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Battle of the Fans: Petoskey, Here We Come

February 16, 2012

Only one stop remains on the MHSAA "Battle of the Fans" tour.

Friday is Snowcoming at Petoskey High, and the Blue Crew has the fifth and final shot at proving it's the top student cheering section in Michigan this winter.

Petoskey hosts a varsity doubleheader against West Branch Ogemaw Heights. Check in over the weekend for the story behind the section and video of the Blue Crew in action.

The Battle of the Fans Tour began in Frankenmuth, then moved to Grand Rapids Christian and Reese before hitting Rockford two weeks ago. Stories and videos on those four student sections can be found by clicking the links at the bottom of this page under "Related Articles."

Voting runs Monday-Thursday on our Facebook page, with the big announcement coming Friday. And all five finalists will be part of a video that runs on the Breslin Center scoreboard throughout the Girls and Boys Basketball Finals next month.

The contest was organized by the MHSAA's Student Advisory Council. 

“How” Matters More

March 4, 2014

“It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how you play the game.” We’ve all heard that bromide, especially when we were just starting out as young athletes.

Well, it does matter who wins. Any time a score is kept, the result of the competition matters to people. And there is very much that is very good about trying to win – giving one’s best effort to prepare for and execute a victory. Trying to win is much better than not trying to win. Sloppy effort does not benefit the participants, or anybody else for that matter.

And this unveils the deeper truth of that tiresome platitude: how you play the game is more important than who wins the game.

One of many events that proves this point to me is a football game played late in the season nearly two decades ago. A team from the east side of our state played against a team from the west side. I don’t remember the final score. I don’t remember which team won the game. But I do remember that there was an ugly incident at the end of the game. 

How that game was played in its closing moments has stayed with me for longer than who was victorious.