SAC Sound-off: Lessons Taught
May 9, 2012
MHSAA Student Advisory Council members are charged in part with passing on the lessons of educational athletics. We asked them what they tried to teach their teammates this school year.
“I tried to teach my teammates …”
Focus on the end game
“… How to be intense throughout the game and to be united in our goal to win.” – Portland St. Patrick junior Elle Lehman
“… To work together for a specific goal.” – Muskegon Catholic Central senior Alissa Jones
It starts with work
“… It doesn’t matter how big, strong or fast you are. What matters is how much heart and effort you put into any sport or life situation. Because hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work.” – New Buffalo senior Lena Madison
Stand together
“… Respect each other, because it’s nearly impossible to succeed as a team if you don’t work together.” Walled Lake Central junior Taylor Krumm
“… We are a family. Even if it’s cliché, it’s true. We win together and lose together. As a captain of the golf team, sometimes it is difficult to keep the team mentality since it is also an individual sport.” – Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Central junior Abby Radomsky
“… The importance of being a good teammate – and how that includes both playing hard on the field and being supportive off of the field.” – Pontiac Notre Dame junior Carly Joseph
It’s about more than physical skills
“... Be selfless. It is so difficult for us as teenagers to stop and realize that not everything is about us. So I wanted to make sure we worked as a team, not as individuals, by communicating.” – Detroit Country Day senior Maria Buczkowski
“... To have a better attitude on the golf course.” – Grand Blanc senior Bailey Truesdell
“... Even in times of trouble (loss, problems, etc.), you need to keep cool and continue to work hard.” – Vandercook Lake junior Thye Fischman
“… To give it their all and to have fun; also to not get worked up over mistakes.” – Rogers City junior Evan Lamb
Don’t take this for granted
“… You need to have fun. Sports are not about winning or losing.” – Benzie Central senior Travis Clous
“… Love the game. My main message as a senior captain in three sports this year was simply to cherish every moment of high school sports. To me, there is nothing better.” – Rudyard senior Tyler Wilson
Performance of the Week: Richland Gull Lake's Lilah Smith
May 2, 2024
Lilah Smith ♦ Richland Gull Lake
Junior ♦ Soccer
Smith scored both goals as Gull Lake defeated Portage Central 2-1 on April 24. Gull Lake was ranked No. 2 in Division 2 at the time (now No. 3), and Portage Central remains No. 3 in Division 1 after suffering its lone loss this season to the Blue Devils, who have since improved to 8-1-2 overall this spring.
After earning all-state honorable mention as a freshman and making the second team as a sophomore, Smith moved from center back to midfield this season, first in more of an attacking role and now as a defensive mid. Standing 6 feet tall, her first goal against Central was a header off a corner kick, and the game-winner came on a second-half penalty shot. She plays basketball as well and is committed to continue playing soccer collegiately at Toledo.
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@mhsaasports ⚽️POW: Lilah Smith #tiktalk #questiontime #part2 #parenttrap #drake #fire #pineapple #greysanatomy #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
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Past 2023-24 Honorees
April 25: Mason Mayne, Lawton track & field - Report
April 18: Alli Wright, Jenison softball - Report
April 11: Chloe Wishart, Trenton soccer - Report
March 28: Jenna Maki, Ishpeming basketball - Report
March 22: Jaremiah Palmer, Niles Brandywine basketball - Report
March 15: Leah Hodge, North Farmington gymnastics - Report
March 8: Darius Marines, Detroit Catholic Central wrestling - Report
March 1: Rylee Smith, Zeeland West bowling - Report
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
PHOTO Gull Lake's Lilah Smith (16) rises above the defense to connect on a header against Portage Central. (Action photo by Cindy Corstange/The Open Shutter Photography; headshot by Alan Gawel/Main Street Portraits.)