SAC Sound-Off: Glad to be an AD's Son
October 30, 2012
By Coby Ryan
Manistique junior
“Oh, you’re Rob Ryan’s son, right?”
As a student-athlete, I hear that all the time. The Upper Peninsula is a tightly-knit network in the sports world. Names, faces, and schools are heavily interconnected. And as the son of Manistique’s athletic director Rob Ryan, everything in that perspective is multiplied.
There are certainly perks to being my father’s son. At every away game I attend, I am greeted by some coach, athletic director, or other school official who already knows my name before the game even starts. Also, we have unlimited access to the gym. It is hard to stay connected to statewide sports living where I do, but having my dad as an AD helps. We always attend the MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals in East Lansing through him, and we love it. Finally, he introduced me to the MHSAA Student Advisory Council, and I am extremely thankful for that. He has more sports-related access than most people, and I benefit from that.
There also are some traits of being an AD’s son that people probably do not see if they do not have a similar relationship. I definitely am held to a higher standard, both academically and athletically, because of my father’s position in the school. This pushes me to be the best student-athlete I can be, and for that I am grateful.
But, there can also be a feeling of being overshadowed by what he does. I am my own person; I am not my father. Many times, I am identified by his achievements, not mine. If I play a good game, I’m “Rob Ryan’s son,” not “Coby Ryan.” Identity problems can be an issue as an athletic director’s child, but this motivates me more to want to be called by my own name because of who I am and what I’ve accomplished.
When I am attending or involved in an athletic competition, my peers and I do not have the same experience. They all see the players playing, a couple guys reffing, and some other people doing statistics or something; they don’t really care about the details. They are just there to watch the game.
When I go, I see things in an entirely different light. I see a team that arrived on the field or court without a hitch because my dad was there to greet them, show them where everything was, and make sure they were all settled in. I see an unbiased, professional officiating crew contracted by my father from a different community. I see scorekeepers, announcers, timers, and statisticians, all hired by him because of their knowledge of the game being played and their ability to perform the task given to them. When there are unruly fans, coaches, or players, I see people that my dad has to deal with by getting them out of the game so enjoyment is not taken away from the rest. In the student section, I am much more aware of sportsmanship and what is appropriate or inappropriate for a high school game than my peers because of him. Being his son puts a whole new perspective on how I view the game.
Through my dad, I can be much more involved in my community’s sports, even if I am not playing all of them. He taught me how to keep stats for basketball games. He had me announce JV football games. I have been a referee with him in local basketball tournaments. Also, we coached a girls basketball travel team together. These opportunities all arose from his being an athletic director.
Overall, I love being my dad’s kid. We both love high school sports and get to enjoy them in more ways than most fathers and sons ever will. I believe there are some negatives to it, but I find that in the end these actually just make me a better student-athlete and a better person. I guess I am pretty lucky to be “Rob Ryan’s son.”
Coby Ryan, Manistique junior
- Sports: Football, basketball, track and field
- Non-sports activities: Class President, Quiz Bowl, Drama Club, Glee Club, National Honor Society, Spanish Club, YETI, Academic Booster Club Class Representative
- Favorite class: Gym
- Up next: Ryan hopes to attend the University of Michigan.
- Shining moment: Scoring 22 points and beating our rival Big Bay de Noc in JV basketball.
- Pump-up jam: "Winner" by Jamie Foxx (with Justin Timberlake & T.I.)
- Must-see TV: "The Office"
- Favorite films: "Step Brothers" and "The Dark Knight"
PHOTO: Manistique junior Coby Ryan stands with parents Christi and Rob during his football team's Parents Night this fall. 
BOTF X: Challenges Await 9 Semifinalists from Record-Tying Field
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 10, 2022
Congratulations, “Battle of the Fans X” semifinalists, for qualifying for this year’s “Challenge Round.” In doing so, you’ve already met and overcome a pair of significant challenges as you seek to show Michigan why your student section is the state’s best.
First, you’ve managed this despite COVID-19. Not much more explanation needed there.
Second, you’ve qualified from a record-tying number of applicants to advance and earn this opportunity.
Nine student cheering sections from MHSAA member schools have been selected from the first phase of BOTF X to take part in the “Challenge Round” as they vie for this year’s championship: Howell, Midland Dow and Traverse City West from Class A; Imlay City, Spring Lake and Yale from Class B; and Buchanan, North Muskegon and Petersburg Summerfield from Class C/D.
Battle of the Fans X, organized by MHSAA staff and its 16-member Student Advisory Council, kicked off by inviting schools to submit short videos, via TikTok, of their cheering sections in action by Jan. 8. The Advisory Council has selected nine semifinalists to accomplish a list of tasks showing off their sections over the next 12 days – and the Council will then select three finalists for MHSAA visits.
This year’s winner will be announced Feb. 18 and recognized March 25 during the MHSAA Boys Basketball Semifinals at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.
Semifinalists are required to complete up to 20 BOTF challenges and submit documentation via TikTok by 11 p.m. on Jan. 22. Five mandatory challenges focus on contest criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, student section leadership and overall fun.
The list of challenges allows semifinalists opportunities to show the unique characteristics that make their sections elite. The full list of challenges can be found on the MHSAA Website.
“With limited attendance at games last year, students have been excited to get back to fields and gyms this year to support their classmates,” said Andy Frushour, MHSAA director of brand management and advisor to the Student Advisory Council. “We know this pandemic isn’t yet over, and student sections haven’t taken their attendance for granted. Every game is special, and student sections are excited to continue participation in this contest.
“Over the next two weeks, we’ll learn a lot about what these student sections bring to every game night.”
The Student Advisory Council will select the finalists for announcement Jan. 24 on Second Half. MHSAA staff and Student Advisory Council members will visit all three finalists for home basketball games during the second half of this regular season, with coverage and video from those visits and the announcement of the winner all to be published on Second Half.
The winner will be selected by another Advisory Council vote based in part on support each section receives on the MHSAA’s social media sites. All social media postings regarding Battle of the Fans X should include the hashtag #MHSAABOTF2022. The MHSAA will share semifinalists’ challenge TikToks over the next two weeks. The MHSAA also will post from the three finalists visits on those channels.
A record-tying 27 schools applied for this year’s contest, including 14 schools for the first time to bring the total to 119 member schools that have applied for the contest at least once over its 10-year existence.
Buchanan and Traverse City West both have applied eight times and will compete in the semifinals for the fourth-straight competition. Buchanan was the BOTF champion in 2013, 2018 and 2020, and West won in 2016. North Muskegon is a semifinalist for the second time after winning the BOTF title in 2019.
Petersburg Summerfield advanced to the semis for the third-straight time, while Yale advanced past the first round for the third time (and first since 2016). Imlay City advanced for the first time after three previous attempts, and Howell, Spring Lake, and Midland Dow are all first-time applicants.
“We’re basically in the ‘Regional’ round now if you compare this competition to our other tournaments,” Frushour said. “This group of nine is just getting warmed up as they prepare to make a run at reaching the ‘state finals.’ We’re excited to see the creativity and positivity of the nine semifinalists.”
The other first-time applicants were Carsonville-Port Sanilac, Detroit Catholic Central, Freeland, Grosse Pointe North, Okemos, Plymouth Christian Academy, Portage Central, Sanford Meridian, Spring Lake, Troy and Utica Eisenhower.
Click to view all applications on TikTok.
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 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.
VIDEOS: Below, check out the videos from our visits to all of the first nine BOTF champions.