2023 Forsythe Award Celebrates Leinaar's 40 Years Dedicated to School Sports
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 8, 2023
Few people in Michigan have had a longer-lasting influence on the rules and policies of educational athletics than Frankfort’s Karen Leinaar, who has served in several roles locally, statewide and nationally over more than 40 years contributing to the school sports community.
Thank you, Bill Baker.
The longtime teacher, coach, principal and superintendent during a career that stretched across multiple schools – including Leinaar’s growing up, Delton Kellogg – made an impression on the standout multi-sport athlete before she graduated from high school in 1977. Baker’s philosophy and work led Leinaar to study education at Michigan State University and then brought her back as Delton’s athletic director to begin four decades of making the same impact on children in her hometown and eventually in hometowns all over Michigan and beyond.
Baker died in 2009, but not before continuing to mentor Leinaar through many good times and tough ones.
“The man had two daughters that I grew up with, his wife was a teacher, and he demonstrated to all of us – he never missed an event – that we were important to him. That even though we weren’t his kids, we were his kids and athletics was a way to help kids become better people – and for some kids it was the only thing that they had positive in their life,” Leinaar said. “And he made it known just to that individual kid how important their participation was and their involvement, and how that helped them become the person that they were.
“That to me was such an example of how to help people be good people, that I just took that role on.”
It’s a role in which she continues to serve. Leinaar began her career as an athletic administrator in 1982, and as the interim athletic director currently at Frankfort High School is serving her fifth district in that position. Since June 2019, she also has served as executive director of the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA), the professional organization for school sports administrators in the state with a membership of nearly 700.
To recognize that longtime and continuing impact, Leinaar has been named the 2023 honoree for the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Charles E. Forsythe Award.
The annual award is in its 46th year and named after former MHSAA Executive Director Charles E. Forsythe, the Association's first full-time and longest-serving chief executive. Forsythe Award recipients are selected each year by the MHSAA Representative Council, based on an individual's outstanding contributions to the interscholastic athletics community.
Leinaar also served 22 years on the MHSAA’s Representative Council and a four-year term from 2009-13 on the Board of Directors for the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), and just last week was named to the 2023 class of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Hall of Fame.
“It is impossible even to estimate the number of students, coaches, administrators and others who have been affected by the work Karen Leinaar has done to make school sports the best they can be – not only in her communities, but across Michigan and throughout the country,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “There are few who have equaled her dedication and her support and promotion of the ideals of school-based sports. She has always placed an emphasis on being in the room, on the field or at the arena, actively participating in her leadership roles, and our programs are better for it.”
Leinaar first served as athletic director at Delton Kellogg for nearly 17 years, from March 1982 through October 1998. She spent three years at Gaylord, then 8½ at Benzie Central before taking over at Bear Lake in November 2010 and spending the next decade organizing athletic programs for students in grades 5-12 before retiring in January 2021. She came out of retirement to return to the athletic director’s chair this past fall as interim AD at Frankfort. She has completed nearly four years as MIAAA executive director, moving into that position after previously serving nine years as an assistant to the executive.
Leinaar began her service on the Representative Council in Fall 1999 and completed her last term as a statewide at-large representative at the Fall 2021 meeting.
She has been honored several times for her contributions. She received the MHSAA’s Women In Sports Leadership Award in 1998, a Citation from the NFHS in 2000, and she was named MIAAA Athletic Director of the Year in 2001. She received an MHSAA’s Allen W. Bush Award in 2014 – recognition given for work done generally behind the scenes and with little attention.
“This is the top of the mountain, per se. This one does mean so much,” Leinaar said of the Forsythe Award. “The names that are associated with this over the years, I never thought I’d be put in that group.”
Leinaar remains a continuous source of support at a multitude of MHSAA championship events, and during her time on Council was one of the most frequent representatives handing out trophies and medals to champions and runners-up at Finals events. She began while athletic director at Delton Kellogg hosting the MHSAA Volleyball Finals in Class B and Class C and continues to assist with those championships now played at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.
She also hosted Competitive Cheer Finals at Delton Kellogg in 1996 and 1997, Ski Finals while at Gaylord, and many more championship events across the Lower Peninsula. She continues to assist at the MHSAA’s Lower Peninsula Cross Country and Track & Field Finals.
