Whymer Made Blue Water Moments into Memories
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
September 29, 2020
When considering all the reasons Jim Whymer was a beloved and Hall of Fame sportswriter in the Thumb area, one stands out above the rest – he cared.
He cared about the quality of the sports section at the Times Herald in Port Huron. He cared about making sure the impossible task of covering schools and sports as equally as possible was accomplished. And he cared about what the newspaper meant to the community.
But most of all, he cared about the people he was writing about.
“He wasn’t going in it just to get a story – he cared about people,” said Shawn Sharrow, a 1994 Marine City graduate who coached basketball at Marine City and St. Clair. “He cared about relationships. As much as he liked sports, he liked people and building those relationships over the years. After he did an interview with you, he would stand there and talk with you for another half hour. He just wanted to develop those friendships.”
Whymer, who worked at the Times Herald from 1978 through 2012, died this past Thursday of metastatic melanoma. He was 64.
He is survived by his wife, Patty, his children Traci Whymer (Tyson Connolly), Kyle (Amanda) Whymer and Joel (Rachel) Whymer, and his grandson, Finn; and by his mother Teresa, sister Michele Seif and brother Bill (Pattie).
He also is survived by the countless yellowing press clippings with his byline that can be found in hundreds of scrapbooks throughout homes in the Blue Water Area. Clippings that no doubt made special memories that much more special for those holding onto them.
“I think like no other person I’ve been around, he made kids feel special,” Port Huron Northern boys basketball coach Brian Jamison said. “He had an amazing ability to make kids feel special. It was in his articles and how long he would take to talk to a kid. He would know the kid’s uncle and their cousin, and he would talk to them about that. I think kids genuinely felt better after talking to him.”
Whymer won several awards for his journalism, including a spot in the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Honor and the Port Huron Sports Hall of Fame.
Good luck finding those awards displayed anywhere, though. Whymer was more interested in making sure the athletes and coaches were getting proper recognition.
“He was really thorough and really interested in what we were doing, even in little old Deckerville when he had Port Huron and Port Huron Northern in his backyard,” Deckerville football coach Bill Brown said. “He’d come up to Deckerville, he’d even go to playoff games – we'd play across the state and he was there. Then after the game, he would just ask you respectful questions. It’s just too bad, because he’s definitely going to be missed. Everybody looked forward to seeing him. He was more than welcome here; he probably could have stayed overnight at someone’s house if he needed to.”
Brown, Jamison and Sharrow had interactions with Whymer as players and coaches. Brown also got to see Whymer as an official, as Whymer worked for more than three decades officiating basketball, baseball, softball and football games throughout the area.
“You can’t even get mad at the guy because he’s such a good guy,” Brown said with a laugh. “He was always square with you.”
Jamison also coached both of Whymer’s sons, and currently has Kyle as his junior varsity basketball coach at Northern. All of the Whymer children played sports at Northern, with Traci being part of an MHSAA title-winning tennis team and Joel setting records on the basketball court and earning a scholarship at Lake Superior State University. (He would later transfer to Grand Valley State.)
“Jim’s always been more like family to me,” Jamison said. “I think everyone feels that way about him. He’s like your fun uncle that you love to talk to. Jim always did a nice job of keeping the story separate from him being the dad. In that respect, he made it easy on me. He was very, very supportive of his children. That’s something – as special as other people felt – that guy was truly all in for all three of his kids when it came to sports and school. I think he was an ultra-professional, and he didn’t want to overwrite about his kids.”
After leaving the Times Herald, Whymer began working in the athletic department at St. Clair County Community College, where he continued his quest to make things as special as possible for student athletes. His main duties included scheduling high school and middle school events at the college’s Fieldhouse – whether it be smaller local tournaments or a multi-day holiday basketball showcase that grew to more than 40 teams.
The Fieldhouse can fit more than 2,000 spectators, and Sharrow said if not for restrictions because of COVID-19, a memorial service for Whymer could fill it. That’s likely not an exaggeration.
“He might be showing up at your practice in the last 10 or 15 minutes, and he always walked in the gym with a smile on his face,” Sharrow said. “If he was ever having a bad day, you’d never know it. He made athletes feel important. Even watching him as a coach talking to my players, you could see their faces light up that they were going to be in the paper and that Jim Whymer wanted to talk to them.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Longtime sportswriter Jim Whymer works the phones during his time at the Port Huron Times Herald. (Middle) Whymer also was an MHSAA-registered official for 35 years. (Below) Whymer is survived by his wife Patty and their three children. (Photos courtesy of the Whymer family.)
Adjust Your Workout When Gym Isn't Option
April 6, 2020
Henry Ford Health System
Feeling at a loss about not being able to stick to your normal workout routine? You’re not alone.
Social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in people all over the world having to adjust their schedules to accommodate working from home, schooling and caring for kids, and finding ways to maintain as much of a “normal” schedule as possible.
