Rivaling for a Cause
January 25, 2013
It’s impossible to include all the perspective we gain from every “Battle of the Fans” visit.
But this anecdote, although it didn't make Tuesday’s story about our Frankenmuth trip, tells of another great example for what student cheering sections can accomplish.
Frankenmuth and Millington are heated rivals, to say the least, separated by 13 miles and made more competitive by plenty of championship-deciding matchups over the years.
But for their boys basketball game Jan. 10 at Frankenmuth, student section leaders from both schools almost completely on their own set up the game as a cancer awareness night, complete with Frankenmuth students in black shirts and Millington’s wearing pink.
The idea was the brainchild of a of Frankenmuth section leader, who then received help from a local bank and contacted Millington to get the ball rolling.
Battle of the Fans has shown us the obvious – these student sections need strong leaders – but also the special things they can accomplish with additional initiative.
“Never Forgotten”
Two more rivals, Fennville and Saugatuck, met late last month for their second “Never Forgotten” boys and girls basketball games with proceeds going to the Wes Leonard Heart Team for the purchase of AEDs.
Players wore jerseys with names on the backs of friends and family members who had died, and those jerseys were then given to family members after the games. Officials Ace Cover, Chris Dennie and Kyle Bowen also donated their game checks to the Heart Team, as did the winner of that night’s 50-50 raffle.
Leonard died from sudden cardiac arrest after making the game-winning shot in a basketball game March 3, 2011. The two schools played their first “Never Forgotten” games last season.
More support for less specialization
I’m asked once a year at least about sport specialization – that is, athletes focusing on just one sport, often from an early age, and if it pays off some way down the road.
Most of my evidence to support my belief in the well-rounded athlete has been anecdotal, based on conversations with people at the high school and college levels over the years. But a British study published this fall in the Journal of Sport Sciences by University of Birmingham researchers provides some interesting empirical findings.
The study of 1,006 people from the United Kingdom showed that those who participated in three sports at ages 11, 13 and 15 were “significantly more likely to compete at a national rather than club standard” between ages 16-18 than those who had practiced only one sport.
In other words, the study found that those who played more sports at earlier ages played at a higher level during their high school-age years, which seems to contradict the one-sport focus philosophy.
Click for more perspective on the study from Chris Kennedy, the Superintendent of Schools in West Vancouver, British Columbia.
PHOTO: The boys and girls teams for Fennville and Saugatuck pose together after their "Never Forgotten" games Dec. 21 at Fennville High. (Photo courtesy of Al LaShell.)
This Week in High School Sports: 12/11/24
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
December 11, 2024
In this week's edition, we outline this winter's MHSAA Tournament schedule, present Game Balls to high achievers in basketball and bowling, and discuss this season's first-ever Girls Wrestling Finals team championship.
The 5-minute program each week includes feature stories from MHSAA.com or network affiliates, along with "Be the Referee," a 60-second look at the fine art of officiating.
"This Week in High School Sports" is powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP).
Listen to this week's show by Clicking Here.
Previous 2024-25 Editions
Dec. 4: 11-Player Football Finals review - Listen
Nov. 27: 8-Player Football Finals review, 1975 Football Finals recollection - Listen
Nov. 20: 8-Player Football Finals history, Southwest 10 Conference Legacy officials - Listen
Nov. 13: "Flashback 100" series, flashback to Escanaba's football championship - Listen
Nov. 6: Boys Soccer Finals, Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals review - Listen
Oct. 30: 2024 Football Playoffs, Lower Peninsula Boys Tennis Finals review - Listen
Oct. 23: Lower Peninsula Girls Golf Finals, Upper Peninsula Cross Country Finals reviews - Listen
Oct. 16: MHSAA Football Playoffs primer, MHSAA/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete Awards - Listen
Oct. 9: National High School Hall of Fame, Upper Peninsula Girls Tennis Finals - Listen
Oct. 2: MHSAA record book, 2024 Boys Soccer Tournament schedule - Listen
Sept. 25: NFHS Network streaming, DeWitt's high-scoring football matchup - Listen
Sept. 18: Cheboygan broadcaster Mike Grisdale, Michigan's national participation ranking - Listen
Sept. 11: MHSAA baseball stars in MLB, 2024 Boys Soccer Tournament - Listen
Sept. 5: Highlighting MHSAA record setters, 50th Football Playoffs - Listen
Aug. 28: MHSAA Summer Olympians, "Century of School Sports" celebration - Listen