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Plenty to cheer about for Richmond

March 6, 2012

Third, third and second.

Those are the places Richmond's cheer team had finished at Division 3 Finals over the last three seasons, respectively.

This winter, the Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 the entire season -- and seemed destined to finish first for the first time in school history.

Richmond gets this week's Second Half team High 5 for finishing the run, scoring 781.838 point to claim the Division 3 championship Saturday at the Grand Rapids Delta Plex.

"This year, the focus has been on winning. They were not going to finish their season without bringing home this trophy," Richmond coach Kelli Matthes said. "To come into the championship undefeated and finish that way, that says an amazing thing for those kids."

Indeed, the Devils won all of their events this season on the way to a 16-point victory over reigning champion Comstock Park on Saturday. Richmond finished 27 points back of Comstock Park at the 2011 Final, making a strong recovery after losing a teammate to a knee injury during warm-ups.

Richmond relied on a few mottos this season, one about the success that comes with giving one's all, and the other about the price in suffering to be the best.

"We suffered last year, and we're living as champions this year,"  senior Kelsey Kasom said.

"We just stayed focused on ourselves," Matthes said. "I preached tunnel vision to our kids, and that's what we did."

Title IX at 50

Title IX at 50: We Will Celebrate Many Who Paved the Way

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 31, 2021

Before the passage of Title IX in 1972, fewer than 300,000 females participated in athletics nationwide, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

During the 2019-20 school year – the most recent not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic – nearly 76,000 girls competed in athletics in Michigan alone, filling more than 120,000 spots on teams for 750 high schools statewide.

By protecting people of all genders from discrimination in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance, Title IX began a now half-century long journey toward equalizing those opportunities.  

In advance of next June’s 50th year since the passage of Title IX, every Tuesday this school year we’ll celebrate a person, team or moment that has contributed to Michigan’s rich history of females participating in athletics at MHSAA member schools.

We begin with Michigan's contributions to the yearlong NFHS celebration, which last week highlighted a trailblazer, moment of magnitude and pioneering program across its social media channels.

Second Half's weekly Title IX Celebration posts are sponsored by Michigan Army National Guard.