An errant drive, but a right-on response
May 16, 2012
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Junior Garcia was minding his own round last week when, seemingly out of the sky, he was nailed in the hand by an opponent's golf ball.
It clearly hurt -- so much so, he had to quit his round before finishing. He could've responded in a number of ways. Many of us wouldn't have responded so well.
Instead of finding the player who had hit him -- and letting him have it back -- Garcia, a Shelby senior, did seek out Montague junior Nate VanGeison, to make sure VanGeison was OK and to let him know that these mistakes are part of the game. He was equally, if not more concerned with VanGeison's well-being than his own.
It's something we all should keep in mind the next time an errant shot comes at us like a comet from above.
"It was so touching. It's hard to really put it into words unless you were there," Montague golf coach Tom Kearney said. "He was just so sincere."
Shelby and Montague were playing in a West Michigan Conference jamboree at Oceana Golf Course. VanGeison pulled a drive so far left that it left his fairway and flew over an adjacent green that Garcia's group was approaching.
Garcia's hand began to swell up immediately. He'd leave to get it X-rayed before the teams finished play that day. But not before he asked Kearney to check on VanGeison and make sure his opponent knew there were no hard feelings. And not before following up that request by asking Kearney to then drive him back onto the course himself to pass on a few words of encouragement.
VanGeison had asked to leave the course as well so he could check on Garcia. The two instead met in the middle.
"Nate apologized to him, and Junior said, 'It's OK. I know it was an accident,' and they hugged," Kearney said. "Just before we left (to go back inside), Junior said, 'Nate, don't worry about me. I want you to shoot a good round for me.'"
And VanGeison did, firing a 94 to finish second for Montague in that round.
Garcia went so far as to ask his mother if he could stop by Montague the next day, just to check on VanGeison one more time. Both returned to the course Tuesday.
"I really thought it was a wonderful example of sportsmanship," Kearney said.
PHOTO: Nate VanGeison (left) of Montague and Shelby's Junior Garcia returned to the golf course Tuesday, in great spirits after last week's jamboree ended for Garcia after his hand was bruised by a VanGeison drive. (Photo courtesy of Tom Kearney.)
Battle of the Fans X: Meet the Finalists
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 24, 2022
Two past champions and a first-time applicant have earned opportunities to vie for the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s “Battle of the Fans X” championship recognizing the top high school student cheering section in Michigan, as awarded by the MHSAA’s Student Advisory Council.
Buchanan, Midland Dow and Traverse City West were selected as finalists by the Advisory Council from a group of nine semifinalists that took part in a series of 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 website.
The winner will be selected by another vote by the 16-member Advisory Council, with consideration given to a public vote on the MHSAA’s social media channels. This year’s winner will be announced Feb. 18 and recognized March 25 during the Boys Basketball Semifinals at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
Buchanan is a three-time BOTF champ (2013, 2018 and 2020) and has reached the final round for the fourth-straight competition. Traverse City West was the winner in 2016 and has been a semifinalist seven times since 2014. Midland Dow entered the competition this school year for the first time.
The MHSAA will visit the finalists for the following home boys basketball games (unless noted):
Jan. 28: Midland Dow vs Midland (at Midland High)
Feb. 4: Buchanan vs South Haven
Feb. 8: Traverse City West vs Ludington
Howell, North Muskegon and Spring Lake filled out the next three spots, while Imlay City, Petersburg Summerfield and Yale also were semifinalists.
“After the pandemic cancelled the competition in 2021, it’s no surprise that two schools with rich student section histories made the final three this year,” said Andy Frushour, the MHSAA’s director of brand management and advisor to the Student Advisory Council.
“The Herd from Buchanan and the Bleacher Creatures at Traverse City West have to be considered the favorites going into the final round. They have been in this position many times, winning four of the nine championships. But don’t sleep on Midland Dow; we could tell right away this first-time challenger would be a contender, and this section has been strong all year long.”
Battle of the Fans is organized by MHSAA staff and the Student Advisory Council. Schools were invited throughout the fall to submit short videos, via TikTok, 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 five mandatory challenges, and up to a total of 20, and highlight them in a three-minute TikTok. The 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. Descriptions of all 20 challenges are available on the MHSAA Website.
Let's meet the finalists:
BUCHANAN - THE HERD
Follow on TikTok and Instagram
@theherd_bhs #MHSAABOTF2022 @mhsaasports ♬ The Nights - Avicii
MIDLAND DOW
@dowstudentsection Herbs House 💛💚 semifinals #mhsaabotf2022 @mhsaasports ♬ this is what falling in love feels like - JVKE
TRAVERSE CITY WEST - BLEACHER CREATURES
Follow on TikTok and Instagram
@tcwbleachercreatures 🚨ATTENTION WEST WINNERS🚨 💯FINALS IMMINENT💯 @mhsaasports #mhsaabotf2022 ♬ original sound - Tcw BC
Battle of the Fans is organized by MHSAA staff and the Student Advisory Council. Schools 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.
The contest is sponsored in part by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, which promotes Michigan's locally-produced dairy products and nutrition education. Rules plus links to past years’ coverage of the contest can be found on the MHSAA's BOTF web page.
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.
A record-tying 27 schools applied for this year’s contest, including 14 schools for the first time. Three semifinalists each were selected from the Class A, Class B and Class C/D applicants. See below for a compilation of highlights from all nine semifinalists:
@mhsaasports 🚨𝙱𝙰𝚃𝚃𝙻𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙵𝙰𝙽𝚂 𝚇🚨Congrats to all 9 Semifinalists! #MHSAABOTF2022 #battleofthefans #letsgo #sportsmanship #MHSAA #fyp ♬ Let's go! - Official Sound Studio