Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 — 7A
For Kopas, Michigan
swimming a family affair
With her success,
the swimmer
follows her father’s
footsteps
By KEVIN SANTO
Daily Sports Writer
Emily Kopas didn’t just don
the maize and blue at her first
competition as a Wolverine.
Rather, she grew up repping the
block ‘M’, thanks to her father.
William Kopas was the 1986
Big Ten champion in the 1,650-
yard freestyle for Michigan.
It didn’t hurt that her uncle,
Brice Kopas, was a Wolverine
swimmer too, garnering All-
American status in 1994.
So naturally, when signing
day arrived for Kopas, the
18-year-old talent followed the
branches of her family tree to
Canham Natatorium. But she
didn’t do it for reasons you
would expect.
“I
have
always
been
a
Michigan kid,” Kopas said.
“Because my dad swam here
and so did my uncle. Since birth,
I’ve been in maize and blue. But
they didn’t really have much of
an impact in my decision.”
Though the shining lights
of Canham Natatorium were
certainly
enticing,
what
brought Kopas to Ann Arbor
was the challenge of Michigan
academics.
The last name Kopas comes
with
lofty
expectations
at
Michigan.
But
rather
than
get bogged down, the young
Wolverine
explained
that
coming from a competitive
family inspired her to challenge
her
father’s
and
uncle’s
success.
Despite
swimming
long-distance
events,
Kopas
competed, determined to etch
her own legacy in a chapter
of
the
Michigan
women’s
swimming program.
And Michigan coach Mike
Bottom should thank William
Kopas
for
instilling
that
competitive spirit, because his
daughter’s inherited attitude is
yielding success.
On
Dec.
4,
Kopas
was
part of the 400-yard medley
relay team that broke the
previous
Michigan
record,
touching the wall in 3:33.91
at the AT&T Winter National
Championships in Greensboro,
North Carolina. As if one record
wasn’t enough, the freshman
flew
through
the
200-yard
breaststroke in 2:09.70 two
days later, breaking a Michigan
record that had stood since
1995.
Kopas explained the thrill of
breaking the
record,
but
emphasized
that
she
swam
first
for
her
teammates
and
Michigan,
the accolades
firmly
second.
She
stressed that the record was by
no means an end goal, but rather,
a small step toward improving
her times to claim both the
other breaststroke record and a
title for the Wolverines.
But Kopas was not ready to
accept
her
record-breaking
performance as the highlight
of her season. Her competitive
upbringing
has
taught
her
better.
On Jan. 6, Kopas was named
Big Ten Freshman of the Week
after she won the 50-meter
breaststroke in 32.91 and the
100-meter
breaststroke
in
1:11.15 at the Orange Bowl
Classic in Key Largo, Florida.
The freshman also swam on
the winning 200-meter medley
relay with junior Ali DeLoof,
who captured the title of Big
Ten Swimmer of the Week on
Jan. 6 as well.
“I’m really honored, because
Ali is an amazing swimmer,”
Kopas said. “I think it’s really
exciting for the whole entire
team to be up and coming, and
major competitors at Big Tens.
How many people have gotten
Big Ten Swimmer of the Week
is really exciting.”
But Kopas didn’t stop there
either.
She
followed
up
the
performance
on
Jan.
10,
contributing to the 200-yard
medley
relay
that
placed
first against Notre Dame and
Northwestern.
Though
she
didn’t win her individual races,
she came in second behind
Notre
Dame
All-American
Emma Reaney
in
both
the
200-
and
100-yard
breaststroke,
a shortcoming
not
to
be
ashamed of.
“It was really
exciting being
able to compete
with
her,”
Kopas said. “It
was just exciting for all of us
and gave hope to everybody.
Everybody could see, especially
the freshmen, that we aren’t
these little underdogs. We can
actually go up against these big
dogs.”
Kopas saved her finest meet
for Saturday — against the
Buckeyes no less — though she
entered the race as an underdog
once again.
