Stripes Worn Well (Muskegon Chronicle)
March 1, 2012
Tim Flahive has battled diabetes for all but a few years of his life. But he's also filled half of those years with high school sports as a longtime official based in the Muskegon area.
The Muskegon Chronicle's Mark Opfermann tells the story of Flahive's final basketball game last week -- and makes us appreciate even more the significant role our officials fill to no fanfare.
A powerful excerpt:
He left the court with no fanfare, took off his whistle and shed a few tears.
But Flahive's story isn’t just about sports and an official leaving the hobby he loves. It’s about courage, getting back up and pressing on.
So, I guess it’s a lot like sports after all. But it’s a whole lot more about life.
That’s because when Flahive took the court last week, he did it with half of his left foot missing.
A bizarre golf header (Kalamazoo Gazette)
May 22, 2012
From the crazy stuff that happens file: Richland Gull Lake senior Bryan VandenBerg hit a drive during Monday's Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference Tournament that ended up hitting his father Tim -- standing about 230 yards away -- in the head.
No worries -- Dad is fine. And Bryan tied for second overall. It's hard to picture how this happened. But the Kalamazoo Gazette's Scott DeCamp tells us the story.