An errant drive, but a right-on response
May 16, 2012
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Junior Garcia was minding his own round last week when, seemingly out of the sky, he was nailed in the hand by an opponent's golf ball.
It clearly hurt -- so much so, he had to quit his round before finishing. He could've responded in a number of ways. Many of us wouldn't have responded so well.
Instead of finding the player who had hit him -- and letting him have it back -- Garcia, a Shelby senior, did seek out Montague junior Nate VanGeison, to make sure VanGeison was OK and to let him know that these mistakes are part of the game. He was equally, if not more concerned with VanGeison's well-being than his own.
It's something we all should keep in mind the next time an errant shot comes at us like a comet from above.
"It was so touching. It's hard to really put it into words unless you were there," Montague golf coach Tom Kearney said. "He was just so sincere."
Shelby and Montague were playing in a West Michigan Conference jamboree at Oceana Golf Course. VanGeison pulled a drive so far left that it left his fairway and flew over an adjacent green that Garcia's group was approaching.
Garcia's hand began to swell up immediately. He'd leave to get it X-rayed before the teams finished play that day. But not before he asked Kearney to check on VanGeison and make sure his opponent knew there were no hard feelings. And not before following up that request by asking Kearney to then drive him back onto the course himself to pass on a few words of encouragement.
VanGeison had asked to leave the course as well so he could check on Garcia. The two instead met in the middle.
"Nate apologized to him, and Junior said, 'It's OK. I know it was an accident,' and they hugged," Kearney said. "Just before we left (to go back inside), Junior said, 'Nate, don't worry about me. I want you to shoot a good round for me.'"
And VanGeison did, firing a 94 to finish second for Montague in that round.
Garcia went so far as to ask his mother if he could stop by Montague the next day, just to check on VanGeison one more time. Both returned to the course Tuesday.
"I really thought it was a wonderful example of sportsmanship," Kearney said.
PHOTO: Nate VanGeison (left) of Montague and Shelby's Junior Garcia returned to the golf course Tuesday, in great spirits after last week's jamboree ended for Garcia after his hand was bruised by a VanGeison drive. (Photo courtesy of Tom Kearney.)
Battle of the Fans: We Are Ram Nation
February 7, 2012
ROCKFORD – Standing near the front and center of Rockford’s massive sea of black Friday, six students all played significant roles in keeping 500 of their closest classmates organized and focused on their work for that night.
Seniors Joe Belliel, Sam Anderson and Shain Showers, junior Katie Hartnett and sophomores Kory Young and Casey Watters are just some of the leaders of their school’s student cheering section, Ram Nation, one of five finalists for the MHSAA's "Battle of the Fans" competition. But representing three grades and various social groups, they also are the essence of what the section has accomplished since forming last summer.
Despite boasting one of the state’s largest high schools, Rockford has always taken pride in being something of a small-town community.
Still, there are nearly 2,600 students in grades 9-12. It’s just about impossible for everyone to know everybody else. And only a handful can play on the boys basketball team. But a hard-fought victory – like Friday’s one-point win over rival Hudsonville – allows the entire student body to take ownership while making a massive impact for the school’s sports teams.
“Obviously, (the players) could have done it. But we have a big impact keeping them going all the time and really pumping them up,” Rockford junior Katie Hartnett said after that 36-35 win. “I think they really appreciate it. We’re here to be here for them, not just to show off for ourselves.”
Only one trip, to Petoskey on Feb. 17, remains on the MHSAA Student Advisory Council "Battle of the Fans" tour. Videos of all five finalists are being posted on the MHSAA Facebook page for an online vote that will take place Feb. 20-23. After that vote and SAC discussion, the winner will be announced on Feb. 24. Clips from all five MHSAA-produced videos will be shown during the Girls and Boys Basketball Finals in March at the Breslin Center.
Ram Nation began as a suggestion from a parent who noted the inconsistent crowd support from students over the last few years. Take Belliel as an example. Perhaps the most vocal of the group’s hierarchy, he admits he went to “maybe four basketball games” last season.
Now, everything is a must-see event. Anderson, a member of the student council, maintains a giant dry-erase calendar in the cafeteria that lists every school extracurricular event. At a recent hockey game, Ram Nation filled one side of the rink. On Nov. 19, the volleyball team played in the MHSAA Class A final at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Center, while the football team played in a Semifinal only a few blocks away. Ram Nation members ran back and forth to support both.
And students know they better show up early. Belliel got a call Friday from someone who already was in the stands at 4:30 p.m. – although the girls basketball game started at 6 and the boys at 7:45. Rockford High houses only grades 10-12, but freshmen and some middle schoolers also augmented the crowd.
“I didn’t think it would be as good as it is. I just thought we were going to start it and get it better,” Anderson said. “And all of a sudden it just hit, and it was pretty big.”
Indeed, Ram Nation made things happen quickly. 
A small group met a few times over the summer. A Facebook page was created. Watters researched online for any cheers he could find. Theme nights were planned, T-shirts made and sold as something of an unofficial “membership” to the section.
“I think we’ve always been somewhat of a close-knit community. But I think maybe instead of a divided student body – the freshmen, juniors, the sophomores – it’s pulled them together,” Rockford athletic director Tim Erickson said. “The more you have, the louder you’re going to be, and the more enthusiastic you’re going to be. (Ram Nation) has created more of an atmosphere like that.”
Another cool touch: Every home basketball game is a fundraiser. Friday’s was for "Hoops for Haiti." A few weeks ago, shirts were made with “I believe that we love Steve” printed on the backs. The spin-off of the popular “I believe that we will win” cheer was in support of former boys hoops coach Steve Majerle, who stepped down after the last season and is battling Parkinson’s Disease.
It’s another example of an unexpected benefit of Ram Nation’s creation.
Teams are definitely getting more support from classmates. But classmates feel they’ve come together for something bigger as well.
“It’s honestly ridiculous. You don’t realize how much of an impact the student section has on a game until you’re in and you’re playing,” said Showers, a football and baseball player. “I can remember there were times in the season when I’m trying to yell across the field at one of my teammates, and no one can hear anything. That was the first time I’d ever experienced that. And the year before, it wasn’t like that at all.
“(But) honestly, Ram Nation’s first goal isn’t to cheer our teams on and get our teams going. It’s about unity. Not just students and teachers, but the whole community, bringing everyone together. I think that’s what we’ve accomplished so far.”
PHOTOS by Rockford junior Aimee Reece (top) and senior Jeremy Hoekstra (middle).