Claiming
first
place
in
both
the
100-
and
200-
yard breaststroke, and also
contributing to the first-place
200-meter medley relay team,
she left the pool looking like a
leader of Michigan’s up-and-
coming swim program.
For Kopas, it was business as
usual. The saying is, “like father,
like son.”
But for Kopas, it’s a bit
different. It’s like father, like
daughter.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING
“We can
actually go up
against these
big dogs.”
Positive thinking fuels Bottom
By SYLVANNA GROSS
Daily Sports Writer
Frequently,
athletics
and
philosophy don’t overlap. Yet
Michigan men’s and women’s
swimming and diving coach
Mike
Bottom
has
defined
this
juncture
in
a
sport
where
athletes
are
under
immense pressure to execute,
and winners and losers are
determined by hundredths of a
second.
Professor Kim Cameron of
the Ross School of Business
is a co-founder of the Center
for
Positive
Organizational
Scholarship
at
Michigan
and a proponent of positive
visualization as an important
tool for a team’s success.
When teaching others his
beliefs, Cameron encourages
others
to
imagine
three
competitors
standing
arm’s
length away from each other.
The first is an underperforming
athlete, the second is average
and healthy and the third is an
accomplished Olympian.
In order for the first athlete
to become as good as the
second, constructive criticism
and negative feedback are used.
And in order to make the
second athlete the Olympian,
both
Bottom
and
Cameron
believe in positive affirmations
of an athlete’s ability.
Adapting this approach has
given Bottom an opportunity
for a more holistic approach to
coaching.
“We’re trying to grasp the
best of the human condition,
the
highest
aspirations
an
athlete has for themselves,”
Cameron
said.
“There’s
nothing brand-new or novel
about this except for the most
part we ignore it, because it
takes cognitive effort to switch
to a positive bias.”
Over Thanksgiving weekend,
Bottom, a longtime believer
in positive attitude, invited
Cameron to lecture his athletes
about the correlation between
affirmative thinking and an
athlete’s performance.
Cameron
spoke
to
the
athletes about the benefits of
having
gratuitous
thoughts,
which allows a person’s physical
well-being to strengthen with a
more affirmative mindset. To
get to that point, he suggested
keeping a gratitude journal.
“Numerous swimmers keep
gratitude
journals,”
Bottom
said. “But we don’t enforce it,
they do it because they want to.”
And Bottom’s unorthodox
methods are paying of.
Now in his sixth season
with Michigan — his second
as head coach of both the men
and women’s teams — Bottom
has led both teams to a nearly
perfect dual-meet record (49-
3-1), coached in the past five
Olympics, and was named Big
Ten Swimming Coach of the
Year four times.
“The word humility is often
equated
with
meekness
or
weakness,” Cameron said. “The
real definition of humility is
opening to learning, openness
to feedback from others in order
to approve. So humility and
improvement are very closely
aligned. Mike is a very humble
guy in that sense.”
This
characteristic
hasn’t
gone
unnoticed
by
his
swimmers, either.
To senior and co-captain of
the men’s team, Richard Funk,
Bottom was a large part why he
committed to Michigan.
“Bottom is a great leader
and a visionary, not just in the
pool but in academics and in
the community. He surrounded
himself with a great staff,” Funk
said. “(He taught me that) in
order to be a leader you need to
know first how to be a follower.
You need to understand where
the team is and how to approach
a situation.”
Added
freshman
Tristan
Sanders: “While (the coaches)
are teaching you how to swim,
they’re teaching you about life,
about how to be a leader. We’re
protective of each other and of
Michigan.”
Forgiveness,
compassion
and
thankfulness
are
the
three pillars of what Bottom
considers the values it takes to
be a Wolverine, a role that also
comes with the responsibility of
protecting this code of conduct.
Swimming is one of the
most mentally draining sports,
and
many
swimmers
say
they are unmotivated by the
grueling practice schedule that
accompanies the sport. Yet the
positive team atmosphere is a
reason his team continues to
fight through early morning
practices.
“He reminds us on a daily
basis to think positive,” said
junior Marni Oldershaw.
