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.)
Talented Mercy Lineup Earns Repeat, Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
By
Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com
November 23, 2024
ROCHESTER — It was only fitting that the Farmington Hills Mercy girls swimming & diving team jumped into the deep end of the Oakland University pool after repeating as Lower Peninsula Division 2 champion Saturday.
That's because it was the depth of the team that propelled the Marlins to a dominating performance.
“There was no pressure on us at all,” coach Mike Venos said. “Just go take care of your own business and no matter what, we’re going to walk out of here successful.”
The Marlins won celebrated winners in two relays and an individual race. And when they didn’t finish first, they were placing, finishing with 375.5 points, well ahead of second-place Grosse Pointe South (255) and third-place Birmingham Seaholm (244).
“The thing I love about Mercy is that it’s a true team effort,” Venos said. “We scored multiple girls in almost every event. We do this as a team.”
If there was a surprise, Venos said, it came from sophomore Campbell Shore, who won the 100-yard freestyle in 51.41 seconds. She entered the weekend with the fourth-fastest seed time in that race.
“Winning that was great,” he said.
The Marlins’ total was 50 points better than last year’s, easily holding off any challenges.
For Grosse Pointe South, it regardless was a school-record performance for a team that missed a chance to add to its total due to a disqualification in the 400 freestyle relay.
But South coach John Fodell didn’t dwell on what might have been.
“We had a little bump in the road (Friday) with the DQ, but today the team came together and really swam to get second, and they really battled for that,” he said.
It marked a leap forward for South, which finished fifth last year.
“We started off the meet by winning the medley relay, which was huge,” Fodell said. ‘Whitney (Handwork) won the 50 free (23.71) and Caroline (Bryan) won the butterfly (54.92). So those were nice things that got the motivation going.”
“We came in knowing it was going to be a battle for second, so we were really focused on that,” Handwork said.
Fenton’s Tess Heavner repeated as a double champion, setting a school record and earning All-America status in the individual medley (2:01.07) and also earning All-America in winning the backstroke (54.61).
”The backstroke was the finishing touch, because I had to wait for a long time in between (events),” she said, “I was happy I was able to keep it up and finish strong in that. I really like the IM and the backstroke. They kind of stress me out, but they're probably two of my favorite events.”
Several younger athletes joined Bryan in impressing. Freshmen Aubrey Yarker of Hastings (diving) and Amelia Malarz of Midland Dow (breaststroke) also won individual titles. Ann Arbor Skyline sophomore Adrienne Schadler earned All-America consideration in winning the 500 freestyle (4:54.41) and All-America recognition in winning the 200 freestyle (1:48.79).
But Mercy also served notice that it will be reckoned with in 2025, with just three seniors on this year’s roster.
But that’s a long way off.
One of those Mercy seniors, captain Katie Schwab, tried to articulate how it felt to repeat.
“That feeling is just indescribable,” she said. ‘Like the energy that was here today. It’s more than words can describe, and my heart is just so full being a part of this team.
“We have a really good, strong team, and we're going to be really strong for the next couple of years," she added. "I’m really excited to see where this team goes.”
PHOTOS (Top) Farmington Hills Mercy’s Avery Tack swims to a runner-up finish in the 200 individual medley Saturday at Oakland University. (Middle) Grosse Pointe South’s Caroline Bryan powers to the championship in the butterfly. (Below) Skyline’s Adrienne Schadler swims to one of her two individual titles. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)