Norse Nation Roars North Muskegon Pride
February 15, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
NORTH MUSKEGON – North Muskegon junior Caleb Rypstra readily remembers being an elementary schooler in 2012 and watching 2,000-point scorer Spencer Krannitz take on Whitehall in front of a gym jammed in part by a giant student section.
Senior Nicholas Rossiter didn’t like going to high school football games when he was young, in part because of the loud crowd – but living a few blocks from the Norsemen’s stadium, he couldn’t completely avoid hearing the Norse Nation boom.
That’s how North Muskegon students cheered on their classmates back then. That’s what they do now. The only difference? Norse Nation is more organized this winter – and showing the rest of Michigan what it’s about as one of three Battle of the Fans finalists.
“As a senior this year, we’ve really been pushing to make a difference as a class and do something no one else has done,” senior Kendal Hoppa said. “And I think we’ve really run with this theme of having such a huge and welcoming sense of community within our school.
“Between the K-12 grades and even then community coming out and supporting, we’ve really just harnessed that love and embraced it. Just made it super, super big this year and wanted to broadcast that. We have Norse pride, and we want the whole community to see.”
Seeing was believing Wednesday, as we visited North Muskegon for the second of three stops on this year’s Battle of the Fans VIII finalists tour. We met with seniors Rossiter, Hoppa and Brady Lindell and juniors Rypstra, Camryn Klint and Bella Lindsay to learn about the student section’s rich past, newly-organized present and to watch the Nation in action during the boys basketball team’s rematch with rival Montague.
We’re reporting on all three of our BOTF finalists visits this month following the format of a typical game night. We kick things off below with some of the Norse Nation’s “cheat codes” for other student sections hoping to grow and improve, followed by the video from our visit and then more of the “game story” from our trip.
Norse Nation’s Gameplan
Take some of these tips from the Norse Nation:
Take action. Getting something going can seem like a tall task, but someone has to start the conversation. Leaders lead. Don’t be afraid to be one.
Talk to your principal. That was the key in North Muskegon’s case, but it could be any administrator, teacher, coach, etc. Norse Nation leaders credit principal Ken Byard specifically not just for bringing a boost of school spirit when he was hired in 2016, but also for being always available and open to ideas. He's willing to help in any variety of ways, like working with the school board and sports boosters to get free fan buses for away games.
Start small: First find and develop a passionate core group that will lead the charge, and then spread the message through channels like social media, daily announcements and whatever else is available.
Start simple: A student section doesn’t have to do something completely out of the box to get people interested. Something as simple as getting everyone to wear school colors to a game can get things moving, bring people together and make them feel part of something.
Pregame Prep
A thin channel connects Lake Michigan to Muskegon Lake, a sizable bay with North Muskegon on its north shore, directly across the lake from the city proper. By car, the closest neighboring school to North Muskegon is Reeths-Puffer, a little less than six miles away, and the region as a whole is dotted by communities with their own substantial local pride. Many of the smaller communities make up the West Michigan Conference. Victories dating to the 1930s are among those celebrated in North Muskegon’s trophy case. The league was formed during the early 1930s, and the school opened in 1935.
That’s not to say Norse Nation is pushing a century of cheering. But there’s certainly tradition in a community where generations tend to return to raise their own families, and people know each other usually by more than name at a school with just under 330 high school students.
In fact, the high school students make up most of the first floor of the community’s Mills Avenue building, while middle school students attend most of their classes on the second floor (with some crossover between the two) and the elementary school wing connected on the northeast side of the property.
That proximity is a key part of Norse Nation’s history and continuing story. “For as long as I can remember, our school has had such a big turnout for all sports games and especially boys basketball right now because the team is pretty good recently,” Lindsay said. “But what makes us so special is that since we’re such a small school, K-12, we have the elementary, middle school and high school all involved in the games regularly. That’s just a normal thing for us.”
