Sophomore Paul Juda took 

a deep breath and broke into 
a sprint for the vault. Juda, 
the 
fourth 
in 
Michigan’s 

vault rotation, was following 
three subpar vaults from the 
Wolverines. 
With 
Illinois-

Chicago holding a 0.100 point 
lead in the round, Juda knew his 
opportunity to shift the round 
in his team’s favor lay within 
his grasp.

With all eyes on him, Juda 

leaped over the vault and 
stuck the landing, letting out 
an emphatic roar while his 
teammates 
rushed 
towards 

him.

Juda earned a 14.650 for the 

vault, the highest vault and 
individual score up until that 
point. Michigan went on to win 
the round behind subsequent 
strong finishes from senior 
Nick Guy and sophomore Adam 
Wooten, and the Wolverines 
closed out UIC with resounding 
victories in the last two rounds. 

No. 
3 
Michigan 
men’s 

gymnastics (1-0) opened its 
season with a 409.000-328.100 
dual meet win against the 
Flames (0-1) on Sunday, with 
each team performing at its 
respective training facilities. 
Despite the unusual format 
of virtual judging and the 

absence of fans, the Wolverines 
showcased their preparedness 
from the very beginning. 

“They seemed to keep the 

energy 
up,” 
said 
Michigan 

coach Kurt Golder. “They did a 
great job as the meet went on. 
Enthusiasm didn’t slow down 
or dwindle away or anything 
like that.”

Wooten opened for Michigan 

in round one, floor exercise, 
and earned a score of 13.400, 
immediately setting the tone for 
the entire meet. The Wolverines 
went on to win each of their 
next five matchups and finished 
with a steep 11.150 lead over 
UIC. 

Michigan further extended 

its lead to 31.200 following 
round 
two, 
pommel 
horse. 

Senior Anthony Tawfik opened 
for Michigan, while senior 
Cameron 
Bock 
earned 
the 

highest score of the round with 
a 14.400. It looked as if the 
Wolverines couldn’t be stopped.

The 
next 
round, 
rings, 

mirrored rounds one and two, 
with 
strong 
performances 

overall 
from 
Michigan’s 

rotation. 

Sophomore Casey Cummings 

opened 
round 
four 
(vault) 

for Michigan. At this point, 
with a 48.350 lead and all the 
momentum in their favor, the 
Wolverines looked to cap off 
their 
outstanding 
routines 

from the previous three rounds 
and push their lead out of 
reach. Desperate to keep their 
hopes alive, the Flames strung 
together an impressive first 
three vaults and gained a lead 
over Michigan. But just as UIC 
began building confidence, Juda 
stepped up to the challenge. 

“I live for the clutch, I live 

for the pressure,” Juda said. “A 
quote that I resonate with is ‘it’s 
a privilege to have pressure.’ 
I knew the guys really were 
counting on me to do a good 
routine right there, and I had to 
do it.”

Michigan cruised through 

parallel bars and high bar, 
with Juda earning the highest 
individual score of 14.700 in 
parallel bars. He had the best 
overall performance and led 
the team in four events, with 
Bock leading the team in the 
remaining two. 

Michigan’s first competition 

ended 
just 
as 
it 
planned, 

securing a commanding lead 
from the get-go and winning 
each round handily. 

The Wolverines face No. 

4 Nebraska next week, the 
first 
of 
many 
tough 
Big 

Ten 
matchups. 
Michigan’s 

mentality is to do everything it 
can to win, and the Wolverines 
will need to show the same 
dominance on the road as they 
did on Sunday.

10 — Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Wolverines ready to regroup after first loss

“When 
the 
street 
fight 

started, we didn’t answer it.”

Michigan men’s basketball 

team’s assistant coach Phil 
Martelli’s 
words 
perfectly 

encapsulated the scene of the 
Wolverines’ first defeat of the 
season which came on the 
road at the hands of then-No. 
23 Minnesota on Saturday. 
After 
coming 
into 
the 

contest averaging 80.2 points 
per 
game, 
Michigan 
only 

managed to put up 57 points 
in an 18-point loss and tied its 
season-high 20 turnovers. 

“You can practice it as 

many times as you want, but if 
you make a bad decision in the 
game, that’s just the way it is 
sometimes,” sophomore wing 
Franz Wagner said.

While 
the 
whole 
team 

was 
disappointed 
in 
its 

performance, the Wolverines 
believe that their first loss can 
help them grow stronger. 

