SAC Sound-off: Leaving Town, Leaving Something Behind
May 22, 2012
The days are numbered.
For the past few months, graduation has been breathing down my back. For seniors, life as we know it in high school will soon become a distant memory.
And do I have a large number of people to thank.
Growing up in a small town has taught me lots of things. Everybody knows everybody. And everybody knows the big news and happenings the day it happened.
But that’s beside the fact. The biggest and best part is I feel loved. I am sure going to miss the atmosphere around Rudyard. I’ve grown accustomed to the slowed-down, laid back lifestyle. All my friends, teachers, coaches, and roots are here. I’ve done my best to leave “tattoos on my town."
Being a part of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council has been such a huge bonus for me. Everything we did and everything the MHSAA does is for a remarkable cause. And it really makes you well-known in the EUP (our short-hand for Eastern Upper Peninsula) if you are lucky enough to get picked to serve the two-year term. I just wish that the term was longer.
My message to the new juniors (now sophomores) who were recently selected to join the MHSAA class of 2013 is this: Make the most of everything you do at the office in East Lansing. Serving on the council has really improved my people skills and my ability to work in a group. I know for a fact that I will be able to take the skills I have learned from being in East Lansing on those Sundays and apply them to situations down the road.
And to all students: Soak up every part of high school that you can! Small town or big city, the sports, school, and extra-curriculars are all great experiences. So take advantage of them! Be involved in all that you can because you will most likely never regret joining a new club or team when you look back on it.
Make the most of everything, and do your part to leave your “tattoo” on your hometown.
Wilson, a three-sport athlete at Rudyard, graduated this spring. Next up: Grand Rapids Community College, where he'll play basketball and study pre-med.
Performance of the Week: Zeeland West's Rylee Smith
March 1, 2024
Rylee Smith ♦ Zeeland West
Senior ♦ Bowling
Smith rolled a 300 – her first – in the final game of her Division 1 Regional last Friday to finish a championship run with a six-game total of 1,258 pins, 128 ahead of the field. Smith, a student at Zeeland West, also helped the Zeeland cooperative program to the Regional team championship at Revel & Roll in Kalamazoo, and will be competing in the Team Finals on Friday and Singles Finals on Saturday at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park.
With four more games topping 190 and all six rolling at least 184, Smith averaged a 210 over her Regional block to qualify for her fourth trip to the Singles Finals. She just missed making the Finals match play as a sophomore in 2022, when her sister Morgan was a senior on the team, and as an eighth grader in 2020 Rylee cheered Morgan and her teammates on as Zeeland won the Division 1 team championship. Rylee also is a talented golfer – she finished sixth overall at her Regional and one place short of qualifying for the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals as an individual – and she’ll continue her golf career at Trine University, where she intends to study physical therapy.
@mhsaasports 🎳POW: Rylee Smith #bowling #zeeland #west #letsgo #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports 🎳POW: Rylee Smith #tiktalk #questiontime #part2 #sourpatchkids #mikeandikes #golf #chocolatemilk #sand #qdoba #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
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Past 2023-24 Honorees
Feb. 22: Caleb Lewandowski, Traverse City West skiing - Report
Feb. 15: Jadin Mix, Onaway basketball - Report
Feb. 8: Onalee Wallis, Cadillac skiing - Report
Feb. 1: Abbey DeGraw, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek competitive cheer - Report
Jan. 25: Ewan Todd, Riverview swimming - Report
Jan. 18: Ashley Weller, Jackson Northwest basketball - Report
Jan. 11: Michael Baldwin, Saginaw Arthur Hill wrestling - Report
Dec. 15: Jena Fijolek, Fenton bowling - Report
Dec. 8: Sophia Wagner, Escanaba gymnastics - Report
Dec. 1: Isaiah Marshall, Southfield Arts & Technology football - Report
Nov. 24: Sarah Bradley, Clarkston Everest Collegiate volleyball - Report
Nov. 17: Kalieb Osborne, Waterford Mott football - Report
Nov. 10: Tekalegn Vlasma, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian soccer - Report
Nov. 3: Colton Kinnie, Birmingham Seaholm football - Report
Oct. 27: Lauren Timpf, Macomb Lutheran North golf - Report
Oct. 20: Alena Li, Okemos golf - Report
Oct. 13: Seth Norder, Grand Haven cross country - Report
Oct. 5: Paige Anderson, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer golf - Report
Sept. 29: MacKenzie Bisballe, Lake City volleyball - Report
Sept. 22: Jhace Massey, Gladwin football - Report
Sept. 15: Kaylee Draper, Sturgis swimming - Report
Sept. 8: Owen Jackson, Traverse City St. Francis tennis - Report
Sept. 1: Rachel Forsyth, Ann Arbor Pioneer cross country - Report
(Photos courtesy of the Zeeland girls bowling program.)