As a result, many people are struggling to figure out how to get a good workout in without the help of gym equipment or a personal trainer.
“Anxiety over the current situation can add to a lack of motivation to work out,” says Brianna Gauna, an athletic trainer for Henry Ford Health System. “But just remember how beneficial it is to move your body, even if it is just around the house.”
How a Routine Change Affects Your Body
If you are used to working out every day or going hard at the gym on a regular basis, a short rest period from your routine might have its advantages.
“Taking time to rest can actually be a really good thing because it allows your body to recover,” says Gauna. “You might even start to see more muscle tone set in as you give your body a break.”
On the other hand, if you usually work out a few times throughout the week and suddenly stop, the results may cause negative effects. You may experience:
- Increased resting heart rate
- Less energy
- Change in mood or emotions
- Loss of sleep
How to Work Out at Home
Being stuck at home is not an excuse to skip a daily workout. Everyone works out a little differently, and there are plenty of options for you to stay active and try out new forms of exercise.
“Whether you are used to strength training or cardio, think about what your fitness goals are and choose activities based on what you’d like to achieve,” says Gauna.
Here are some ideas to keep you and your family active:
1. Yoga. Practicing yoga requires a great deal of muscle strength and balance. It is best for a full body workout. Look to YouTube or free apps on your phone for beginner workout videos that you can follow along.
2. HIIT workouts. These workouts are best for getting your heart pumping and increasing your stamina. Try choosing four exercises from the following list. (Search YouTube or Google for examples if you are not sure what each of these entails.) Do one exercise at a time for 30 seconds and then give yourself 20 seconds of rest before moving on to the next exercise. After you get through one rotation of those exercises, repeat three more times.
- Squats
- Push-ups
- Lunges
- Burpees
- Mountain climbers
- Glute bridges
3. Running or walking. Many apps allow you to track your run on a map, so you can plan out your route in your own neighborhood. This allows you to adjust how far you run or how much time you have for a run. A brisk walk through the neighborhood also works.
4. Biking. Biking is a great low-impact workout that works to engage and tone leg muscles. (Remember to wear a helmet!)
5. Team sports. If you are looking for something to engage you and your family, team sports are the way to go. Kick a soccer ball around, try to race through an obstacle course while dribbling a basketball or take turns throwing a football. If you don’t have the equipment, try playing keep-away with a stuffed animal or set up a relay race.
Exercise by Age and Fitness Level
The younger you are, chances are you have a faster metabolism. If you can’t get to a gym, think about how active you usually are and gauge the length of your workout from there.
If you are using this time to get started on your fitness journey, use these recommendations as a starting point:
Ages 7-17: 1-2 hours. Athletes that are used to going to weekly practices may find that two-hour workouts are more suitable.
Ages 18-30: About an hour. Look for times throughout the day that you can squeeze in workouts. Maybe you do yoga in the morning, a HIIT workout in the afternoon and a walk after dinner.
Ages 31-49: About a half hour. If you have children or a pet, you may find that you are already spending more time being active than this!
Ages 50 and up: At least 10-15 minutes. Gauge this based on your own abilities. You may live a more active lifestyle that allows you to be very active throughout the day. If you find yourself struggling to meet this mark, consider a walk during the day or stretches in the morning.
Once you get a regular fitness routine in place, work your way up to longer or more intense workouts to keep yourself challenged.
Making Your Own Equipment
If you have a treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical machine at home, now is the time to clear off the laundry it may have been collecting. If you don’t have access to weights or other gym equipment, though, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on a quality workout. Look for things around your house that you can use in their place – get creative!
- Bags of beans, rice or pet food as added weight for squats or lunges
- Old books/textbooks as dumbbells
- A chair for triceps dips, calf raises or for stability during yoga
- Stairs to run sprints or to help you stretch out leg muscles
When your day-to-day routine is shaken up, do what you can to create normalcy in your life. If you find you have more free time throughout the day, take that time to get moving – even if it’s running up and down the stairs or going for a walk around the block.
“Don’t worry about feeling silly for switching up your routine,” adds Gauna. “Whether that’s using a random object for added weight during a workout or trying to remember how to ride a bike again on your street, think about yourself and your fitness goals first. Don’t let thoughts of what other people think of you get in the way of you reaching your goals!”
Want to learn more? Henry Ford Health System sports medicine experts are treating the whole athlete, in a whole new way. From nutrition to neurology, and from injury prevention to treatment of sports-related conditions, they can give your athlete a unique game plan.
Visit henryford.com/sports or call (313) 972-4216 for an appointment within 24 business hours.
PHOTOS: (Clockwise from left) MHSAA Student Advisory Council members Abigail Pheiffer of Novi, Lydia Davenport of Ithaca and Trevin Phillips of Caro will be working to stay in shape while staying home these next many weeks.