And that would’ve continued into this winter, to be sure, without any added incentive. But on a bus ride back from a cross country meet this fall, Lindsay and Rossiter had a conversation: Why not give Battle of the Fans a try?
That sparked changes to the organization of the section that should keep it rolling strong for years to come.
In past years, students informally rallied each other to come to games. Hoppa was one of them – in fact, she and Rossiter were mock-elected class “Norscots” to recognize their school spirit. So they were sure things when the “Student Section Council” held its first meeting at the start of this winter. Nearly five percent of the high school student body – at this small school 14 students, mostly seniors and juniors with a couple of sophomores – took the first steps that afternoon toward bringing organization to the already prevailing spirit at the school.
The newly-organized Norse Nation got rolling quickly. After that first meeting, Principal Byard allowed the SSC to hold an all-class assembly to explain BOTF and how it would be a great way to show the school’s sense of pride and family. They’ve since had multiple assemblies to teach cheers and get students pepped to come to games.
The 14 members of the SSC correspond on a group chat, and all interested classmates are invited to join. With Hoppa running Instagram and Snapchat accounts and Byard the school’s Facebook and Twitter feeds, the Nation got the word out on all of the fun it had planned.
An elementary school night allowed families to attend games for $1 if their children were wearing Norse gear. An upcoming throwback game was hatched, and basketball players will be wearing retro uniforms to join in. Impressively, the Nation completed its mandatory BOTF semifinals “takeover” of the MHSAA’s Instrgram at a ROAD game with a “gold out” that made that away gym seem a lot like home (see bus ride post below).
“(In the past) we’d have a whole bunch of people come to the games. A couple of people did the theme because the rest didn’t really know,” Hoppa said. “But once I got a whole bunch of different people involved in spreading out and communicating the themes; we have a whole bunch of different friend groups here. So if you get (the message) into the friend groups … it just became more cohesive, and people did it.”
And that brought us to Wednesday’s “Slumber Party” for one of the boys basketball team’s biggest games of the regular season.
Game Time
North Muskegon’s gym has an old-time, small-school flavor, and the packed-in nature made it difficult to estimate how many students filled a quarter of the stands for what obviously was a big game – Montague had handed the Norsemen their only loss this season Jan. 10.
Still, this was a Wednesday. And had been a snow day. And the Nation still turned out in force, even if it was tough to figure out how many of 150-170 students were high schoolers or the youngsters from the elementary – aside from the first few rows, all grades seemed to mix pretty easily all the way to the rafters.
“Everyone grows up with each other. I don’t know what it is. It’s just this place,” Rypstra said.
Pajamas were the gear for the day, but sleep was not an option. Although the Norscots led a lot of cheers, anyone could get things going – and the yelling started before the opening tip and lasted through the final seconds of the home team’s 58-44 win.
There were favorite chants and cheers for individual players, and all positive. A student on electric guitar provided a unique spin to the national anthem, and the pep drum line provided accompaniment throughout the night. Halftime got a little wild – a pillow fight in front of the student section, followed by limbo at halfcourt and finishing with a “Cha-Cha Slide” – but no one was injured and everyone had fun, and the team became the focus again as soon as the second half started.
“They bring it all the time,” said Lindell, a football player during the fall. “It’s not just boys basketball. It’s girls basketball. It’s at football, it’s at soccer, it’s all the events. The student section is there, they’re cheering. Being on the football field, you can hear them going crazy in the student section. It’s year-round. We’re always doing it.
“We’re not here to support players. We’re here to support friends.”
Postgame Analysis
More than cheering: “I’ve kinda always been that person that’s super open and super inviting and (the one to) be like, ‘Let’s do this cheer. Let’s be loud,’” Hoppa said. “(But) I was never really close with Nick until this started, and now we’re friends and within the same friend group almost. Being in the Student Section Council has been cool for my school, but it’s been super cool for me and my friends because I’m growing my friend group too."
Intimidating in a good way: “As a competitor, I almost want (opponents) to be a little intimidated,” Lindell said. “I mean, not in a bad way. But be like, you know they’re going to be loud. You know they’re going to be in the game, and you know they’re going to make a difference in the game.”
