The Wolverine

December 2011

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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FROM OUR READERS MARVELING IN MAUI Dear The Wolverine: My wife and I just returned from the December 2011 • Vol. 23, No. 5 ISSN 1048-9940 Editor John Borton Associate Editor Michael Spath The Wolverine.com Editor Chris Balas Football Recruiting Editor Tim Sullivan Staff Writer Andy Reid Managing Editor Chris Riffer Contributing Editor Steve Downey Contributing Writer Ryan Tice Editorial Intern Kevin Minor Layout And Design Cory Lavalette Jeanette Blankenship Contributing Photographers Eric Bronson/BronsonPhoto.com Lon Horwedel Per Kjeldsen Cover Photo Per Kjeldsen Publisher Stu Coman Business Manager Linda Autry Circulation Manager Gail Evans Assistant Circulation Manager Jason Jones Marketing/Merchandise Manager Beverly Taylor Director Of Advertising Dave Searcy The Wolverine is published monthly. A one-year (12 issues) subscription is $49.95. The Wolverine is printed at The Papers in Milford, Ind. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Wolverine, P.O. Box 1304, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Periodical postage paid at Durham, NC 27702 and additional offices. For advertising or subscription information, call 1-800-421-7751 or write The Wolverine, P.O. Box 1304, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. The Wolverine is a publication of Coman Publishing Company, Inc., 324 Blackwell St., Suite 560, Durham, NC 27701. E-Mail Address: thewolverine@comanpub.com Subscription questions: gevans@comanpub.com Web Site: www.thewolverine.com 10 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2011 Good to hear, Gendlemans. They weren't too shabby on the court, either. Thanks for checking in, and enduring Maui just so you could support John Beilein & Co. WAKE UP, STUDENTS Dear The Wolverine: I am a 1990 alum and a lifelong fan of the Wolverines who has fond memories of days at The Big House too numerous to count. We (my family of four) currently make the three-hour trek from Marysville, Ohio, to every Maize and Blue home game to cheer on the boys and insure that they reap Maui Invitational basketball tourna- ment. It was a wonderful experience for our team, alumni, and Michigan fans everywhere. We attended this tournament in 1994 and 1998 and jumped at the chance to return again this year when Michigan was invited back. The Lahaina Community Center (tournament venue) is very close to the hotels where the teams and alumni stay. Most people who attend the tour- nament want to see the three games that their favorite team is competing in. Some basketball "junkies" can see as many as 12 games in three days if they desire to do so. Some fans go to a game, return to their hotel for lunch or a swim, and then head back for an- other game or two. One of the best parts of attending the tournament is the opportunity to meet (up close and personal) the players, their families and the coaches. Between practices, meals, film sessions and, of course, the games, the players are free to hang out at the pool or the beach. Our basketball players are wonderful young student-athletes, of whom the Michigan family can be very proud — both on and off the court. As we were leaving the hotel to re- turn home, we spoke with the local tour hostess for the Michigan alumni group. She went out of her way to compliment our basketball team — remarking that "the young men were perfect gentlemen, very respectful, and model student-athletes for all of col- lege basketball." True leaders and best. Mark & Lynn Gendleman Evanston, Ill. The size of the seating allotment in the student section of Michigan Stadium has become a subject of discussion recently. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN the benefits of a home-field advantage. I believe in the "Michigan Difference," "The Team, The Team, The Team" and being a "Michigan Man." Never in my life have I been ashamed or embar- rassed by saying I was a student at the University of Michigan. This year, however, our student section is a com- plete embarrassment and it has been for several recent years. One needed only to look to the northwest corner of the stadium on Saturday to understand my embar- rassment. During kickoff against Ne- braska, one of the top teams in the B1G and most notably the team that unrightfully begged for a piece of our 1997 national championship, the stu- dent section was roughly half full at best. It remained that way through much of the first quarter and into the second and never was completely filled. It was obvious why "card-stunt 1" and "card-stunt 2" were done on the south side of the stadium, as I am sure the athletics department knew our stu- dents would not show up in time for it. This is embarrassing to alums and has even been mentioned on ESPN. The answer is simple. Reduce the size of the student section. Reducing the size of the student sec- tion would serve two purposes. First and foremost, it would make student tickets harder to get (as they were in the '80s when I was a student) which would likely weed out some students Be Heard! Send your letters to: Wolverine Letters • P.O. Box 1304 • Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Or e-mail: jborton@comcast.net Letters may be edited for clarity or length.

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