And the 2019 BOTF Winner Is ...
February 22, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
North Muskegon senior Kendal Hoppa grew up watching the older kids in her town cheering on their friends at high school games, a sports-based extension of the close-knit community.
And what she’s known about Norse Nation for years, the rest of Michigan now knows as well.
The Nation already was a force when it came to student support. But she and her classmates showed this winter what a dedicated section can become with organization and a bit more intention – and they can celebrate what they’ve built with the Battle of the Fans VIII championship.
“The biggest thing is our sense of school pride,” Hoppa said. “We are there supporting the basketball team, we are supporting our family, and I think that really rubbed off on the schools we’ve competed against and any other community members who came to watch us.
"I’ve noticed an immense growth in schools in our conference and schools that we’ve played against having student sections of their own now – ‘We want to be like North Muskegon. Let’s organize this student section.’ It’s been awesome for our community and also communities around us as well.”
North Muskegon will accept its Battle of the Fans VIII championship banner during halftime of the first Division 2 Boys Basketball Semifinal on March 15 at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center. Buchanan and Saginaw Heritage also have been invited to Breslin to be honored for this season’s achievement.
North Muskegon was chosen based on a vote by the MHSAA’s 16-member Student Advisory Council influenced by public vote on the MHSAA’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites. A total of 9,875 social media votes were received – and increase of more than 6 percent over last year’s contest – with those results then equated against a school’s enrollment. This year’s results came out to 4.3 votes cast for every student attending one of our finalist schools.
The Council based its vote on the following criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, section leadership and overall fun. Nine semifinalists were selected from the original application group before Buchanan, North Muskegon and Saginaw Heritage were chosen for MHSAA visits. Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard, Carson City-Crystal, Petersburg-Summerfield, Petoskey, Traverse City West and Wayland also were semifinalists.
North Muskegon totaled the most public social media support and finished first across four of five ways votes were accepted (Facebook likes and shares, Twitter re-tweets and likes and Instagram likes). Votes were scaled to take into account a school’s size – a vote for Class B Buchanan was worth more than one for Class A Saginaw Heritage, for example – and North Muskegon’s voting totaled higher than that of the other two finalists combined.
Other numbers to consider from this season's contest: The application videos have been watched nearly 12,500 times, and the MHSAA-produced videos from our tour stops have nearly 1,900 views. The stories detailing the three tour stops plus Tuesday’s explanation of how to vote and the announcements of semifinalists and finalists had been viewed 6,500 times as of 8:30 this morning. The three Instagram stories covering our visits were viewed nearly 6,000 times combined.
Below are our final takeaways from each of those trips.
Perfect Perspective Award: Buchanan
What we saw: There’s a reason – or many – the MHSAA has visited Buchanan for Battle of the Fans more than any other school. Once again, we saw what has made The Herd the gold standard for student sections statewide. Interaction with the game from start to finish, even as victory slipped away. Participation by students who obviously are involved in this all year and know the chants, songs and dances that have been passed down over the years. Leaders taking charge up front, but fun flowing from the section all the way to the top bleachers. As we mentioned in our report Monday detailing last week’s visit, it was like a Herd “Greatest Hits” performance, and we’ve had a lot of great memories visiting Buchanan over the years. This reminded us of those good times.
Why we’re fans: After Friday’s game, senior leader Garret Lollar told us he and his classmates would be happy today win or lose. And there was no doubt he was being completely honest. Buchanan has been the BOTF champion twice, including last year – but students and their dedicated teacher leaders have figured out that the culture of family and fun that has become part of this school district from elementary through the high school is a guaranteed win every time The Herd comes together.
Reaching Potential Award: Saginaw Heritage
What we saw: The Hawk’s Nest was a first-time finalist, and this section has come a long way over the last few years thanks to a dedicated teacher and students who bought into an opportunity to become something big. Heritage has been riding the momentum from last season’s Class A girls basketball championship run, and for our visit filled the student section for one of the girls team’s biggest matchups of this winter, against rival Midland Dow. There was a pep band, multiple pompon teams and the biggest group of student supporters we saw despite the boys basketball and hockey teams playing on the road. Heritage has found something special, and we’ll no doubt be returning for a BOTF in the future.
