sport: May/June 2011

sportLANSING.com

Setting Goals Soccer Dreams, Destinies Start At Early Age

haslett/msu

msu/east lansing

RYAN JONES

JIM BIBBS

Honors Late Mom With Baseball Joy

Still Touching Lives As Coach, Mentor

VO L •3 ISSUE O5 MAY/JUNE

2 O 11 $5.OO US SPORT COMMUNITY PUBLISHING

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contents

FEATURES 10 GOLF’S TEE BALL

Froelich Leads First Tee Of Mid-Michigan

BY BURTON SMITH

12 SHAPED BY SPORTS

Youth Softball Star Kate Buckland Catches Up

BY ANDREA NELSON

20 SPIRITED SPARTAN

Mom Inspires Ryan Jones To Have Fun

BY CHIP MUNDY

24 DARING TO DREAM

Minor League Baseball Fuels Major League Upgrades

BY MARK NIXON

28 ALWAYS ON TRACK

16

Scaling The Pyramid

DeMartin Defies Odds, Others Climb Soccer Ranks

BY STEVE GRINCZEL (WITH SCOTT DANE)

DEPARTMENTS eb-servation

05 Taking Cover

Community Pride Makes Magazines Keepsakes

BY JACK EBLING

MSU’s, East Lansing’s Jim Bibbs Can’t Stop Giving

BY DAVID HARNS

32 ALL BETS ARE OFF

Once-Vibrant Harness Racing Struggles

BY CHIP MUNDY

38 BIG RED TO BIG MIC

Lansing’s Dave Campbell Still Talks Good Game

BY ANDY FLANAGAN

spartans will

36 Always Supportive It’s Academic For Angela Howard-Montie

BY ANDREA NELSON

finish line

40 Anchor Away

My Life As The ‘Weenie Boy’

BY JASON COLTHORP

Volume #3 • Issue #5 MAY/JUNE 2011

MAY/JUNE 2011

3

assists

EDITOR Jack Ebling Jack has covered sports and more as a writer and broadcaster in Mid-Michigan since 1978. A three-time Michigan Sportswriter of the Year, he was a 2006 inductee into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame. He has written four books on Michigan State and one on the Detroit Tigers and is finishing book six, Heart of a Spartan (www.heartofaspartanbook.com). He has contributed more than 125 pieces for national publications and is a founding partner in Sportswriters Direct, a new freelance business. The former English teacher and coach spent nearly a quarter-century as a beat writer and columnist for the Lansing State Journal and won 21 major writing awards. A two-time graduate of MSU, he has lived in Greater Lansing for 37 years. With his wife, Robin, he has helped raise two remarkable young adults, Zach and Ali.

CONTRIBUTORS Chip Mundy Chip has spent his entire life in Mid-Michigan and always has had a passion for sports. He spent more than 25 years in the sports department at the Jackson Citizen Patriot and covered everything from Super Bowls and World Series to Little League Baseball and the rodeo. Chip’s first book, “Michigan Sports Trivia,” was published in November of 2010.

Ceil Heller Ceil has been a nurse for 39 years and has worked in emergency medicine at Sparrow Hospital for the last 15. An avid cyclist, she has competed several Dalmac events. And she is the new president of the Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association.

She is also a terrific nature photographer.

Publisher Camron Gnass Sport Community Publishing Editor Jack Ebling Assistant EditorS Andy Flanagan Andrea Nelson WRITING Jason Colthorp Scott Dane Jack Ebling Andy Flanagan Steve Grinczel David Harns Chip Mundy Andrea Nelson Mark Nixon Burton Smith COVER Photo Brett Maxwell PhotographY John Haven Ceil Heller David Hollister Randy Jones Lansing Lugnuts Mike Major Matthew Mitchell MSU Athletic Communications Dane Robison Jason Schreiber Topps Baseball Cards MAGAZINE Design & LAYOUT Traction www.projecttraction.com Printing Millbrook Printing, Co. Mailer ICS

Greater Lansing Sport Magazine is published monthly by Sport Community Publishing with offices at 617 East Michigan Avenue, Lansing, Michigan 48912. Postage is paid under USPS Permit #407.

Subscriptions: One copy of the Greater Lansing Sport Magazine, is mailed complimentary to qualified business addresses in the Greater Lansing metropolitan area. Residential, promotional, out-of-area and additional subscriptions are available for $36 per year (a saving of 40% off the $5 cover price per issue) by mailing a check to Sport Community Publishing or paying online at www.

SportLansing.com. When available, back issues can be purchased online for $10 each.

