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.)
MHSAA.tv Schedule Filled with 400+ Live Events
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 14, 2021
More than 400 events will be broadcast live this week on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network, including a season high of nearly 170 football games.
Highlighting this week’s Network football schedule are a pair of Division 1 matchups with potential league title implications. In the Saginaw Valley League Red, reigning champion Davison hosts Grand Blanc, while in the Macomb Area Conference Red reigning co-champion Macomb Dakota hosts Clinton Township Chippewa Valley.
The Bally Sports Detroit broadcast team this week will travel to Thirlby Field in Traverse City for the annual “Patriot Game” between Central and West. The game regularly draws more than 10,000 fans and honors U.S. military veterans, active-duty military, first responders and more area heroes who have died serving our country. Bally will present the game live at 7 p.m. on its Bally Sports Detroit PLUS cable channel and also on its website and app.
A pair of Thursday (Sept. 16) volleyball matches feature recent state powers, as reigning Division 1 champion Bloomfield Hills Marian takes on 2019 champ Farmington Hills Mercy, and reigning Division 2 champ Grand Rapids Christian faces last season’s Division 1 runner-up Lowell. In boys soccer, undefeated Grand Rapids South Christian hosts Ada Forest Hills Eastern also on Thursday, with Novi also looking to stay unbeaten while welcoming Plymouth.
Online viewers should keep in mind that the only sites that livestream MHSAA events are the NFHS Network (MHSAA.tv), Bally Sports Detroit (one game per week), State Champs! Sports Network (one game per week), or a school-controlled website (on a school YouTube or Facebook page, for example). There are many scams that advertise livestreams and are phishing for personal information. Some even attempt to install malware on computers or devices. If viewers see a link to a game that is not on one of the providers listed above, it is fake. If unsure, viewers should contact the host school or MHSAA before providing personal information.
Below are listings and links to just a few of the events of note this week on MHSAA.tv:
VOLLEYBALL
Sept. 16: Lowell at Grand Rapids Christian, 6 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 16: Farmington Hills Mercy at Bloomfield Hills Marin, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 16: Centreville at Bloomingdale, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
All volleyball matches this week (170+ matches): MHSAA.tv
BOYS SOCCER
Sept. 16: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central at East Grand Rapids, 6:45 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 16: Ada Forest Hills Eastern at Grand Rapids South Christian, 6:45 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 16: Plymouth at Novi, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
All soccer games this week (80+ games): MHSAA.tv
FOOTBALL
Sept. 17: Traverse City Central vs. Traverse City West at Thirlby Field, 7 p.m.: Bally Sports Detroit PLUS, BSD Website and app
Sept: 17 Davison at Grand Blanc, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 17: Clinton Township Chippewa Valley at Macomb Dakota, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 17: St. Louis at Hemlock, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 17: Kingsford at Marquette, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 17 Brighton at Novi, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
All football games this week (170+ games): MHSAA.tv
NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $10.99 per month. Subscribers have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. School Broadcast Program participants benefit as a portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program.
More than 400 MHSAA member schools are participants in the School Broadcast Program, now in its 13th year, producing games using traditional hands-on student crews or via Pixellot cameras installed at stadiums and gymnasiums across the state. A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA Website.