After attending Delton Kellogg High School, Leinaar earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education, health and recreation, with a minor in driver education, from MSU in 1982. She completed a master’s in athletic administration from Western Michigan University in 1994.
Leinaar has been a member for 40 years of both the MIAAA and NIAAA, and has served as chairperson of the MIAAA Annual Conference and awards chairperson for both the state and national bodies. She’s also served as chairperson of the MIAAA’s Exemplary Athletic Program.
Past recipients of the Charles E. Forsythe Award
1978 - Brick Fowler, Port Huron; Paul Smarks, Warren
1979 - Earl Messner, Reed City; Howard Beatty, Saginaw
1980 - Max Carey, Freesoil
1981 - Steven Sluka, Grand Haven; Samuel Madden, Detroit
1982 - Ernest Buckholz, Mt. Clemens; T. Arthur Treloar, Petoskey
1983 - Leroy Dues, Detroit; Richard Maher, Sturgis
1984 - William Hart, Marquette; Donald Stamats, Caro
1985 - John Cotton, Farmington; Robert James, Warren
1986 - William Robinson, Detroit; Irving Soderland, Norway
1987 - Jack Streidl, Plainwell; Wayne Hellenga, Decatur
1988 - Jack Johnson, Dearborn; Alan Williams, North Adams
1989 - Walter Bazylewicz, Berkley; Dennis Kiley, Jackson
1990 - Webster Morrison, Pickford; Herbert Quade, Benton Harbor
1991 - Clifford Buckmaster, Petoskey; Donald Domke, Northville
1992 - William Maskill, Kalamazoo; Thomas G. McShannock, Muskegon
1993 - Roy A. Allen Jr., Detroit; John Duncan, Cedarville
1994 - Kermit Ambrose, Royal Oak
1995 - Bob Perry, Lowell
1996 - Charles H. Jones, Royal Oak
1997 - Michael A. Foster, Richland; Robert G. Grimes, Battle Creek
1998 - Lofton C. Greene, River Rouge; Joseph J. Todey, Essexville
1999 - Bernie Larson, Battle Creek
2000 - Blake Hagman, Kalamazoo; Jerry Cvengros, Escanaba
2001 - Norm Johnson, Bangor; George Lovich, Canton
2002 - John Fundukian, Novi
2003 - Ken Semelsberger, Port Huron
2004 - Marco Marcet, Frankenmuth
2005 - Jim Feldkamp, Troy
2006 - Dan McShannock, Midland; Dail Prucka, Monroe
2007 - Keith Eldred, Williamston; Tom Hickman, Spring Lake
2008 - Jamie Gent, Haslett; William Newkirk, Sanford Meridian
2009 - Paul Ellinger, Cheboygan
2010 - Rudy Godefroidt, Hemlock; Mike Boyd, Waterford
2011 - Eric C. Federico, Trenton
2012 - Bill Mick, Midland
2013 - Jim Gilmore, Tecumseh; Dave Hutton, Grandville
2014 - Dan Flynn, Escanaba
2015 - Hugh Matson, Saginaw
2016 - Gary Hice, Petoskey; Gina Mazzolini, Lansing
2017 - Chuck Nurek, Rochester Hills
2018 - Gary Ellis, Allegan
2019 - Jim Derocher, Negaunee; Fredrick J. Smith, Stevensville
2020 - Michael Garvey, Lawton
2021 - Leroy Hackley Jr., Byron Center; Patti Tibaldi, Traverse City
2022 - Bruce Horsch, Houghton
PHOTOS (Top) Karen Leinaar, left, awards the 2022 Division 4 volleyball finalist trophy to Indian River Inland Lakes coach Nicole Moore. (Middle) Leinaar accepts the MHSAA's Women In Sports Leadership Award in 1998.
2024 Scholar-Athlete Award Recipients Announced in Class C & D
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 5, 2024
The Michigan High School Athletic Association has selected 10 student-athletes from Class C and D member schools to receive scholarships through the MHSAA/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award program.
Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 35th year of sponsoring the award, will give $2,000 college scholarships to 32 individuals who represent their member schools in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament. The first 30 scholarships are awarded proportionately by school classification and the number of student-athletes involved in those classes; also, there are two at-large honorees who can come from any classification.