Cameron
cited
research
that shows that for an athlete
to
flourish,
three
to
five
compliments should be given
for every negative criticism of
their performance.The coach is
the single most important figure
to make sure this happens.
Bottom
believes
a
coach
should not only help their
athletes achieve greatness now,
but also lay the foundation
for it in their future. He
understands
that
every
single one of his swimmers
has a life outside of Canham
Natatorium, encouraging them
to push through their personal
problems.
“For me, my passion to win has
nothing to do with my ego. It has
to do everything with wanting
the athletes to internalize the
things we’re teaching them
here,” Bottom said. “Excellence
is an important part of not just
winning, but excellence is an
important part of life.”
Cameron and Bottom both
recognize
the
extraordinary
outcomes
that
might
come
with this focus on positive
affirmation.
Already
under
Bottom’s
tutelage,
the
Wolverines have shown great
success, especially since the
integration of the men’s and
women’s teams.
Positive visualization could
be an opportunity to extract
excellence
not
only
from
Bottom’s swimmers, but also
from all athletes across campus.
“It’s
an
opportunity
for
Michigan to be Michigan,”
Bottom said.
Michigan’s intergalactic fan
By TED JANES
Daily Sports Writer
You won’t find him fighting
the Rebel Alliance on Luke
Skywalker’s home planet of
Tatooine, but you might find
him cheering in the stands at a
Michigan hockey game. Don’t
expect to see his face, though.
Around
2011,
Michigan
superfan Jon Leopold began
showing his support for the
Wolverines by dressing up as
a Stormtrooper from the Star
Wars
movies,
decorated
in
maize and blue.
The unique sight garnered
attention
from
spectators,
athletes and the media alike.
When Leopold first dressed
as the “Wolverine Trooper” at
a Michigan football game, he
received
numerous
requests
to take pictures with fans — so
many that the football players
had showered and met with
their families before Leopold
even left the Big House.
Though he is not a Michigan
alumnus or an Ann Arbor
native,
Leopold
had
been
coming to Michigan athletic
events years before he unveiled
the Stormtrooper outfit.
He makes the drive from
Goodrich — just outside of Flint
— multiple times a month, and
sometimes multiple times a
week to see games. But driving
two and a half hours round
trip has never put a halt to his
dedication.
One of Leopold’s favorite
memories from his time as
the Wolverine Trooper came
when the men’s basketball team
earned a spot in the 2013 Final
Four in Atlanta, Georgia.
“I was at the pep rally at the
team’s hotel,” Leopold said. “At
the end of it, Tim Hardaway Jr.
pointed me out in the crowd, so
Coach Beilein called me up to
the stage to lead the crowd in
singing ‘The Victors’ to finish
the rally.”
Though
Leopold
gained
attention
for
attendance
at
numerous
football
and
basketball games, he’s also a
regular fan at water polo, golf
and cross country events. If
Michigan has a team for it, he
has been to games to cheer them
on.
Leopold has gained more
popularity in the Michigan
community
than
he
ever
expected. Over the past few
years,
he
has
accumulated
nearly 10,000 followers on social
media, received attention from
USA Today and even handed out
over 1,500 Wolverine Trooper
trading cards.
To
accompany
the
stormtrooper outfit, Leopold
also dons a maize and blue
Canadian
flag.
While
not
a
Canadian
himself,
his
grandmother is from Sarnia, a
city just across the international
border
from
the
state
of
Michigan.
The flag itself is covered with
signatures
from
prominent
Canadians around Michigan
athletics,
most
notably
Michigan hockey coach Red
Berenson and former basketball
player Nik Stauskas. At the
swim meet against Ohio State
this past weekend, he held the
flag high every time Edmonton
native and senior swimmer
Richard Funk entered the pool.
While the Wolverine Trooper
is one of the most consistent
and
dedicated
supporters,
his presence in the Michigan
community stretches far beyond
his love for sports.
