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.
Volleyball Districts Open on MHSAA TV
November 2, 2020
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
The volleyball postseason begins tonight, with broadcasts of 60 District openers viewable on the NFHS Network and MHSAA.tv.
The following will be broadcast online during the first two days of the MHSAA Girls Volleyball District Tournament:
Monday - Nov. 2
Marquette vs. Alpena - 6 PM
Burton Bendle vs. Otisville LakeVille - 5 PM
Kalamazoo Christian vs. Kalamazoo Hackett - 5 PM
Lansing Waverly vs. DeWitt - 5 PM
Livonia Churchill vs. Garden City - 5 PM
Ludington vs. Manistee - 5 PM
Plainwell vs. Paw Paw - 5 PM
Stevensville Lakeshore vs. Dowagiac Union - 5 PM
Walled Lake Northern vs. Hartland - 5 PM
Leslie vs. East Jackson - 5:15 PM
Battle Creek Pennfield vs. Three Rivers - 5:30 PM
Brethren vs. Mason County Eastern - 5:30 PM
Erie-Mason vs. Monroe St. Mary's Catholic Central - 5:30 PM
Morley Stanwood vs. Beal City - 5:30 PM
Niles Brandywine vs. Hartford - 5:30 PM
Vassar vs. Montrose - 5:30 PM
Lowell vs. Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills - 5:55 PM
Bridgeport vs. Saginaw Arthur Hill - 6 PM
Brighton vs. South Lyon East - 6 PM
Caro vs. Frankenmuth - 6 PM
Clarkston Everest Collegiate vs. Oakland Christian - 6 PM
Clawson vs. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 6 PM
Dryden vs. Kimball New Life Christian Academy - 6 PM
Durand vs. Flint Powers Catholic - 6 PM
East Grand Rapids vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central - 6 PM
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker vs. Cass City - 6 PM
Fulton vs. Portland St. Patrick - 6 PM
Galesburg-Augusta vs. Vermontville Maple Valley - 6 PM
Grand Blanc vs. Linden - 6 PM
Grand Traverse Academy vs. Traverse City St. Francis - 6 PM
Harrison vs. Beaverton - 6 PM
Lake Orion vs. Waterford Kettering - 6 PM
Macomb Lutheran North vs. Armada - 6 PM
Marian vs. Royal Oak - 6 PM
Rock Mid Peninsula vs. Rapid River - 6 PM
Shelby vs. Mason County Central - 6 PM
Warren Woods-Tower vs. Harrison Twp. L'Anse Creuse - 6 PM
Buchanan vs. Edwardsburg - 6:30 PM
Dearborn Divine Child vs. Livonia Franklin - 6:30 PM
Grand Ledge vs. East Lansing - 6:30 PM
Big Rapids vs. Reed City - 7 PM
Croswell-Lexington vs. North Branch - 7 PM
Battle Creek Harper Creek vs. Constantine - 7 PM
Michigan Center vs. Lumen Christi Catholic - 7 PM
Northville vs. Novi - 7 PM
Onekama vs. Bear Lake - 7 PM
Sanford Meridian vs. Farwell - 7 PM
White Lake Lakeland vs. Walled Lake Western - 7 PM
Williamston vs. Owosso - 7 PM
Ypsilanti Arbor Prep vs. Ottawa Lake Whiteford - 7 PM
Munising vs. Eben Junction Superior Central - 7:30 PM
Reese vs. Saginaw Valley Lutheran - 7:30 PM
Tuesday - Nov. 3
Allen Park Cabrini vs. Taylor Preparatory - 5 PM
Benzie Central vs. TBA - 5 PM
Sterling Heights Parkway Christian vs. Chesterfield Austin Catholic - 5 PM
Frankfort vs. Lake Leelanau St. Mary - 6 PM
Cadillac vs. TBA - 7 PM
Escanaba vs. Kingsford - 7 PM
Houghton vs. Gladstone - 7 PM
New Haven Merritt Academy vs. Marine City Cardinal Mooney Catholic - 7 PM