Vassar High School football players take the field in a 2014 game. The school is among those cited by the Michigan High School Athletic Association for good sportsmanship. (Photo by John Cook)
By Tom Gilchrist
Staff Writer
Players, coaches and fans at Akron-Fairgrove and Vassar high schools have been lauded for good sportsmanship by the Michigan High School Athletic Association in an Aug. 11 letter sent to school athletic directors.
The MHSAA, which promotes educational athletics in the 753 high schools throughout Michigan, wrote to congratulate the two schools “for receiving no negative officials reports of concern, ejection or sportsmanship during the previous school year.”
Only 254 of the 753 high schools — or 29 percent of the state’s high schools — received such a letter, according to Mark Uyl, MHSAA assistant director.
“It is a credit to your student-athletes, coaches, administration, staff and community for demonstrating such positive sportsmanship throughout the entire school year,” the MHSAA stated in its letter to Akron-Fairgrove Athletic Director Andrew Beauvais and Vassar Athletic Director Andrea Legue.
Of the 13 high schools covered by the Tuscola County Advertiser, only Vassar and Akron-Fairgrove received the honor for good sportsmanship. Officials keep an eye on players, coaches and fans at all levels of high school play — involving freshman, junior varsity or varsity teams — at both home and road games.
“It is a credit to your student-athletes, coaches, administration, staff and community for demonstrating such positive sportsmanship throughout the entire school year,” the MHSAA stated in its letter.
A referee or umpire must file a report with the MHSAA when he or she ejects a player, coach or fan.
Akron-Fairgrove High School basketball players converse during a timeout last season. The high school was among those cited for good sportsmanship by the Michigan High School Athletic Association, which tracks sportsmanship using reports from umpires and referees from games at all levels of high-school play and for all sports seasons.
“It is required whenever an ejection takes place and officials fill out a report electronically, with a copy sent to us and one to the school athletic director,” Uyl said.
Officials also can file a report if they are troubled by poor or questionable sportsmanship by a school’s team, coaches or fans.
Beauvais called the MHSAA honor “a reflection of how our coaches are, how our kids are and our community.”
Beauvais added that “We talk to all our coaches about sportsmanship, and we talk to our players as well. It’s a focus for us every year.”
Legue said she’s very proud of Vassar High’s coaching staff, athletes and student body for showing outstanding sportsmanship in the 2014-2015 school year.
“We are working hard to encourage good sportsmanship within our student body and hoping it will resonate throughout our community,” Legue said. “Last year, two students from each grade in the high school were chosen to attend the MHSAA Student Sportsmanship Summit at SVSU where they learned techniques to encourage good sportsmanship within their cheering sections. These students were instrumental in keeping the student section positive.”
Legue added that “There will always be a winner and a loser in every game, but trying to keep the playing fair, everyone being courteous and learning to be gracious winners and losers are just a few of the qualities we’re working to instill at Vassar.”
Other high schools from the region that received the same congratulatory letter for good sportsmanship include Bay City All Saints Central, Brown City, Carsonville-Port Sanilac, Caseville, Deckerville, Genesee, Flint Michigan School for the Deaf, Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy, Sandusky, Ubly, Valley Lutheran and Yale.