The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 17 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Enter ing his fif th year in Ann Arbor, Cameron Bock has been a stalwart for the men's gymnastics pro- gram. He has earned n u m e r o u s h o n o r s for his performances both at Michigan and on the international stage, as well as aca- demically. Bock was an NCAA All-American last sea- son on still rings and parallel bars, and a Big Ten champion on still rings, pommel horse and all-around, as well as earning Academic All-Big Ten honors. In- ternationally, he was a Tokyo Olympics re- placement athlete in 2021 and has made the U.S. Senior Na- tional Team member (2018-19, 2021). However, one of his biggest tests has come in the form of a preseason change with the program's leadership. The U-M men's gymnastics team was dealt a surprise on Nov. 29 with the announcement that long-time coach Kurt Golder was retiring just over a month out from the start of the sea- son. Yuan Xiao took over on an interim basis after spending the last 16 years as an assistant. Despite the unexpected develop- ment, Bock is grateful for what he learned from his now-former coach. "It's hard to sum up exactly how much he did for the program," Bock said of Golder. "He's been such an in- fluential figure, and having this pro- gram continue for as long as it has, especially with the climate of dimin- ishing men's gymnastics programs across the country, he also did a great job keeping up the high level that it is today. "He was a great role model and great team leader overall. He has been a grandfather figure to our entire team." Even with some continuity at the top despite Golder's retirement, there is still a leadership void on the team to fill. Bock and other team captains will be counted on to step up and carry more weight this season. "I would be lying if I said that there was not [an enhanced leadership burden]," he said. "But I think we've established a culture already where everyone coaches each other. We are not one of those programs where the coaches tell us 100 percent of what we are being asked to do. "There might be a little more burden, but it is not a problem because all the captains and team members are used to helping each other out whenever necessary." The shift in the program's leadership voices also comes as the backdrop to Bock's schoolwork during his last season in Ann Arbor. He is currently enrolled in a master's of accounting program through the Ross School of Business, and he plans on going into tax accounting when his college ca- reer is over. Academics and gymnastics pull him in several directions, but the skills he built over time are helping him have productive days. "I think this year, especially being in a master's program, is a little more dif- ficult than what I was doing during un- dergrad," Bock said. "Having to balance everything has been a little tougher, so I had to refine and perfect all of my time management skills. I have built them over time at Michigan anyways as a general student-ath- lete. I am used to be- ing a student-athlete, so I have all of those skills, as well. "In order to perform both in the classroom and in the gym, I have to be on top of my stuff every single day. I cannot come home and forget to prepare my meals or neglect to do my homework. [I have to be mindful of ] little things like that. "You have to stay ac- countable. Honestly, there are always those days where maybe I get a little bit lazy in- spiration-wise. I have to find a way to power through it all and work harder. At the end of the week, because those weeks are so hard, I basically do noth- ing on a Sunday." There is an internal drive that comes with being a student-athlete, espe- cially on a graduate level with in- creased coursework. These are skills that develop over time, and Bock's can be traced back to his California roots. "Most of my work ethic comes from the habits that were installed in me during my time in club gyms," Bock said. "I would not even say [it comes from] my first club gym, actually. It was at second club gym at SCATS Gymnas- tics in Huntington Beach, Calif. I had a good set of coaches there and the culture there was great. "Everyone was working really hard to be the best they can be. There was rarely ever an instance where there would be people skipping out of a workout or cheating on their strength and conditioning. That was just the culture. "It started out as less of me wanting to do it and more of an expectation to do all these really hard things. It transformed into it being so ingrained in my head to where it is easy for me to do this all by myself." — Anthony Broome Bock is set for an increased leadership role with the men's gymnastics team after the retirement of Kurt Golder, and he is also working on a master's degree in accounting. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTO Student-Athlete Of The Month Men's Gymnastics Fifth-Year Senior Cameron Bock