Set the positive tone: “I feel like what we do against the rivals is cheer louder. We get more into it,” Lindsay said. “We stay with our positive cheers, but we just fire back at them if they say something; whether it’s positive or negative, we fire back louder. Just say ‘Go Norse’ even louder.”
Best possible compliment: “I have a lot of friends in our conference, and they’re like, ‘Your student section is always so fun. I wish I could go to North Muskegon and just be a part of that.’ And I’m like, ‘You can come. You know the theme; just come and do it,’” Hoppa said. “I think that’s a positive answer. That’s something awesome, that you want to hear. Somebody that’s not a part of something that you are part of, wanting to be a part of it.”
Next stop on BOTF: We will visit Buchanan for its boys basketball game tonight, Feb. 15, against Niles Brandywine. Public voting for Battle of the Fans begins Tuesday on the MHSAA’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites – come back to Second Half on Monday for our Buchanan report and Tuesday for instructions on how to vote.
The Battle of the Fans is sponsored in part by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.
PHOTOS: (Top) The Norse Nation cheers on the North Muskegon boys basketball team during its game Wednesday against Montague. (Middle) Junior Chris Rypstra, front, leads his classmates in a chant during a break on the floor. (Photos courtesy of North Muskegon High School yearbook staff.)
Scholars and Athletes 2016: Class B
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 8, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Michigan High School Athletic Association has selected eight student-athletes from Class B member schools to receive scholarships through the Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award program.
Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 27th year of sponsoring the award, will give $1,000 college scholarships to 32 individuals who represent their member schools in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament. The first 30 scholarships are awarded proportionately by school classification and the number of student-athletes involved in those classes; also, there are two at-large honorees who can come from any classification.
Students applying for the Scholar-Athlete Award must be carrying at least a 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade-point average and have previously won a letter in a varsity sport in which the Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsors a postseason tournament. Other requirements for the applicants were to show active participation in other school and community activities and produce an essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.
Each of the scholarship recipients will be honored at halftime ceremonies of the Class C Boys Basketball Final game March 26 at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing. Commemorative medallions will be given to the finalists in recognition of their accomplishments.
The Class B Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are: Lindsey Carlson, Charlotte; Spencer Keoleian, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood; Josef Philipp, Hillsdale; Paiton Plutchak, Menominee; Austin Thompson, Onsted; Kate Tobin, Grosse Ile; Trevor Trierweiler, Portland; and Katherine Williams, Grosse Ile.
Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class B Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay also is included:
Lindsey Carlson, Charlotte
Ran four seasons of varsity cross country and will play fourth season of varsity soccer this spring. Earned all-state honors in cross country as both a freshman and sophomore and earned league and Regional championships in addition to a top-10 finish at the MHSAA Finals and top-50 Finals finishes all four seasons. Served as captain of both of her teams. Serving as president in her third year on student council and also as president of student cheering section after helping create it as a junior. Participating in fourth year of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and her church youth group, and has served as a camp counselor, mentor and as a Junior Rotarian for her local club. Also played two years in the school band, attaining first chair and earning awards for saxophone solo and ensemble. Will attend Eastern Illinois University and study dietetics.
Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship is an admirable habit that will last a lifetime. … A caring, sportsmanlike action can go a long way, and the relationships and satisfaction made from it means much more than a temporary place in a race and a medal around the neck.”
Paiton Plutchak, Menominee
Played two seasons of varsity tennis and ran three seasons of varsity track and field and one of varsity cross country. Earned four league and one MHSAA Finals championship as a hurdler and sprinter, and earned all-Upper Peninsula honors playing No. 1 doubles in tennis. Served as team captain of both of those teams during 2015. Also has participated on a statewide level in forensics and as part of the Business Professionals of America state leadership conference. Served as BPA chapter president and National Honor Society chapter president, and is serving as her student council’s secretary. Participating for fourth year on local Healthy Youth Coalition, third as part of the local teen court and earned a Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizens Award; also participated as a delegate at the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State conference. Will attend Central Michigan University and study business.
