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: 2/19/24
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 19, 2024
1. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Grace Sobczak won two races and swam on two winning relays to lead Marquette to a third-straight Upper Peninsula Finals title – MHSAA.com
2. BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING Marquette outpaced the field by more than 100 points to win its 31st UP boys championship – MHSAA.com
3. COMPETITIVE CHEER Carleton Airport edged reigning Division 2 champion Gibraltar Carlson to win their District – Southgate News-Herald
4. BOWLING Cheboygan’s girls downed Gaylord 23-7 to clinch an eighth-straight Northern Michigan Bowling Conference title – Cheboygan Daily Tribune
5. GYMNASTICS Hartland claimed the Kensington Lakes Activities Association title with a school-record 144.300 points – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
6. HOCKEY Drew Basha scored four goals to lead Romeo to a 6-4 win over New Baltimore Anchor Bay that clinched the Macomb Area Conference Red title – Macomb Daily
7. BOYS BASKETBALL Detroit Cass Tech edged Renaissance 72-70 in the Public School League Tournament final – Detroit News
8. WRESTLING Pontiac’s Adam Polk was among the undefeated who advanced from Individual Regionals – Macomb Daily
9. WRESTLING Gaylord’s Sunni LaFond will be among Ford Field returnees after winning her Individual Regional with three pins and a decision – Traverse City Record-Eagle
10. BOYS BASKETBALL Niles Brandywine handed Benton Harbor its only loss to create a shared Lakeland Conference title – Niles Daily Star
Also of note …
BOYS BASKETBALL Orchard Lake St. Mary’s edged Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 58-55 in the Catholic High School League Bishop final – Detroit News
GIRLS BASKETBALL Detroit Renaissance finished its PSL Tournament run with a 66-27 championship win over Cass Tech – Detroit Free Press
GIRLS BASKETBALL Lake City downed Manton 37-29 to claim the outright Highland Conference title – Cadillac News
GIRLS BASKETBALL Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard won the CHSL Bishop title with a 61-47 victory over Toledo Central Catholic – Ann Arbor News
GIRLS BASKETBALL St. Louis owns a share of the Tri-Valley Conference White title thanks to a 56-34 win over Saginaw Valley Lutheran – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
BOYS BASKETBALL Detroit Old Redford claimed the Charter School Conference Tournament title with a 52-51 win over Romulus Summit Academy – Detroit News
BOYS BASKETBALL Clarkston Everest Collegiate earned the CHSL St. Anne Tournament title with a 49-29 win over Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes – Detroit Catholic