In Their Shoes: Retyi Introduction
2/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | General
How would you fare against a Michigan student-athlete on the field of play U-M assistant media relations director Richard Retyi decided to find out for himself, tackling potentially (um, almost assuredly) embarrassing moments with a humorous approach and without fear. The challenge began with three sports (volleyball, swimming and gymnastics) for an article in the spring 2007 issue of M Magazine, and the series will continue until he runs out of ideas (or injures himself).
INTRODUCTION
Full disclosure. I have played organized basketball, softball, football, lacrosse, floor hockey and soccer. I also took judo for five months, earned two stripes on my white belt and somehow managed third place in a tournament in the "Husky" division. I also took a spin class at the end of 2006 but missed four of nine classes. The sad reality is that I am not a high-caliber athlete. I am no All-American.
For starters, I am Canadian. My glory days are a distant speck in the rearview mirror of the grey Chevette I drove in high school. I was defensive MVP for my high school football team during my junior and senior years, but we played a combination of Canadian and American rules (four downs, but we had rouges) and no field I ever played on ever had a scoreboard.
I was also one of a select 170 or so lacrosse players in Ontario invited to try out for the Markham Thunder Junior B club. I was recruited to play football at McGill University (my alma mater), but I quit the team after our summer training camp so I could focus on sleeping in and staying out late. I did win the floor hockey scoring title in 1988 in the Welland Recreation and Sports floor hockey league (age 11-12), earning the most improved player award.
Final disclosure. I recently turned 30 years old and I regularly pull large groups of muscles when I exercise or when I bend over to pick up my laptop bag awkwardly or turn my neck too fast to cough.
Despite my current state of fitness, when I watch athletes compete at Michigan I can't help but ponder ... could I do that? And, could I do that better? I've seen 24 of Michigan's 25 varsity programs in action in two and a half years in Ann Arbor, and for many of these sports I have wondered if I could do what they do. Could I block an attack from a volleyball player? Could I run down the vault runway, hit the springboard, rotate through the air and land on something other than my head in gymnastics? Could I out-swim one of Michigan's best in the pool?
Before you begin any exercise program you are supposed to consult your physician. My physician hung up on me when I posed the idea of challenging Michigan student-athletes in their own sports. So I turned to volleyball and softball trainer Wil Turner and asked him his advice.
"Your chances of getting injured are somewhere between 99.99991-99.9999998%," said Wil, who may have been laughing hysterically on the other end of the phone.
Could I compete with some of Michigan's best? There's only one way to find out ...
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