From High School to Olympic Swimming

July 11, 2012

Fans of U.S. Swimming already have plenty of reasons to cheer for Missy Franklin later this month at the Summer Olympics -- she's only 17, but qualified to compete in a U.S. women's all-time best seven events.

But fans of high school sports and what they provide athletes at all levels of ability can also support her for how she's chosen to compete when she's not racing against the best in the world.

Franklin, who lives in Colorado, has continued to swim for her high school team despite the financial rewards she could've earned by taking the elite swimmer's usual path of going pro.

A ton has been written about Franklin lately, for obvious reasons. Below is a link to a New York Times story from February that focused on her continued dedication to her high school team.

Before the Olympic Trials, There’s This Big High School Meet (New York Times)

Today in the MHSAA: 5/27/16

May 27, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A set of incredible golf scores by the Plymouth boys team to win its District were among heroics on what generally is tune-up day for most sports heading into Memorial Day weekend and then the busiest championship week of the year. 

Baseball

Division 1 formerly-ranked Battle Creek Lakeview swept Division 2 top-ranked Coldwater 13-8 and 7-5 – Battle Creek Enquirer

Holt one-hit St. Johns and emerged 3-2 winners in nine innings in the quarterfinals of the Capital Area Diamond Classic – Lansing State Journal

Remus Chippewa Hills claimed a nine-inning 6-5 win over Big Rapids and with it the outright Central State Activities Association title – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Birmingham Brother Rice won its fifth straight Catholic League A-B title with a 5-1 win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – Oakland Press

Golf

Plymouth won its Division 1 Regional at Fox Hills Golf Course with a 283, led by junior Jack Boczar’s 64 – MLive-Detroit

Pentwater 8th-grader Gannon McDonough won a two-hole playoff to claim the individual Division 4 Regional title at Stonegate Golf Club as North Muskegon won the team title (eighth graders are allowed to compete on high school teams at schools with enrollments of fewer than 100) – Muskegon Chronicle

Softball

Edwardsburg set a school record for wins by moving to 30-5 with a sweet of Niles, 3-0 and 4-1 – Niles Daily Star

Track & Field

From Wednesday, the Adrian Madison girls won the Tri-County Conference for the 10th straight season, while the boys made it three consecutive titles – Adrian Daily Telegram

From Tuesday, Hanover-Horton swept Cascades Conference boys and girls titles for the first time – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Good Read

Incredibly, Lake City three-sport athlete Laraiah Schichtel finished her academic career this spring as her class valedictorian – after working against dyslexia that wasn’t discovered until she was well into her 4.0 career – Detroit Free Press