Students applying for the Scholar-Athlete Award must be carrying at least a 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade-point average and have previously won a letter in a varsity sport in which the Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsors a postseason tournament. Other requirements for the applicants were to show active participation in other school and community activities and produce an essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.
The 32 scholarship recipients will be recognized March 16 during the MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing.
The Class C Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are Sara Dammann, New Lothrop; Kylie Ott, Bridgman; Brooke Spitzley, Pewamo-Westphalia; Tristan B. Harbaugh, Gobles; Benjamin March, St. Louis; and Ryin Ruddy, Ottawa Lake Whiteford.
The Class D Scholar-Athlete Award recipients are Mallory Lowe, Leland; Alivia Salenbien, Britton Deerfield; Ridley Fast, Hillsdale Academy; and Ben McCaw, Lawrence.
Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class C Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay also is included:
Sara Dammann, New Lothrop
Ran four seasons of cross country and will play her fourth season of varsity softball this spring. Raced at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals this past fall and earned all-state honorable mention in softball as a junior. Named National Merit Scholarship semifinalist and earned College Board National Rural and Small Town Award. Participated in Shiawassee Scholars Class of 2024 program throughout high school, and is participating in second year of National Honor Society. Has participated in FFA (Future Farmers of America) throughout high school as well, earning state championships for prepared public speaking and parliamentary procedure and serving as her school chapter’s vice president and also region’s vice president. Participating in third year of quiz bowl and has served as captain multiple years. Served two years on student council and as a youth sports umpire throughout high school, and also participates in church youth group and serves as lector. Is undecided where she will attend college but intends to study something in a business-related field.
Essay Quote: “This lesson on teamwork, learned through educational athletics, is also imperative in life. Sure, individual successes are important, but to make the positive impact the world needs, we … need to work together to use our individual strengths to build a better tomorrow. We need to support one another's talents and focus on overcoming challenges together, as a team.”
Kylie Ott, Bridgman
Played four seasons of varsity volleyball, is playing her second of varsity basketball and will compete in her fourth of track & field this spring. Earned all-conference recognition in track four times and also academic all-state in that sport. Received all-conference honorable mention in volleyball. Served as captain of volleyball and basketball teams. Participating in fourth year of student senate and class advisory, and has served as senate and class president. Participating in second year of National Honor Society and has served as vice president of her chapter, and fourth year of key club and has served president of that organization as well. Participating in fourth year of DECA, and has served as secretary. Will attend Purdue University and study biomedical engineering.
Essay Quote: At first sight of the word ‘sportsmanship,’ you may visualize the act of helping another player up after a fall or encouraging teammates after mistakes. However, true sportsmanship isn’t limited by one public gesture, but rather, a consistent pursuit of little things even when no one is watching. It is a moral behavior that is learned and taught by example and comes not by desire for appraisal but by an adamant passion for the game.”
Brooke Spitzley, Pewamo-Westphalia
Played two seasons of varsity golf, will play third of varsity softball in the spring, and also played three seasons of varsity basketball. Qualified for MHSAA Finals in golf and earned all-area honors multiple seasons in softball. Earned academic all-state honors in golf and basketball. Served as captain of softball and golf teams, and helped found the school’s girls golf program. Participating in second year of National Honor Society, and as chapter president, and serving in first year on student council and as treasurer. Serving as co-editor of yearbook in second year on staff, and as social media manager for multiple student groups. Participating in third years of Student Voice and PLANK student support program, and first as part of P-W Students Take Charge. Will attend University of South Florida and study medical biology.
Essay Quote: “It is hard for athletes to realize that there is more to life than success in a sport; sportsmanship often puts this into perspective. Helping an opponent off the ground, shaking hands, even a meaningful “good job” allows an athlete to take a step back from the competitive nature they are taught and realize the big picture … that there is more to life than the stat book that one’s self-worth is derived from.”
Tristan B. Harbaugh, Gobles
Played three seasons of varsity football, is playing his third of varsity basketball and will play his fourth of varsity baseball this spring. Earned all-league in football and basketball and academic all-state in football and baseball, and was named a Michigan High School Football Coaches Association scholar-athlete. Served as captain of all three high school teams. Participating in third year of National Honor Society and fourth on student leadership team, and playing third year in school marching/concert/jazz band. Serving as first chair for percussion and is a three-time band section leader. Served as youth sports volunteer throughout high school and tutor the last two years. Will attend University of Michigan and study biomedical engineering.
