Performance: Shepherd's Amber Gall
April 27, 2017
Amber Gall
Shepherd sophomore – Track & Field
Midway through her high school career, Gall already is nearly the fastest cross country runner in Shepherd history, and she’s also on the cusp of rewriting the Bluejays’ track & field record book as well. She achieved her first all-time best on April 19, running the 800 meters is 2:14.83 on her home track to break the former school record, set in 1980, by more than a second – earning the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.”
Shepherd’s girls won both duals that day, against Alma and Standish-Sterling, and Gall also won the 1,600 (5:36.64), 3,200 (13:20.37) and was part of the winning 1,600 relay (4:15.16) with seniors Rachel Mathers, Kylie Hutchinson and Katelyn Hutchinson. Two days later, on Friday, Gall again won the 800 1,600 and as part of the 1,600 and 3,200 relays at Ithaca’s Blue and Gold Invitational, posting a 5:15.28 in the individual 1,600. She’s won every race she’s competed in this season but two, taking second in a 400 and also as part of the 1,600 relay on Wednesday in a league quad meet.
Gall finished third and then fifth, respectively, at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals for cross country her first two seasons, and her personal-best time of 17:50 in the fall is only two seconds shy of Nora Green’s school record run from 1978. Gall finished LP Division 3 Track & Field Finals runner-up in the 3,200 last spring, running 10:52 to approach another school record run by Green (10:48). Gall also is the third-fastest 1,600 runner in school history with a best of 5:05, seven seconds off the record set in 2013 by Kaylie Rhynard – and both track milestones could be hers by the end of this spring. Last week's success gave Gall some ideas about how the 800 might fit into her plans – the time she ran to break the record would’ve put her second in that race at the Division 3 Finals last season. Gall also carries a 4.0 grade-point average, serves on her school’s student council and is active in a number of other school and church activities.
Coach Carey Hammel said: “She is a super kid who works extremely hard and is also a great student. She is very determined to be the best she can be and is a huge running fan. Getting to coach an athlete like that for two seasons (Hammel also coaches girls cross country) is very special because you always know what you are going to get out of her. She is also an incredible teammate in both sports and encourages both the boys and girls on our team to be their best. This year she is on the 3,200 relay with three seniors, and they are very close and she is very proud of what they are able to accomplish in that relay.”
Performance Point: “Beforehand, I was like OK, I want to go after this. I’ll run as hard as possible,” Gall said. “I started out the first lap a little slower than I normally do in 800s, and I was pretty nervous going into the second lap. But with 300 to go, I heard a voice, like God almost, that said, ‘Hey, you can do this. Just push.’ From there, I gave everything I had. I planned on starting faster; I don’t know if my legs were tight that first lap. I was nervous. I knew at a lap that I was slow, and when I finished I was a little shocked.”
Plenty of motivation: “I think that in the offseason, and even last year coming so close in the top five in cross country, being so close in track, it motivates me to work as hard as possible to get (to first). I’m gunning for one, a title, and I’ll work as hard as possible. My teammates motivate me so much. They’re always there right beside me, helping me with everything and the ups and downs of running.”
Following faith: “I believe I don’t do any of this by myself. I believe God is right there helping me though this. I wouldn’t be running, I wouldn’t be doing all of the things I’m doing if not for the gifts given me when I was born.”
Finding inspiration: “I'm one who loves motivational quotes, motivational videos, all of that. I decided one day to try to write a motivational essay for myself; I wanted to see if I could do it. I started writing those, and I actually really like it, just to read, by myself. The 2015 cross season, (I thought) maybe I’ll share this for the team. On overnights I’d always print one off, share it with the team, give them extra motivation to get through races. It was pretty nerve-wracking the first time – I thought maybe they wouldn’t be OK with a freshman doing that. I just took the chance, and I think my teammates like them.”
