This Week in High School Sports: 11/25/16
December 2, 2016
The latest edition of "This Week In High School Sports" features Novi's repeat championship in volleyball, passes out a Game Ball, discusses the "sleeper play" in Be The Referee and finishes with an MHSAA Perspective thanking our schools for tackling the tough weather that generally hits during the final weeks of the football playoffs.
The 5-minute program, powered by MI Student Aid, leads off each week with feature stories from around the state from the MHSAA’s Second Half or network affiliates. "Be The Referee," a 60-second look at the fine art of officiating, comes in the middle of the show; and is followed by a closing MHSAA "Perspective."
Listen to this week's show by Clicking Here.
Past editions
Nov. 18: Pewamo-Westphalia football star Jared Smith, behind-the-scenes heroes - Listen
Nov. 11: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart girls cross country, Big Ten move to Friday night football - Listen
Nov. 4: Upper Peninsula 8-player football showdown, how high school sports in Michigan have it pretty good compared with other states - Listen
Oct. 28: Montrose School Broadcast Program athletes, Football Playoff excitement - Listen
Oct. 21: Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett boys tennis, Football Playoffs selection breakdown - Listen
Oct. 14: Sturgis girls golf, latest from "You've Got to be Kidding Me" file - Listen
Oct. 7: Grand Ledge boys soccer, recent NFHS Hall of Fame selection Ken Beardslee of Vermontville - Listen
Sept. 30: Grand Rapids South Christian boys soccer, Michigan teams supporting many worthy causes - Listen
Sept. 23: Newberry football, downsides of national coverage of high school sports - Listen
Sept. 16: MHSAA study of concussions in high school sports during the 2015-16 school year - Listen
Sept. 9: Benton Harbor football, football rules differences between high school and college/pro levels - Listen
Sept. 2: Fenton boys cross country, debuts of new football stadiums - Listen
Aug. 29: Haslett no-contact football practices, multi-sport participation and sportsmanship - Listen
Century of School Sports: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 8, 2024
The display above greets visitors at the top of our staircase to the second floor at the MHSAA office in East Lansing – a group of guests that annually numbers well over a 1,000 administrators, student leaders, game officials and several others who are invested in school sports.
We hope these four core values – the MHSAA’s oft-referred to “four S’s” of educational athletics – also lead our guests’ interactions in school sports as they return home to their communities across the state.
They are as follows:
SAFETY
- It's not enough to provide students the opportunity to participate. The health and welfare of participants must be placed above all other considerations. Parents can be confident that their children not only will be as safe as possible in school sports, but they will also develop habits that tend to encourage a lifetime of better health.
SCHOLARSHIP
- School-based and rooted in education, school sports are a supportive part of the school's academic mission. Minimum academic standards are set as a requirement for athletic participation, thus making activities a privilege.
SPORTSMANSHIP
- The environment at interscholastic events is shaped by the attitudes and actions of players, coaches and spectators. Lessons learned in gracefully dealing with adversity in athletics translate to the classroom, the home and the workplace. Good sportsmanship is a precursor to good citizenship.
SCOPE
- School sports embrace local roots. School events attract administrators, teachers, students and parents in one venue and can be the backbone of the community. Adopting reasonable, rational limits for school sports assures a sane and sensible, student-centered educational experience.
These values were coined by John E. “Jack” Roberts, the fourth of now five full-time executive directors who have served the MHSAA during its 100-year history. He introduced them during his first days on the job in 1986 – and as he noted in an installment of his “From the Director” blog in 2015, they’ve stood the test of time.
They drove the Association’s work during his tenure, surely before it, and continue to do so today – and we will delve into all four as we continue our storytelling of a “Century of School Sports” during this 2024-25 school year.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
Sept. 25: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
PHOTO A display on the second floor of the MHSAA office outlines the four core values of educational athletics: safety, scholarship, sportsmanship and scope.