The Michigan hockey team may be No. 1 in the national polls again, but according to head football coach Rich Rodriguez last night, the team deserved 10.
Rodriguez was one of six judges at last night’s 9th annual Mock Rock, a competition in which University student-athletes perform stage acts to raise money for the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
Besides Rodriguez, Mock Rock’s judges included former Michigan diver Bonnie Kulp, former Wolverine football great Jamie Morris and University Professor John Bacon. The event was hosted by Jason and Randy Sklar, University alums and hosts of ESPN’s Cheap Seats.
While Rodriguez gave the hockey team a 10 for its performance – he admitted with a laugh that he’d been bribed to do so – the other judges didn’t enjoy the team’s rendition of “Dirty Dancing.”
The women’s track and field team won over the judges and the competition, paying tribute to teammate Joi Renee Smith, who died from cancer in November.
With an almost-perfect score of 49, the second-place men’s track and field team received a standing ovation at the end of its perfectly choreographed “Space Jam” routine.
Every member of the Toon Squad from the movie was present as Lola, Bugs, Taz and Michael Jordan took on the opposing Monstars. Wolverine track star Adam Harris stood out during the performance.
Embodying Mock Rock’s better performances, last night was all about working together. Varsity and club teams, the glee club, the cheerleading squad and the dance team all participated to in the fundraising event.
In addition to the Mott Hospital, the proceeds from this year’s Mock Rock will also benefit Smith’s family.
While most of the evening was light-hearted and filled with laughter, the night opened with a video tribute to Smith. Smith’s family made the trip from Ohio and former teammates who no longer attend the University came back for the event. Among them was Kiana Stringfield, who was Smith’s roommate and teammate in 2005.
“I think that it’s great to have her family here so they can see how much we love Joi,” Stringfield said.
Judges admired the tribute, and the women’s track team garnered a perfect score of 50 to win the competition. The team dedicated its performance “Joiful Joiful,” to Smith, altering the spelling of a song from “Sister Act II” to match Smith’s name.
Michael Parke, a senior on the soccer team and one of the event’s organizers, said the event earned about $27,000, not including walk-up sales – up from about $19,000 last year.