p h o to g rap h s b y
NATH ANIEL WELCH
P O RTFO L I O
YOUTH MOVEMENTS
GAME DAY AT CRISLER RELIES ON MORE THAN 100 MICHIGAN STUDENTS—PRESENT AND FUTURE—TO KEEP THE BALL ROLLING.
1. JEFF ZAMIARA, SPORT MARKETING INTERN “When this works, it’s a blast,” says the junior. “When it doesn’t, we just start ripping T-shirts out of the canisters. When 12,000 people are watching you, you can throw pretty far.”
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2. REBECCA FRANKEL AND SARA KNYSH, TEAM MAIZE HEAD INTERNS “We take around donors or recruits,” says Knysh (far right), a junior. “Walking [donor Paul] Blavin down Blavin Tunnel is great. ‘Let me show you your tunnel!’”
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“WE WERE REALLY BUSY. THEN I REMEMBER BEING SUPER NERVOUS AND STARING AT THE TV AT THE END OF THE GAME. NO ONE WAS AROUND. WE WERE JUST YELLING.” —MELISSA BRUNO, JUNIOR
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1. MELISSA BRUNO, M DEN EMPLOYEE 2. TEAM MANAGERS Managers have duties ranging from placing towels to charting plays, says head manager Matt Sawyer (center), a four-year vet. “Once at OSU, I was getting stats and setting lineups, and I hear, ‘Matt! Where’s my chair?’ I forgot to set Coach Beilein’s chair at a timeout. You don’t notice we do that until it’s not there!”
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3. TYLER DeBROT, ATHLETIC TRAINER “We get guys ready to go—tape ankles, stretch them out,” says the UM senior. “Working with a small team, it’s easy to see changes that players are making and how you’re helping them.” 4. KARLEE PILARSKI, MARKETING INTERN “Whenever we give handouts, it can get hectic,” says Pilarski, a senior. “At this game, we handed out Dickie V faces on Popsicle sticks. People were being friendly, but some of them were crazy.”
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“I REALLY ENJOY THE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE. I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A DOCTOR.” —BALA NAVEEN KAKARAPARTHI, JUNIOR
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1. BALA NAVEEN KAKARAPARTHI, RED CROSS VOLUNTEER 2. JEFF WALKER, ARTICLE CLIPPER The 18-year-old Walker, headed to Michigan next year, has been clipping articles that get delivered to the players for the past 10 years. “At the end-ofthe-season banquet, the freshmen say, ‘You’re the guy doing that!’” 3. BRYAN TYLER, GUEST FLOOR SCRUBBER “He watches all the games,” says La’Mar Tyler, the father of 9-year-old Bryan. “His bedtime is 9:30, so anything after that he watches the next day.” 4. JOURNALISTS “My parents went to UM, so I’ve been to Crisler a lot,” says The Michigan Daily sports senior editor Daniel Wasserman (far right). “But that was the most electric atmosphere I’ve ever experienced.” 5. CLEANING CREW The crew stayed until 3 a.m. to convert the court to an eight-hoop practice setup. “It was a long night,” says senior Latisha Lee (second from left), who made her 10 a.m. physics lecture.—REPORTING BY SCOTT T. MILLER AND RACHEL ULLRICH
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