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.
Team of the Month: Birmingham Groves Boys Tennis
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 23, 2021
Third in 2019. Tied for second in 2018 and 2017. No farther back than sixth since 2014. Only one finish outside the top eight over the last decade.
The Birmingham Groves boys tennis program has fit well among the most consistent in its sport at the statewide level for a number of years. The Falcons, in fact, had finished runner-up five times since 2004, and eighth or higher at the Lower Peninsula Division 2 championship tournament 10 of the first 11 seasons under coach Dave Farmer.
But this fall, they were able to take the long-awaited final step.
A total team effort made that happen Oct. 15-16, as Groves finished first this time with 27 points – one more than two-time reigning champion Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern – to earn its first MHSAA Finals championship. The Falcons also are the MHSAA/Applebee’s October “Team of the Month.”
Groves had only one flight champion that title-clinching weekend in Holland, but earned 14 points from doubles and 13 from singles.
“Balance was the key factor. In past years, the majority of our points came from our singles,” Farmer said. “My 1-4 doubles were comprised of six seniors and two juniors. (There were) no real lessons learned (from past Finals) – just knowing leadership must come from the juniors and seniors.”
Incredibly, everyone contributed something.
That lone flight championship came at No. 3 singles, actually from the lineup’s lone freshman, Michael Liss. He won every set he played that weekend.
Then came three flight runners-up – junior Nolen Kovan at No. 1 singles, junior Dylan Wolf and senior Alexandras Abarius at No. 2 doubles, and junior Andrew Wietzman and senior Gabe Klein at No. 4.
No. 2 singles senior RJ Carrel made the semifinals, and sophomore Jake Rosenwasser made the quarters at No. 4. Seniors Dylan Brown and Mitchell Greenberger also made the quarterfinals, at No. 1 doubles, and seniors Logan Edelheit and Marc Canellas made the semifinals at No. 3.
Every last point mattered, as one fewer would’ve meant a shared championship and two fewer would’ve pushed Forest Hills Northern back up top and Groves into another “just-missed” finish.