MGoBlue.com Summer Sessions: Head Coach Bev Plocki
7/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
July 26, 2011
Each weekday in the month of July, MGoBlue.com will feature an interview with a U-M head coach. Tuesday's (July 26) second interview with the gymnastics coaches is with women's coach Bev Plocki, who discusses balancing summer workouts and recruiting with some time off, operating a jackhammer, and contorting her body to avoid getting dunked in a pool.
What makes the summer in women's gymnastics so unique?
For us, the summer means a lot of recruiting and summer camps. A lot of our student-athletes have chosen to stay here and go to summer school, so we've got volunteer practices. The summertime is trying to integrate a whole lot of different things going on at the same time. Between the three of us as coaches, there's some baton-passing that goes on between who is on the road recruiting, who is overseeing the volunteer practices, and who tries to sneak a vacation in.
Why are the summer months so important to the development of the team?
In our season, we compete every single weekend from January through April. That is unlike club gymnastics, where athletes might compete in a meet, have three weeks to train and then have another meet. Our fall is preparing routines for the competitive season, and then in-season, we get consistent and all that. The summer months, for us, is all about getting better and learning new skills. To do that, they obviously have to stay in shape and continue to train.
What do you see as the team's biggest strength heading into next season?
For a long time, our biggest strengths have been our student-athletes' chemistry within the team and commitment to what they're doing and their goals. We have always had a group of athletes who have worked hard and in some cases overachieved. It's because of their commitment and dedication to what they are doing and the culture that we have created for Michigan gymnastics.
What was your first summer job? And where?
My father worked for Armco Steel in Butler, Pa., and in the summertime they would hire their children for summer help. I worked one summer in the labor department and did all kinds of interesting jobs. I worked the jackhammer, took bricks out of the ovens, and did anything that needed to be fixed or done.
Do you or did you have any special travel plans this summer?
I actually just returned from the Bahamas. My kids and I went to Atlantis for a week, and that was a lot of fun. It's nice to completely detach yourself from work for a few days. While I was there, I really didn't have access to email or any of that. On one hand, it's nice to really get away, but when you get back, you have to play catch-up on all the things you missed.
Since your season ended, tell us one unique thing you have done?
There's a show on Cartoon Network called Hole in the Wall. They were doing their "60 Days of Summer" campaign and were actually at Atlantis. In the show, these people wear silver suits, complete with helmets, elbow and knee pads ... everything. You have to stand in this play zone in front of a pool and then they open this wall, and another wall comes at you very quickly. It's got cut-out shapes on it, and the goal is to pose in the shape of those cut-outs. If you don't fit through the wall, it'll push you into the pool.
My son decided he really wanted to try and get picked to be on the show. We went and sat, and he ended up getting selected. At that point, I found out that in order for him to do it, I had to do it as well. On the last day of our vacation, we went over to this set. Fortunately, we didn't have to wear the silver suits, and I'm proud to say that we were one of two groups (of 12) that successfully made it through the wall and didn't have to take a swim.
Past MGoBlue.com Summer Sessions
• Head Men's Gymnastics Coach Kurt Golder (July 26)
• Head Ice Hockey Coach Red Berenson (July 25)
• Head Women's Tennis Coach Ronni Bernstein (July 22)
• Head Field Hockey Coach Marcia Pankratz (July 22)
• Head Women's Basketball Coach Kevin Borseth (July 21)
• Head Men's Lacrosse Coach John Paul (July 20)
• Head Wrestling Coach Joe McFarland (July 19)
• Head Women's Track & Field Coach James Henry (July 19)
• Head Women's Golf Coach Cheryl Stacy (July 18)
• Head Rowing Coach Mark Rothstein (July 15)
• Head Women's Swimming Coach Jim Richardson (July 14)
• Head Volleyball Coach Mark Rosen (July 13)
• Head Men's Soccer Coach Steve Burns (July 12)
• Head Women's Cross Country Coach Mike McGuire (July 11)
• Head Men's Cross Country Coach Alex Gibby (July 11)
• Head Women's Soccer Coach Greg Ryan (July 8)
• Head Men's Tennis Coach Bruce Berque (July 7)
• Head Men's Track & Field Coach Fred LaPlante (July 6)
• Head Water Polo Coach Matt Anderson (July 5)
• Head Men's Swimming & Diving Coach Mike Bottom (July 1)
