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Marshall Law rules for Wendy

Four years ago this month, Wendy Marshall faced a
dilemma familiar to us all. She had to choose a college.

The fact that she was an athlete, and had been recruited to compete in gymnastics, only complicated matters. She couldn't just pick the best team or the best school. She had to find a good combination of both.

Then, about a week and half before the late signing period, Marshall got a phone call from Michigan. They had a scholarship available. Did she want it?

Marshall had already used up her allotted five visits, so she paid her own way to Ann Arbor.

"They called me on a Sunday, and I said, `OK, I'll be there on Tuesday,'" Marshall says. "I took a train, a 17 hour ride to get here, and was here for eight hours. Never had time to go out with the team or anything. It was academics, see the school, meet the team. Eight hours I was here and then I was right back on a train to New York -- 17 more hours."

Choosing a college had suddenly become easy. She was to become a Wolverine. Marshall, now a senior, says she made her decision even before she got on that train to Ann Arbor.

"I didn't even have to visit here," she says. "I knew this was a great school."

What everyone didn't know was the caliber of gymnast Marshall would develop into.

Marshall has always been superb on the vault. She was a second-team All-American as both a freshman and a sophomore at Michigan. During the past four years, she worked to develop her routines in the other three events (uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise), and has blossomed into one of the top all-around competitors in the country.

"Wendy was not the most highly sought after recruit in the country," Michigan coach Bev Plocki says. "She was an excellent vaulter from day one, and what we saw in her was a lot of potential. We really thought that she could become a great college gymnast, and that is exactly what has happened."

Last season, Marshall was a first team All-American in the all-around, on the balance beam and in the vault. So far this season, she has been named Big Ten gymnast of the year, captained Michigan to a record-tying fifth consecutive Big Ten conference title and won the conference vault championship.

The list of Marshall's accomplishments and records is far more extensive than this, but her contributions to the team extend well beyond high scores.

"I think the thing that makes Wendy standout, even more so than what she does competitively," Plocki says, "is the level of enthusiasm that she has for the sport, the team and Michigan."

Marshall is easy to spot during Michigan meets because she is so animated. After a good routine, her smile radiates with such sincerity that you know it is not just an act for the judges. It is simply genuine excitement over her performance.

When a teammate is competing, the loudest audible cheering voice probably belongs to Marshall.

"She is just so enthusiastic," Plocki says, "Even spectators that don't know who she is will pick her out of a group of people, just because she is constantly smiling, clapping, yelling or cheering for somebody, or offering her support."

Marshall says that is just something she does.

"My role is to keep everybody happy," she says. "That's my specific goal. If you don't look happy, I'm going to make you smile."

Marshall smiles most of the time, and she laughs a lot too. Her laugh is not giggly, but sincere like her smile, and it comes just as easy.

"If you are not having fun doing something, why are you doing it?" she says simply.

Her biggest source of fun is gymnastics. She followed her older sister Tammy into the sport, and Marshall says had Tammy not gotten hurt, she would have had a good shot at the Olympics. After she was injured, the older Marshall was still able to get a scholarship to Massachusetts.

"She was just as good as any Olympian. She was awesome," Marshall says of her older sister. "I never wanted to be in the Olympics. That was never a dream. My dream was to go to college, get a scholarship and get a good job."

So far, she has already accomplished two out of three. As far as the job goes, Marshall loves children and is studying to be a physical education teacher. Someday she wants to be a principal and own a child day care center.

"All last year to promote our sport, and to promote that we were hosting regionals, we went to the schools and did little presentations and skits on gymnastics," Marshall says. "I loved doing that, kids came over and asked for autographs, and that's great. Just to make a kid smile makes me want to smile for the rest of my life."

After home meets, Marshall and her teammates sign autographs for any kid who wants one, which usually takes at least a half-an-hour. Marshall says enjoys this because it reminds her that her sport and her team are appreciated, something she doesn't always feel from the University community.

"We were second in NCAAs last year and some people don't even know we have a gymnastics team here. That's upsetting," Marshall says, no longer displaying her trademark smile. "I don't know how to change that."