“Obviously everyone picks 

on what you did wrong, and 
they try to exploit ‘why didn’t 
you win,’ but there are good 
things that come out of losses,” 
graduate transfer guard Mike 
Smith said. “The one thing 
that I can take away from this 
is that we always have to be 
ready to go — 24/7 — and just 
continue to compete at the 
highest level because it’s not 
going to get any easier.”

After scoring in double-

figures in the first 11 games 
of 
his 
collegiate 
career, 

freshman 
center 
Hunter 

Dickinson was notably held to 
just nine points in 23 minutes. 

Gophers’ 
head 
coach 

Richard 
Pitino 
instructed 

his squad to double team 
Dickinson in the post nearly 
every time he touched the ball 
which gave both Dickinson 
and 
Michigan 
plenty 
of 

trouble.

“I didn’t think he was 

overdoing it,” Martelli said. “I 
think in a way he was not as 

sharp. He’s been so sharp and 
his IQ is so high. Rather than 
getting things done in a beat, 
it was taking him a beat and 
a half to recognize what was 
going on which was unusual.”

Alongside 
Dickinson, 

Smith struggled shooting the 
basketball as well. Despite 
having 10 assists, Smith failed 
to score a point, shooting 
0-of-6. He also turned the ball 
over three times in 37 minutes 
of action. It was a rare down 
game for Smith, who has 
averaged 8.4 points and 5.8 
assists per game and has 
served in a steady role as the 
team’s primary point guard.

“I 
did 
a 
poor 
job 
of 

leading the team regardless 
of scoring,” Smith said. “I 
think I should’ve led more 
and been more vocal. I take 
accountability for that. Being 
a point guard and being the 
older guy on the team, I think 
I fell short of doing that for 
the team.”

After the loss, Michigan 

held 
film 
sessions 
to 

understand 
where 
things 

went wrong. The film session 
helped to demonstrate to 
the team that Minnesota’s 
defense took it out of its 
normal 
offensive 
flow, 

forcing it to adjust its system 
that had proven to be so 
effective through 11 games 

on the fly. After breaking 
it 
down, 
though, 
the 

Wolverines think they may 
have found solutions on how 
to respond.

“I was surprised by the 

things we saw (on film), 
they’re pretty easy to fix 
I think,” Wagner said. “So 
that’s 
kinda 
my 
mindset 

going into the next game 
is we gotta play with our 
habits, what made us get 
those first couple games and 
then it doesn’t really matter 
that much what other teams 
throw at us.”

A loss, especially the first 

one of the season, is always 
a tough pill to swallow. 
But Smith believes that the 
loss will only strengthen 
the bond that he and his 
teammates have.

“A lot of teams, either that 

I’ve been on or in general, 
when you lose, people start 
pointing fingers,” Smith said. 
“But at the end of the day, 
even when we were down 
20 and the second team was 
in, we were up clapping for 
everybody. 

“We wanted to see them 

succeed because we know 
how much time they put in 
to be out there. This is going 
to help us become closer and 
want to win more and to fight 
for each other.”

TEDDY GUTKIN
Daily Sports Writer

Michigan routs UIC, 409.000-328.100

ABBAS KAGAL
Daily Sports Writer

JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily

Paul Juda’s dazzling performance in vault was critical to holding momentum in Michigan’s win.

JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily

Michigan expects to bounce back against Maryland following its first loss 
of the season.

Russell Becker trudged out to the 

backyard, dragging the hose with 
him. A kid waddled through the 
snow, curtly behind him.

Boards. Check.
Lights. Check.
Goalposts. Check.
Russell ran down a mental list of 

things he had to prepare. Luckily 
for him, the kids were too young to 
need the nets. It was that time of 
year again — winter — an eagerly 
anticipated time for the Becker kids. 
As November approaches, so does 
Minnesota’s cold, harsh winter. But 
alongside the bitter winds that nip 
at their noses comes the chilling 
temperatures that let them host 
their own personal ice rink at their 
home.

Jack Becker followed his dad, 

helping him carry the hose through 
the basement doors leading from 
the back of their house to the open 
field where they had laid the rink 
boards prior.

Jack and his brothers always 

loved to help their father set the 
stage, but when it came to most of 
the heavy work, Russell did that by 
himself, at least until Jack reached 
the age where he could also do 
heavy lifting.

Jack loved the backyard rink. 

When his brothers could come out 
to skate with him, they would play 
games, pretending to be different 
NHL players. It was the spot he 
went to when he needed to practice. 
It was the spot he went to when his 
friends came over to play. It was the 
spot that he never wanted to leave, 
even when the ice became rough 
and cut up.

