[Back to News]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 21, 2001
Contact: John Johnson or Randy Allen-- 517.332.5046

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Aug. 1 - In keeping with the mission of extracurricular activities being a part of a young person's educational experience, the Michigan High School Athletic Association has released a new video promoting the idea that playing more than one sport in high school has a positive effect on a student-athlete.

"We Got Games" is the title of a 13-minute video being distributed this month to MHSAA member senior high and junior high/middle schools across the state. The video is designed to be shown in a variety of settings, but particularly at preseason meetings with student-athletes and their parents.

This is the fifth straight year that the MHSAA has provided its member schools with video resources designed to communicate messages important to educational athletics. In 1997, the first video was an overview of the MHSAA, and included a piece on eligibility rules. In 1998, Sportsmanship Begins At Home was released; and the MHSAA was also instrumental in the distribution of an independently-produced video, We Got Next, a motivational tape for girls basketball players. The popular What Kids Wish Their Parents Knew About Sportsmanship followed in 1999; and STRIPES-Caretakers of the Games, was a video devoted to educating people about officiating last year.

"We have found that these videos have helped our schools deliver messages that help develop a better understanding of what high school sports are all about," said John E. "Jack" Roberts, executive director of the MHSAA. "This year's video makes it clear that a young person should take advantage of all the extracurricular activities that are available to them in high school; and reinforces data previously released that sports specialization is not necessarily in the best interests of young people."

We Got Games includes commentaries from a number for former high school athletes who benefited from playing more than one sport in high school. Participating in the production were Dean Altobelli, who played football, basketball and tennis at Escanaba High School from 1979-83; Carmen Kennedy, who participated in basketball, volleyball and track and field at Detroit Renaissance from 1992-95; Shane Battier, who played basketball and baseball at Detroit Country Day from 1994-97; and Erin Jury, who lettered in basketball, volleyball and soccer at Houghton Lake from 1996-99.

Interviews with coaches promoting the multiple-sports concept include: Marshall Thomas, the athletic director/boys basketball coach, and Don Durrett, the football coach at Sagainw High School; and Diane Laffey, the basketball-softball coach at Harper Woods Regina who was inducted into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
The video also features a number of multiple-sport student-athletes, most of whom recently graduated from their respective schools. Those athletes include:

Kirk Anderson, Negaunee, skiing, tennis
Michelle Bailey, Detroit Murray-Wright, golf, tennis
Jessica Beech, Okemos, basketball, volleyball, softball
Matt Bohnet, Grand Ledge, football, basketball, baseball
Justin Delay, Roscommon, wrestling, soccer, track and field
Chrissy DeMarti, Allen Park, competitive cheer, softball
Tracy Egnatuk, Albion, swimming and diving, track and field, soccer
Amy Lynn King, Pigeon Lake, volleyball, basketball, softball
Steven Lockwood, Alpena, football, track and field
Priya Malviya, Holland, tennis, soccer
Alfonso Martinez, Detroit Western, football, swimming and diving, baseball
Vincent Mayfield, East Kentwood, football, basketball, track and field
Jack McKinnon, St. Ignace, golf, track and field, basketball, cross country
Amy Myers, Cadillac, soccer, skiing, tennis
Mike Thackaberry, Plymouth Salem, golf, ice hockey, baseball
Christine Victor, Grosse Pointe North, gymnastics, tennis, track and field

We Got Games was produced by 1 Putt Productions, Troy, and is hosted by Tim Staudt, sports director at WILX-TV in Lansing. The tape may be purchased at a cost of $10 through the MHSAA office, and can be viewed on the MHSAA Web Site.
mhsaa.com/services/gotgames.html

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, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.

RL02-002

Farm Bureau Insurance and Little Caesars Pizza are year-round MHSAA Corporate Partners