Essay Quote: “… This singular experience opened my eyes to the true meaning of sportsmanship, and how impactful sports could be when the accomplishments of character are discussed, and when sportsmanship is about building people up, teammates, opponents, and even people in the stands who see something special taking place on the field. The values that high school sports teach and the experiences they provide, like teamwork, leadership, and work ethic, can bring out the best in athletes.”
Ben March, St. Louis
Ran four seasons of cross country, is competing in his fourth of varsity wrestling and will compete in his fourth of track & field this spring. Earned all-state all four seasons and twice won Regional championships in cross country, helping that team to Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals championships in 2020 and 2021. Earned all-league honorable mention twice and won a District title in wrestling, helping that team to two Regional championships, and earned multiple league and regional honors and made all-state as part of a relay in track. Earned academic all-state in cross country and track and has served as captain of cross country and wrestling teams multiple seasons. Participating in third year of Business Professionals of America, and has served as secretary, and is participating in second year of Rotary Interact and has served as treasurer. Earned Rotary Youth Leadership Award and placed third in region for BPA. Will attend Lansing Community College and study business.
Essay Quote: “While the accomplishments of the student-athletes who earned these trophies have long since been forgotten, the virtues of sportsmanship like fairness, integrity, courage, persistence, responsibility, and respect that were gained from participating in high school athletics have been carried with them into adulthood. It gave them the tools needed to positively impact their families and coworkers long after their high school athletic careers were done.”
Ryin Ruddy, Ottawa Lake Whiteford
Played four seasons of varsity football, is playing his third of varsity basketball, will play his fourth of varsity baseball in the spring and compete in second of track & field as well. Earned all-state in football the last two seasons and helped Whiteford to 2022 Division 8 title. Earned all-state in track in four events. Earned academic all-state in football and track also league scholar athlete honors in all four sports, and was named National Football Foundation scholar athlete. Served as football team captain. Serving fourth year on student council and participating in second year of National Honor Society. Has participated throughout high school in FFA (Future Farmers of America) and Compelled Youth, and also will participate in spring musical for fourth time. Will attend Hillsdale College and study biochemistry.
Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship is about exercising self-control. This includes curbing emotions, controlling one’s tongue, and keeping negative body language in check. Sportsmanship is obviously about saying ‘good game,’ but it is also about respecting yourself, regimenting your life, and having the self-discipline to put yourself into a position to succeed in everything you do. Even when a loss is inevitable, great sportsmanship is about being genuinely happy when someone else succeeds, looking a competitor in the eye and congratulating them on a job well done.”
Other Class C girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Mikaela Ann Boyle, Bad Axe; Allison Bowles, Clinton; Jaida Schulte, Elk Rapids; Lauren Borsenik, Hemlock; Mariah Thompson, Houghton Lake; Lola Korpi, Ishpeming; Alexis Ewing, Jonesville; Adilyn Anne Ruggles, Marlette; and Claire Neumann, Saginaw Valley Lutheran.
Other Class C boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Carter Upper, Alcona; Payton Butkovich, Beal City; Jamisen Latham, Beal City; Niko Burgoon, Iron Mountain; Kannon Duffing, Manchester; Brad H. McNeill, Montrose; Jack Lantz, New Buffalo; Julian Ahluwalia, Traverse City St. Francis; and Landen Muska, Vassar.
Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class D Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay also is included:
Mallory Lowe, Leland
Played three seasons of varsity volleyball, is playing her third of varsity basketball and will play her fourth of varsity soccer this spring. Helped volleyball team to Division 4 runner-up finish this past fall, making the all-state third team and earning all-state academic recognition. Earned all-conference honorable mention in basketball and helped soccer team to Northwest Conference co-championship in 2023. Also part of academic all-state basketball teams the last two seasons. Serving as captain of all three teams as a senior and also was basketball captain as a junior. Earned AP Scholar recognition and completed International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. Carries a 3.99 grade-point average and is participating in third years of National Honor Society and National Art Honor Society, including as president of school’s NAHS. Participating in fourth years of student council and Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council, with leadership positions in both. Served as volunteer volleyball and basketball coach throughout high school and mentor for student with Type 1 diabetes. Will attend University of Michigan but is undecided on her field of study.
