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.)
Today in the MHSAA: 5/24/23
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 24, 2023
1. TRACK & FIELD The Lower Peninsula Division 2 top-ranked Shepherd girls and No. 9 Gladwin boys won Jack Pine Conference meet titles, both ahead of LPD3 top-ranked teams from Clare – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
2. SOFTBALL Division 2 top-ranked Gaylord finished a second-straight perfect season in the Big North Conference and third-straight title run with a sweep of Alpena – Petoskey News-Review
3. GIRLS TENNIS LPD4 No. 4 Traverse City St. Francis clinched the Lake Michigan Conference championship just ahead of No. 9 Elk Rapids – Traverse City Record-Eagle
4. BOYS GOLF LPD1 No. 2 Brighton won its first league title in this sport since 2007, shooting a 293 to finish a championship run in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
5. TRACK & FIELD The Tri-County Conference season finished with a combined five league champions – the LPD3 No. 9 Adrian Madison, Erie Mason and Ottawa Lake Whiteford girls, and Mason and LPD3 No. 4 Whiteford boys. Additionally, Onsted’s boys and Ida’s girls clinched Lenawee County Athletic Association titles – Adrian Daily Telegram
6. TRACK & FIELD The Brownstown Woodhaven girls won their third-straight Downriver League meet, while the Allen Park boys won their first championship as part of the conference – Southgate News-Herald
7. SOFTBALL Division 1 No. 4 Farmington Hills Mercy downed Dearborn Divine Child 1-0 in eight innings to claim the Detroit Catholic League Bishop title, and Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett won the Cardinal final 9-1 over Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes – Detroit News | Oakland Press
8. SOFTBALL Division 2 honorable mention Big Rapids swept Newaygo to complete a 20-0 run in the Central State Activities Association – MI Sports Now
9. TRACK & FIELD Monroe Jefferson’s LPD2 No. 5 girls and boys teams finished repeat runs in the Huron League – Monroe News
10. SOFTBALL Division 2 honorable mention Muskegon Oakridge swept Montague, with an incredible six home runs in an inning in the second game, to finish a perfect run through the West Michigan Conference Lakes – CatchMark SportsNet
Also of note …
TRACK & FIELD Centreville finished a sweep of Southwest 10 Conference championships – Sturgis Journal
SOFTBALL Division 2 honorable mention New Boston Huron clinched a share of the Huron League title with a 4-3 eight-inning win over Milan – Monroe News
SOFTBALL/BASEBALL Beal City’s teams both swept LeRoy Pine River to clinch shares of Highland Conference championships; Beal City softball shared with Division 3 top-ranked Evart, which swept Manton. Beal City baseball is No. 5 in Division 4 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun | Big Rapids Pioneer
TRACK & FIELD The Lake City boys and LPD3 No. 6 McBain girls finished repeats in the Highland Conference – Cadillac News
SOFTBALL Division 2 No. 3 Essexville Garber finished an outright title run in the Tri-Valley Conference Red with a sweep of Alma – Bay City Times
BASEBALL Homer and Jonesville split to also share the Big 8 Conference championship – Jackson Citizen Patriot
BASEBALL Division 2 No. 8 Bay City John Glenn swept Bridgeport to complete an outright title run in the TVC Red – Bay City Times
GIRLS TENNIS Flushing won the top two singles flights on the way to a Flint Metro League team title – WJRT
TRACK & FIELD The Kingsley girls and Benzie Central boys won Northwest Conference titles – Traverse City Record-Eagle
TRACK & FIELD The Midland Dow girls and Saginaw Heritage boys are Saginaw Valley League champions – Midland Daily News