MHSAA Student Advisory Council members are charged in part with passing on the lessons of educational athletics. We asked them what they tried to teach their teammates this school year.

“I tried to teach my teammates …”

Focus on the end game

“… How to be intense throughout the game and to be united in our goal to win.” – Portland St. Patrick junior Elle Lehman

“… To work together for a specific goal.” – Muskegon Catholic Central senior Alissa Jones

It starts with work

“… It doesn’t matter how big, strong or fast you are. What matters is how much heart and effort you put into any sport or life situation. Because hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work.” – New Buffalo senior Lena Madison

Stand together

“… Respect each other, because it’s nearly impossible to succeed as a team if you don’t work together.” Walled Lake Central junior Taylor Krumm

“… We are a family. Even if it’s cliché, it’s true. We win together and lose together. As a captain of the golf team, sometimes it is difficult to keep the team mentality since it is also an individual sport.” – Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Central junior Abby Radomsky

“… The importance of being a good teammate – and how that includes both playing hard on the field and being supportive off of the field.” – Pontiac Notre Dame junior Carly Joseph

It’s about more than physical skills

“... Be selfless. It is so difficult for us as teenagers to stop and realize that not everything is about us. So I wanted to make sure we worked as a team, not as individuals, by communicating.” – Detroit Country Day senior Maria Buczkowski

“... To have a better attitude on the golf course.” – Grand Blanc senior Bailey Truesdell

“... Even in times of trouble (loss, problems, etc.), you need to keep cool and continue to work hard.” – Vandercook Lake junior Thye Fischman

“… To give it their all and to have fun; also to not get worked up over mistakes.” – Rogers City junior Evan Lamb

Don’t take this for granted

“… You need to have fun. Sports are not about winning or losing.” – Benzie Central senior Travis Clous

“… Love the game. My main message as a senior captain in three sports this year was simply to cherish every moment of high school sports. To me, there is nothing better.” – Rudyard senior Tyler Wilson