The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1123063
JUNE/JULY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 27 Meanwhile, Harbaugh and his team couldn't believe the views all around. "You could see the ocean, you could see the city, and right off the bat, you're just blown away by the scenery," the head coach offered. "It's scenery you wait your whole lifetime to see." Harbaugh also obtained up a sou- venir in a local mall, thanks in part of sophomore wide receiver Ronnie Bell. "I pick up this walking stick, and I'm deciding whether I want to buy it or not," Harbaugh recalled. "Do I really want this walking stick or not? Then I came across Ronnie Bell, who said, 'Wow, walking stick. That's really cool. That's good.' "Okay, that seals it. Now I'm going to get the walking stick. I got some confirmation from Ronnie Bell, and then Ronnie Bell bought a walking stick, too. The two of us now, for the rest of the trip, have walking sticks." They'd put them to good use, before this trip ended. The next morning, the team took a 4.3-mile ferry ride to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. All paid close atten- tion to the former political prisoners who guided the team on a prison tour, including the very cell where Mandela was incarcerated. They were shown a limestone cave, where some of the prisoners would meet. There, prisoners secretly formed a manifesto that would eventually be put forth in their fight against apart- heid. "The beginnings of a constitution and the struggle against apartheid — meetings were taking place and ideas were being formed," Harbaugh noted. "Seven years after Nelson Mandela was released from Robben Island, he was imprisoned in another venue in Cape Town for seven years, and then another for two." Players were allowed to enter Man- dela's cell and get a sense of how he lived for so long. "It was staggering," Stephen Eisen- berg noted. "The size of the jail cells, the area, no visitors. They mentioned how Nelson Mandela was not allowed out for his mother's funeral. "Being all alone, not being allowed to talk to anybody. Watching along and listening to the athletes talking about the experience … the looks on their faces and the questions they're asking, they can't believe they're there." Less dramatic, but still important, were quiet moments of team bonding along the way. Dudek observed one of those, on Robben Island. "One of my favorite moments of the entire trip, and I actually tweeted this out there: I'm walking behind Ben Bredeson and Mazi Smith, a senior of- fensive lineman and captain, a mid- year freshman, [from] Wisconsin and Michigan, family lives are different, all those different things," Dudek noted. "They're walking and they're talking and they're sharing this experience. "Ben's explaining what he's seeing, and Mazi is explaining what he's see- ing. I kind of stopped. My wife was beside me, and I said, 'This is what this trip's about.'" RUGBY AND THE WILD LIFE After returning from Robben Island, the Wolverines participated in a rugby and football clinic at the University of Cape Town. Harbaugh noted the similarities between rugby tackling and football tackling, and assured that the Cape Town rugby coaches appreciated ju- nior fullback/defensive lineman Ben Mason. "Their coaches liked Ben Mason," Harbaugh said. "They loved his men- tality — kind of that crazy, strong, dam-the-torpedoes type of personality. Same reasons we love him, no doubt about it." Meanwhile, youth campers loved even a sampling of the gear the Wol- verines use and sometimes give away. "A kid came to me and asked for my hat, and I gave him my hat," Dudek recalled. "Just as I gave him my hat, a kid scurried by me, and I saw him so excited, lifting these cleats in the air, above his head. He's 7, 8 years old. "I realize they're [redshirt sopho- more offensive lineman] Chuck Filia- ga's cleats. They're size 18, in his hand. I'm thinking, I don't know what he's going to do with these cleats, but he's jumping up and down. He was really excited to get them." The Wolverines were themselves ex- cited the following day, visiting Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope National Park. This is where the edu- cation and outreach portion of the trip began giving way to scenes from Dis- covery Channel. They rode cable cars to the top of the mountain, soaking up the breathtaking views. Later, a drive along the coast led them to Boulders Beach and a penguin sanctuary. "I love zoos, but I'm not that excited to go to a zoo now," Harbaugh said. The highlight for many on the trip was the safari, where the Wolverines got up close and personal with elephants, lions and other types of native wildlife. PHOTO BY CHAD SHEPARD/COURTESY MICHIGAN