MHSAA Announces Tennis Finals Format
September 11, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Executive Committee of the Michigan High School Athletic Association on Thursday approved an adjusted format for this fall’s Lower Peninsula boys tennis postseason to reduce the opportunity for spread of COVID-19 while still awarding team and No. 1 singles champions in four divisions.
The Executive Committee – comprised of officers of the larger Representative Council – approved a one-season switch in postseason format that will match full teams in head-to-head competition. The format switch will limit the numbers of teams playing together at a single site.
The postseason will begin with Team District one-day tournaments to be played during Oct. 7-10 at 16 sites per division. The District champions will advance to the Team Finals in Divisions 1-4 to be played over two days during Oct. 15-17. For each division’s Finals, the first rounds will be played out at four sites before semifinalists converge for the last two rounds.
The following week, during a one-day tournament to be scheduled during Oct. 22-24, 32 No. 1 singles players will compete in bracketed play for the championships in four divisions (eight finalists per division).
Further details will be provided soon on the Boys Tennis page of the MHSAA Website.
Michigan Schools to Designate February for Statewide ‘Oxford Strong’ Support
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 20, 2021
Schools across Michigan will be dedicating February to “Oxford Strong” in support of Oxford Community Schools as the district continues to mourn the deaths of four students during a shooting at the high school Nov. 30.
The Oakland Activities Association – of which Oxford is a member – as well as the Kensington Lakes Activities Association and Detroit Catholic High School League, with merchandise vendor E.A. Graphics, have been primary organizers of this effort.
E.A. Graphics, based in Sterling Heights, will be printing T-shirts and sweatshirts supporting “Oxford Strong” – with schools able to purchase those items and then provide them in their communities. E.A. Graphics will be donating the price of the apparel, after costs, directly to Oxford High School and its community. T-shirts, for example, cost $20, with $16.20 being donated from each sale.
Schools taking part may ask their spectators to then wear the apparel as part of an “Oxford Strong” sporting event at their schools during February. Organizers have designated Friday, Feb. 4, as a day for as many schools as possible to be “Oxford Strong” and contribute to a statewide outpouring of support for the Wildcats and their community. However, it’s expected many schools will sponsor “Oxford Strong” events throughout the month.
“Every day since Nov. 30, schools have asked us what they can do, how can they help,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “While there is no way to take away the pain from such a tragedy, our statewide community will be glad to provide any comfort possible to Oxford schools and their community at this time of such great sorrow.”
E.A. Graphics is the merchandising partner of the Michigan High School Athletic Association and the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA), the professional group for athletic directors and other school sports administrators in Michigan.