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Students Take Sports Leaders to Class
By
Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
May 2, 2018
Compiled by Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
MHSAA Student Advisory Council members were asked their opinions on several of the current issues facing the MHSAA Junior High/Middle School Committee and MHSAA Task Force on Multi-Sport Participation.
Click for Tuesday’s report on advances being made on both topics.
Danny deForest
Senior
Holland West Ottawa
Danny has played soccer, basketball, and lacrosse in high school, while being involved in National Honor Society, Dance Marathon, WOBN (West Ottawa Broadcasting Network), and the Ping Pong Club. He played football, basketball and tennis, and ran cross country in junior high school.
Influence to Play Multiple Sports: “Sports have always just been a passion of mine and are something that helps keep all other aspects of my life in order. Without them I feel as if I'm not on a good schedule, and I find much more room to waste time, procrastinate, and overall lose productivity.”
On JH/MS Participation: “I believe it was important for me to start this in middle school because it just instilled a good work ethic in me to continue in high school.”
On Benefits of Multi-Sport Participation: “Playing multiple sports has benefitted me in countless ways. Socially, it has provided me with multiple different friend groups. Soccer alone has helped to give me a much better understanding of Hispanic culture, and I'm grateful to be friends with these teammates. It gives me a great reason to try hard in school, to keep my grades up, and makes me feel better about myself as I am very fit due to it.”
Ways in Which Schools Can Better Promote Multi-Sport Participation: “Schools should really work on having coaches cooperate for summer workouts in order to help multi-sport athletes. It is very difficult for us to make it to everything and we often feel as if it takes up nearly our whole summer, and stresses us out as coaches plan things at the same time. It’s hard on us because coaches get disappointed if we attend some and not others, but it’s very tough to manage it all.”
Grace Reetz
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
Senior
Grace plays volleyball, basketball, softball, and runs track & field. She is a member of the NHS and in the drama club as well.
Influence to Play Multiple Sports: “I grew up with three brothers who all played baseball so I spent a good portion of my childhood at ballparks baking in the hot sun, but their interest definitely influenced my decision to play softball. After I joined the city youth team it was hard to stay away from any other activities. Softball was always my favorite, but over time I realized I didn't love softball nearly as much as I just loved to compete and be active. When I was younger I played soccer and swam competitively and was even in a dodgeball league. As I got into middle and high school sports I tailored my efforts towards those that I could actually play with my classmates through the school (Sacred Heart doesn't offer swimming or soccer).”
On JH/MS Participation: “Middle school sports for me were more social than anything else, but they helped me understand the game and get a good grasp on it before competing at the JV and Varsity level my freshman year. Being on a sports team as a 7th and 8th-grader gave me an immediate friend group and a sense of importance and helped make those years a little less painful.”
On Benefits of Multi-Sport Participation: “I found out that as much as I love the sports I play, I'm not cut out to play any of them year-round. I played for a travel softball team one year that played throughout the whole year from August to July with practice every weekend. By the end of that year, I basically hated the sport because I hadn't been able to take a break from it.
“I think my success I've had in each sport has been largely due to the fact that when I take some time off I get an itch to start playing them again. It keeps me from getting bored and allows me to stay highly motivated during every season.
“Physically working out different muscles also keeps me in better shape than if I were only playing one sport year-round. Playing defense in volleyball surprisingly translates very well into defense on the basketball court and down-and-backs in basketball practice keep me fit and develop my fast twitch muscles which benefit me in track season.
“I think being a part of many different teams has helped develop me as a person as well. In volleyball I act as the more serious leader and motivator, whereas on my basketball team I'm more of the comedic relief. In softball there's a little more tension so my role is just to keep everyone positive and together, and on the track team I become an ultra supportive teammate and back-up player. It's nice to play different roles on different teams with different people and see what new skills, both athletically and in a leadership sense, I'm capable of developing.”
