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.)
2021-22 Broadcasts Kick Off with Big Football Weekend
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 24, 2021
Michigan High School Athletic Association member schools will be featured on more than 300 live-streamed broadcasts during this first full week of the 2021-22 school sports year, headlined by 16 broadcasts of opening-weekend football games on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network and partner Bally Sports Detroit.
Bally Sports Detroit will be providing coverage of all six games of the Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic from Oct. 26-28 at Wayne State University’s Tom Adams Field, including both Aug. 26 games on live cable television. All six Xenith games also will be available on the Bally Sports Detroit website and Bally Sports app.
Meanwhile, MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network will have live coverage of all six games from the Battle at the Big House at University of Michigan and all four games from the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic at Kettering University’s Atwood Stadium.
Here’s the schedule, with links to watch those games online:
Thursday, Aug. 26
► Battle at the Big House: Lapeer vs. Grand Rapids Catholic Central – 12 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Battle at the Big House: Midland vs. Traverse City West – 3 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic: Dearborn Fordson vs. Canton – 4 p.m. – Bally Sports Detroit (also LIVE TV)
► Vehicle City Gridiron Classic: Frankenmuth vs. Goodrich – 4 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Battle at the Big House: DeWitt vs. Traverse City Central – 7 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic: Detroit Catholic Central vs. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley – 7 p.m. – Bally Sports Detroit (also LIVE TV)
► Vehicle City Gridiron Classic: Flushing vs. Flint Powers Catholic – 7:30 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
Friday, Aug. 27
► Battle at the Big House: Midland Dow vs. Fenton – 12 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Battle at the Big House: Saline vs. Hudsonville – 3:30 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Vehicle City Gridiron Classic: East Lansing vs. Grand Blanc – 4 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic: Dexter vs. Birmingham Groves – 4 p.m. – MHSAA.tv (also available on BallySports.com/Detroit)
► Battle at the Big House: Clarkston vs. Davison – 7 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic: Chicago St. Patrick (Ill.) vs. Warren De La Salle Collegiate – 7 p.m. – MHSAA.tv (also available on BallySports.com/Detroit)
► Vehicle City Gridiron Classic: Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. Linden – 7:30 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
Saturday, Aug. 28
► Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic: River Rouge vs. Eastpointe – 1 p.m. – MHSAA.tv (also available on BallySports.com/Detroit)
► Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic: Southfield Arts & Technology vs. Detroit Cass Tech – 4 p.m. – MHSAA.tv (also available on BallySports.com/Detroit)
Total, more than 150 varsity football games, more than 100 varsity volleyball matches and nearly 90 varsity boys soccer contests will be available this week on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network, with production by participants in the School Broadcast 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. Click for a complete list of upcoming events.
Other intriguing football matchups appearing on the Network include (all 7 p.m. starts):
► Aug. 26: Sterling Heights Stevenson at Rockford
► Aug. 26: Saginaw Swan Valley at Cedar Springs
► Aug. 26: Utica Eisenhower at Lake Orion
► Aug. 26: Alpena at Marquette
► Aug. 26: Edwardsburg at Montague
► Aug. 27: Clarkston Everest Collegiate at Montrose
NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $10.99 a 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. A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA Website.