This Week In High School Sports: 1/24/20
January 24, 2020
This week’s show highlights White Pigeon multi-sport standout Claycee West, awards Game Balls to Jonesville's competitive cheer team and Pelllston basketball's Blake Cassidy, clears up misconceptions on basketball goaltending and highlights some of the key points from last weekend's Youth Football Forum.
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
Jan. 17: Promoting and protecting youth football, amateurism in educational athletics - Listen
Jan. 10: Livonia Stevenson hockey's Seth Lause, multi-media and social media impacts - Listen
Dec. 27: Mona Shores "Sailor Nation" life-saving success - Listen
Dec. 20: Battle of the Fans IX, details on purchasing Finals broadcasts - Listen
Dec. 13: Port Huron United hockey, what matters most in high school sports - Listen
Dec. 6: Highlights from 2019 11-Player Football Finals, instant replay in review - Listen
Nov. 29: Highlights from 2019 8-Player Football, Girls Volleyball and Girls Swimming & Diving Finals - Listen
Nov. 22: Ida volleyball record-setter Taylor Wegener, new Football Finals video review - Listen
Nov. 15: Reading lineman Nick Affholter, coaches as leaders in sportsmanship - Listen
Nov. 8: Lower Peninsula Cross Country and Boys Soccer Finals highlights - Listen
Nov. 1: Muskegon Orchard View football, bolstered MHSAA broadcast schedule - Listen
Oct. 25: Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian girls golf, MHSAA Football Playoff selection - Listen
Oct. 18: Mendon volleyball's title drive, recognition for longtime announcer Erik O. Furseth - Listen
Oct. 11: Negaunee cross country's Emily Paupore, MHSAA mental health awareness efforts - Listen
Oct. 4: South Lyon soccer's Josh Mason, improving youth football - Listen
Sept: 27: Utica Eisenhower golfer Ariel Chang, adult fan behavior - Listen
Sept: 20: Pinckney football inspiration, decisions made at the local level - Listen
Sept. 13: Muskegon's offensive line, soccer substitution rule change - Listen
Sept. 6: Jenison girls golf's inspiration, new football practice contact restrictions - Listen
Aug. 30: St. Johns quarterback-now-coach Andy Schmitt, benefits of a multi-sport experience - Listen
Dear Mom and Dad: Cool It
January 9, 2019
By Karissa Niehoff, NFHS Executive Director
and Mark Uyl, MHSAA Executive Director
If you are the mother or father of a high school athlete here in Michigan, this message is primarily for you.
When you attend an athletic event that involves your son or daughter, cheer to your heart’s content, enjoy the camaraderie that high school sports offer and have fun. But when it comes to verbally criticizing game officials or coaches, cool it.
Make no mistake about it. Your passion is admired, and your support of the hometown team is needed. But so is your self-control. Yelling, screaming and berating the officials humiliates your child, annoys those sitting around you, embarrasses your child’s school and is the primary reason Michigan has an alarming shortage of high school officials.
It’s true. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Sports Officials, more than 75 percent of all high school officials say “adult behavior” is the primary reason they quit. And 80 percent of all young officials hang up their stripes after just two years of whistle blowing. Why? They don’t need your abuse.
Plus, there’s a ripple effect. There are more officials over 60 than under 30 in many areas. And as older, experienced officials retire, there aren’t enough younger ones to replace them. If there are no officials, there are no games. The shortage of registered high school officials is severe enough in some areas that athletic events are being postponed or cancelled—especially at the freshman and junior varsity levels.
Research confirms that participation in high school sports and activities instills a sense of pride in school and community, teaches lifelong lessons like the value of teamwork and self-discipline and facilitates the physical and emotional development of those who participate. So, if the games go away because there aren’t enough men and women to officiate them, the loss will be infinitely greater than just an “L” on the scoreboard. It will be putting a dent in your community’s future.
If you would like to be a part of the solution to the shortage of high school officials, you can sign up to become an MHSAA-registered official at MHSAA.com. Otherwise, adult role models at high school athletic events here in Michigan are always welcome.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is one of 51 members of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).