Michel Finishes with Story to Tell
June 11, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Andrew Michel received the heart-breaking news only moments before leaving his golf team’s Regional on Friday to get ready for that night’s Brownstown-Woodhaven prom.
But missing making the MHSAA Finals by a stroke was not the first thing he shared with those who asked about his day at West Shore Golf and Country Club in Grosse Ile.
Instead, the graduating senior told of the 132-yard shot he dropped for a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th hole, his second ace but first in competition.
Michel finished with a season-best 76, missing the cut for this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final by a stroke despite firing another eagle during the final holes of his round.
“At the start of the day, I told myself don’t leave anything on the table. Go for it on every hole, make every shot and just have fun at your last tournament,” Michel said Tuesday afternoon as he readied for that night’s graduation ceremony. “Being a senior, I went for everything.”
The best part might’ve been how he came back from a disappointing previous hole.
Michel had just finished off a triple bogey on No. 11, and admitted he was down on himself. He stepped to the next tee with his pitching wedge, and “I didn’t really care what happened. I chose the club I like to hit on that hole, and in the air I was thinking it was really good,” he said.
The ball touched down on the green and spun back into the hole.
Michel also played golf and soccer at Brownstown-Woodhaven. He’ll attend Grand Valley State University in the fall, study engineering, and will try to walk-on the Lakers’ golf team.
“Deep down inside,” he said he’s disappointed he won’t be playing at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West on Friday. But he’s got a quite a highlight to take with him from his final high school round.
“It was very bittersweet. I really wanted to go to state,” Michel said. “But the hole-in-one balanced it out a bit.”
Eye on the official
Hopefully you caught our MHSAA benchmarks piece (also published on Second Half) on longtime official Lamont Simpson, who has worked not only MHSAA Finals but NCAA tournaments and is one of 32 officials in the WNBA. (Here’s the link in case you missed it.)
He also became that league’s first to wear the referee cam, debuting the new gear during a recent game between the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever.
The camera provides plenty of ref’s-eye views. Click the video below to check it out.
Wheels of Steele
We’ve been watching the inspiring progress of Frankenmuth runner Bobby Steele especially over the last few years as his story became known across the Lower Peninsula.
Steele, who is visually impaired, has run cross country and track for the Eagles, thanks to the help of guides who ran with him to help him stay on course.
If you haven’t heard Steele’s awesome story, check out this 8-minute video. Not only did Steele run, but he cut roughly 12 minutes off his first cross country times over the course of his career.
Flashback 100: Future Olympian Piper Leads Grosse Pointe North to Historic Height
December 20, 2024
Grosse Pointe North High School has won one girls swimming & diving team Finals championship—an impressive feat achieved in Class A in 1999.
The key to the Norsemen’s success that year was junior Carly Piper.
After a standout sophomore season during which Piper claimed the 200-yard freestyle title and GPN finished third overall, she delivered a dominant performance at the 1999 Finals. Piper secured first place in both the 200 and 500 freestyle events and contributed to victories in both the 200 and 400 free relays. Her outstanding individual and relay performances propelled Grosse Pointe North to the top of the team standings, as it edged Farmington Hills Mercy for the title.
Total for her high school career, Piper won three individual MHSAA Finals titles and was part of three champion relay teams.
Piper’s success continued on the world stage when, at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, she won a gold medal as part of the 800 freestyle relay team. Alongside teammates Natalie Coughlin, Kaitlin Sandeno, and Dana Vollmer, the U.S. set a world record that stood for two years.
In recognition of her Olympic achievement, the city of Grosse Pointe Woods declared December 20, 2004, as "Carly Piper Day."
A standout athlete at the University of Wisconsin, Carly earned 18 All-American honors and twice won the Big Ten "Swimmer of the Year" award. Today, she and her husband Shane Ryan run the Madison Aquatic Club.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
Dec. 13: The Other Mr. Forsythe in Michigan School Sports - Read
Dec. 6: Coleman's Legendary Heroics Carry Harrison Through Repeat - Read
Nov. 29: Harbaugh Brothers' Football Roots Planted in Part at Pioneer - Read
Nov. 22: 8-Player Football Finals Right at Home at Superior Dome - Read
Nov. 15: Leland Career Helps Set Stage for Glass' International Stardom - Read
Nov. 8: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run - Read
Nov. 1: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read
PHOTOS Clockwise from top left: (1) Cassy Miller, Kristen Shelden, Melissa Jamerino and Carly Piper make up the 200 freestyle relay state team. (2) The 1999 team celebrates its championship. (3) The 1999 team photo from the MHSAA Book of Champions. (4) Piper wears her gold medal in a photo displayed at the school. (Celebration photo courtesy of Ashley Piper. Relay photo courtesy of Grosse Pointe North High School.)