Mentoring and mentored: “I know a lot of the middle schoolers. They are speedy, and they’re just great people, and I just want them to become the best they can be. Because as a middle schooler, I had as my coach B.J. Tomanek. As a sixth grader, I didn’t know what to run, and he took me in. He expects me to do my best all the time, and he continues to motivate me today. We still run together, we talk, and he’s super motivational along with (coaches Rick) Cahoon and Hammel. They are strong people in my life I took up to, and (coach Wyatt) LeClear gets me through in tough times.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2016-17 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2016-17 honorees:
April 20: Sloane Teske, East Grand Rapids tennis – Read
March 30: Romeo Weems, New Haven basketball – Read
March 23: Jaycie Burger and Maddie Clark, Pittsford basketball – Read
March 16: Camden Murphy, Novi swimming & diving – Read
March 9: Ben Freeman, Walled Lake Central wrestling – Read
March 2: Joey Mangner, Chelsea swimming & diving – Read
Feb. 23: Isabelle Nguyen, Grosse Pointe North gymnastics – Read
Feb. 16: Dakota Hurbis, Saline swimming & diving – Read
Feb. 2: Foster Loyer, Clarkston basketball – Read
Jan. 26: Nick Jenkins, Detroit Catholic Central wrestling – Read
Jan. 19: Eileene Naniseni, Mancelona basketball – Read
Jan. 12: Rory Anderson, Calumet hockey – Read
Dec. 15: Demetri Martin, Big Rapids basketball – Read
Dec. 1: Rodney Hall, Detroit Cass Tech football – Read
Nov. 24: Ally Cummings, Novi volleyball – Read
Nov. 17: Chloe Idoni, Fenton volleyball – Read
Nov. 10: Adelyn Ackley, Hart cross country – Read
Nov. 3: Casey Kirkbride, Mattawan soccer – Read
Oct. 27: Colton Yesney, Negaunee cross country – Read
Oct. 20: Varun Shanker, Midland Dow tennis – Read
Oct. 13: Anne Forsyth, Ann Arbor Pioneer cross country – Read
Oct. 6: Shuaib Aljabaly, Coldwater cross country – Read
Sept. 29: Taylor Seaman, Brighton swimming & diving – Read
Sept. 22: Maggie Farrell, Battle Creek Lakeview cross country – Read
Sept. 15: Franki Strefling, Buchanan volleyball – Read
Sept. 8: Noah Jacobs, Corunna cross country – Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Shepherd's Amber Gall surges during one of her races last week against Alma and Standish-Sterling. (Middle) Gall rounds a curve during a race at Friday's Ithaca Invitational. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Gaylord Pole-Vaulting Pair Rewards Coach's Commitment with Conference Sweep
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
May 15, 2026
The future of the Gaylord pole vaulting may be hanging in the balance.
Success in the field event depends not only on speed and jumping ability — but also coordination, strength and balance.
The Blue Devils and veteran head track & field coach Matt Warren may have to struggle to keep the balance going next year. But it’s not the first time the program is facing the possibility of losing assistant coach Jeremy Savoie.
“It's hard if you don't have somebody who has passion for pole vaulting to coach, and Jeremy is a selfless human being,” Warren said. “He has the passion for helping and molding kids, and it comes through very, very, clearly, with the pole vault program. And when he steps down, it's going to be a big loss for us.”
Savoie’s investment in pole vaulting has led to Gaylord capturing both Big North Conference individual championships for the first time in school history. Senior Lillian Mason, who set the school record earlier this year clearing the bar at 10-9, won the girls conference title on one of the most challenging days of a very challenging spring. Sophomore Calvin Cosby, also a school record-holder, won the boys league title. Cosby, who owns the boys record at 15-3, was third at the conference meet last year when Savoie’s son Nickolas was runner-up.
Savoie started coaching pole vault during the spring of 2000. A former high school vaulter himself, he got involved because of his family – the same family he struggles every day to balance along with work and coaching. He nearly walked away from coaching after last spring’s season when Nickolas, one of the best vaulters in the school’s history, graduated.
After receiving a letter from Mason, and talking things through with her family and his own, Savoie decided to stick around this year.
