Let's Play 2 (or 3, or 4)
February 16, 2012
A few conversations I had at last week's Women In Sports Leadership conference further affirmed a point I've been making for years -- high school athletes, if they'd like, shouldn't hesitate to play multiple sports.
Doing so does not hurt, but might just help their chances at landing that prized college scholarship -- on top of adding another layer to the high school sports experience.
Reaffirming this for me last week was Michigan State softball coach Jacquie Joseph, who spoke on that subject at the WISL conference. She's heading into her 24th season as a head coach at the Division I college level -- so she's been around for some of the evolution of both high school sports specialization and college recruiting. Plus, she coaches a sport that sees its share of athletes playing just that one.
Later, I spoke with a high school coach who leads teams in three sports and also played one at the Division I college level. She's a believer in this as well.
Some of the things I've been told over the years about playing more than one sport:
- It allows an athlete to learn more skills and hone more parts of his or her athleticism.
- Using another range of movement further helps condition an athlete's body and make it more resistant to injury.
- It's hardly rare to see a college football coach watching a prospect's basketball game -- coaches like to see how athleticism transfers across sports, and sometimes will see something from an athlete playing basketball that he didn't show on the football field. (Football and basketball are used in this example, but the same applies to a number of similar situations.)
- Athletes get an opportunity to play whatever they'd like only this once (unless they turn out to be that rare college athlete who takes on more than one sport at that level).
These are hardly new arguments. But they are always worth repeating -- especially when the people frequently making them (college coaches) are the ones single-sport athletes often are trying to impress.
Today in the MHSAA: 11/11/24
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 11, 2024
1. VOLLEYBALL Bay City Western came back after losing the first set to defeat Saginaw Heritage in Division 1 and clinch its first District title in this sport since the final winter season in 2007 – Bay City Times
2. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Allen Park clinched the outright championship in the Downriver League with a victory at the conference meet – Southgate News-Herald
3. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Grosse Pointe South – No. 4 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – in the Red, Fraser in the White, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley in the Blue, Utica Ford in the Gold and Warren Cousino in the Silver claimed Macomb Area Conference championship meet titles – Macomb Daily
4. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING LPD1 No. 3 Northville cruised to the win at the Kensington Lakes Activities Association meet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
5. VOLLEYBALL Hancock came back from two sets down to defeat Lake Linden-Hubbell in five in a Division 4 District Final – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
6. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING LPD1 top-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer won seven individual titles in claiming the Southeastern Conference Red meet championship – Ann Arbor News
7. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Traverse City Tritons claimed their fourth-straight Coastal Conference title – Traverse City Record-Eagle
8. VOLLEYBALL Honorable mention Essexville Garber downed honorable mention Freeland in four sets to earn a Division 2 District title – Bay City Times
9. VOLLEYBALL No. 6 Traverse City St. Francis claimed a Division 3 District Final sweep over No. 7 Elk Rapids – Traverse City Record-Eagle
10. GIRLS SWMMING & DIVING LPD3 No. 8 Chelsea claimed its fourth-straight SEC White championship – Chelsea Sun Times News
Also of note …
GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING LPD2 No. 6 Midland Dow claimed another Saginaw Valley League meet championship – Midland Daily News
GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING LPD1 No. 4 Rockford was first and No. 10 Grand Haven second at the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red meet – Grand Haven Tribune
GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Bay City John Glenn clinched the championship in the Independent Swim Conference – Bay City Times
GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING LPD1 honorable mention Kalamazoo Loy Norrix won the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference meet title – Battle Creek Enquirer
GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING LPD3 honorable mention Allegan edged Sturgis to win the Southwestern & Central Conference meet – Sturgis Journal
GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING LPD3 No. 5 Hudsonville Unity Christian finished first in the O-K Lakeshore, and LPD2 No. 2 Jenison won the O-K White meet – Holland Sentinel