BOTF VII Finalists, Tour Dates Announced
January 29, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Two repeat finalists and a past champion have earned the opportunity to vie for the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s “Battle of the Fans VII” title recognizing the top high school student cheering section in Michigan, as awarded by the MHSAA’s Student Advisory Council.
Boyne City, Buchanan and Petoskey were selected as finalists by the Advisory Council from a group of nine semifinalists that took part in a series of social media challenges highlighting their sections over the last two weeks.
Members of the MHSAA staff will visit all three finalists over the next three weeks, producing articles about each section and videos of those sections in action, all to be published on the MHSAA’s Second Half.
The winner will be selected by another vote by the 16-member Advisory Council, with serious consideration given to a public vote on the MHSAA’s social media sites. This year’s winner will be announced Feb. 23 and recognized March 23 at the Breslin Center.
Buchanan was named BOTF champion in 2013 and was a finalist in both 2014 and 2015. Boyne City was a finalist for the first time last year, and Petoskey also was a finalist in 2012 and 2017.
The MHSAA will visit the finalists for the following home boys basketball games
Feb. 2: Boyne City vs. Kalkaska
Feb. 2: Petoskey vs. Traverse City West
Feb. 16: Buchanan vs. Berrien Springs
Voting among the top five semifinalists was particularly close. Cedar Springs and Charlotte just missed earning spots among the top three. Munising, Negaunee, Pellston and Traverse City West also were among the semifinalists.
“Our ‘Challenge Round’ over the last two weeks added a lot of excitement to Battle of the Fans, and also gave us great insights on the finest student sections in our state,” said Andy Frushour, MHSAA director of brand management and advisor to the Student Advisory Council. “We’re excited to go back to see three sections that have shown us a ton in the past, and checking out a couple of northern neighbors is an incredible way to kick things off.
“Charlotte and Cedar Springs were very close to becoming part of this year’s finalists tour,” Frushour added. “Both have established incredible fan cultures, and we certainly plan on seeing them in this contest again next year.”
Battle of the Fans, organized by MHSAA staff and the Student Advisory Council, was revamped this year to allow for more schools to remain in title contention past the application round. As in past years, schools again were invited throughout the fall to submit short videos, via YouTube, of their cheering sections in action. The Advisory Council then selected nine semifinalists to accomplish a list of tasks showing off their sections over a 12-day span.
Semifinalists were required to complete 10 challenges via their social media channels. Five mandatory challenges focused on contest criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, student section leadership and overall fun. Semifinalists then selected five elective challenges (taken from a list of 15 opportunities). Descriptions of all 20 challenges are available on the MHSAA Website.
A total of 19 schools applied for this year’s contest – seven from Class A schools, six from Class B, four from Class C and two from Class D. Three semifinalists each were selected from the Class A, Class B and Class C/D applicants.
Click to view all applications on YouTube.
The contest is sponsored in part by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, which promotes Michigan's locally-produced dairy products and nutrition education.
The Student Advisory Council is made up of eight seniors and eight juniors who each serve two-year terms. The Council acts as the voice of Michigan's student-athletes; it serves as a student sounding board for the MHSAA's Representative Council, assists in planning Sportsmanship Summits, Captains Clinics and other student leadership events; participates in a yearly focus group about the state of high school sports for Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports and assists with medal ceremonies at MHSAA championship events.
Century of School Sports: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 8, 2024
The display above greets visitors at the top of our staircase to the second floor at the MHSAA office in East Lansing – a group of guests that annually numbers well over a 1,000 administrators, student leaders, game officials and several others who are invested in school sports.
We hope these four core values – the MHSAA’s oft-referred to “four S’s” of educational athletics – also lead our guests’ interactions in school sports as they return home to their communities across the state.
They are as follows:
SAFETY
- It's not enough to provide students the opportunity to participate. The health and welfare of participants must be placed above all other considerations. Parents can be confident that their children not only will be as safe as possible in school sports, but they will also develop habits that tend to encourage a lifetime of better health.
SCHOLARSHIP
- School-based and rooted in education, school sports are a supportive part of the school's academic mission. Minimum academic standards are set as a requirement for athletic participation, thus making activities a privilege.
SPORTSMANSHIP
- The environment at interscholastic events is shaped by the attitudes and actions of players, coaches and spectators. Lessons learned in gracefully dealing with adversity in athletics translate to the classroom, the home and the workplace. Good sportsmanship is a precursor to good citizenship.
SCOPE
- School sports embrace local roots. School events attract administrators, teachers, students and parents in one venue and can be the backbone of the community. Adopting reasonable, rational limits for school sports assures a sane and sensible, student-centered educational experience.
These values were coined by John E. “Jack” Roberts, the fourth of now five full-time executive directors who have served the MHSAA during its 100-year history. He introduced them during his first days on the job in 1986 – and as he noted in an installment of his “From the Director” blog in 2015, they’ve stood the test of time.
They drove the Association’s work during his tenure, surely before it, and continue to do so today – and we will delve into all four as we continue our storytelling of a “Century of School Sports” during this 2024-25 school year.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
Sept. 25: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
PHOTO A display on the second floor of the MHSAA office outlines the four core values of educational athletics: safety, scholarship, sportsmanship and scope.