Battle of the Fans VII: Vote Now
February 19, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Three finalists have shown us this month why they should win the Battle of the Fans VII championship.
But we need your help deciding which should be called the state's best student cheering section for 2017-18.
Vote today through 4 p.m. Thursday on your favorite of these three (enrollments in parentheses) – Boyne City (429), Buchanan (420) and Petoskey (941) – by liking, sharing and re-tweeting on the MHSAA’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites
But before you do, take a few minutes to watch all three videos and read the stories behind the sections by clicking the links below.
The contest is sponsored by the MHSAA Student Advisory Council, which will have the final vote on the champion. SAC members will use all resources available to make their decision – including giving significant weight to the public social media vote. Votes will be valued proportionate to the size of the school receiving them (for example, one vote for Class B Boyne City or Buchanan will be worth more than one vote for Class A Petoskey).
The champion will be announced Friday on Second Half. All three finalists will be invited to Michigan State University's Breslin Center on March 23 for the Class B Boys Basketball Semifinals, and the winner will be presented with a championship banner at center court.
And now, the finalists, in alphabetical order:
Boyne City
Read all about it: Boyne City Wants You to Get Rowdy
Buchanan
Read all about it: No Place Buchanan's Herd Would Rather Be
Petoskey
Read all about it: Revived Blue Crew Continues to Thrive
Sportsmanship To Citizenship
March 18, 2016
Given the current presidential campaign, what does it really mean to be “politically correct” these days?
Earlier this winter, almost everybody badly overreacted when a neighboring high school athletic association dared to describe cheers that should be avoided in school sports. Their efforts to maintain a positive and educational environment in school sports in that state were praiseworthy, no matter how unfairly persecuted that association was.
More recently, from another neighboring state, word has reached us of spectator cheers that are routinely hostile and sometimes racially charged. Combining this news with the daily barrage of uncivil campaign rhetoric reminded me that efforts to guide spectators toward greater civility are not only praiseworthy; they have never been more necessary.
I have often maintained that good sportsmanship is a precursor to good citizenship; and that we can predict the quality of citizenship in our nation by the standards of sportsmanship in our schools. One of the many ways we can return civility to politics is to insist upon improved sportsmanship in athletics ... even if it seems old fashioned, out of date or politically incorrect.