Postmaster: Address changes should be sent to: Sport Community Publishing, 617 East Michigan Avenue, Lansing, Michigan 48912.

4 MAY/JUNE 2011

Editorial Office 617 East Michigan Avenue Lansing, Michigan 48912 (517) 455-7810 www.SportLansing.com Copyright © 2011 Sport Community Publishing All rights reserved.

eb-servation

Taking Cover Community Pride Makes Magazines Keepsakes

BY JACK EBLING

“Where can I get a copy of the Sexton magazine?” a woman asked recently at the State Capitol.

Photography MIKE MAJOR

The memory of the Big Reds’ Class B boys basketball championship was fresh in everyone’s mind. It was the day that Carlton Valentine’s team was honored by the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives, nine days before a parade down Michigan Avenue.

I didn’t think of April’s Greater Lansing sport that way, even as I stared at Mike Major’s perfect cover photo of a Bryn Forbes dagger against Detroit Country Day. There were seven other pieces and 17 more pages in what was first designed as a baseball issue.

But the woman’s question was easy to answer. It was the same response I’ve given countless times to the most frequent complaint that I hear: “How do I find sport magazine if I’m not at my doctor’s office?”

Resisting the temptation to say, “You could always visit your dentist,” I tell them that limited quantities of each issue are available for $5 a copy at Schuler Books, Barnes and Noble, Everybody Reads Books and Stuff, SBS and Playmakers.

I usually add that larger orders can be filled at Traction headquarters, the home of Sport Community Publishing, at 617 E. Michigan Ave. – $5 per copy for the latest issue and $10 for other months.

Then, I always say, “If you want to see more than one story, you may want to save some money and subscribe for $36 a year, just 3 bucks per month, by calling 455-7810 or going online at SportLansing.com.”

Most people take pride in their entire community and want to know what’s happening elsewhere. We try to tell those stories with as much variety as we can. If you haven’t seen your favorite team or sport in a couple of issues, you will very soon.

If you want to remind us of that or offer a tip on a story we should cover, we’re always happy to get those calls and emails. You can’t imagine how many pieces your feedback has helped to produce.

And if you don’t see your favorite town or team on the cover this month, don’t be discouraged.

We’ve featured 13 sports, nine schools and seven communities on our 26 covers, with several others in the planning stages for 2011.

Thus, a cover with an athlete or coach from Everett, Eastern or East Lansing can only mean Lansing Catholic’s moment is getting closer. An issue that spotlights achievers and achievements from DeWitt, Haslett or Holt says, “Get ready, Grand Ledge, Mason and St. Johns!”

Our latest issue, the one you’re holding, isn’t meant to focus on one community. It’s a dreamand-theme concept, much as the first issue was with quarterbacks at four levels of competition.

With considerable help and input, feature writer Steve Grinczel puts a complex pyramid of soccer participation in a digestible form for parents and players, a story we’ve wanted to do for more than a year.

Workhorse freelancer Chip Mundy deals with the complicated problems of harness racing in Michigan and takes us inside the barns to talk with well-known horseman Darrell Wright of Leslie.

Assistant Editor Andrea Nelson draws on her own experiences to talk about the value in sports in the formative years. Her path paralleled the development of track and softball standout Kate Buckland, an Okemos middle schooler.

Nelson also profiles former Spartan gymnast Angela Howard-Montie, who has always understood the importance of academics.

Today, Howard-Montie helps to instill those values in many MSU student-athletes.

One of the best this spring is Haslett native Ryan Jones, a star second baseman for Jake Boss Jr.’s surprising Big Ten baseball pacesetters. In Mundy’s tale of triumph amid tragedy, we’re reminded that joy can lead to success, not just follow it.

Few coaches at any level have inspired more athletes than MSU Hall of Famer Jim Bibbs, whose impact is felt these days by fortunate athletes at East Lansing High. The tributes from All-Americans, Olympians and world record-setters are almost as impressive as the man himself, as David Harns explains.

Another familiar coaching name, Keith Froelich of Okemos, is the new executive director of The First Tee of Mid-Michigan and shares his vision with our golf guru, Burton Smith.

Assistant Editor Andy Flanagan profiles former Sexton High star and Major League player and broadcaster Dave Campbell, a well-known voice from his ESPN work.

And in a terrific behind-the-scenes look at the origins of the Lansing Lugnuts, former Lansing State Journal feature writer Mark Nixon talks with former mayor David Hollister about an important decision for all of Mid-Michigan.

Finally, our Finish Line offering comes from WILX-TV news anchor and info-tainer Jason Colthorp. If you’ve seen his impersonations and introductions, you’ll know why his career was launched in large part by a stint as an in-game host for the Lugnuts.

