By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A focus on student fan sportsmanship at high school events including an announcement outlining an expanded  “Battle of the Fans” contest will highlight this fall’s Michigan High School Athletic Association annual Sportsmanship Summit series, which will run during the second and third weeks of November.

The MHSAA has conducted Sportsmanship Summits across Michigan for more than 20 years and again will visit four sites this fall. The Summit series kicks off Nov. 6 at Northern Michigan University in Marquette and finishes Nov. 15 in Lansing.

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.

Changes for this school year’s Battle of the Fans VII will provide more opportunities for schools to take part and remain in contention throughout the winter season. Details will be introduced during all four Summit stops.

This fall’s Summits also again will feature hands-on breakout sessions and opportunities for students 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 sportsmanship campaign to implement upon returning to school.

Sessions will take place at the following:

• Marquette – Nov. 6 – Northern Michigan University, University Center – 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Warren – Nov. 8 – DeCarlos Banquet Center – 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Kalamazoo – Nov. 13 – Downtown Radisson – 9 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.
• Lansing – Nov. 15 – Crowne Plaza Lansing West – 9 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.

Registration at each site is limited to the first 250 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. Registration information also is available by clicking here.