off now that the lawsuit is over? I don't think so. Because nothing was wrong while the lawsuit was going on. No real embarrassment. No distrac- tions. If Rodriguez is successful at Michigan, which is far more likely to be the case than not, everyone will forget about this buyout non- sense. ' In addition to claiming that the $4 million liquidated damages clause couldn't legally be enforced because it didn't accurately reflect West Virginia's losses, Rodriguez said West Virginia University President Mike Garrison promised to reduce or eliminate the buyout, which Garrison denies. We'll never know if Rodriguez's arguments would have won him the case had it gone to trial, but they certainly had some merit. The law says a liquidated damages clause can't be recovered if it's substantially high, and that over- rides a signed contract. It's not like a cocaine dealer can sign a contract with a junkie and that would sud- denly make their transaction legal. And, for the most part, those who know both Rodriguez and Gar- rison trust Rodriguez more than Garrison. It definitely appears the Michigan Athletic Department encouraged Rodriguez to fight the lawsuit, given it will cover $2.5 million of the settlement and Rodriguez's attorney fees. And that's notcjust the cost of doing business - it's the right move. Athletic Director Bill Martin could've saved some money short- term by hiring another coach, but that would have had costly long- term implications. Hiring a lesser coach would have hurt the football program not only on the field but also in the revenue it generates. A successful football team means the Athletic Department receives more money through ticket sales and merchandising and that the University is more appealing to potential applicants. See FELDMAN, Page 15 Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez has received a lot of scrutiny for fighting West Virginia over the $4-million buyout clause in his contract.