She may have a legitimate gripe about a lack of attention. The school's first appearance in the national championship meet was during Marshall's freshman season. The Wolverines finished ninth overall. The next year they improved to fourth, and last season Michigan was second, only .225 of a point away from a national title. This year the team has been ranked as high as No. 3.

"Well, after we win our national title this year, everybody should know who we are," Marshall says laughing, unable to stay upset for very long.

Another thing Marshall doesn't stay for very long is inactive. She lists her hobbies as water-skiing, working with children, going to the beach, fishing and playing pool.

"I like to do things. I love all activities, I may not be great at them, but I love to do them. I have to be doing something, always. I can't just sit down."

Marshall hasn't had to sit down during a meet for the past two seasons, because during that time she has competed in the all-around at every meet. Her constant presence and consistent performances have been especially important this year, because the Wolverines have been ravaged by injuries. By mid-February, fellow seniors Dianna Rannelli and Tina Miranda had both suffered career-ending knee injuries.

"I look over and they are standing there, and I want them to be out there more than anything," Marshall says. "I'm not just competing for myself. After every meet I say, `That bar routine was for you,' or, `That vault was for you,' and it really is, it genuinely, really is."

Marshall had to compete for both her injured classmates on senior night, March 16 against Brigham Young. She was the last competitor of the evening, and a Michigan victory had already been secured. With her parents looking on from the stands, she performed a flawless floor routine that earned her a perfect 10, the first one she had ever received on the floor.

Understandably, Marshall says it was difficult to keep her emotions in check before the routine.

"I was just about to cry, and I said to myself, `O.K., lets just go out with a smile.'"

When she finished, the crowd gave her a standing a ovation, not just for the last performance, but for all the performances over the past four years. And although she would have undoubtedly received the ovation no matter what the result, you couldn't help but feel like this was the appropriate ending, the senior getting a10 in her last appearance before the home crowd.

Marshall's final home performance was probably more dramatic than pressure packed, but she has proven she can handle those situations as well.

The first 10 of her life came during her sophomore year on the vault in the regional meet, a tremendous feat in itself. Then last year when Michigan hosted the regional meet in Chrysler Arena, and the pressure was on to repeat her perfect score, Marshall delivered.

"I was the last person to go, and I wanted our team to end on high," she says. "I worked all week, I remember, just to stick those landings. I know if I stick it I can go 10. It's a possibility in my future, so it is worth working for."

Saturday Marshall will get a chance to three-peat on the vault when the Wolverines compete in the central regional championships in Baton Rouge. The pressure will be on again, but Marshall's main goal is a team victory.

"I want to win regionals as a team, now more than ever. We've never done it before, so why not?" she says.

Even if they don't win the meet, the Wolverines will likely score high enough to qualify for nationals for the fourth straight year.

Although she admits to being a little nervous during national championship meets, Marshall says that for the most part she is able to deal with the pressure. Predictably, her method is to just have fun.

"Its fun. It is so much fun," she says. "You go up for that last routine, and it's your last routine. Why not do the greatest one ever? That's what we say to each other, there is no other motivation than that."

Marshall's attitude has rubbed off on her teammates, and is evident in their performances.

"Athletes from the club level (recruits) watch us compete, and the thing they say is, above so many other teams, when the Michigan team is competing, we look like we honestly enjoy it and are having fun," Plocki says. "It doesn't look like we are under pressure, or struggling, or worried. People want to be a part of that, and Wendy has been a large contributing factor to why we are that way."

Marshall will only be a contributor at Michigan for two more meets, but they are the big ones. Asked about the Wolverines' chances to win it all this year, Marshall smiles, and with a twinkle in her eye says simply, "We can win it."

The way she says it, and the expression on her face reveal such complete confidence in herself and her teammates, you can't help but like their chances if you are a Michigan fan.

But regardless of how the Wolverines fare the next three weeks in regionals and nationals, you can be sure of two things. Wendy Marshall will have fun getting there, and she will go out with a smile.