Rose Parade honors nest of Michigan fall sports teams

o SportsMonday Column

JIM ROSE

Honolulu - In the past week, I've been faced with some agonizing decisions: swimming pool vs. ocean, towel dry vs. air dry, Coppertone vs. baby oil. But chaise longues, I've discovered, are conducive to thinking.

Because there are just a couple weeks left in the fall semester, and because most of the traditional - and even the not-so-traditional - fall sports have finished their seasons, it's a good time to step back, survey the landscape, and look at the big picture. The time is right, then, to hand out some awards.

This is not an exhaustive list, mind you. Some people win Oscars, some win ESPYs. But in Ann Arbor, fall-semester athletes are now eligible for a very elite set of awards designed specifically for them - Roses.

That's right. I'm giving out Roses (appropriate, don't you think?). They're decided in good-old, undemocratic, I-get-to-decide fashion, and there are very few rules about who is or is not eligible. In many cases, a Rose can be awarded for superior athletic achievement; other times, the requirements are less strenuous. Without further ado, here it is: The fall '98 edition of The Rose Parade.

Best Performance By a Wounded Athlete: Rob Billington, Michigan table tennis team. Billington not only took second place in two separate flights at the Davision November Open (a U.S.A. Table Tennis-sanctioned event) he "played better than ever," team vice president Sungill Kim says, "despite torn ligaments in his ankle."

Runner-up: John Mortimer. His entire career, he was one of Michigan's best men's cross country runners. The fact that his final few weeks were slowed by injury is a shame, but it does nothing to diminish his status as one of this fall's best.

Biggest Fall Flop: Crisler Vision. It seemed like a terrific idea at the time. But then, it seemed like a terrific team at the time, too.

Best Athlete: Katie McGregor. An individual national championship served as a fitting finale to the career of the athlete that Michigan women's cross country coach Mike McGuire called the best runner he's ever coached.

McGregor was great from the day she came to Ann Arbor, but what ultimately separates her from the pack (pun intended) is the fact that she continued to improve year by year. Although she'll tell you the team is always the most important thing, the fact is that she ended her collegiate cross country career with her crowning achievement - a feat often spoken of, but rarely achieved in athletics.

Most Passionate Team: Men's crew. (See related categories: Most Likely To Complain, Most Likely To Suffer From A Debilitating Chip On The Shoulder and Most Likely To Start Their Own Newspaper.) In the past couple years, much has been made of the status of rowing as a collegiate sport - on this campus and around the country. Many people, including crew officers and coaches, believe the Michigan crew program suffers unfairly on campus from negative publicity. Others think the men's rowers should give everyone a break and stop getting so angry every time somebody says "Men's soccer."

Say what you will. After hearing the arguments of those involved, this much I can say: If there's another group of athletes on this campus more committed to its sport, I haven't seen it. Not only is the men's crew team one of the best in the country, but it's also one of the most disadvantaged. Strike One is its club status; Strike Two is the fact that rowing is simply not - despite what team members would have you believe - recognized in the Midwest as a major athletic event.

Despite all of this, Michigan's men's crew team is a hard-working, successful and driven group. We all would do well to learn something from their persistence and drive (if not their tactful and unbiased views).

Club Sport Still Most Deserving of Varsity Status: Men's soccer. No explanation necessary on this one.

Best Performance By a Tournament Team: Women's soccer. In each year of Amber Berendowsky's career, Michigan's program has risen to another level. Think it's a coincidence? I don't.

Best name: Greg Giovanazzi. Michigan's volleyball coach is a clear winner. Tough to compete with this one.

Best story: The Oppenlander family. Michigan's waterskiing club would be just another waterskiing club were it not for this story. Lauren and Ricci are team members, but that's not what's interesting. The best part is their western Michigan home - their father loves waterskiing so much that he had a waterskiing lake built in his own backyard. Now that's hard to top.

Classiest Coach: (tie) Giovanazzi and Marcia Pankratz

Michigan's volleyball and field hockey coaches are two truly nice people - win or lose. You can't help but root for their teams.

- Jim Rose can be reached via e-mail at jwrose@umich.edu

11-30-98