Colthorp’s column is guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone who knows him. And one of the secrets to his success on many fronts is that everyone he meets thinks they’ve known him forever.

We’d like to have the same relationship with our readers – to make you smile and make you want to hug someone in the matter of a few pages.

Those pages often come from your suggestions. And they aren’t always the story that you see first.

You can’t tell sport magazine by its cover. H MAY/JUNE 2011

5

your shot

Send Us Your Photos! www.SportLansing.com Published photos will receive a poster commemorating Your Shot, courtesy of Capital Imaging.

Up In The Air Ameer Issawi heads the ball as Will Schreiber (26) comes back into play at the East Lansing Soccer Complex this spring.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY jason schreiber

Looking to find some special fun for your kids this summer?

The All Skills/Game Camp is for students entering grades 4-8, and consists of evaluation of players by coaches, a draft, and pick for teams. The players will stay with the same coach and team for the week, and play for a championship (every team is in the tournament).

The popular LCC A+ Summer Sports Camps return with even more offerings for students, ages five to 18. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from both students who attended summer camps in the past and their parents.

Young people who participate will have a good experience, learn some new things, add some pleasant memories, and, no doubt, make new friends.

LCC’s A+ Summer College is now accepting registrations for the half-day, week-long summer sports camps, which include basketball, swimming, volleyball, golf and tennis skills training. The sports camps are offered at both LCC’s Main Campus and in Livingston County.

LCC’s Basketball Camps are held in the Main Campus Gym, and each focuses on something different:

The Basketball Shooting Camp is a two-day camp for students entering grades 9-12, and focuses on the fundamentals of shooting and offensive skills. The goal is to teach and challenge players in a fun and encouraging environment. The clinic features: shooting games; use of the shooting machine; the perfect shooter program; shooting off the dribble; catch and shooting; attacking the basket; perimeter play; post play; shooting in the post; developing the correct form and technique; and focuses on individual skills. The last hour of each day consists of full court games. Each participant will receive a reversible jersey and basketball.

For the swimmers interested in summer camp, LCC also offers three camps at various skill levels. All swim camps are held in the LCC Main Campus pool: The three-day Beginners Swim Camp is for students entering grades 1-4, and does not require previous experience in the pool. Beginning swim skills will be introduced to develop and build students’ confidence in an aquatic environment.

Students will be working on breath control, prone and back floats and flutter kicks.

When appropriate, underwater swimming, front and back crawl, treading water, and other developmentally appropriate swim skills will be introduced.

The Intermediate Swim Camp is for grades 5-8, and for students with some swimming experience. Emphasis will be placed on stroke development, including front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke.

This camp also runs for three days.

The four-day Competitive Swim Camp is for grades 6-12, and is for advanced swimmers who desire to improve their form and times. Included in the camp is some time in the classroom to improve skill-specific knowledge followed by time in the pool working on those specifics.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Instructors will also focus on competitive strokes. Videotaping will be included.

If volleyball is their game, there are two camps to choose from: The Total Player Development Volleyball Camp is for grades 5-8, and runs for five days. This camp is a great way to start learning volleyball skills, and is designed for beginning and intermediate players.

Emphasis will be on fundamental body position, footwork for defensive and offensive skills, passing, setting, serving, and spiking.

Players get multiple opportunities to work on these skills daily. A camp shirt will be included.

The five-day Specialty Skills Volleyball Camp is for grades 9-12, and covers passing, serving, spiking, along with serve receive drills while working on body position and movements skills associated with the game of volleyball. At the end of each session, groups will work together to utilize their skills in group drills and competition. Expectations on the drills and concepts are more demanding in this session.

A camp shirt will also be included.

In Livingston County, LCC offers two specialized camps, for either golf or tennis players: The LCC Gene Orlando Co-Ed Junior Tennis Camp (for students ages 8-18) is directed by MSU Men’s Tennis Coach Gene Orlando and other tennis team staff members, and is held at LCC’s Livingston County Center in Howell.

The Co-Ed Junior Golf Clinic is for ages 10-18, and takes place at Hunter’s Ridge Golf Course in Howell.

To register for the sports camps, please contact LCC at (517) 483-1227 or stop

by Room 351 in the Gannon Building on Washington Square. Early registration is encouraged to guarantee course availability. Detailed information on registration forms as well as class dates, times and costs for all program offerings can be found at http://www.lcc.edu/ECE/youth programs/aplus/2011/aplus 2011.pdf

Sports Camps

Looking for some serious fun for your kids this summer?

Check out Lansing Community College Summer Youth Sports Camps.