Why we’re fans: Section strategy and ideas are hatched in the school’s “Leadership Development” class. With half the student body taking that or the leadership intro course at some point, there is substantial continuity to go with the necessary planning for corralling such a large group. The multi-media presence – regular videos document all of the cool things the section is doing and also are used to rev students up for more to come – was one of the strongest we’ve seen over the course of BOTF. We met with leaders from the senior, junior and sophomore classes, and this could be just the start for the Hawks – albeit, a championship-caliber one.
Battle of the Fans champion: North Muskegon
What we saw: An effort with the humblest of beginnings – two students on a cross country bus ride home bouncing ideas – turned into an awesome display of support that long has been a source of pride in the school and community. We’ve seen a lot of student sections over the years – and there have been times when we feel like we’ve been watching more of a performance than students cheering for their classmates at a game. But Norse Nation was locked into the game from start to finish, with game-appropriate cheers throughout, and most of all the fun was genuine. Some things didn’t work – a pillow fight during halftime never really came together – but it wasn’t a big deal. Everyone was having a good time, and when the game was back on, so was the Nation.
Why we’re fans: There’s so much here that can be used to teach others as they build a student section. Some are the products of being a small community – there definitely is a family feel because the high school has only a few hundred students and all grades are housed in the same building. But those hallway connections have resulted in a strong student-driven effort – almost like a student council for the cheering section – where all are welcome and all ideas are considered. And we’d be failing if we didn’t mention this section too relies on serious mentorship from a supportive principal, another must.
Norse Nation has taken pride in how it’s supported its teams for years – and Battle of the Fans provided a vehicle for the school to share what it does so well with the rest of Michigan. Norse Nation also should inspire student sections around the state to take another step – and enjoy how quickly they can reach that elite level of fun.
"Definitely get into it, be in the moment," Hoppa said. "Be a part of the student section. Be part of supporting your school.
"To be successful, you have to have the people who are going to organize it. You have to have the people who are willing to follow too. Lead by example. Be willing to do the crazy themes. Be willing to travel to the far games. Just really have fun. Seize every moment, because you're going to regret it if you don't."
The Battle of the Fans is sponsored in part by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.
Check out below our stories and videos behind the finalists. Also, click to see student-produced videos from all sections that entered the contest. (Photos courtesy of the North Muskegon yearbook staff.)
Buchanan
Read all about it: Have You Herd? Buchanan Parties On
North Muskegon
Read all about it: Norse Nation Roars North Muskegon Pride
Saginaw Heritage
Read all about it: Heritage's Hawks Nest Wants You 'Hype'
Midland Heroes Win 'Match of Life' In Saving Another On Way to Regional
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
February 22, 2023
Wilson Shinske woke up Saturday hoping to accomplish something great.
But the Midland senior had no idea just how great and impactful his accomplishment would be, and that it would happen well before he stepped on a wrestling mat.
On the way to the Division 1 Wrestling Regional at Hartland, Shinske and his dad, Steve, pulled a man from a burning vehicle on I-75 and helped resuscitate him on the side of the road. As the man was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, the Shinskes got back in their own vehicle and made it to the meet in time for weigh-ins.
“The entire way there, I was thinking, ‘It doesn’t matter if I lose or if I win today, this was a win,’” Wilson Shinske said. “Being on the wrestling team is about being part of something bigger than yourself. Yeah, I lost both of my matches, and it was like that journey has ended. But knowing what I did earlier, I won the match of life.”
Shinske finished his wrestling season with a 21-11 record after dropping his pair of Regional matches at 215 pounds. While all of that was certainly important to him, and the end of any senior season can be tough, the events of Saturday morning put a lot of things in perspective.
“I can tell you that I was proud as hell of him,” Steve Shinske said. “I was super proud of how he handled the morning. I was proud – I’m always proud of him when he does a sport, even when he thinks he doesn’t do well. When he lost, I saw him take those losses on Saturday differently than he had in the past in some of those situations. I think he had a different mindset. After he lost the second match, he went over and sat by a wall, and there were some tears shed. There were a ton of emotions, and not just wrestling emotions.”
