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SAC Sound-off: It's not the Win, But the Race

February 8, 2012

All I ever wanted from my high school athletic career was to be an all-state runner in cross country.

My sophomore year, our cross country team won the MHSAA Division 3 title at Michigan International Speedway, but we didn’t have any all-state runners! I was so excited because our top five consisted of four seniors and me. I was our number three runner, and placed 44th overall. It seemed like just the start of big things.  

Track season was a blast that year, even though I didn’t qualify for the MHSAA Finals in any events. But when I got back into cross country in fall 2010, I really wanted to be all-state. (The top 30 individuals in each race receive the honor.)

I trained really hard, but I couldn’t get any faster than when I was a sophomore. In fact, I was running slower than I did the year before. I ended up placing 47th in my division at the MHSAA Finals. I was extremely disappointed. But, the season was over. I decided it was time to focus on track.

I ran all winter and attended a few indoor meets. The training paid off when the season started. I was running as fast as I did the year before, and I was able to make our 3200-meter relay team. I qualified for the MHSAA Division 3 Final only with my relay team, but we placed third – and I finally was all-state.

But I wanted more. I wanted to earn the honor by myself.

I ran nearly 500 miles over the summer to prepare for the 2011 cross country season. I ran faster than I ever had before. I thought I had all-state in the bag this year.

And again, I fell short. Again, I placed 47th at MIS.

Yes, I was very disappointed in myself again. But I learned that getting the all-state medal is not what is important. Having fun is what really matters. And throughout my career, I’ve had plenty.

That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to get all-state this spring. It just means that I am going to have more fun trying!

Travis Clous, Benzie Central senior

  • Sports: Cross country, track and field, basketball
  • Non-sports activities: Student section, pep band, marching band, concessions worker
  • Favorite classes: Band and AP biology
  • Must-see TV: "How I Met Your Mother"
  • One shining moment: My sophomore year of cross country when we won the MHSAA Finals even though we did not have a single all-state runner.
  • What’s next: I plan to attend either Hope College or Michigan State University to enter the pre-med field, but as of now. I am still undecided. I plan to run wherever I go, though.
  • My favorite part of game day is: ... before the race, I listen to my Ipod. I usually listen to older music to get pumped. I also like to listen to Disney soundtracks; my favorite is the music from "Mulan." The songs usually get stuck in my head, and I end up singing them on the run. I feel like the music helps move me along.

PHOTO courtesy of Travis Clous (front), running at the MHSAA Division 3 Cross Country Final.

SAC Sound-off: A Tough Choice, a New Story

February 21, 2012

Heading into my junior year of high school, basketball happily had consumed nine years of my life.

Week after week filled with practices, conditioning and film. Basketball was more than my life; it was my love.

But with one decision, I left basketball behind.

When the opportunity arose to participate in West Side Story, I knew this was something I simply had to try – or I’d regret it. So, for once, I took a risk – while leaning on the advice of one of my role models, Shane Battier.

He had visited my high school, Detroit Country Day, during my eighth grade year to have his jersey retired. His speech that day followed many themes. But one piece of advice never left my mind. Shane said, “I regret not participating in a play when I was in high school. I challenge you to do something different.”

I loved playing basketball, but it was time to take a chance and try something new. I knew I would miss out on an amazing opportunity to sing and act if I continued playing basketball.

But there was much more to consider in making my choice.

After proving my abilities to the our varsity basketball coach as a sophomore on the junior varsity, I was moved up for the rest of that season. I had been waiting to be a part of the Lady Jackets’ tradition ever since I joined the Detroit Country Day community in 2005. I could hardly believe that all my hard work had finally paid off.

Once that season concluded with a disappointing loss in the MHSAA Class B Final, I was ready to help the team, in every way possible, achieve our goal of winning the championship the next season.

Then West Side Story became a possibility as well.

One day, I was discussing whether I should continue playing basketball or participate in a play, which always had been one of my dreams. As I listed the positives and negatives of both activities, my mom simply said, “Remember the advice Shane Battier gave in that speech at your school?”

I had an epiphany. I realized the decision I needed to make. 

I took a chance deciding to try something different, which honestly was one of the most challenging decisions I had to make in high school. High School is about finding your passions. You won’t know what you are passionate about unless you take a chance and try it.

Basketball still is my passion, but I have learned that sometimes we limit ourselves to one path and ignore our other passions because that is easier than challenging ourselves to try something different.

Butterflies filled my stomach as the curtains drew for our first show. I knew this feeling; I also had been nervous before basketball games, waiting for the cheers after I stole the ball or hit a quick jumper.

I used my sassy Jersey accent to portray my character from West Side Story. As laughter filled the air, my fear defused, giving me confidence in my performance – and reaffirming, for me, that I’d made the right choice.

Maria Buczkowski, Detroit Country Day senior 

  • Sports: Volleyball, basketball in ninth and 10th grades
  • Non-sports activities: Class Board (president), yearbook editor, community service club, theatre
  • Favorite class: Theory of Knowledge
  • Must-see TV: "Glee"
  • One shining moment: I did a pancake in our (volleyball) game versus Cranbrook this year, and we scored off of it.
  • What's next: I plan on studying biology or pre-law at the University of Michigan.
  • My favorite part of game day is: ... the pre-game speeches from our coaches.

PHOTOS courtesy of Maria Buczkowski.