Ways in Which Schools Can Better Promote Multi-Sport Participation: “In small schools like mine, if kids don't play multiple sports then there won't be multiple teams; there's just not enough kids. I play most of my sports with the same core group of girls, and it really makes team chemistry and switching from season to season an almost effortless process. I personally think it's kind of lame to only play one sport every day year-round. I think a lot of kids think the only way their dreams of playing at the collegiate level will come true is if they give up all their other activities to focus on that single sport. But that doesn't develop you as a person or as a leader; it only makes you a slightly more skilled athlete.”
Neil Bazaj
Junior
Ann Arbor Greenhills
Neil is a soccer, basketball and track athlete, who played those sports and tennis in junior high school. He also adds Peer-to-Peer Math Tutoring, Captains Club and Gryphon Ambassadors to his activities.
Influence to Play Multiple Sports: “I have been playing soccer from a very young age, but have also had a natural love for basketball. I began running track as a way to stay fit, but I really enjoyed being part of the team and loved my coaches, so I stayed with the team. My decision to play numerous sports was mostly influenced by my love for the atmosphere that surrounds team sports and how much I enjoy sports myself.”
On JH/MS Participation: “I don’t think that it’s very important to start school sports in middle school; however, I do recommend it. It is an easy way to meet people, and if you are planning to play in high school it helps grow your skill in the respective sport.”
On Benefits of Multi-Sport Participation: “Participation in multiple sports has helped me physically by giving me more stamina and strength. It has also helped me stay in shape. Sports have helped me mentally by giving me something that is normally away from all the drama and problems that arise in high school (and lets me) just focus on the sports that I love.
“They have helped me socially by giving me opportunities to meet new people from each team for all grade levels. Track is co-ed, so it gives me a way to interact with girls as well as guys. Some of my best friends came from the teams I play on. Sports have helped me academically by giving me better time-management skills, which are important for when I do my homework and for my future.”
Ways in Which Schools Can Better Promote Multi-Sport Participation: “To help promote multi-sport participation, schools should show the bond that players on teams enjoy and show people how every team is like another family for someone. Also they could do a better job of making it clear that the school supports student-athletes, because I know at my school it often times feels like we lack support because we can barely get 10 people from the community to come out to events.”
Chloe Idoni
Junior
Fenton
Chloe competes on the basketball and volleyball teams at Fenton, and also ran track in middle school in addition to those two sports. She also is a member of the NHS and Captains Club.
Influence to Play Multiple Sports: “It’s fun to be a part of a team and I love competing in sports.”
On JH/MS Participation: “It benefitted me a lot. You become familiar with your future teammates and the sport, which will help significantly when you get to high school.”
On Benefits of Multi-Sport Participation: “It taught me to manage my time well, and I made so many good friends that I still have today. It’s good to forget about everything that has happened that day and focus on the sport, and it keeps me in shape.”
Ways in Which Schools Can Better Promote Multi-Sport Participation: “I believe if your coach supported it, many more athletes would be multi-sport athletes. Sometimes athletes only play one sport because the coaches of different sports want to practice at the same time and the two overlap. Schools can also build up team chemistry within their sports teams because that will influence people to want to join the team because of how much fun they have.”
Aaron Fahrner
Senior
Owendale-Gagetown
Aaron is a member of the school's football, basketball, and baseball teams, as he was in junior high school. He also is in the NHS and currently serve as the chapter’s president, and serves on the student council and youth advisory committees.
Influence to Play Multiple Sports: “Going to a small school, just about everyone has to play in order for there to be a team, so that is one of the main reasons I've played all the sports available.”
On JH/MS Participation: “I have an older brother who played every sport in high school. I always wanted to follow in his footsteps, so that led me to play all sports available in junior high, which carried over into high school.
“For me it was very important to start young. I started playing basketball on a school team in 5th grade, and that really helped me to develop my skills into the basketball player that I am today. I believe that if you start young you will learn the right way to play that sport and will continue to grow and further develop your skills.”