Wilson Shinske’s day had started like hundreds of wrestlers around the state, as he left Midland around 5:30 a.m. focused on advancing to the MHSAA Individual Finals at Ford Field.
He fell asleep during the ride, but when the car started to slow down well before he thought it should, he knew something was off.
After coming over the Zilwaukee Bridge, Steve Shinske noticed a car fire ahead. As they approached, the retired Midland fireman decided he would stop and see how he could help, figuring he would see someone outside of the vehicle.
What he saw, however, was the driver slumped over in the front seat of the pickup truck. He pulled to the side of the road, and as he made his way to the truck, so did Wilson, who had now woken up from his pre-meet nap.
“It was 75 at 6 a.m. on a Saturday with no traffic; there’s no way we should be slowing down,” Wilson remembered. “As soon as he put it in park, not even a second later, I’m out of the car.”
As the Shinskes got to the vehicle, Steve noticed the driver – whose name they would later learn is Jerry – still had his foot crammed on the accelerator. That left the rear tires spinning until the tires had burned off and the rims were grinding on the pavement, which caused the fire at the back of the truck. His first move was to put the car in park and shut it off.
They removed Jerry – who they determined was not breathing and did not have a pulse – from the truck, and then Wilson’s training kicked in.
Wilson – a three-sport athlete who carries a 3.8 GPA – plans to study nursing in college, and spends much of his school day working in a hospital as part of a co-op. He’s CPR-certified and plans to work in the ER or a trauma unit.
A point of emphasis in Wilson’s training is to assess the situation in an emergency.
“The car is on fire, the gas tank is in the back of the car, we need to get him away from this,” Wilson said. “We need to get him up in front of our car – put a barrier between us to protect us if something happened. I don’t think there were really any nerves, just more fight or flight. I’m not running away, I’m fighting this. I wasn’t concerned with how cold it was – I wasn’t dressed for 20-degree weather – it was, ‘We have a problem here, let’s fix this problem.’”
Steve started CPR on Jerry while Wilson went back to see if they could find any personal information about him that would help, and 9-1-1 was called.
An off-duty paramedic then arrived on the scene, and put in a call to her supervisor for more assistance. That’s when Wilson took over CPR, and Steve went to put out the fire using snow from the median.
When the supervisor arrived, he brought out an AED to deliver a shock to Jerry’s heart. After some more CPR, Jerry took a gasp of air, and the monitor showed that there was heart activity.
“Then the cavalry came,” Steve said of the rush of emergency vehicles on the scene. He borrowed a fire extinguisher from a police officer to put out the remaining flames, and Jerry was loaded into an ambulance. Wilson said he could see Jerry taking breaths as he was being put into the ambulance.
The whole situation took about 15 to 20 minutes.
“Wilson’s played a lot of sports – football, tennis, he’s wrestled since he’s been 6, he plays golf – he understands that sports gives you perseverance, it gives you a different mindset,” Steve said. “I bet anybody that he works with on the floor at the hospital will tell you that he’s the most outgoing, go-getter co-op student they’ve had. Those things in his life helped him in that situation.”
Jerry survived, and the Shinskes went to visit him in the hospital Monday. While there, they learned from the family that the fire had started to melt the gas tank before Steve was able to put it out. They also learned that Jerry’s wife had recently passed away, and that their quick action had prevented his family from adding another layer of grief in a very short time.
“I love watching (Wilson) wrestle, and I’m going to miss watching him wrestle,” Steve Shinske said. “But watching him on I-75 on Saturday morning was almost better than watching him wrestle. He, as a young man, as a person that’s getting ready to go into the next phase of his life, to be able to handle something like that and not miss a beat was special.”
For Wilson, the experience further cemented his chosen career path, and desire to help others.
“I want to be a part of saving lives more often,” he said. “Not that I want to see people in these situations, but I want to help them when they are.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) From left: Wilson Shinske, Jerry and Steve Shinske meet Monday, two days after the father and son helped save Jerry’s life on I-75. (Middle) Wilson Shinske, far right, has his arm raised in victory after a match. (Photos courtesy of the Shinske family, with permission.)