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Coming Soon: Online Captains Course
November 7, 2014
By Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
Staff, space and budgetary constraints put limitations on the best of organizations, and the MHSAA feels the squeeze like any other association.
Technology, fortunately, provides an infinite number of belt loops to loosen as programs expand. In order to achieve mass appeal, an association’s message at times needs to shift from face-to-face to desktops, laptops, tablets, and smart phones.
Especially when the target audience comprises those in their late teens, for whom the objects above are never out of arm’s reach.
Thus is the impetus the MHSAA Online Captains Course, set to launch later this school year.
“Our in-person Captains Clinics programs are still a great way to deliver leadership lessons and to get students from rival schools to interact with each other in a fun and worthwhile way,” said MHSAA Director of Brand Management Andy Frushour. “But we can only do so many in-person clinics per year. With the online version, we can deliver the same message, albeit through a different format. And we can do it 24 hours a day, at the user’s convenience, using a medium that kids use like the rest of us use oxygen, and potentially delivering our captains message to exponentially more students than the in-person version; even to students outside of Michigan.”
The ambitious plan is expected to come to fruition this fall, with plenty of support from the Michigan State University Institute for the Study of Youth Sports (ISYS), and, of course, the MHSAA Student Advisory Council.
The faces of the Captains course, quite literally, will be SAC members Connor Thomas of Marlette, and Caycee Turczyn of Lapeer.
“The idea for the Online Captains Course came to be when we were evaluating the Captains 101 books,” said Thomas, referring to a printed guide published by members of the first three SAC classes. “When it was decided there would be an online course, our committee decided to do a revision of the book to go along with our online sessions. The course will be open to all who want to gain knowledge on how to be a better leader. The first session is a series of videos, personal interviews and leadership activities.”
Turczyn and Thomas serving as hosts fit the peer-to-peer model that is so effective in student leadership campaigns.
“The main goal is to reach out to team captains or student-athletes,” Turczyn said. “With the two of us as speakers leading other students through the course, it will make it seem less like homework and more like a friend trying to encourage another friend to become they best they can be.”
This first version will be an introductory course, with plans for two more advanced leadership courses that will be facilitated online but with activities and discussions to take place offline in local communities. The goal for this “hands-on” portion of the training is for leaders to conduct interviews with coaches and administrators, write short answers and interact with teammates for a more transformational learning experience.
Working closely with Frushour, the ISYS team of Scott Pierce and Scott Westfall has spent the past year designing the program curriculum and they, too, are anticipating a highly-interactive and well-received product.
“It’s a three-tiered program that will provide high school student-athletes information that leaders ‘need to know.’” Westfall said. “Topics that will be covered include understanding motivation, team cohesion, positive peer modeling and communication. Additionally, the programs will provide captains with structured activities and experiences to promote self-reflection and opportunities to grow as young leaders.”
The first course is made up of 10, 10-minute segments, so it should take about two hours to complete. The short “bite-sized” segments make it easier for students to digest all of the information being given to them.
Frushour and the MHSAA are grateful to have supportive, expert leaders in the field as neighbors.
“All of the lessons are based on research conducted by MSU’s Institute for the Study of Youth Sports,” Frushour said. “Dr. Dan Gould and his doctoral students are rock stars in the field of youth and leadership development, and we are lucky to have them as partners on this project “
For Pierce and the ISYS team, it’s a natural fit.
“The ISYS strives to provide these MHSAA initiatives with the most relevant and applicable scientific knowledge to put the organization in the best position to develop strong student-athlete leaders,” Pierce said.
PHOTOS: (Top) Marlette's Connor Thomas and Lapeer's Caycee Turczyn will serve as the Student Advisory Council hosts for an online Captains Clinic coming soon. (Middle) Michigan State University's Scott Pierce, Thomas, Turczyn and the MHSAA's Andy Frushour work on a segment shot at DeWitt High School.
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And the champion is ... Frankenmuth
February 24, 2012
We are going to dance and have some fun.
That was hardly the entire story behind this season’s inaugural MHSAA “Battle of the Fans” champion.
But energy – from the opening tip to the final buzzer and despite a blowout win decided early on – is what set Frankenmuth High School’s fans a notch above four other finalists in this season’s search to find Michigan’s top student cheering section.
"It's kinda what we wanted to do when we started out. We really wanted to be the biggest, the best, the most creative, the loudest, the most outgoing. And that's obviously what we've done now," said Frankenmuth senior Brennan Webb, one of the section's founders and leaders. "I could tell since we started doing this last year and this year, people started bringing better student sections to games against us because they knew we were going to bring (fans). We influenced all the teams we've played. It's really awesome. You feel good."
When it came to atmosphere -- positive, festive and fun -- the Eagles started early and didn't stop until long after the final buzzer sounded.
Frankenmuth was chosen based on votes both by the MHSAA’s 16-member Student Advisory Council and a public vote on the MHSAA’s Facebook page. More than 8,500 fans voted in the MHSAA Facebook poll, with those results then equated against a school’s enrollment.
Based on votes per student, Reese topped the Facebook poll, followed by Petoskey and Frankenmuth in third.The Student Advisory Council based its vote on the following criteria: positive sportsmanship, volume of student section, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of group and student section leadership.
The SAC vote put Frankenmuth over the top.
Other numbers to consider from this season's contest: The 19 application videos have been watched more than 20,500 times, and the MHSAA-produced videos from our tour stops have more than 12,400 views. The message of sportsmanship and the benefits of a strong student section have been heard.
And here are a few common themes we saw -- and heard ourselves -- during the MHSAA tour of the five finalists over the last five weeks.
