Linked Up: Generations of Calls
July 9, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Father Ralph Burr recently finished his 50th season as an MHSAA official at 76 years old. His daughter Jackie has worked with him for 20 seasons, and son Jeff has served alongside Dad various times over the last 36 years.
Add in another son and grandson, and the family has officiated a combined 142 years in the Muskegon area.
Grand Rapids' WZZM tells the story of the Burrs, focusing especially on Ralph and his other contributions including the care-taking of Muskegon's Sheldon Field.
Click for the WZZM story on the Burrs and watch below if your browser allows for Flash playback. Also, see the report done earlier this season by the Muskegon Chronicle.
PHOTO: Members of the Burr family pose during the MHSAA Officials Awards & Alumni Banquet in May including current MHSAA officials Jackie Burr, (to her left) Ralph Burr and (on far right) Jeff Burr.
Today in the MHSAA: 10/20/15
October 20, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
MHSAA Boys Soccer District play kicked off Monday across the Lower Peninsula, and we also catch up with a pair of big Saturday events, one from each side of the bridge.
Cross Country
From Saturday, the East Lansing girls and Corunna boys won the annual Greater Lansing Invitational against fields loaded with ranked teams; Corunna’s boys were No. 3 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 last week and East Lansing’s girls were unranked – Lansing State Journal
Boys Soccer
Detroit Catholic Central, No. 5 in Division 1, opened district play with a 1-0 win over No. 14 Novi – Oakland Press
Muskegon Orchard View continued a five-game winning streak that’s pushed it past .500 by downing Grant 2-1 in a Division 3 opener – Muskegon Chronicle
Hartland scored to tie Howell with less than two minutes to play in regulation, then won their Division 1 opener in overtime – Livingston Daily
Midland scored just more than a minute into its Division 1 game against Bay City Western and hung on for the 1-0 district victory – Bay City Times
Volleyball
Also from Saturday: Host Houghton defeated Class C honorable mention Calumet in three sets to win the Houghton Invitational, which featured 10 teams from the western half of the Upper Peninsula – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Girls Basketball
Ann Arbor Pioneer is mourning the loss of girls coach Crystal Westfield, who died Monday after a fight with cancer and only four months after her father, legendary cross country and track and field coach Bryan Westfield, died after fighting another form of the disease. Westfield had coached the basketball team at her alma mater since 1994 and also coached field events under her dad – AnnArbor.com