MHSA(Q&A): Grand Ledge Gymnastics' Duane Haring
March 15, 2012
Duane Haring first took over the Grand Ledge gymnastics program in 2002 because his daughter Allison and her friends kept asking. He left to work as an assistant coach at Michigan State from 2005-06 -- but realized Allison and her teammates were on to something.
Haring returned to the Comets in 2006-07, and last weekend led them to a record fifth-straight MHSAA team championship. Grand Ledge senior Christine Wilson and junior Sara Peltier also won the Division 1 and 2 individual titles, respectively, making it two straight seasons Grand Ledge has swept all three competitions.
This winter's Team Final came down to Grand Ledge's last apparatus, bars, after a below-expectations performance on vault. But just as they have for a decade, Haring's Comets came through when it counted. And although Allison graduated nearly a decade ago, Duane plans to keep the winning streak rolling for years to come.
What was the conversation you had between your third and four apparatus? How would you paraphrase it?
I was sitting with the parents and I told them I was really angry because we can vault. We're a good vaulting team. I think we're the best vaulting team in the state, and we didn't do it. So I told them I just have to go for a walk, because I can't talk to them right now. I started to walk way, and I thought, “Oh yes I can.” I dragged them off the bleachers, and went out in the hallway. Trust me; they were wide awake for bars. They understood, loud and clear.
I know what they can do. All year I've been waiting for them to do bars like that.
Are all these championships different for you, or are they the same?
They're all nerve-wracking. This is supposed to be fun ... (he laughed). It's nerve-wracking.
How do you get them to come back and want to do six?
We lit a fire under them when we first did this. The community loves these guys. Most communities talk about football and basketball, and they still do. But more and more people in Grand Ledge talk about gymnastics. Almost everywhere you go, how about that gymnastics team? They're 75-0 ... that's in the paper, and people pay attention to that. They're into their gymnastics team in Grand Ledge.
Does this make you happy you came back and did this a second time?
It does. I'm glad. It's a good fit for me.
Brother Rice's Venos Honored by NFHS
January 12, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
One of the most successful boys swimming & diving coaches in MHSAA history was honored Thursday by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association.
Birmingham Brother Rice’s Michael Venos was recognized as the National Coach of the Year in his sport after leading the Warriors to a fourth-straight Lower Peninsula Division 1 championship last winter.
The following brief bio includes Venos’ coaching philosophy, which he was asked to submit after being identified as a candidate for the award.
Mike Venos is in his 34th year coaching and 21st at Brother Rice, including his 20th as the head of the Warriors program. He has coached 12 individuals MHSAA Finals champions and 15 relay Finals champions, with a record 19 straight Detroit Catholic League team championships. He has been named Class A/Division 1 Swim Coach of the Year by the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association four times. Venos also led the Farmington Hills Mercy girls swimming & diving team to the LPD1 championship in the fall.
“Very simply stated, it's never about winning. It's about being the best. I am fortunate enough to be able to coach young men and women who just happen to swim. My mission in life is for them to be able to take the lessons they learn from our sport and apply it to their lives. I understand that our parents have their children involved in swimming for more reasons than just to swim fast. I believe that no one person is more important than the team and I want my student-athletes to understand that they are part of something larger than themselves. I don't measure our success by wins and losses, but by how our young men and women go out into the world and represent their team by applying what they have gained from our sport in the daily aspects of their lives.”
The NFHS has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year for which they receive their award.