Essay Quote: “High school athletics have tested my character and sportsmanship. … Sportsmanship is being humble, helpful and complimentary. I learned that if others try to bring you down, you need to stand tall and fight back with compliments and hard work. The most peaceful way to get back at someone is with success and compliments.”
Kate Tobin, Grosse Ile
Played four seasons of varsity volleyball, four of varsity basketball and will play third of varsity soccer this spring. Earned all-league and all-state honors in all three sports and has served as captain of both the volleyball (two seasons) and basketball teams. Participating on student council – and has held multiple leadership positions – for fourth year, and as part of National Honor Society for third after earning early induction into the latter. Also participates with her local Rotary Interact Club and has mentored freshman students and worked as a helper at a local elementary school. Also is serving as a referee for the local youth basketball league for the fourth year. Will attend the College of Charleston in South Carolina and study elementary education.
Essay Quote: “What makes sportsmanship so important is that it’s a legacy that will never die. Athletes can make their choice on whether or not they want to carry on the tradition, but all those who are a part of this legacy know that no one will ever be great without it. You can always be a great athlete, but your greatness is derived from sportsmanship.”
Katherine Williams, Grosse Ile
Played four seasons of varsity golf and will play her third of varsity soccer this spring; also played two seasons of subvarsity basketball. Played in four MHSAA Golf Finals and on the Lower Peninsula Division 4 champion team as a sophomore. Earned all-league and academic all-state honors in golf and served as that team’s captain, and also played on a league champion soccer team. Participating in third year of National Honor Society and has served as president, and also is in third year on student council. Plays in her school’s marching and symphonic bands and is the clarinet section leader, and has earned solo, ensemble and symphonic awards of excellence. Also has participated in a number of theatrical performances. Founded three service projects that have benefited her community’s needy and cancer research and awareness. Is undecided where she will attend college but intends to study advertising and communications.
Essay Quote: “Personally, athletics aren’t my everything. I do not live, breathe and sleep sports. I can experience the same “take the field” adrenaline in a marching band uniform or performing on stage. However, sportsmanship did help me fit in with the diehard … and that is why I believe an emphasis on integrity and kindness is so crucial in athletics.”
Spencer Keoleian, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Participating in his fourth season of swimming and diving and will play his second season of varsity lacrosse this spring; also played junior varsity football as a freshman. Qualified for MHSAA Swimming & Diving Finals his first three seasons and contributed to team’s first and second team Finals championships. Earned all-state recognition in two events and is serving as captain this winter. Also contributed to last season’s lacrosse MHSAA Finals title. Led retreats and participated in community outreach for four years as part of Bridge the Divide and co-founded Horizons Upward Bound Swim program to teach swimming to urban youth. Received University of Michigan’s Youth and Community Program Youth Leadership and Social Justice Schools and Communities certification. Selected by faculty to sit on school’s Conduct Review Disciplinary Board and participated in student government. Will attend Cornell University and study operations management and research engineering.
Essay Quote: “I thought this was the best feeling anyone could feel in athletics, the genuine happiness felt by one teammate for another who had done so well. However, as time passed, I realize there was more to it than just that. … I realized sportsmanship is not necessarily limited to organized athletics, but encompasses all forms of friendly competition.”
Josef Philipp, Hillsdale
Played four seasons of varsity football and soccer, is playing his third of varsity basketball and will play his fourth of varsity golf this spring. Owns school records for extra points and field goals and helped football team to the playoffs every season; contributed to league, District and Regional championships over three sports. Served as captain of soccer, basketball and golf teams and earned all-league honors in soccer and golf and all-state special and honorable mention in football. Selected for National Honor Society and has participated in a variety of volunteer services including as a board member of the school’s Freshman Mentor Program, Future Corps and as founding member and treasurer of Interact Club created for community work. Will attend Hillsdale College and study biochemistry.
