Advisory Council Seeking Class of '19

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

April 11, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The MHSAA is seeking student-athletes to become members of its Student Advisory Council beginning with the 2017-18 school year.

Four boys and four girls from the Class of 2019 will be selected to two-year terms, and will meet on matters related to maintaining and promoting a proper perspective and sensible scope for high school sports in Michigan. Eight members from the Class of 2018 already are serving on the Council, while eight members of the Class of 2017 are leaving the Council this spring.

To be eligible for the committee, candidates must be a member of the Class of 2019, complete the official application including answering the three short-answer questions, submit a letter of recommendation from a school administrator, have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and be available for all scheduled meetings.

In addition, candidates should show a history of leadership on athletic teams as well as with other extracurricular activities, community service projects, or in the workplace; and show an understanding of the role of school sports and have ideas for promoting a proper perspective for educational athletics.

Applications are due in the MHSAA office by 4:30 p.m. on April 19. Applications can be downloaded from the Student Advisory Council page of the MHSAA Website, filled out on the computer or handwritten, and returned to the MHSAA office by e-mail, fax or any mail delivery service. 

The Student Advisory Council meets seven times each school year, and once more for a 24-hour leadership camp. In addition to assisting in the promotion of the educational value of interscholastic athletics, the Council discusses issues dealing with the 4 S’s of educational athletics: scholarship, sportsmanship, safety (including health and nutrition) and the sensible scope of athletic programs. Members contribute in planning Sportsmanship Summits, Captains Clinics and other student leadership events, and assist with medal ceremonies at MHSAA championship events. The Council also judges the “Battle of the Fans,” which it created during the 2011-12 school year as a way to promote positive sportsmanship.

Newly-chosen members will join the following from the Class of 2018: Sydney Hanson, Alma; Jordan Tirico, Ann Arbor Skyline; Danny deForest, Holland West Ottawa; Darby Dean, Lowell; Rachel Cummings, Mayville; Grace Reetz, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart; Aaron Fahmer, Owendale-Gagetown; and Hunter Gandee, Temperance Bedford.

The eight new members of the Student Advisory Council will be notified by April 28. The 2017-18 meetings are tentatively scheduled for Aug. 27, Oct. 8, Dec. 3, Jan. 7, Feb. 11, April 22 and May 20. Meetings will take place at the MHSAA Office in East Lansing. 

For more information, contact Andy Frushour at the MHSAA – 517-332-5046 or [email protected].

PHOTO: The MHSAA Student Advisory Council enjoyed an overnight retreat at Mystic Lake Camp last summer. 

Performance of the Week: Sault Ste. Marie's Gabe Litzner

September 6, 2024

Gabe Litzner headshotGabe Litzner ♦ Sault Ste. Marie
Junior ♦ Cross Country

Litzner entered this season as the back-to-back Upper Peninsula Division 1 champion, and he's extending his dominance to the Lower Peninsula as well. He's run, and won, two races downstate already this fall including the Aug. 28 East Jordan Invitational, when he finished first among Division 1, 2 and 3 competitors with a time of 15:26.7 only 1.3 seconds off his winning Finals time from a year ago. 

That time also was nearly 53 seconds faster than the field at East Jordan as Sault Ste. Marie finished second in the D1-3 race to Traverse City St. Francis. A week earlier, Litzner won the Birch Run Invitational by nearly 34 seconds against a field that included teams from all four Lower Peninsula divisions. He'll be running later this fall to become the ninth three-time UP Finals champion. He's also the reigning UPD1 track & field champion in the 3,200, where he set the meet record of 9:35.63, and was on the winning 3,200 relay as a freshman. 

@mhsaasports 🏃‍♂️‍➡️POW: Gabe Litzner #crosscountry #SaultSteMarie #invitational #winner #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA

@mhsaasports 🏃‍♂️‍➡️POW: Gabe Litzner #tiktalk #questiontime #part2 #greenbaypackers #jordan #cornhole #butterfinger #emoji #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

Aug. 30: Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report

PHOTOS courtesy of the Sault Ste. Marie athletic department.