[Back to News]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --November 8, 2000
Contact: John Johnson or Andy Frushour-- 517.332.5046

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Nov. 8 - To enhance the atmosphere of selected tournament finals, the Michigan High School Athletic Association is in its third year of conducting youth clinics, with registration now underway for the second annual clinic at the Girls Basketball Finals in Mt. Pleasant on December 2.

CHAMPS (Cooperation, Hard Work, Attitude, Motivation, Participation, Sportsmanship) Clinics target local female junior high/middle school-aged students and their parents in a morning-long workshop designed to provide game skills and life skills information. The CHAMPS Clinics are free, and are underwritten by Farm Bureau Insurance and Little Caesars Pizza.

Enrollment in the CHAMPS Clinic is limited to the first 80 girls and their parents - parental attendance is a requirement. The clinic will take place from 8:30 to 11 a.m. in the Indoor Athletic Complex on the campus of Central Michigan University, just South of Rose Arena, where the four MHSAA Girls Basketball Finals will take place.

Applications have been sent to MHSAA member schools in the greater Mt. Pleasant area.

"The feedback we've had from our initial CHAMPS Clinics has been very positive," said John E. "Jack" Roberts, executive director of the MHSAA. "Some people believe that you can't get anything for free anymore, but in one three-hour clinic, the young people and their parents receive a great dose of game skill training and life skill information from some of the best clinicians around."

The basketball skills clinic will be presented for the second straight year by the Detroit Shock. While the youngsters are improving their game skills, their parents will hear from different members of the Central Michigan University athletic and physical education staff about sports nutrition, academic eligibility requirements and parental sportsmanship. The popular MHSAA-produced video, "What Kids Wish Their Parents Knew About Sportsmanship," will be a part of the latter classroom presentation.

All youngsters participating in the CHAMPS Clinic will receive a t-shirt, and lunch will be provided for all players and parents, courtesy of Little Caesars Pizza. CHAMPS Clinic participants and their parents will also be guests of the MHSAA for the Class D-A session of the Girls Basketball Finals that day, and the participating youngsters will be recognized on-court at halftime of the Class D championship game.

Registrations must be submitted by November 30. For more information, contact: Dr. James Hornak, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Central Michigan University, SAC 194, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858. Telephone: 517/774-6659; or the MHSAA office in East Lansing.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,300 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 conducted in 12 sports for girls and 12 sports for boys which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.

RL01-024