He took to it as often as he could.
***
Play stopped and all heads 

turned to Jack Becker, as the then-
11 year old was sprawled on the ice, 
breath heavy.

It was hard to see his face 

through his breath’s fog that 
condensed against the cold, hard, 
winter air of Duluth, Minn. But if 
you looked closely enough, past the 
mist and the clenched hand held 
up to his nose, you could see blood 
dripping down Jack’s face.

He was in his backyard, in the 

homemade ice rink his family put 
together — his personal kingdom, 
his own sanctuary. And yet, out 
there on his rink, he had taken a 
hard hit and was trying to contain 
his bloody nose.

It was around Christmas time 

and his extended family had 
gathered at their house to celebrate 
the holidays. Aunts, uncles, cousins: 
All came in to join the Beckers and, 
naturally, most of them took to the 
ice in the backyard. Hockey runs 
deep within their family’s roots.

His cousins played at Division 

I schools. His uncles had grown 
up playing all their lives. And his 
father, Russell Becker, played four 
years at Michigan Tech and helped 
coach Jack every step of his playing 
career.

When Jack was old enough to 

walk, Russell nudged him towards 
the ice. When he was old enough to 
play, Russell joined the bench as a 
coach to most of his teams.

And that day, Russell wanted to 

teach his son another lesson.

Russell was always a hard-nose, 

physically imposing player. When 
he played under then-Huskies 
coach Mel Pearson, he had to earn 
his stripes playing with hustle, 
effort and passion. And even after 
he stopped playing, he carried that 
mentality everywhere he went — 
including a festive backyard hockey 
game among the family.

That day, son and father split 

onto opposing teams. Neither side 
wanted to lose.

The rink — one that Jack and 

his dad had built together — was 
smaller than an average rink, but 
only by a bit. The tighter enclosure, 
however, meant that it would be 
more jam packed with action. And 
it was.

Jack saw it first hand when he 

went for the puck, blindsided by a 
check from his dad. It came to the 
surprise of none. Everyone there 
knew Russell liked to play hard. 
And that day, he made sure Jack 
knew.

Play stopped as Jack laid on the 

ground. Before anyone could go 
over to help him, or before Jack 
could patch up his wound, his dad 
came to him and told him exactly 
what he should do next: ‘Get up.’ 

Added Jack: “So I got up and just 

continued playing.”

For Russell, it was routine. Get 

hit, get up, hustle.

“(Russell) 
was 
obviously 
a 

big 
stay-at-home, 
hard-nosed 

defenseman,” Pearson said about 
his former player. “He was a strong 
kid, tough kid, was just a simple, just 
a simple player. You can see a lot of 
similarities with Jack. The dad was 
a solid no-nonsense, hardworking, 
very polite, humble type person, 
and that’s what you have in Jack.”

As soon as Jack picked up the 

sticks and put on the skates when 

he was three, Russell ran with it. 
From mini mites to as far as he 
could, Russell helped coach Jack, 
sitting behind his bench mostly as 
a defensive coach for the teams. 
But being able to coach Jack was 
enough.

“I look to my parents a lot for a 

lot of things in my life,” Jack said. “I 
think when on the ice he’s my coach, 
and you know, you gotta respect 
him, but he’s still your dad.”

In terms of playstyle, there’s 

not much to pass down. Russell 
specialized 
in 
hustle 
defense, 

Jack wanted to be a forward. Jack 
quickly became a better skater, 
as noted by Pearson, but Russell 
passed on his effort and work ethic 
and some defensive techniques.

“Sometimes, dads can be harder 

on their own son than they might 
be another player,” Pearson said. 
“Just they don’t want to show any 
favoritism. And I think you demand 
more out of your son than somebody 

else. You know, it’s always easier to 
get after your own kid than maybe 
to try to get after somebody else’s.”

Finding that balance between 

dad and coach took some time for 
Russell. Was he being too hard on 
Jack because Jack was his son? Was 
he letting him off the hook with 
something for the same reason? 
What would people think looking in 
from outside?

“You didn’t want other parents 

to think that you were being biased 
towards your kid,” Russell said. “All 
those types of things make it tough 

to be a dad and be a coach.”

But once he found the healthy 

median, it became a much simpler 
task. Jack was an easy kid to coach. 

“He’s just such a respectful kid,” 

Russell said. “From that standpoint 
… he was an easy kid to coach, he 
was always the hardest working kid 
on the team.”

