Officials Join Sportsmanship Summits Line-up
October 11, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Two first-time locations and sessions conducted by local game officials are among additions to the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s annual Sportsmanship Summit series, which will run again during the first three weeks of November.
The MHSAA has conducted Sportsmanship Summits across Michigan for more than 20 years and will visit four sites this fall including Traverse City and Ann Arbor each for the first time. The Summit series kicks off Nov. 7 at Saginaw Valley State University and finishes Nov. 16 in Grand Rapids.
MHSAA staff, with assistance from school administrators and the MHSAA Student Advisory Council, conduct Sportsmanship Summits. More than 1,000 students from more than 100 schools are expected to take part in the four workshops, where they will discuss the line that separates good from bad sportsmanship, especially when it comes to cheering at athletic events. Instruction will be based in part on insights gained during the Student Advisory Council’s Battle of the Fans competitions, which annually began recognizing the best student cheering section in Michigan during the 2011-12 winter season.
This fall’s Summits also again will feature hands-on breakout sessions. New this fall, students will have the opportunity to meet with and discuss sportsmanship with local game officials, who will explain sportsmanship from their points of view and how it may differ from what students experience as competitors or fans. Members of the Student Advisory Council have developed and will instruct during another breakout session and also play a role in the opening all-Summit presentation. To conclude the Summits, the delegation from each participating school will meet to develop a youth sportsmanship campaign to implement upon returning to school.
Sessions will take place at the following:
• Saginaw – Nov. 7 – Saginaw Valley State University Conference Center – 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Traverse City – Nov. 9 – Grand Traverse Resort – 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Ann Arbor – Nov. 14 – Sheraton Ann Arbor Hotel – 9 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.
• Grand Rapids – Nov. 16 – Crowne Plaza Airport – 9 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.
Registration at each site is limited to the first 300 students and administrators. Schools are welcome to bring as many as 10 total representatives, including two administrators. For additional registration information, contact Andy Frushour at the MHSAA office – [email protected] or (517) 332-5046. Click for details.
With HOF Induction, Roberts Again Emphasizes Value & Values of School Sports
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
July 14, 2022
Longtime and now-retired MHSAA executive director John E. "Jack" Roberts was inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Hall of Fame on July 1, 2022 – shining a light on high life's work of promoting, supporting and providing a valued national voice on education athletics during 32 years in that role from 1986 until his retirement in 2018.
Roberts was one of 12 honorees inducted during the NFHS summer meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
Roberts began his career serving as an assistant director for the National Federation from 1973-80. He was involved with the implementation of Title IX at the local and state levels and made immense contributions as the NFHS representative to the landmark Amateur Sports Act of 1978, and also played a significant role in the NFHS rules-writing process as the organization started writing and publishing rules for a number of new sports during the 1970s.
At the time of his retirement, Roberts was the nation’s longest-serving executive director of a state high school athletic association. He was the fourth person to serve the MHSAA in that leadership role full time, following Charles E. Forsythe (1931-42, 1945-68), Allen W. Bush (1968-78) and Vern L. Norris (1978-86).
Roberts also followed in the footsteps of his late father, John Roberts, who served as executive director of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association from 1957-85 and was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame in 2000. They are the first father-son team in the Hall of Fame.
The video above was shown as an introduction before Roberts was awarded his Hall of Fame plaque and medal during the induction ceremony. In the photo below, Roberts stands with current MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl.
