5 Vie for Best Cheering Section in Michigan

January 18, 2012

Five finalists -- Frankenmuth, Grand Rapids Christian, Petoskey, Reese and Rockford -- have been selected for the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s inaugural “Battle of the Fans,” which will recognize the top student cheering section from among member schools and culminate in a video presentation including all five finalists during this season’s Girls and Boys Basketball Finals at Michigan State’s Breslin Center.

The contest, organized by MHSAA staff and its 16-member Student Advisory Council, will reward the cheering section that best creates the positive and festive atmosphere made possible when students show enthusiasm, togetherness and sportsmanship while rooting for their team.

Finalists were selected based on a vote by the Student Advisory Council. MHSAA staff and Student Advisory Council members will visit all five finalists for home games during the second half of this regular season, with the winner being announced Feb. 24. Video of all five sections will be played on the Breslin Center HD scoreboard during the Finals in March.

Sections were invited in December to submit a short video, via YouTube and Facebook, of their cheering sections in action. Video submissions also included explanations on how that section meets the following contest criteria: positive sportsmanship, sound volume, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group and student section leadership. A total of 19 sections submitted videos by the deadline earlier this month.

“The Student Advisory Council decided to put its primary focus this fall on a sportsmanship campaign that would engage and motivate student cheering sections throughout the state,” said Andy Frushour, MHSAA director of brand management and advisor to the Student Advisory Council. “We’re thrilled with the level of participation and look forward to the coming months as we look to crown our first ‘Battle of the Fans’ champion.”

MHSAA staff will produce videos from each stop on its tour of the finalists. Those videos will be posted to the MHSAA’s Facebook page. An online vote Feb. 20-23 will contribute in determining the winner.

Finalists will be visited for the following home boys basketball games:

Jan. 21: Frankenmuth vs. Freeland

Jan. 27: Grand Rapids Christian vs. East Grand Rapids, Reese vs. Cass City

Feb. 3: Rockford vs. Hudsonville

Feb. 17: Petoskey vs. West Branch Ogemaw Heights

To view finalists’ submissions on YouTube, click on http://ow.ly/8y9s3.

The Student Advisory Council is made up of eight seniors and eight juniors, who each serve two-year terms. The Council acts as the voice of Michigan's student-athletes; it serves as a student sounding board for the MHSAA's Representative Council, assists in planning Sportsmanship Summits, Captain's Clinics and other student leadership events; participates in a yearly focus group about the state of high schools sports for Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports and assists with medal ceremonies at MHSAA championship events.

Photo courtesy Laingsburg student cheering section. 

Performance of the Week: Freeland's TJ Hansen

September 19, 2024

TJ Hansen headshotTJ Hansen ♦ Freeland
Senior ♦ Cross Country

Despite a steamy day at Michigan State, Hansen ran a 15:24.6 to win last weekend’s Spartan Invitational Elite race by nearly four seconds. The victory came against a truly “elite” field; Hansen is the reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 champion and was followed by Marshall senior Jack Bidwell (fourth in LPD2 in 2023) and Jenison senior Seth Conner (fifth in LPD1).

Hansen has won all but one race since the start of his junior season, and opened this fall with a 14:49.3 – just three seconds off his personal-record run and already 3.5 seconds faster than his championship time last fall at Michigan International Speedway. His 14:52.8 that day at MIS was the fastest Division 2 time in MHSAA Finals 5K history and tied for seventh-fastest for all classes and divisions. He said he’s chasing the 14-minute mark this fall; the fastest MHSAA Finals 5K time was 14:10.4 run by Rockford’s Dathan Ritzenhein in 2000. Hansen also won the 1,600 at the LPD2 Track & Field Finals in June after finishing first in the 3,200 as a sophomore, and he will run on both the cross country and track & field teams at Colorado.

@mhsaasports 🏃‍♂️‍➡️POW: TJ Hansen #crosscountry #freeland #invitational #winner #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA

@mhsaasports 🏃‍♂️‍➡️POW: TJ Hansen #tiktalk #questiontime #ronaldo #bucketlist #travel #laughing #crying #emoji #phone #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

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MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.

Previous 2024-25 honorees

Sept. 12: Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6:
Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30:
Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report

PHOTO Freeland's TJ Hansen surges toward the finish of this season's Spartan Invitational Elite race. (Click for more from John Brabbs/RunMichigan.com.)