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Hey Cheer Sections: Get Ready to 'Battle'

December 4, 2012

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Brush up on your favorite chants, get the roller coaster rolling again and schedule those theme nights. 

"Battle of the Fans" is back, and we're looking for your best as we begin our second quest to find the top high school student cheering section in the state of Michigan.

Following up on its successful inaugural contest last school year, the MHSAA's Student Advisory Council again will host “Battle of the Fans II” to reward the top high school student cheering section in the state again this winter.

Sections are invited to submit a short video, via YouTube, of their cheering sections in action. Video submissions should be between 90 seconds and three minutes long and explain how that section meets the following contest criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, student section leadership and fun.

The deadline for student-submitted video applications is Jan. 12. Five finalists including at least one Class C or D school will then be chosen and visited on a home game night by MHSAA staff and Advisory Council representatives. The MHSAA will produce a video of that finalist after each visit, with the champion being selected by the Student Advisory Council based in part on a public vote to be conducted on the MHSAA’s Facebook page.

This year’s champion will be announced Feb. 22 and recognized March 22 at the Breslin Center.

A total of 19 sections submitted videos for the 2011-12 contest. Frankenmuth was named champion and presented with a banner during the MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center. Sections from Grand Rapids Christian, Reese, Petoskey and Rockford also were finalists.

And every one showed us something that goes into a strong student section. Click to read our final analysis from the day we announced the winner. 

Contest rules and directions for submitting videos can be found on the MHSAA site. This year’s finalist videos, plus the announcement of the 2012-13 winner, will be published on Second Half. Click below for links to the finalist stories and videos from last year's MHSAA visits. 

Frankenmuth - Grand Rapids Christian - Petoskey - Reese - Rockford

Make sure to keep up with the buzz on Twitter via our hashtag #BOTF, and follow us @MHSAA.

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 schools sports for Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports and assists with medal ceremonies at MHSAA championship events.

PHOTOS: (Top) Grand Rapids Covenant Christian fans create a powdery fog before the start of this fall's MHSAA Division 4 Boys Soccer Final at Troy Athens. (Middle) Members of Frankenmuth's student cheering section accept their championship banner in March at the Breslin Center. 

Grand Blanc's Fisher, Caledonia's Olsen Lead Past MHSAA Standouts at Olympics

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 15, 2024

Several past Michigan high school athletes participated during the recent Olympics in Paris – and several did so only a few years after starring for their high schools in MHSAA competition.

Among those who graduated from Michigan schools, Grand Blanc’s Grant Fisher and Caledonia’s Alena Olsen provided the most memorable finishes this month.

Fisher, a two-time Lower Peninsula Division 1 cross country champion and five-time champion at Track & Field Finals, won bronze medals in the Olympic 5,000 and 10,000-meter races.

After high school, Fisher went on to win NCAA championships at Stanford, and he still owns the all-MHSAA Finals record in the 1,600 (4:00.28), run in 2015 as a senior. His 14:52.5 in 2014 remains the sixth-fastest 5K time in MHSAA cross country championship history.

Olsen played volleyball and soccer at Caledonia, graduating in 2014, and was part of the bronze medal-winning U.S. rugby team in Paris. She began playing that sport as a freshman at Michigan, where she was a two-time All-America selection.

Also competing this month for the United States were the following (with high school graduation year in parentheses):

  • Heath Baldwin, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (2019) – Track & Field (10th in decathlon)
  • Adam Coon, Fowlerville (2013) – Wrestling
  • Freddie Crittenden, Utica (2013) – Track & Field (sixth in 110 hurdles)
  • Aaron Cummings, Grand Haven – Rugby (also played football, wrestled and ran track at Grand Haven)
  • Andrew Evans, Portage Northern (2009) – Track & Field
  • Hobbs Kessler, Ann Arbor Skyline (2021) – Track & Field (fifth in 1,500)
  • Grace Stark, White Lake Lakeland (2019) – Track & Field (fifth in 100 hurdles)
  • Abby Tamer, Dexter (2021) – Field Hockey (also played soccer at Dexter)

Additionally, Devin Booker was a member of the gold medal-winning men’s basketball team; he played as a freshman at Grandville before moving to Mississippi. Cindy (Ofili) Sember from Ann Arbor Huron ran the 100 hurdles for Great Britain, Udodi Onwuzurike from Bloomfield Brother Rice ran the 200 meters for Nigeria, Alex Rose from Ogemaw Heights threw the discus for Samoa, and Myles Amine from Detroit Catholic Central wrestled for San Marino.