Get Prepped for a Fantastic Finale
May 24, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We love this time of year. And not just because school is nearly out for summer.
There’s little argument that the week ahead is the most exciting of each MHSAA school year. And you’ll want to set your bookmarks for MHSAA.com and Second Half for updated results and coverage not just next week – but through the rest of this spring season.
The MHSAA.com Score Center is our home for scores from all District softball, baseball and soccer games, which begin Tuesday. You also can view real-time brackets for every District by going to the “Sports” page for each, and updated brackets for lacrosse by visiting our girls and boys pages for that sport as well.
In the Lower Peninsula, we’ll have same day or next morning results as golf Districts are played, and first-day results from next weekend’s Girls Tennis Finals on May 31 – followed by final results at the conclusion of play June 1. We’ll post Finals results for Upper Peninsula golf and tennis as we receive them Wednesday and Thursday, and then results for all seven Lower and Upper Peninsula Track and Field Finals as they come in June 1.
But results are only the start. As we have during the fall and winter, Second Half will provide coverage including photos from every MHSAA Final – beginning with Wednesday’s Upper Peninsula Girls and Boys Golf and Boys Tennis Finals. Keep an eye on Second Half throughout the week, or follow the Second Half feed on the cover page of MHSAA.com.
Transfer rule clarification
We released Monday the actions our Representative Council took earlier this month at its Spring Meeting, including an addition to the athletics-related portion of our transfer rule. Based on some questions we’ve received and read, here’s some further explanation of what will be installed for 2014-15:
The longer period of ineligibility for athletes who transfer because of athletics is not new. This has previously existed for cases in which a school could prove that it lost a student to another school purely for sports-related reasons.
What’s new is what must be proven and by whom for the longer ineligibility period to take effect. Now, a school that lost a student does not have to file a report with the MHSAA for the case to be considered. As long as one of a set of offending activities can be verified – including practicing, competing or training with a member of the new school’s coaching staff during summer or non-school sports activities or seasons – that student will have to sit 180 days instead of the usual period of roughly a semester. The 15 exemptions that allow a student to be eligible immediately – like making a full move to a new district or a student’s school closing – may still apply.
So, to conclude: The longer athletics-related ineligibility period is not new, just how athletics-related transfers are considered and reported. Click to read the full release.
Kickoff is coming
And that means we’re collecting varsity football schedules.
In fact, we have most of them thanks to our athletic directors, their secretaries, coaches and many others who chip in to help us keep complete and accurate information throughout the season.
But there are still plenty of steps in getting ready for August – and a huge one is locking down correct leagues for our teams this season, especially as schools continue to switch things up.
Check out your school’s schedule page by click on the “Schools” button in the menu bar at the top of MHSAA.com and searching for your school. Once on the school page, click the blue “Boys” button next to football. The schedule will appear in the middle of the page, with standings to the left.
See an error in a schedule or the standings? Email me at [email protected]. I thank you in advance.
Kramer’s words of wisdom
Long before Roy Kramer served as athletic director at Vanderbilt University, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference and creator of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) for Division I college football, he coached multiple sports at East Lansing High School.
He recently was named winner of this year’s Duffy Daugherty Award, given in honor of the former Michigan State University coach to a valued coach or contributor to college football. The award, presented in East Lansing, is among those recognized by the College Football Hall of Fame.
Kramer finished his acceptance speech with a stirring endorsement of the sport that brought the crowd of more than 300 to its feet. If you’re a fan, former or current player or coach, see below.
PHOTO: Athletes race toward the finish of a relay during this spring's Alma College Invitational. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)
Thank You for Standing Up for 'Oxford Strong'
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 21, 2022
The MHSAA recently received the following letter from Oxford athletic director Tony DeMare, thanking the tens of thousands across Michigan who contributed to the nearly $310,000 recently presented to Oxford student-athletes as part of this winter's "Oxford Strong" efforts.
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Teamwork and camaraderie are words that are often associated with Athletics. Seeing those words personified is sometimes a rarity. However, we all witnessed firsthand those words coming to fruition right before our eyes.
On February 4th, you were competitors, neighbors, friends, teammates and, uniquely, you were all “Oxford Wildcats.” Together, we stood, cheered, sang and played. And because we were on the same team, we did those things in unison.
It was not magic; nor was it a collection of Superheroes. It was simply our student-athletes, coaches, officials, administrators, faculty, staff and greater communities putting their hearts on full display.
Please know that those of us in Oxford saw you and heard you all very clearly. For that, we are beyond humbled. It is important for you to know that your efforts went directly to the victims of the unspeakable tragedy.
Every effort and gesture that has been extended to the Oxford community has helped us. This was the ultimate expression of the phrase, “We have your back!”
The unparalleled power of School Sports should never be underestimated. It is impactful and even life-altering. School Sports is organically educational, and it molds each of us in ways we could never imagine.
In Oxford, we have come to know that love and support transcend hate and fear. This has allowed our student-athletes and coaches to overcome when they thought it might not be possible. They are now learning, training, preparing and competing again, and you have helped make that happen.
Thank you for being “All In” and thank you for “Standing Up For Oxford!”
Sincerely,
Tony DeMare
***
The “Oxford Strong” effort to support Oxford Community Schools this winter showed that the Michigan’s athletic community is much more tightly-knit than might be expected from a state with 750 MHSAA-member high schools.
Schools all over Michigan rallied to raise nearly $310,000 for the district and its student-athletes as they continue to mourn the deaths of four classmates during a shooting at the high school Nov. 30.
E.A. Graphics, based in Sterling Heights, printed and provided T-shirts and sweatshirts for sale in communities and then donated the price of the apparel, after costs, directly to Oxford High School student-athletes and their community. Many of these were purchased in advance of “Oxford Strong” games Feb. 4 or later that month. A check was presented to Oxford for $302,000 at last month’s Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association annual conference, with additional donations then augmenting the total.
“Unbelievable, the whole thing, and how well received it was, and everything that transpired over January and February – to me, it was really the power of sport. In times of crisis, our athletic community rallied together to support one of our member schools,” said Royal Oak athletic director Brian Gordon, who with the Oakland Activities Association (of which Oxford is a member) was among primary organizers of the event along with the Kensington Lakes Activities Association and Detroit Catholic High School League.
“The support of the MHSAA and Mark Uyl’s staff getting behind our effort, supporting us and getting the word out, as well as the MIAAA with Karen Leinaar jumping on board. And most of all Bob Artymovich and E.A. Graphics; without his support and generosity, this whole initiative does not exist.”
PHOTO From left: MIAAA president Nikki Norris, Royal Oak athletic director Brian Gordon, E.A. Graphics president Bob Artymovich, E.A. Graphics vice president of sales and marketing Rich Artymovich, Oxford athletic director Tony DeMare and MIAAA past president Jeff Kline hold up the check presented to "Oxford Strong" during last month's MIAAA annual conference. (File photo.)