“I’m
part
of
the
501st
Legion, a worldwide Star Wars
costuming group that does
all kinds of charity events,”
Leopold said. “Annually, the
501st Legion raises about 25
million dollars for charity. I
go with them and visit kids at
C.S. Mott Children’s hospital
dressed up as the Wolverine
Trooper.”
A member of the Great Lakes
Garrison, the Michigan chapter
of the 501st Legion, Leopold has
worn the costume for photos
at fundraising events such as
the
Wolverine
vs.
Buckeye
Challenge For Life, an annual
event in which both schools
raise funds for organ donations.
“Occasionally
people
will
give me a few dollars for
taking a photo,” Leopold said.
“All of that always goes to the
Children’s Hospital. I never
ask for money, but some people
insist that I take it, so with it I
make a donation.”
From fan donations, he once
raised over $600 for a girl
who was fighting lymphoma.
Leopold earns great praise from
the community for his support,
and all he asks for in return is a
smile on a few young faces.
Though most Stormtroopers
hail from the dark side, this
one has proven to be the
exception.
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
The Wolverine Trooper has become a fixture at Michigan sporting events and charity functions.
Substitutes help
‘M’ stay steady
By BEN FIDELMAN
Daily Sports Writer
Competing in one of the most
physically taxing college sports,
the Michigan wrestling team’s
depth is tested often. Midway
through the 2014-15 season, the
16th-ranked Wolverines (3-2 Big
Ten, 5-3 overall) are seeing major
contributions from wrestlers who
weren’t in the starting lineup at
the beginning of the year, but are
continuing to succeed using the
“next man up” mentality.
Highlighting that group are
redshirt freshman George Fisher
and fifth-year senior Zebulon
Hilyard.
At
the
141-pound
weight
class, Fisher has stepped in for
fifth-year senior Steve Dutton,
who ended his career after the
Eastern Michigan Duals due to
multiple concussions. Coming off
of an All-American performance
in 2014, Dutton was projected to
be a staple of the Michigan lineup
this season. So when Fisher filled
the vacancy, a probable win
turned into a definite question
mark.
Though he hasn’t yet replaced
Dutton’s All-American results,
Fisher has done surprisingly well
sliding into the starting lineup.
During the Southern Scuffle
— a tournament that many
team members competed in on
Jan. 1 and 2 — he pinned three
wrestlers and finished with a 6-2
record, good for seventh place. In
dual season, Fisher has held his
own, posting a 3-3 record (20-11
overall).
“(Next man up) has been a big
part of our lineup this year,” said
Michigan coach Joe McFarland.
“We really haven’t been healthy.
George (Fisher) has done a
tremendous job. Earlier this
year he was wrestling at (the
133-pound weight class) and we
moved him up to 141, and (he) is
really just doing a great job. He’s
getting great experience, too.”
In what’s believed to be more
of a temporary situation, Hilyard
has been filling in for injured
junior Rossi Bruno at the 133-
pound weight class. Even though
this is Hilyard’s fifth season
in the program, the last three
matchups have been his first dual
meet experiences in his college
career. The first two of those
starts were tough for Wolverine
fans to swallow, as Hilyard was
defeated by his opponents from
Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Last Sunday against Indiana,
he pulled through with his first
career dual meet win. At the time,
Hilyard’s 3-0 decision pushed the
Michigan lead to 9-0.
“Bruno
goes
down,
and
Zeb (Hilyard) steps in there,”
McFarland said. “These guys
have to be ready when those
opportunities arise, and I think
for the most part they have done
a great job of that.”
Bruno is expected back in the
lineup next weekend for the dual
against Penn State.
With the Big Ten standing
alone as the best conference in
college wrestling, placing four
teams in the top 10 and 11 teams
in the top 25, showing depth like
the Wolverines have this year has
been key when dealing with such
a grueling schedule.
Michigan
heads
into
the
final three weeks of conference
play needing to finish strong to
compensate for a pair of losses to
rivals No. 2 Minnesota and No. 4
Ohio State.
There might be more bumps
along the way, but as always,
someone will step up.
WRESTLING
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SWIMMING