- Have pride in your school, and support your classmates. For all five sections, it’s that simple. Creating a positive cheering atmosphere transforms game night for not just fans, but the athletes they’re rooting on.
- Get organized. Facebook was the main mode for that, although Rockford also is leaps ahead of most when it comes to communicating via Twitter. Schedules of events, rules, questions and answers; all can be addressed by reaching your section en mass with social media.
- Work with the administration, not against. The complaint is common that student sections would like to do cool stuff – if the athletic director/principal/etc. would be cool about it. These five sections all have understandings with their administrators – who in turn trust them to be appropriate, and allow them to get creative.
- It really does pay off. In some cases, developing a student section ended a cycle of bad sportsmanship. In all cases, finalists proved they could be loud, positive, fun and above all supportive WITHOUT bashing the opposing team or student section.
Bottom line: All five finalists are winners for simply getting involved. All brought something new and plenty of excitement to games that have been played for nearly 100 years in this state. And all deserve special recognition.
First, we'll recognize the four runners-up:
No Rest, No Weary Award: Grand Rapids Christian’s Eagle Nation
What we saw: The best halftime show in the state. Eagle Nation supports its team on the floor, but halftime belongs to the fans – and the Eagles deliver. Breaks are few and last maybe 20 seconds apiece. It’s like a show within a game; when the second quarter horn sounds, Eagle Nation hits the stage.
Why we’re fans: If the word is unity, the definition is Grand Rapids Christian. We visited on Neon Night, which was embraced by everyone – and not just the cheering section, but the players who came out for warm-ups sporting pieces of neon flare as well. Eagle Nation is more than 400 strong, and keeping that many fans organized and active for an entire game is a daunting task. But Eagle Nation pulls it off and sets the foundation for the future by meeting with middle school students to pass on their lessons in appropriate sportsmanship.
A-Plus Award: Petoskey’s Blue Crew
What we saw: The Blue Crew, as the section has been known for nearly a decade, didn’t mutter a negative word the entire game against West Branch Ogemaw Heights – a game, by the way, that clinched a league championship for the Northmen’s boys team. That, in itself, is laudable. And this section has more history than the other four finalists combined.
Why we’re fans: The Blue Crew builds support from all over, be it elementary and middle schoolers who gather at the sides of the section, or alumni and parents who add to the cause. Petoskey’s opponents are spread all over the northern Lower Peninsula – and the Blue Crew logs plenty of miles to keep up. The student council provides consistent and strong leadership. And don’t forget about the jazz band, which we felt was on par with any we’ve heard at college games.
All In Award: Reese’s Rowdy Rockets
What we saw: At Reese, the smallest community among our finalists, it’s truly a community effort. Nearly half of the student body filled the section during our visit, on top of the crew of parents, relatives and other residents who support the Rockets on a regular basis. Oh, and despite having such a small voting base, the Rockets rocked our Facebook poll with easily the highest percentage of voters compared to the size of the school’s student body.
Why we’re fans: The Rowdy Rockets get going early – and keep going all game. The pre-game announcement of “Hey Rockets, guess what? It’s game time,” sets the tone for the rest of the night. And Reese did some things that bigger schools probably couldn’t pull off, like creating a tunnel for the players as they entered the gym and staging a class-vs.-class tug-of-war during halftime.
Pure Power Award: Rockford’s Ram Nation
What we saw: What seemed like a thousand fans in black T-shirts blocking out an entire side of Rockford’s gym. The number was closer to 500, but the magnitude was obvious; Rockford is the biggest school among the finalists, and represented as such.
Why we’re fans: Rockford’s lights out introductions (watch the video to see it) easily was our favorite gimmick – which makes sense if you’ve also seen the video of their baby powder explosion during football season. Ram Nation has great ideas and executes them. And they get a special shout out for making every home game a fund raiser for some charity – the support from Ram Nation extends to its athletes, but outside the building as well.
But there can be only one winner. Drum roll, please ...
Battle of the Fans Champion: Frankenmuth
What we saw: All five finalists created an atmosphere of fun. But Frankenmuth’s defined festive. No finalist rallied from start to finish like the Eagles. The other four finalists brought a number of positives to the table. Frankenmuth combined them all.
Why we're fans: Everyone is invited. That’s become a theme of Frankenmuth’s section, which encourages participation from not just other Eagles fans, but opposing fans as well.
They danced a lot and sang some too, but were into the game the entire time. Frankenmuth’s cheerers had specific cheers for each player, for free throws, for pre-game introductions and just about anything else that goes into a basketball game. And like Petoskey, not a negative word was heard -- unless the Eagles fans were making fun of themselves or their players for air-balling a shot or getting one blocked.
We visited for a theme night, which would be a big hit on its own. But leaders kept the full section engaged for the entire game.
And talk about creative ... a lot of sections do great things that they've never seen before -- but we have. Not so at Frankenmuth, where originality reigned.
"I hope we can start a really huge tradition for our school. I hope people look at this and follow along with what we've done, and keep this tradition going forever," Webb said. "People will know this is how it started, and this is how it's going to be."
All five finalists will have another day on a bigger stage – clips from all five MHSAA tour stops will be shown during the Girls and Boys Basketball Finals in March at the Breslin Center.
And all five will serve as examples of what a great thing a student cheering section can be -- and how other schools can do the same in years to come.
Congratulations to all of our finalists, and especially to our champions.
Click to check out our the stories and videos behind the finalists. Also, click to see student-produced videos from all 19 sections who entered the contest. Photo courtesy of the Frankenmuth News.