Essay Quote: “We have learned valuable lessons including teamwork, effort, grace, dignity and fair play that will leave a lasting impression on our character, guiding us not only in athletics but also in life. This powerful connection reminds us that how we play and how we treat our fellow athletes matters so much more than the final score.”
Alivia Salenbien, Britton Deerfield
Played three seasons of varsity volleyball, is playing her fourth of varsity basketball and will compete in her fourth of track & field this spring; also played on the boys varsity golf team as a junior. Earned all-county honorable mention for basketball as a junior and is a five-time Regional medalist in track & field. Earned scholar-athlete honors in multiple sports and served as captain for volleyball and basketball teams. Participating in third year of National Honor Society, serving as chapter president, and third year of student government serving as class vice president. Participated in American Legion Girls State and earned girls nation runner-up finish. Teaching church elementary catechism class for third year. Is undecided where she will attend college but intends to study early childhood education.
Essay Quote: “Balancing school, home life, and sports are difficult tasks. However, growing up in that scene, I thought that doing all these activities was the only way to a successful life. … But now, as a senior in high school looking back at my time at Britton Deerfield, I realize this could not be farther from the truth. Nobody judged whether I was good at the sports I played or not. Nobody judged whether I was at the top of the class or the bottom. Nobody judged how well I could balance my life. What people will remember about me when I leave high school is my sportsmanship.”
Ridley Fast, Hillsdale Academy
Played four seasons of varsity soccer, is playing his third of varsity basketball and will play his fourth of varsity golf this spring; also competed in track & field as a freshman. Made all-state second team for soccer in the fall and helped team to four District championships. Earned all-area in basketball and helped that team to two league and two District titles, and made all-state first team in golf as a junior in helping that team to league and Regional titles. Earned all-region as Hillsdale Academy won 2021 Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association team state championship. Earned academic all-state recognition in soccer and golf. Served as co-captain for soccer, basketball and golf. Participating in fourth years of student council, service club and drama club and second of National Honor Society, and is dually enrolled at Hillsdale College. Also participates in finance club and concert choir. Has served as student council vice president and league’s leadership conference representative. Will attend Trine University and study business and engineering.
Essay Quote: “I have played with my fair share of cheating opponents, but I am proud to say that I have never cheated, for I know I could not live with myself if I ever tried to do it. Cheating is caring more about results than the process, and the point of sports is to savor and endure the process and struggle. … Sportsmanship is the whole idea of competition itself; the concept of giving your best to see who comes out on top.”
Ben McCaw, Lawrence
Played four seasons of varsity football, is playing his second of varsity basketball, will play his third of varsity baseball this spring and also will return for his third of track & field. Earned first-team all-league and academic all-state recognition in football this past fall, second team all-league and all-academic with his basketball team as a junior, and selected for the all-state second team in baseball last spring. Serving as varsity team captain for the second season for all three sports. Earned College Board National Rural and Small Town Award and dually enrolled at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Serving as student council secretary after serving as class president three years, and participating in third years of National Honor Society and pep club. Volunteered throughout high school with local youth basketball, baseball and softball programs. Is undecided where he will attend college but intends to study marketing.
Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship is important; however, it cannot be forced – it must be chosen. It is encouraged by the MHSAA at every coin toss meeting between captains, but there are few rules that prevent poor sportsmanship. This is a good thing, sportsmanship should be a choice; otherwise, it does not properly demonstrate our character. Our sportsmanship reflects who we are: on the field, in the classroom, and in life.”
Other Class D girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Makenzee Grimm, Battle Creek St. Philip; Alayna Salenbien, Britton Deerfield; Caroline Beggs, Clarkston Everest Collegiate; Rachel Case, Kimball New Life Christian; Bonnie Kiger, Marion; and Hazel Hysell, St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic.
Other Class D boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Samuel Wallace Lutz, Adrian Lenawee Christian; Jürgen Griswold, Ellsworth; Christian Besonen, Ewen-Trout Creek; Trenton Taratuta, Hillman; Nathan Mihills, Marcellus; and Clayton Shoup, Mason County Eastern.
The Class B scholarship award recipients will be announced Feb. 13, and the Class A honorees will be announced Feb. 20.
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The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 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 more than 1.4 million spectators each year.