“I was really done when Nickolas finished. … We had the whole emotional track banquet and low and behold, here we are again,” Savoie said. “Lillian started with me as a freshman. She had to really work at it, and over the last two years, she didn’t take any time off. She works at it year-round, lifts, runs, does the drills and just works her tail off.”
Now, though, Savoie’s youngest daughter plays junior varsity softball for the Blue Devils. He is finding himself caught at times between watching his daughter play softball, including summer ball, and helping other student-athletes in what has become another year-around sport.
In addition to family balance struggles, Savoie also has battled work-life challenges as a technician for a local auto dealership.
“It is a sacrifice on our family because for three months, I lose about 20 hours of work every week and I'm walking away from my own paycheck to help support my family and pay my bills,” Savoie acknowledged. “Fortunately, I still do good enough that it doesn't massively affect the family, but it is still a burden that you have to keep in check.”
And the guilt of missing his youngest and only daughter, Ava, at times in softball is adding to the toll.
“Ava made the high school team this year for JV, and now I have to deal with feeling guilty because I'm at practice and I'm not watching her play her game, or ‘Hey, coaches, I'm going to have leave today at 4 o'clock to go watch Ava,’” Savoie said. “The whole time I'm over there sitting there watching my daughter, cheering for her to do good with the softball team, I'm feeling guilty because I'm not with the kids, pole vaulting.”
The vaulters found themselves facing a significant head wind as Gaylord hosted the conference meet this year.
“Winning these Big North Championships – that's a big deal,” Warren said. “It was a very difficult weather day, so it was ‘who can adapt the most to deal with the conditions?’ That's good coaching there to be able to choose which pole is best in these conditions … how long should the run-up be and all of those things. So I was proud of the adjustments and being able to overcome adversity.”
Gaylord coaches now expect Cosby and Mason to make a run for Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals championships May 30 at Hamilton. The record-holders already have met the qualification standard, so they won’t have to depend on qualifying during today’s Regional at Cadillac.
“I know Calvin wants to be the state champion, and obviously so does Lillian,” Warren said. “We’re in a challenging division for pole vaulters. There will be good competition, but they’re definitely looking both to get all-state honors.”
Another Finals challenger will be Petoskey’s Sarah Bailey, a familiar conference foe and an offseason training partner. Bailey and Mason trained together all winter on Sundays at Boyne City High School. Boyne has the indoor vaulting equipment, and volunteer coaches from all over northern Michigan – including Savoie – are there to help student-athletes regardless of what schools they attend.
“There is a group of northern Michigan coaches that have decided to make pole vaulting a passion of theirs, not just Gaylord High School,” Warren said of the Sunday offseason training. “These kids buy into that stuff where they see coaches caring, giving of their time. There's a lot of good coaches that participate.”
Perhaps seeing one of his vaulters win a Finals title will keep Savoie around. The success and growth of junior newcomer Reese Summerland may help too. Summerland runs sprints and does the high jump as well for the Blue Devils.
“I didn't really come into this looking for really much out of it other than getting to spend time with my boys,” Savoie admitted, while noting he first coached when his son Anthony wanted to try vaulting as a freshman and Gaylord did not have coaches for it. “Reese is a junior this year, then Calvin's a sophomore, I still have some skin in the game. As long as the school's still willing to work with me to let me watch my daughter play softball, I have no reason to make the choice between the two.”
Savoie will leave the Blue Devils in good hands, should he not continue coaching.
“Jeremy is very committed but we're just going to have to carry on, and I’ve learned a lot from Jeremy,” Warren said, adding he expects the other coaches in the area to continue the offseason work. “That’s his program – that’s his baby. I believe this is going to be his last year, but you never know when you have someone the caliber of Calvin. I can’t speak more highly about Jeremy and what he’s accomplished in the last six years. Now we got other kids just trying the vault and, it's success that breeds success.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Gaylord’s Lillian Mason, left, and Calvin Cosby were the Big North Conference pole-vaulting champions this season. (Middle) Cosby clears the bar. (Below) Mason carries the baton during a relay. (Top photo courtesy of the Gaylord athletic department. Action photos by Dylan Jespersen/Gaylord Herald Times.)