SAC Sound-off: Meet Kevin Beazley
April 4, 2012
Detroit Catholic Central senior Kevin Beazley is one of Michigan's top wrestlers and finished his high school career in the best way possible -- with a win. After finishing runner-up at 171 pounds at last season's MHSAA Division 1 Finals, Beazley won the 189-pound title last month at The Palace of Auburn Hills. He also helped the Shamrocks to the Division 1 team championship the weekend before.
Kevin Beazley, Detroit Catholic Central senior
- Sport: Wrestling
- Non-sports activities: Brothers Club, Monogram Club, Student Council
- Favorite class: English
- Must-see TV: "The Big Bang Theory"
- One shining moment: Beating (Lowell's) Gabe Dean, the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the country. (NOTE: This was submitted before Beazley's championship run.)
- What’s next: I'm going to Old Dominion University next year to wrestle, and I will be studying biology, hopefully on the path to becoming a med student at the Eastern Virginia Medical School.
- My favorite part of game day is: ... the mental preparation I go through. Getting in the zone in a corner of the gym, listening to my iPod. Focusing and visualizing are so much fun for me.
PHOTO: Detroit Catholic Central senior Kevin Beazley (right) wrestles in the Division 1 189-pound Final against Temperance Bedford's Brandon Sunday last month. (Photo courtesy of High School Sports Scene).
Bedford's Gandee Honored for 'Spirit'
March 13, 2017
By John Gillis
Special from NFHS
Hunter Gandee, a student-athlete at Temperance Bedford High School, has been selected as the 2017 Section 4 recipient of the “National High School Spirit of Sport Award” by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
The National High School Spirit of Sport Award was created by the NFHS to recognize those individuals who exemplify the ideals of the spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics.
The mark of a “good big brother” is often to what lengths he might go to assist his younger siblings.
That sense of familial assistance has perhaps never been taken to the extremes that Hunter Gandee has repeatedly done for his younger brother Braden.
A standout student, Hunter is a junior with a 3.92 grade-point average and a member of the National Honor Society.
On the sports side, Hunter is in his third season on the varsity wrestling team, and participates in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling during the offseason. He's also a member of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council.
While those accomplishments are unquestionably outstanding, they might pale in comparison to what he has done for Braden.
Born with cerebral palsy, Braden has limited use of his legs. Nonetheless, Hunter has taken it upon himself to help Braden know what it feels like to walk long distances – and he’s done it three times. Organized for the purpose of raising awareness of cerebral palsy, Hunter literally carries Braden on his back for long walks known as “CP Swaggers.”
In 2014, Hunter carried Braden 40 miles from the Bedford Junior High School wrestling room to the University of Michigan’s Bahna Wrestling Center. The following year, they upped the trek’s mileage to 57 miles.
However, that couldn’t foreshadow what was to follow in April 2016 when Hunter carried Braden on his back an amazing 111 miles – some 14 miles more than the first two walks combined.
About the Award: The NFHS divides the nation into eight geographical sections. The states in Section 4 are Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Nominations for this award were generated through NFHS member state associations and reviewed by the NFHS Spirit of Sport Award Selection Committee composed of state association staff members.
While the national winner will be recognized June 29 at the NFHS Summer Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, the section winners will be recognized within their respective states and will receive awards before the end of the current school year.
PHOTO: Hunter Gandee, second from right, carries his brother Braden as part of their effort to bring awareness to cerebral palsy. (Photo courtesy of The Cerebral Palsy Swagger.)