On Benefits of Multi-Sport Participation: “Playing in three sports helps me stay in shape for the next sports season. I am fortunate to be a 4.0 student and playing sports hasn’t had an effect, but I have seen teammates who keep better grades in order to be eligible to play that sport. I have met some of my closest friends through sports, whether they were on my team or an opposing team. Living in a rural area, many kids in the schools around me play many sports. By seeing these same kids throughout the year during sports, I have built many lasting friendships.”
Ways in Which Schools Can Better Promote Multi-Sport Participation: “At my school almost everyone who plays sports, plays all the sports. In other schools, I know that some kids don't play because they don't think they will make tryouts. If schools encouraged more kids to try out, then more kids will want to play.”
Taylor Adams
Junior
Allendale
Taylor has played basketball and soccer since middle school, and is currently a member of the NHS.
Influence to Play Multiple Sports: “I really love soccer; it's my favorite sport. But when my mom started hyping up basketball, I really wanted to play it. In 7th grade I went out for basketball, and since then I've really enjoyed it. It's good to be a well-rounded two-sport or more athlete, especially if you're looking for athletic-related scholarships.”
On JH/MS Participation: “It was important to gain the knowledge and understanding of the sport before jumping into the big play at high school. It was great being able to get the opportunities and playing time that I needed to get good at the sport. It's important to learn the basics at a younger age so that you are able to compete once you get into high school.”
On Benefits of Multi-Sport Participation: “I've learned so many new skills and met so many new people. I've been able to grow as a leader and help others grow as well. From being a captain to being an underclassman on varsity, to being a part of the MHSAA SAC, sports have helped to shape my behavior and personality. It's pretty awesome when you can know people from all over your state and even outside your state because of sports. People are surprised when they hear how many connections I have because of my sports. And, it hasn't hurt my academics whatsoever; I've actually been able to still keep up my studies and continue to achieve a 4.0.”
Ways in Which Schools Can Better Promote Multi-Sport Participation: “I think that if sports games and teams are better advocated for both genders, as well as for every sport, that would be beneficial to the cause. If every sport is advocated, more people will know about them and want to participate.”
Shane Dolan
Junior
Clarkston Everest Collegiate
Shane plays soccer, football, basketball, and runs track at the high school level, and is an NHS member. He participated soccer, football and basketball during middle school.
Influence to Play Multiple Sports: “Originally, it was my desire to try new things and see how well I could do. This led to me enjoying and constantly playing all of the sports I still play today.”
On JH/MS Participation: “It’s very important if you want to be elite or be one of the top players in a given sport at your school. The sooner you start, the sooner you can get a feel for the game and constantly work to improve yourself and your skills.”
On Benefits of Multi-Sport Participation: “Physically it has helped make me stronger and kept me in good shape. Mentally it has helped me make quick decisions and hone my reaction time. Socially it has helped me to make so many new friends and form strong bonds with others. Academically it has taught me the importance of time management and hard work.”
Ways in Which Schools Can Better Promote Multi-Sport Participation: “The one thing I would say that schools can improve upon is promoting all sports equally so that students will be encouraged to join any team they would want to as the school and other students show support for all sports, not just football and basketball.”
PHOTO: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart's Grace Reetz comes off the court to congrats from her teammates after a win this winter. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
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Flyers to Terriers, Quakers & Orioles
December 15, 2020
By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half
Education and all that comes with it, in case you haven’t noticed, is changing. Of course, that’s always been the case. Virtual learning is simply the latest transformation.
Once we were a nation filled with one-room school houses. By 1910, postcard evidence shows that, at least in Michigan, nearly every town of size had a high school, and that these buildings were showcases for community pride. From wood to brick to limestone, many of the earliest structures had bell towers. By the 1920s, in larger cities, small schools run by neighborhood churches were quite common. Most from those days were multiple-story buildings.
In hindsight, some of those buildings seem incredibly large for the communities they served. Others, too small – especially come the post-war baby boom era, when the suburbs exploded with growth and opportunity and Michigan’s major cities began to shrink in size. The 1950s and 1960s saw numerous Upper Peninsula and rural schools consolidate, while various big-city suburban districts split into two.