Essay Quote: “Everyone wants to win. The question is how far does a participant, team or coach push to gain that win? Good sportsmanship needs to be taught to young people early as part of the game. It’s a culture that a coach, team, school and community must create. Good sportsmanship is also sometimes difficult to maintain, as it only takes one student, coach or fan to ruin a healthy culture.”
Austin Thompson, Onsted
Played two seasons of varsity football, is playing his second of varsity basketball, and will play his second of varsity golf and participate in his fourth of varsity track and field this spring. Qualified for MHSAA Finals for pole vault as a junior and helped basketball team to a league title last season and the track and field team to a league title in 2014. Earned sportsmanship and scholar-athlete awards from the Lenawee County Athletic Association. Captained football team in the fall. Holds top spot academically in his class with a 4.20 grade-point average and has served as his class president four years; also won the Tri-County Science Fair. Participating in fourth year of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and third of National Honor Society. Participated in a number of service projects including as a blood drive coordinator. Will attend University of Michigan or the University of Detroit Mercy and study actuarial mathematics.
Essay Quote: “I now know that sportsmanship off the field is a very powerful thing. Our opposing players were respecting us. They were showing appropriate and polite behavior. They were gracious with our loss and there to help us when we were down. The heartfelt gratitude our team showed in return formed strong bonds between many players.”
Trevor Trierweiler, Portland
Played two years of varsity tennis, is playing his second of varsity basketball and will play his third of varsity baseball this spring; also played two seasons of subvarsity football. Earned all-state honors for tennis in setting school single-season record for wins at No. 1 doubles, and earned all-league honors in baseball; also earned academic all-league honors in all three of his varsity sports. Served as captain of baseball team last season. Also serves as a member of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council. Participating in National Honor Society for third year and his school’s Captains Club for second. Earned academic letter for honors all four years; holds a 3.98 grade-point average. Volunteers as part of sport and non-sport service projects including “No More Sidelines” helping to provide sports opportunities to children and young adults with special needs. Will attend Kalamazoo College and study engineering.
Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship is not something that we are born with. Sportsmanship is a way to react/behave that we are taught through family, competition and athletics in general. Sometimes that idea of good sportsmanship gets lost in translation from emotions to behavior. … However, the display of good sportsmanship can help change the entire atmosphere around a team/school/community.”
Other Class B girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Erin Isola, Allegan; Greta Wilker, Belding; Keri Frahm, Frankenmuth; Alexis LaChappa, Harrison; Camryn A. Klein, Ionia; Fallon Gates, Manistee; Abigail Ufkes, Marshall; Erica Lynn Schwegman, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep; Elizabeth Swartz, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep; Amanda Pohl, Portland; Claudia Raines, Saginaw Swan Valley; and Brenna James, Sault Ste. Marie.
Other Class B boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Geoffrey Richard Pisani, Big Rapids; Nicolas Arons, Chelsea; Brendan Spangler, Coldwater; Evan Ciancio, Comstock Park; Ryan Mangulabnan, Dearborn Divine Child; Kyle Gavulic, Goodrich; Caleb E. Doane, Grant; Adam Kopp, Grosse Ile; Blake Willison, Grosse Ile; Justin Carlson, Hastings; Austin Davis, Onsted; and David Arnst, Ovid-Elsie.
The Class C and D scholarship award recipients were announced Feb. 2, and the Class A honorees will be announced Feb. 16.
Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan was founded in 1949 by Michigan farmers who wanted an insurance company that worked as hard as they did. Those values still guide the company today and are a big reason why it is known as Michigan’s Insurance Company, dedicated to protecting the farms, families, and businesses of this great state. Farm Bureau Insurance agents across Michigan provide a full range of insurance services—life, home, auto, farm, business, retirement, Lake Estate®, and more—protecting nearly 500,000 Michigan policyholders.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,400 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.