Past MHSAA standouts to Compete with World's Elite at Winter Olympics
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
January 29, 2026
The XXV Winter Olympic Games start Friday, Feb. 6 with games taking place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Ninety-three countries are sending more than a combined 3,500 athletes to compete for 195 medals, with a handful of former MHSAA athletes hoping to land on the podium.
The Team USA men’s ice hockey team will be backstopped by Connor Hellebuyck, a three-time Vezina Award winner as the NHL’s top goalie after playing at Walled Lake Northern and graduating in 2011. Joining him on the ice will current Detroit Red Wing Dylan Larkin and Columbus Blue Jacket Zach Werenski. Larkin played soccer and golf at Waterford Mott before going to play hockey at the University of Michigan and in the NHL. Werenski played on the JV boys lacrosse team for one season at Grosse Pointe North.
The women’s ice hockey team features 2014 North Farmington grad Megan Keller – who played softball and basketball while in high school, in addition to travel hockey.
Nick Baumgartner will be participating in his fourth Winter Olympiad. He qualified in snowboard cross in 2010, 2014 and won Olympic gold in 2022. The 2000 graduate of West Iron County High School played football, wrestled, and ran track.
Boyne City graduate Kaila Kuhn (2021) is headed to her second Olympics. She finished eighth in freestyle ski aerials in Beijing in 2022 and is looking to improve on that this year. She ran track her senior year at Boyne City. Her father, Chris, coached the ski program at Boyne City from 2017-2025, and her older brother Quinton skied for the Ramblers.
Figure skater Emilea Zingas, a 2020 graduate of Grosse Pointe South, played JV girls lacrosse while participating on the varsity figure skating team.
And finally, while they didn’t participate in MHSAA-sponsored sports, figure skater Evan Bates (Ann Arbor Huron 2007) was on the figure skating team and snowboarder Jake Vedder (Pinckney 2016) was on the school-sponsored snowboarding team.
PHOTOS (Top) Connor Hellebuyck poses for a photo while playing at Walled Lake Northern. (Middle) This tribute at Boyne City High School celebrates Olympians Kaila Kuhn, class of 2021, and Cary Adgate, class of 1971. Adgate was a two-time Olympian in alpine skiing, competing in 1976 and 1980. (Photos courtesy of the respective schools.)
Century of School Sports: 200+ Representatives Fill All-Time Council Roster
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 6, 2025
When Plymouth-Canton Community Schools superintendent Monica Merritt attended her first meeting as a member of the MHSAA’s Representative Council on March 21 in East Lansing, she became the 203rd voting member to serve on the association’s legislative body since the first Council convened Dec. 13, 1924.
We covered how the Council is comprised in our Dec. 3 installment – “MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council.” Briefly, the Council is the 19-member legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.
During a typical school year, the Council meets three times, and convened for the third time for 2024-25 this past Sunday and Monday in Gaylord.
The first Representative Council included 11 members, from Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Detroit, Eaton Rapids, Escanaba, Flint, Grand Rapids, Ishpeming, Otsego, Petoskey and Saginaw. While it’s difficult to say how many high schools specifically have been represented over the years – for example, Detroit Public Schools as a district has one representative, and there are multiple statewide positions – it’s accurate to say at least 130 communities (made of one or more schools) have sent at least one delegate over the last century.
Total, 54 Council members have served at least a decade, and 11 of those 54 have served at least 20 years: Detroit’s George Mead (1930-62) and Roy Allen (1976-96), Gwinn’s Leo P. McDonald (1930-52), Saginaw’s Roy J. McMurray (1932-50, 1952-57), Escanaba’s Dan Flynn (1988-2010), Grand Haven's Scott Grimes (2001-24), Deerfield, Beal City, Hartford and Cheboygan’s Paul Ellinger (1985-2007); Gaylord, Benzonia and Bear Lake’s Karen Leinaar (2000-2021); Clare, Maple City and Sanford Meridian’s William Newkirk (1988-2007), Trenton and Gibraltar Carlson’s Eric Federico (1986-94, 1996-2009) and current director of physical education and athletics for the Archdiocese of Detroit Vic Michaels, who has represented non-public schools on the Council since 2003.
A total of 17 Council members have served multiple terms but not entirely consecutively, with Petoskey’s Robert Doctor the only one with two breaks; he was on the Council from 1972-80, 1988-90 and 1994-95. As noted by his 32 years above, Mead was on the Council longest, representing Detroit Public Schools during his tenure as health and physical education director.
At least eight Council members have represented multiple schools, including current member Fred Smith, who has served a combined 15 years over two tenures while employed at Comstock, Buchanan, Benton Harbor and currently Bangor.
Michigan Department of Education representatives are not counted in the totals above as they are non-voting members – but they has provided an invaluable viewpoint during Council proceedings over the years. The current MDE representative on Council is Ross Fort, who serves as special assistant to the deputy superintendent.
The photo above was taken Monday morning. Front row, from left, are MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl, Michaels (who also serves as Council secretary/treasurer), Midland athletic director and Council president Eric Albright, and Brighton athletic director and Council vice president John Thompson.
Second row, from left, are Gobles athletic director Chris Miller, Freeland Middle School principal Jennifer Thunberg, Kingsford athletic director Chris Hartman and Camden-Frontier superintendent Chris Adams.
Third row, from left: Boyne City High School principal Adam Stefanski, Harbor Springs athletic director Anna Novak, Wyoming Godfrey-Lee Public Schools superintendent Arnetta Thompson, Mt. Morris athletic director Jeff Kline and Fenton High School principal Mike Bakker.
Back row, from left: Westland John Glenn athletic director Jason Malloy, Smith, Merritt, Fort, Detroit Public Schools executive director of athletics Jay Alexander and Calumet assistant principal Sean Jacques. (Portage Northern athletic director Chris Riker is not pictured.)
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
April 29: MHSAA Programs Prioritize Health & Safety - Read
April 23: Patches Signify Registered Officials' Role in MHSAA Story - Read
April 16: Student Advisory Council Gives Voice to Athletes - Read
April 9: State's Storytellers Share Spring Memories - Read
April 2: Sharp Leadership Synonymous with MHSAA Success - Read
March 25: Athletic Directors Indispensable to Mission of School Sports - Read
March 18: 2025 Finals Begin Next Half-Century of Girls Hoops Championships - Read
March 11: Boys Basketball's Best 1st to Earn MHSAA Finals Titles - Read
March 5: Everything We Do Begins with Participation - Read
Feb. 25: Slogans & Logos Remain Unforgettable Parts of MHSAA History - Read
Feb. 19: MHSAA Tickets Continue to Provide Fan-Friendly Value - Read
Feb. 11: We Recognize Those Who Make Our Games Go - Read
Feb. 4: WISL Conference Continues to Inspire Aspiring Leaders - Read
Jan. 28: Michigan's National Impact Begins at NFHS' Start - Read
Jan. 21: Awards Celebrate Well-Rounded Educational Experience - Read
Jan. 14: Predecessors Laid Foundation for MHSAA's Formation - Read
Jan. 9: MHSAA Blazes Trail Into Cyberspace - Read
Dec. 31: State's Storytellers Share Winter Memories - Read
Dec. 17: MHSAA Over Time - Read
Dec. 10: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate - Read
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council - Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory - Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read