Continued development beyond the first ring of suburbs and decreasing birth rates have combined, with the introduction of school of choice in 1996, to played havoc with enrollments and facilities in more recent times. Today, public and private academies seem to pop up and disappear overnight.
For someone trying to follow along, there are plenty of challenges.
A TOOLBOX
Historians, like many others, require a toolbox to accomplish their work. One of my favorite tools is a spreadsheet that I created several years back. I refer to it as “The List.” It’s my Master List of Michigan High Schools, and I reference it often. But lately, the document has been in a bit of disarray.
It’s been a mess before. Without a focused sabbatical or a grant, it likely will never be polished quite to my satisfaction.
Lost somewhere in time
Scattered to the four winds are details about the naming of schools, their consolidations, relocations and closings. Sadly, stories of how and why schools selected nicknames are often forgotten.
Parochial schools can present challenges of their own. Seemingly countless have opened, closed, consolidated or relocated over the years in Michigan. The city of Detroit alone has played host to a least 32 “Saint” high schools, from St. Agatha to St. Vincent.
Detroit Catholic Central’s history includes five sites in three separate cities. As noted in my document, Catholic Central is an “All-Boys” school and today located in Novi. Few recall that, beginning in the fall of 1928, there was also a Detroit Girls Catholic Central. It closed in 1969.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central, founded in 1906, states it is the “oldest coeducational Catholic high school in the nation.” They have been known as the Cougars since 1930 or before. Muskegon Catholic Central consolidated three local schools – St. Mary, St. Joseph and St. Jean – and opened in the fall of 1953.
Flint Powers represents another example. My spreadsheet notes that the school’s full name is Flint Powers Catholic Central, and that it was named in honor of Rev. Luke M. Powers. The athletic teams are nicknamed the Chargers. The school was formed by the merger of seven Genesee County schools in 1970 – Flint Catholic schools Holy Redeemer, St. Agnes, St. John Vianney, St. Mary, St. Matthew, St. Michael and Mt. Morris St. Mary. Within the spreadsheet, I also capture their team nicknames: Flyers, Crusaders, Hornets, Wildcats, Panthers, Warriors, and Shamrocks, valuable information in case I find opportunity to write about their athletic accomplishments.
Garden City High School split into Garden City East and West in the mid-1960s, then reunited beginning with the 1982-83 school year. Royal Oak divided into Dondero and Kimball high schools in the late ’50s. They again unified in 2006. Pontiac High School split into Central and Northern in 1958. They merged back into Pontiac High in 2009.
More recently, in 2012, Wyoming Park and Wyoming Rogers merged. Ypsilanti Willow Run and Ypsilanti High School consolidated into Ypsilanti Community Schools in 2013.
Flint’s oldest high school, Central, shuttered in 2009, followed by Flint Northern in 2013. Albion was absorbed into Marshall in 2013. Word is Saginaw and Saginaw Arthur Hill will soon unite.
Once, Michigan had four high schools that used “Flyers” as their nickname: previously mentioned Flint Holy Redeemer, Detroit St. Andrew, Grosse Pointe St. Paul and Willow Run, which used the nickname as a nod to the area’s ties to Airforce Plant 31, constructed by Ford to manufacture twin-finned B-24 bombers during the early 1940s for the war effort. Today, there are no schools left in Michigan that carry the nickname.
“The List” reminds me that Ferndale changed from the “Railsplitters” to the “Eagles” when they moved from old Ferndale Lincoln High into the newly-opened Ferndale High School in the fall of 1958. They are not to be confused with the “Railsplitters” of Ypsilanti Lincoln or Lincoln Park.
Caledonia once used “Scotties” as the nickname for its athletic teams, but the students chose to change the nickname to the more intimidating “Fighting Scots” in the late 1960s. (I’m still trying to chase down the actual school year of the alteration.)