It was an experience for Jack 

that he remembers fondly. He 
didn’t think about the intricacies 
of his father being his coach. He 
just treasured the moments where 
he could play while his dad was on 
the bench, helping him along the 
way.

“After high school, you know 

it’s never really going to happen 
again,” Jack said. “And Dad 
worked really hard to learn so 
many things from the ADM or the 
USA hockey development model 
there. He worked so hard to help 
us to have practice plans that were 
good. 

“I just thought it was such a 

blessing. Really fun having him as 
my coach.”

Even with all his father’s history 

in the sport, playing hockey was 
always a choice, never an obligation 
for Jack growing up. But being 
surrounded by hockey from a young 
age — between his uncles, cousins 
and, most importantly, his father 
— his mind had always been made 
from the get-go.

Jack loved hockey. He never 

wanted to leave the rink, any rink, 
whether he was playing or not. And 
his dad helped make that possible.

For a portion of Jack’s youth, 

Minnesota 
was 
without 
a 

professional hockey team after the 
North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993. 
However, after a small drought 
of professional hockey, in 1997, 
St. Paul, Minn. was awarded an 
expansion team. That team would 
become the Minnesota Wild, who 
had their inaugural season in 2000. 

The return of an NHL team in the 

state would domino to Minnesota 
hosting its first All Star Game in 32 
years during the 2003-04 season.

Russell decided it was a can’t 

miss event for him and his boys.

He wanted them to learn the 

game, in part, by watching and 
being around it, sure, but this was 
an event that only came around 
so often. He wanted them to just 
be able to be there and enjoy the 
moment.

Jack walked into the doors of 

the Xcel Energy Center side by side 
with his dad and one of his younger 
brothers, Joe. The then-six-and-a-
half year old could barely hold back 
his excitement. He had even thrown 
on the jersey of one of his favorite 
players, Marian Gaborik, for the 
occasion.

The trio had come early, hoping 

to catch the players warming up.

Together, they scaled the steps 

of the arena until they stopped at 
their seats, placed directly behind 
the glass. Russell and Joe began to 
sit down, but Jack had other plans. 
He stayed standing, mesmerized 
by the surroundings and hoping to 
get a better glimpse at the players as 
they came in.

His hands pressed against the 

glass, Jack leaned in, eyes wide in 
anticipation.

And then came the players, the 

All Stars.

Bursting in from the tunnel, 

they skated laps around the rink. In 
awe, Jack threw his hands over his 
mouth, a picture-perfect moment 
for the occasion.

That’s exactly how St. Paul 

Pioneer Press photographer passing 
by saw it too. The photographer 
snapped a picture of the moment 
and the next day, had it plastered on 
the front page — showing the world 
what the Becker family already 
knew.

“It’s a cool photo,” Russell said. 

“And it just shows at a very young 
age him gazing at these players and 
how much he loved the game.”

Added Jack’s mother, Trisha: 

“His face is priceless because he is 
looking out the glass and you can see 
his reflection in the glass. He is so 
happy to be there and so consumed 
by the whole scene that he just looks 
like that’s exactly where he wants to 
be, in the rink.”

***
Back home, when dusk came 

around, the skating on the ice didn’t 
stop even as the puck started to 
blend in with the darkness that 
surrounded it. Time didn’t deter 
Jack, all he had to do was flick the 
switch for the lights, and continue 
to skate on his outdoor rink.

It was a joy for him to be out 

there, no matter the hour.

“I always say that Jack has 

always had a passion, and you can’t 
really teach a passion,” Trisha said. 
“He just really loves to be on the ice. 
He just really has always loved to be 
out there.”

Early in the morning, late at 

night, nothing stopped him from 
being in the rink. The nets came out 
when he got older to make it easier 
to catch flying pucks. The lights 
came on when it got dark. 

A bad practice didn’t discourage 

him. Neither did a bad day in 
general. When he could, he’d make 
his way to the ice and shoot. It was 
a way to outlet his thoughts and, 
sometimes, his emotions.

“Whether it’s a stress relief or 

he just enjoys the whole process of 
being on the ice,it is a good stress 
reliever for him.” Trisha said. “He’s 
always pretty focused on it.”

For Jack, it is therapeutic.

Boards, lights and ice: the backyard rink that produced Michigan captain Jack Becker

TIEN LE

Daily Sports Contributer

COURTESY OF PIONEER PRESS

Six-year-old Jack Becker watches as his hockey heroes are introduced at the 
start of the NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2004 in St. Paul, Minn. 

