MI Army National Guard Presents MHSAA Events
February 24, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Sharing in the values of leadership, sportsmanship and ethics emphasized by the Michigan High School Athletic Association, the Michigan Army National Guard is serving as the official military branch supporting MHSAA events and digital initiatives through the 2015-16 school year.
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. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer, and soldiers are eligible for educational benefits including state and federal tuition assistance programs, the G.I. Bill and grants at Michigan colleges and universities that combined usually exceed the total cost of tuition, books and fees at most Michigan post-secondary institutions.
The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Monthly and annual summer training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom, or protecting lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
“The National Guard provides opportunities for young men and women to mature into productive citizens,” MHSAA Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts said. “The emphasis the Guard puts on physical fitness, leadership and doing things the right way parallels what we strive to teach in school sports.”
The Guard has served as presenter of the MHSAA Cross Country Regionals and Finals and Football Playoffs during the fall, and this winter of the MHSAA Wrestling Tournament, which will conclude with the Team Wrestling Finals hosted Feb. 26-27 at Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena and the Individual Wrestling Finals scheduled for March 3-5 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Guard recruiters also have been on-site attending numerous District, Regional and additional Finals events during the first half of the 2015-16 school year.
The Guard also is featured prevalently as part of the MHSAA’s online presence on both MHSAA.com and the MHSAA mobile app, and supports the “Michigan National Guard Performance of the Week” honoring a successful student-athlete on the MHSAA’s Second Half website.
“The Michigan Army National Guard is proud to support the MHSAA and student-athletes across Michigan,” said Lt. Col. Scott L. Meyers, who serves as recruiting and retention battalion commander for the Guard. “The Guard not only plays a key role in our national defense; we have a responsibility to serve our communities during times of state emergencies. As individuals, we are stewards in our communities and have an inherent responsibility to support our community in that role. One way to do this is to encourage student-athletes to live up to the ethics, values, and positive life choices common to the MHSAA and the Michigan Army National Guard.
“The National Guard is actively seeking these student-athletes to join our team. Their dedication combined with our education benefits and leadership training will provide the tools needed for them to become future leaders of Michigan’s communities.”
Click for additional information on the Michigan Army National Guard.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,400 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.
Summerfield Girls Find Their Stride, Claim 1st League Title Since 1990
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
May 20, 2026
David Raymond has heard it before.
“I always laugh because I've definitely gone on the recruiting trail in our hallways and tried to get kids to come out (for track & field), and one of the answers I always get was, ‘I don't even like running.’ I tell them, ‘Great, you'll fit right in because there's a bunch of kids that run track that don't like running.’”
Running track is a little more fun these days, however, at Petersburg Summerfield, where Raymond is the head coach. His Bulldogs recently celebrated winning their first league championship in more than three decades and have a bunch of qualifiers heading into next week’s Lower Peninsula Division 4 Finals.
“When you win, people start talking it up positively within the hallways,” Raymond said. “That helps when you're trying to recruit kids. It's kind of funny how when you win, all of a sudden people are a little bit more interested and want to see what it's all about.”
Raymond is a 1999 Summerfield graduate. He played multiple sports in high school and was part of teams that won District basketball and a Regional track titles his senior year. He was named the Summerfield varsity girls basketball coach at age 23 and eventually switched to become the boys varsity coach. He would coach the Bulldogs for seven seasons, win 100 games, and become the winningest coach in school history before stepping down to spend more time with his family, which includes three daughters.
Two of those daughters are now on the Summerfield varsity track team. Both are headed to the Finals meet next weekend – Abby in the low hurdles and three relays and Grace in the 800 and three relays.
“I'm very blessed to be able to coach my daughters,” Raymond said.
When Grace was a freshman, she was Summerfield’s only Finals qualifier. This year she and Abby lead a parade of nine Bulldogs who have earned a trip.
Grace set a school record in the 800 at Friday’s Regional and was part of the 3,200 relay with her sister, Makenzie Wolfe and Allison Ost that set a school record and qualified as well.
Grace and Abby are part of the Finals-qualifying 400 relay with Emma Jacob and Sophia Stanger and part of the 1,600 relay with Alice VanCamp and Ost. Abby Zilka (high jump), Ost (1600), Wolfe (3200) and Gabi Myshock (discus) are other qualifiers. Abby will also compete in the low hurdles next weekend.
“Having nine girls qualify for the state meet shows how far the program has come over the last 3-5 years,” Raymond said. “It’s been incredible. The team has come a long way. We’ve had good kids come in, obviously. You need talent in order to be successful, and we have that. The girls have worked hard and put the time in. I am thankful they have been able to put it all together this year.”
Winning Summerfield’s first girls Tri-County Conference track championship since 1990 was a pleasant surprise.
“Winning a league title was a different experience for us because a lot of times, we kind of knew going into certain meets we didn’t have a chance,” he said. “Our focus has always been Regionals. This year, we had a much different mindset that we were going to try and win it. The hard work paid off. That’s what was so exciting.”
While he ran on the track team in high school, he didn’t start coaching the sport until about five years ago as an unofficial assistant to the previous head coach, Kelly Thompson. She stepped away from the head coaching role when her son started running in college. He has surrounded himself with several great assistants, he said, including two classmates from high school.
“There was an opening, and it was an opportunity for me to, again, be with my kids a little bit more, and that's kind of how I ended up in the role,” he said. “I learned that track is not a sport where you can coach by yourself; you need quality people around you.”
Raymond decided he wanted to be a teacher and coach in high school.
“I had good coaches growing up,” he said. “Ron Estes was my varsity basketball coach when I decided to go into teaching. I had a number of people like him that influenced me and showed me that teaching can be a great career and, when you get the opportunity, to coach.
“I've obviously loved sports my entire life. At first coaching was a way to be around sports. As you grow older, you start to see the impact that you can have on kids, which is even different than what the impact that you can have on somebody in a classroom is. It's always been an avenue that has allowed me to impact kids in a positive way.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a news and sports reporter at the Adrian Daily Telegram and the Monroe News for 30 years, including 10 years as city editor in Monroe. He's written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. He is now publisher and editor of The Blissfield Advance, a weekly newspaper. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Petersburg Summerfield coach David Raymond encourages Allison Ost during a relay race this season. (Middle) Summerfield 1,600 relay racers (left to right) Abby Raymond, Alice Van Camp and Ost get together to “Triple A Power Up.” (Below) Grace Raymond (left) and Abby Raymond hold up Summerfield's first league title trophy won since 1990. (Photos by Tom Westrick.)