“The List” explains why the Midland “Chemics” have a lion named Vic for a mascot. (It seems that in 1938, a new high school was built and “the Student Union decided to start some new traditions in order to display pride in their new high school. The school purchased a stuffed lion – a symbol of pride – to be used as a mascot. The name Vic was chosen for the mascot in short for the word ‘Victory’, voted in by the students.”)
Uniqueness
Distinctive nicknames fascinate me, but I always want the story behind the choice. I have written on the subject previously. Digging around the internet, I recently found a reference that was new to me. Alpena St. Anne’s high school athletic teams apparently were nicknamed the “Couturemen.”
The dictionary describes “Couture” as a designer, maker and seller of custom clothing. The word is French in origin. So I shipped off an e-mail the other day to a parish secretary in Alpena, with a question about the very unusual nickname. My question worked its way to Fr. Frank Muszkiewicz.
“St. Anne Church had been the "French" church here in Alpena when there were the more ethnic heritage Catholic communities,” he responded. “My understanding is that St. Anne had a high school until 1951, when Catholic Central High School opened in Alpena …
“Looking at a history book of St. Anne Church in Alpena,” he continued, “I did see a couple of pictures of boys' basketball teams from the 1920's and 1940's, however it seems the team name was the "Big Reds". So, I'm not sure where the "Couturemen" name came from that you found.”
From the late 1920s into the 1940s, it became quite popular to tie nicknames to teams. But before a moniker was assigned, it wasn’t unusual for newspaper writers to refer to a team by the school colors, or blend the last name of a coach with the word “men” when penning a story about a local squad. For example, Bay City Central’s teams often were called “Nevittmen” after coach Garland Nevitt before taking on the nickname “Wolves” around 1927. Muskegon’s teams were “Jacksmen” after their coach, J. Francis Jacks, before they were called the “Big Reds.”
A December 1940 newspaper, covering a game between Ludington St. Simon and St. Anne, gives a hint that this might be the case at St. Anne’s. A player at St. Anne, who happened to foul out of the game, had the last name, Couture. Perhaps there is a similar connection in St. Anne’s history.
Identities
In September 1928, Lansing Eastern athletic teams became known as the Quakers. “The name is derived from the location of the school,” stated the Lansing State Journal, explaining the unusual choice. “Pennsylvania was the original home of the Quakers of the Colonial period of our history, and the new high school, being situated on Pennsylvania Avenue, will be known by the name of the original settlers in the Keystone State.”
In a November 1929 contest conducted by the State Journal, East Lansing, “long without a nickname,” became the Trojans. “The nickname was the choice of more than 50 per cent of the students.”
In May 1930, The Ludington Daily News noted that “Recently the Northern Michigan Big Six Athletic conference stimulated interest among pupils of the six cities in athletics and team competition … High School pupils of the respective towns proposed nicknames for their school teams and indicated their favorite by vote. Manistee chose the name of ‘Chippewas,’ Traverse City, ‘Trojans,’ Petoskey ‘Northmen,’ Cadillac ‘Vikings’ and Big Rapids ‘Cardinals.’ The time-honored name of ‘Orioles’ was voted to be retained by Ludington high school pupils, completing the list of six schools.”
Impressed, the Daily News quickly went to work to sponsor a county-wide contest with schools in Oceana County to select team nicknames. Later in the month, they announced results of the project.
“Scottville high school teams will henceforth be known as ‘Spartans,’ and Freesoil aggregation as ‘Buccaneers.’
“The team nicknames were decided upon by pupils of their respective institutions under a program of selections sponsored by the News.
“Two schools, Custer and Shelby, will retain their original team titles, (Ludington) St. Simon’s and Hart have not announced a final decision and Pentwater and Walkerville have made no report.”
Scottville’s choice of “Spartans” succeeded the name ‘Canners’ which had been used for a number of years, “a significant, but an unpicturesque appellation.” A rich agricultural part of the state, Scottville was home to a huge W.R. Roach and Co. canning facility. It closed in 2000 after nearly 90 years in business, displacing nearly 300 workers. “Wolverines” had also “won a goodly number of votes as did ‘Hornets.’”
