While his team gathered to watch basketball on March 25, Michigan Gymnastics Coach Bob Darden was trying to confirm the rumors. Rumors that had haunted his squad throughout the week.

Finally at 12:30 a.m. the next morning, Darden had news to share.

After tireless months of fighting, the gymnasts at Michigan finally won the battle: They got their program reinstated. It all seemed too good to be true.

"We heard so many different things throughout the year, and we haven't really known what to believe," co-captain Seth Rubin said. "(Darden) read the facts to us and we were still like, 'OK, so what does that mean? Do we have a program or not?' It was really exciting."

Former Michigan Athletic Director Jack Weidenbach announced on March 22, 1993, that the school would discontinue its men's gymnastics program. The gymnasts didn't know how to react. All they knew was their dreams had been stolen -- and they would fight enthusiastically to get them back.

"We've been on an emotional roller coaster all year long," Darden said.

After a season-long ride for the gymnasts, current Athletic Director Joe Roberson reinstated Michigan's men's gymnastics program on a no-new scholarship basis, pending the recommendation of a committee established to evaluate Michigan athletics. No new scholarships will be offered, but those already in place will be honored.

"I felt it only fair that gymnastics be allowed at least to be in the mix as we try to decide which sports we want to be nationally competitive in, which maybe regionally, and which we just want participation level," Roberson said.

The athletic evaluation committee will help create a plan that meets the athletic budget and gender equity requirements. While the committee deliberates, the gymnasts can find comfort in knowing they have made tremendous progress.

"We felt that we were being hung out between the athletic department and the Board of Regents, each expecting the other group to do something about us," co-captian Rich Dopp said.

For the team, it has been a year of looking for answers. Explanations shifted from gender equity to the probable discontinuation of the NCAA Championship. Yet, without a standard evaluating criteria, nothing seemed to justfy the elimination of the program.

"It shows that they didn't take a look at it and didn't know why they dropped it," Dopp said. "If you ask the Board in Control why gymnastics was dropped, I don't think that you would get the same answer out of any of them. You could get as many as eight different answers."

While rationale eluded the gymnasts, Roberson justified the decision made by his predecessor and dissolved the ambiguity surrounding it.

"I want to make it clear that this decision was not made based on gender equity originally," Roberson said. "It was originally made on the basis of the declining nature of the sport. It was also done with due process despite what many people have accused."

Without knowing why, the Wolverines' search for solutions was hindered, but not haulted. The gymnasts repeatedly spoke before the Board of Regents and started a letter-writing campaign. Close to 3,000 letters were sent to alumni of Michigan athletics explaining the situation and asking them to write to their Regents and the university president.

"We got an amazing response," Rubin said. "There's no way to tell actual numbers, but it obviously made a difference."

The Wolverines were not alone in their quest for reinstatement. Support levels from other gymnasts ran high. Ohio State gymnast Kip Simons and Penn State gymnast Dave Riordan expressed excitement for the Woverines triumph. Michigan's reinstatement added security to the Big Ten Championship. Without the Wolverines, the Big Ten would be down to a field of six, which is the minimum number for a conference Championship.

"I think that's the best news that we've heard as far as the politics of gymnastics all year," Riordan said.

With many of its questions answered, Darden's squad can look to the future. The fate of the team will, in the end, come with the evaluation of the Michigan athletic program. The likely alternative would involve a system that divides scholarships based on participation within each sport.

"The future is going to be in tiered sports," Darden said. "To say we'd come back at a fully funded scholarship level would be wishful thinking."

Now that the gymnasts have jumped the major hurdle, Darden is confident that the sport will continue at Michigan indefinitely -- as long as the strength of the Big Ten remains at its current level.

"It's not back for one year," Darden said. "It's not back for two years --it's back."

Despite Darden's optimism, Roberson said he cannot guarantee security of men's gymnastics -- or any sport.

"My intent and my request of the committee is to do the very best they can not to eliminate sports, but I can't guarantee that that's going to be the result," he said.

With the recently adopted 40 team minimum requirement to continue an NCAA Championship, Roberson predicts a change in nature of the sport.

"It means that it's going to be less competitive than it is right now," he said, adding that without an NCAA Championship "the need to be 'nationally competitive' has diminished."

While the athletic department undergoes reconstruction, the gymasts are prepared and eager to continue lobbying for their sport. They have rescued their program from the chopping block, and refuse to bury their efforts in the heat of the battle.

"It shows that if you push the bureaucracy back you can get something done," Wolverine junior Cory Huttenga said.