Today evening marked the opening of the Michigan's Men Gymnastics team's competition season, with a matchup against Big Ten rival and fellow gymnastics powerhouse Penn State, at Cliff Keen Arena. The Novice Women's Rowing team came to a consensus that we would be hard-pressed to find a better alternative form of entertainment (on a Saturday night, no less) than lithe, muscular men clad in spandex cavorting on a selection of apparatus. So a number of us traipsed down to Cliff Keen after a brief dinner at Big Ten Burrito and spent a decidedly enjoyable two hours watching the thrilling matchup unfold between the rival college teams. Though the atmosphere was nowhere as electrifying as that of football gamedays in the Michigan Stadium, owing to the obvious fact that the crowd in attendance could in no way rival the number of football fans who make the pilgrimage to the revered sanctity of the Big House, the audience was suitably enthusiastic and supportive. Just an aside thought- it strikes me as somewhat odd that more support is given to a sport where a leather ball is placed on the line, rather than a sport where athletes place their own bodies on the line. I'd pick the latter any day.
Above all, however, the men's gym team members were tremendously psyched and pumped- you could see it in their faces, the shouts of jubilation and "Go BLUE!" whenever a team member nailed an impossibly challenging move, the never-ending encouragement despite mistakes which inevitably happened, the high-fives and slaps on the back a member would receive once he completed his routine and stepped off the mat.
It's that sort of team spirit and camaraderie which is of utmost importance to me, and it's something you'll only find in sports. And perhaps, even more so in Michigan, where such a high premium is placed on athletics due to our NCAA Division I status, as well as the fact that it's such a large school and thus possesses an incredible amount of resources that are necessary to fund athlete development. I can barely describe how wowed I was upon making the rowing team and hearing about the tremendous level of support that Michigan offers its varsity athletes. Sure, the free Nike gear cuts it (Even right now I'm still pretty amazed at the number of swoosh-emblazoned freebies I've received- sweatshirt, sweatpants, t-shirt, spandex shorts, Dri-fit long-sleeved mock top, socks, sports bra -I must say I truly admire their attention to detail-, shoes, and even a Nike wheeled travel bag for training and competition trips), but we've also got access to sports nutritionists, strength and conditioning coaches, and sports therapists whose sole purposes are to provide the necessary help and assistance we might need in the course of improving our athletic abilities.
Not forgetting the new academic center built solely for varsity athletes with tutors for just about every class offered in the University, computing options, study tables, and even (I thought this was quite funny, because the rest of my teammates immediately turned and looked at me when this was announced to our team) satellite TV which can broadcast local TV shows from a large number of countries around the globe. Even though I can barely foresee myself watching Chinese drama serials or a Singlish sitcom, while the rest of the people around me strain to discern how a curly-haired man with an obtrusive facial mole and yellow Wellingtons can possibly be a legitimate source of entertainment to people in the country I hail from.
But the pride and honor of being a Michigan Varsity Athlete surpasses, by far, any of the abovementioned material incentives that comes from donning the Maize and Blue. It's the lessons you learn and the memories you acquire- that unforgettable day in the erg room where you wheezed your way through 20 sets of 40-second all-out sprints with 20-second breaks but felt proud afterward that you hadn't let up on the pace despite the overwhelming urge to; squeezing out that last rep on the leg press machine, face contorted in agony at the immense strain; catching a crab while rowing all eights, cannonballing out of your foot stretchers and landing in a dishevelled heap on the lap of your bemused fellow rower behind; the wintry cold of the early mornings where all you want to do is burrow into bed and the last thing on your mind is flinging off the covers and picking your way through the slush and snow to make it down for 6:30am practice.
Being a varsity athlete calls for enormous levels of sacrifice and self-control- as my coach always exhorts us, the onus is on us to make wise decisions that we know will be beneficial to us. Basically, just not to lose our head and do stupid things that are potentially regrettable, given the temptations and vices that abound in a typical American college scenario. It's a great lesson in personal development and growth, and you wouldn't be able to understand just how blessed I feel at having such an opportunity occur to me. Maybe upon reading this, as well as a couple of my previous entries, you'd be tempted to think that all I ever rave about is rowing and how it's made me a better person and blah blah blah and dismiss it as mere hype and overenthusiasm, perhaps even arrogance. But I guess it's impossible to truly understand the feeling without having experienced it. Going to the men's gym meet reinforced the realization that I am indeed proud to be a Michigan Wolverine and when it comes to the crunch, I'll put my head down, push past the pain and give back to Michigan all it's given me.
Quote of the Day:
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ''Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.''
- Muhammad Ali
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