“Cardinals” was retained at Custer.
“Word from Coach T.T. Thatcher at Shelby discloses Shelby’s choice as ‘Pee Wees.’ A selection made last year.
“Shelby voted in 1929 to use that name,’ he says, ‘and since then we have used an emblem on all our suits showing a Pee Wee and S.H.S on it. Our school colors are purple and white so the name is symbolic of the colors.”
For two of the schools, the decisions must have been relatively short-lived. By 1934, Shelby was using the nickname “Tigers.” Freesoil’s nickname had evolved into “Pirates” by the 1940s.
Earlier this year, the Hillsdale Daily News did a series of articles on the history of nicknames for schools in its coverage area. Hillsdale became the ‘Hornets’ in October 1932 following a poll of current football players and faculty. The Daily News at the time announced the nickname had won by a wide margin. Pittsford, it’s believed, first introduced its use of “Wildcats” “around the time the district consolidated in 1938.” At Waldron, “Spartans” was selected over “Lions” and “Bears” in a contest run by the school newspaper, also in 1938. “Students at the time were likely influenced by Waldron’s proximity to Michigan State University, among other factors,” noted the paper.
The Daily News piece on Litchfield was of special interest to me. The only high school in Michigan nicknamed Terriers, I didn’t know much about its origins – only that from my previous research, the nickname had survived a proposed alteration by the Litchfield Student Council during the 1956-57 school year.
“They aroused quite a discussion within the student body as to the idea of changing the name of our team – Terriers.” stated the school’s yearbook. “But the idea was dropped.”
“According to Litchfield schools employee Judy Bills, the Litchfield Terriers mascot came about through the influence of former teacher and coach Al Terry in the 1930s,” stated the Daily News article. “It was while Terry was teacher and coach in Litchfield schools that the athletic teams became known as the Litchfield Terriers, Bills said.”
For a historian, sometimes answers spur more questions.
Was Litchfield’s team nickname also swayed by Major League Baseball?
Allen Terry coached at Litchfield from 1932 through the fall of 1940 before continuing his career at Plainwell High School.
Interestingly, during that same timespan, a future MLB Hall of Fame inductee, Bill Terry, served as player-manager of the New York Giants. His team’s often grabbed newspaper headlines with a reference to the phrase, “Terry’s Terriers” in the connected article.
Did the sharing of “Terry” as a last name influence the nickname selection in Litchfield?
Who knows what the future holds for education, school districts and team nicknames across Michigan. Ypsilanti Community School students in grades 7-12 picked Grizzlies over Trailblazers and Flyers in 2013. There are six “Bears,” two “Black Bears” and a single “Polar Bears” on the MHSAA current active lists. Now there is one “Grizzlies.”
Today, “The List” contains 1,438 active and inactive high schools and totals 289 unique nicknames.
Wait.
There’s a St. Helen Charlton Heston Academy? It’s named after the actor, who played Moses in “The Ten Commandments.” It seems he spent part of his childhood in the area.
Make that 1,439.
(Thanks Eric Albright for the ‘Vic the Lion’ Story. I continue to seek out information on old departed high schools in Michigan as well as the stories behind nicknames. Please drop me a line.)
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS: (Top) Logos which have come, and sometimes gone along with those MHSAA schools through the years. (2) Kalkaska High School – from a postcard postmarked 1908. (3) Old Pontiac High School, built in 1913-14, became known as Pontiac Central once Pontiac Northern opened in 1958. (4) Ypsilanti Willow Run’s Flyers logo. (5) The logo used by Lansing Eastern’s Quakers. (6) Litchfield’s Terrier, as it appeared on the cover of the 1963 yearbook. (7) The logo for St. Helen Charlton Heston Academy’s Patriots. (Images collected by Ron Pesch.)