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Redwings Ready to Open New Nest

August 30, 2012

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Those who have watched a football game at St. Johns High School in the past easily could get lost trying to find the Redwings' home this fall.

That's tongue-in-cheek, of course. But it is not an exaggeration on how much the school has improved its football home, which will be opened for tonight's varsity game against Corunna.

It's been a long-awaited event in the community four exits north of Lansing, which settled on the project with a May 2010 bond.

The former stadium certainly had its good points, including a welcoming small-town feel tucked in among the park and fairgrounds just to the north of the high school.

The new stadium sits in the same spot, but is a completely new build around the playing field. The first thing returning visitors will notice are bleachers, with 3,500 seats total including 1,000 on the opponents' side. There also are new entrances, team and officials rooms, press box, scoreboard, restrooms and concession area, plus bus parking among the added amenities.

St. Johns' football program has become a regular playoff qualifier and made a trip the MHSAA Finals in 2004. The new-look stadium provides a suitable home for the community to celebrate that success.

PHOTOS courtesy of St. Johns High School.

Ready for Some Football

August 12, 2014

How seriously should we take public criticism of tackle football when that public promotes boxing or cage fighting? Or how seriously should we take public criticism of football played with helmets when that public allows motorcyclists to ride without any helmets at all?

This fickle if not hypocritical focus on football deserves to be exposed. 

However, and more importantly, this does not reduce our obligation to rise above the obvious questions of fair and balanced criticism and keep pressing for a safer environment for schools’ most popular participation sport.

In Michigan this has led to new limitations on head-to-head contact in football practices that began for more than 600 high schools this week. Specifically, no team or individual may participate in more than one collision practice per day before the first game, and no more than two collision practices per week after the first game.

The new policies promote instruction in proper blocking and tackling technique. It is full speed head-to-head contact that is further reduced, not full speed shoulder contact with sleds, shields and dummies nor slow speed contact between players.

Last month, and perhaps two years too late to be helpful, the National Federation of State High School Associations hosted a high-profile, high-powered summit to discuss practice policies of the kind that we developed, debated and adopted during the past school year to be ready for this 2014 season.