8 Elected to Representative Council
October 18, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Elections were completed recently to fill positions on the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s legislative body, its Representative Council, with five new members joining three others who received re-election to begin service in December.
Bear Lake athletic director Karen Leinaar was re-elected to continue as one of two at-large statewide representatives, while Gobles athletic director Chris Miller will continue to represent Class C and D schools from the southwestern section of the Lower Peninsula and St. Ignace superintendent Don Gustafson was re-elected as one of two junior high/middle school representatives.
They will be joined by five first-time representatives. Marquette athletic director Alex Tiseo was elected to represent Class A and B schools in the Upper Peninsula, and Midland athletic director Eric Albright was elected to represent Class A and B schools from the northern section of the Lower Peninsula. Maple City Glen Lake athletic director Mark Mattson was elected to serve Class C and D schools in the Lower Peninsula northern section, and Ottawa Lake Whiteford athletic director Jason Mensing was elected to represent Class C and D schools in the southeastern section. Jay Alexander, who began as executive director of the Detroit Public School League this fall, will represent the Detroit Public Schools.
All but Albright and Mattson were elected to two-year terms; Albright and Mattson were elected to serve the second year of two-year terms for Council members no longer able to serve. Albright will replace recently-retired Saginaw Heritage athletic director Peter Ryan. Mattson will be finishing the term of Boyne City athletic director Adam Stefanski, who was previously elected to the Class C/D post while athletic director at Mackinaw City, a Class D school, before beginning this fall at Class B Boyne City.
The Representative Council is the 19-member legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee. The Council meets three times annually, and five members of the Council convene monthly during the school year to form the MHSAA’s Executive Committee, which reviews appeals of Handbook regulations by member schools.
Additional elections took place to select representatives to the Upper Peninsula Athletic Committee. Negaunee principal Andrew Brunette was elected to represent Class A and B schools, and Ishpeming Westwood athletic director Jon Beckman was re-elected to represent Class C schools. Ontonagon superintendent/principal Jim Bobula was elected to represent Class D schools.
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.
Hoopfest Returns to Jenison Field House
March 19, 2018
Second Half editor
March Magic Hoopfest will return to Jenison Field House for this weekend’s MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals, with extended hours and a Project UNIFY tournament highlighting the ninth championship weekend the event has run concurrent with the games being played at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.
Up to 10 Special Olympics Project UNIFY teams will take part in a tournament played during the afternoons of March 22 and 23. Unified teams put special education students on the court participating in concert with their general education peers. Lineups must consist of three unified student athletes and two unified student partners on the floor at all times.
Games will be played on the two Hoopfest center courts. On March 24, the center courts will host a number of “JumpBall Jamboree” games made up of teams of boys and girls in grades 3-8.
A number of other favorite attractions will return including slam dunk (on lowered rims), 3-point shootout and half-court shot areas where fans can visit at any time and participate, and the festivities also will include a court for timed “Around the World” shooting games and another court featuring a skills challenge. Also returning is the Walk of History, showcasing championship games, life-size photos and display boards from throughout the MHSAA Finals’ near century-long run.
Hoopfest again also will be home to Hoopie, the event’s mascot who made his first public appearances during the 2014 MHSAA Finals.
Admission to the March Magic Hoopfest is $2 per person, and fans attending the MHSAA Boys Basketball Semifinals and Finals will be admitted free with their game tickets. Hours on March 22 and 23 will be 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.; the event is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 24. Jenison Field House, site of Hoopfest, also was the site of the MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals for 31 years. To find out general information about the event, visit the March Magic Hoopfest website.
The March Magic Hoopfest is conducted in partnership between the Greater Lansing Sports Authority (GLSA), a division of the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the MHSAA, with vital support coming from the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at Michigan State University.
“Hoopfest is not just for kids, but the kid in all of us,” MHSAA Director of Brand Management Andy Frushour said. “The adults who stop in seem to love it as much as their children. There are basketball hoops everywhere, and with all of the different games to try it’s like being back on the playground.”
The Greater Lansing Sports Authority’s mission is to be the leading voice of sports tourism in the Greater Lansing area and to promote economic growth by attracting a diverse range of sporting events to the region. The GLSA strives to enhance the quality of life for area residents through the development of local sports and fitness programs for all ages, and supports the continued development and maintenance of safe, high-quality athletic facilities.
“Hoopfest has become the must-attend event for spectators of the MHSAA Tournament,” said Meghan Ziehmer, Associate Director of the Greater Lansing Sports Authority. “With games geared for all ages and abilities, the young and young-at-heart can play before, between and after sessions. With activities like the skills challenge, 3-point shooting contest and lowered rims to show off your athletic prowess, there is no shortage of fun activities.”