SAC Sound-off: It's not the Win, But the Race
February 8, 2012
All I ever wanted from my high school athletic career was to be an all-state runner in cross country.
My sophomore year, our cross country team won the MHSAA Division 3 title at Michigan International Speedway, but we didn’t have any all-state runners! I was so excited because our top five consisted of four seniors and me. I was our number three runner, and placed 44th overall. It seemed like just the start of big things.
Track season was a blast that year, even though I didn’t qualify for the MHSAA Finals in any events. But when I got back into cross country in fall 2010, I really wanted to be all-state. (The top 30 individuals in each race receive the honor.)
I trained really hard, but I couldn’t get any faster than when I was a sophomore. In fact, I was running slower than I did the year before. I ended up placing 47th in my division at the MHSAA Finals. I was extremely disappointed. But, the season was over. I decided it was time to focus on track.
I ran all winter and attended a few indoor meets. The training paid off when the season started. I was running as fast as I did the year before, and I was able to make our 3200-meter relay team. I qualified for the MHSAA Division 3 Final only with my relay team, but we placed third – and I finally was all-state.
But I wanted more. I wanted to earn the honor by myself.
I ran nearly 500 miles over the summer to prepare for the 2011 cross country season. I ran faster than I ever had before. I thought I had all-state in the bag this year.
And again, I fell short. Again, I placed 47th at MIS.
Yes, I was very disappointed in myself again. But I learned that getting the all-state medal is not what is important. Having fun is what really matters. And throughout my career, I’ve had plenty.
That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to get all-state this spring. It just means that I am going to have more fun trying!
Travis Clous, Benzie Central senior
- Sports: Cross country, track and field, basketball
- Non-sports activities: Student section, pep band, marching band, concessions worker
- Favorite classes: Band and AP biology
- Must-see TV: "How I Met Your Mother"
- One shining moment: My sophomore year of cross country when we won the MHSAA Finals even though we did not have a single all-state runner.
- What’s next: I plan to attend either Hope College or Michigan State University to enter the pre-med field, but as of now. I am still undecided. I plan to run wherever I go, though.
- My favorite part of game day is: ... before the race, I listen to my Ipod. I usually listen to older music to get pumped. I also like to listen to Disney soundtracks; my favorite is the music from "Mulan." The songs usually get stuck in my head, and I end up singing them on the run. I feel like the music helps move me along.
PHOTO courtesy of Travis Clous (front), running at the MHSAA Division 3 Cross Country Final.
MHSAA's 'Battle of the Fans' Returns with BOTF X
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 8, 2021
The MHSAA's Student Advisory Council will host its 10th “Battle of the Fans” contest this winter to award the top high school student cheering section in Michigan, with three rounds of competition that will recognize nine semifinalists, three finalists and eventually the 2021-22 champion.
The annual Battle of the Fans was put on hold for the 2020-21 school year due to COVID-19, but crowds have returned to most venues, with county health departments and individual school districts making local decisions on potential spectator limits. The most recent champion was Buchanan in 2020; Buchanan has won three BOTF championships, Frankenmuth has won two, and North Muskegon, Traverse City West, Dowagiac and Beaverton also have won over the first nine years.
Schools are invited to submit a short video, via Tik Tok, of their cheering sections in action at a school sporting event. Video submissions should be up to three minutes long and explain how that section meets the following contest criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, student section leadership and fun.
The deadline for student-submitted video applications is noon Jan. 8. Nine semifinalists then will be chosen – three each from Class A, Class B and Class C/D – to partake in a two-week challenge where each will be required to complete five tasks further showing why it should be chosen as Michigan’s best student section. From those nine, three finalists then will be selected by the Student Advisory Council and visited on a home game night by MHSAA staff and Advisory Council representatives. The MHSAA will produce a video of that finalist after each visit, with the champion being selected by the Student Advisory Council based in part on support each section receives on the MHSAA’s social media sites.
This year’s Battle of the Fans X winner will be announced Feb. 18 and recognized March 25 at the Breslin Center.
“After a year of limited fans in the stands, students have been itching to support their local teams,” said Andy Frushour, MHSAA director of brand management and advisor to the Student Advisory Council. “Even though we are not yet past this pandemic, we know student sections are safely organizing to support their classmates and be part of something that for many is among the most memorable parts of the high school experience. It was great to see students in the stands together this fall, and we are excited to see the enthusiasm in gyms this winter.
“We are even more excited to bring this competition to Tik Tok. Students spend a lot of time making videos on that platform, and we are eager to see what they come up with for Battle of the Fans.”
Rules, directions for submitting videos, plus links to coverage of finalists from the first nine years of the contest can be found on the MHSAA Website. This year’s finalist videos, plus the announcement of the 2021-22 winner, will be published on Second Half.
The Student Advisory Council is made up of eight seniors and eight juniors who each serve two-year terms. The Council acts as the voice of Michigan's student-athletes; it serves as a student sounding board for the MHSAA's Representative Council, assists in planning Sportsmanship Summits, Captains Clinics and other student leadership events; participates in a yearly focus group about the state of high school sports for Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports and assists with medal ceremonies at MHSAA championship events.