A+ Summer Sports Camps allow students (ages 5 – 18) to develop and improve their skills in a variety of sports.

Basketball n Swimming n Volleyball n Tennis n Golf n

Camps offered at LCC’s Main Campus and in Livingston County.

To register, go to lcc.edu/ece/youth_programs or call (517) 483-1860 for assistance.

For additional learning opportunities for youth K-12, go to lcc.edu/k12.

Community and Continuing Education

lcc.edu

Golf’s Tee Froelich Leads First Tee Of Mid-Michigan

Let’s call them the front nine – the nine core values of The First Tee’s instructional program: Honesty, Integrity, Confidence, Respect, Perseverance, Responsibility, Sportsmanship, Courtesy, Judgment

Or we could just call those values the game of golf.

Keith Froelich knows the importance of those traits on the golf course and in life. And the new executive director of The First Tee of Mid-Michigan can’t wait to help develop them.

“Our mission is to positively impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill lifeenhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf,” Froelich said.

An immediate goal is to partner with local courses by allowing discounted access for students to play, specifically at slow or down times and ideally with a payback.

“The long-term goal would be to develop a base of people who’ll play the game of golf for life, in turn helping the courses generate 10 MAY/JUNE 2011

much-needed revenue,” Froelich said. “The local courses have been very receptive and supportive of this relationship. And I expect that to continue.”

A member of the Michigan High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame, Froelich served as director of athletics for the Okemos Public Schools for 15 years, monitoring 28 sports, more than 60 teams and 80 coaches at Okemos High and two middle schools.

“There are too many moments to single out any one in particular,” he said when asked to name a favorite. “I always enjoyed watching individuals or teams accomplish a new challenge – being able to do something they didn’t think possible.”

At Okemos, Froelich did that as a football and track coach and by developing

A.C.T.I.O.N. (Athletes Coming Together In Our Neighborhood), a community service program involving more than 250 student-athletes.

With The First Tee, he’ll direct programs for youths from the ages of 7-17 and stress instruction much more than stroke averages.

“We’ve documented more than 2,000 students in our program in the past year,” Froelich said. “We teach a combination of golf skills and life skills. There are specific benchmarks for each student. And retention is key to our mission for those who don’t get those opportunities or experiences.”

Froelich’s coaching and administrative opportunities began when he earned a bachelor’s degree from Alma College, majoring in social science. But he has never stopped learning, a plus given his new assignment and lessons from The First Tee National Conference in San Antonio.

“The meeting focused on the implementation of Phase IV, the strategic plan for 2011-15,” Froelich said. “The focus of the plan is that through participation in the lifelong sport of golf and exposure to its

Photography DANE ROBISON

BY BURTON SMITH

Ball inherently positive values, young people will stay in school, lead a healthy lifestyle and be prepared for success in life.”

That was done with the back nine – the Nine Healthy Habits that were featured in Annika Sorenstam’s presentation to the group: Energy, Play, Safety, Vision, Mind, Family, Friends, School, Community.

“The two highlights were the introduction of the Nine Healthy Habits partnership between The First Tee and the Annika Foundation and the announcement of the new honorary chair, President George W. Bush,” Froelich said.

“Annika spoke of some alarming numbers on childhood obesity. But early exposure to physical education and healthy activities for children have been shown to promote healthy lifestyles. If we invest $1 today in physical education, down the road we’ll save $3.20 in health-care costs. We’re treating people for issues that can be prevented by being active.”

As Jaime Diaz recently wrote in Golf World, “Longer term, the greatest opportunity to turn golf around lies in the way people learn it.”

And Froelich couldn’t agree more.

“That statement aligns itself perfectly with

our mission, to expose young people not only to the game of golf but also to apply the same life skills that help one become a better golfer,” he said. “Teaching the nine core values as well as the life skills through the platform of golf positively impacts the young people involved and the overall game.”

One of the local highlights of The First Tee is access to a PGA Tour event, where students are given press credentials and assigned to cover the tournament. They function as writers and on-course reporters, much like full-fledged members of the media.

Nationally, the non-profit organization announced in San Antonio that it has impacted more than 4.5 million young people since its founding in 1997.

“We are creating individuals who love the game and are playing the game,” said Joe Louis Barrow Jr., CEO of The First Tee. But none of that growth would be possible without a devoted corps of volunteers, locally and nationally. That has long been the case for The First Tee of Mid-Michigan.

“We have a working list from previous seasons and are receiving inquiries currently,”

Froelich said. “There is a training session for all volunteers. Jeff Cummings is our program director. And Ron Applegate and (former Executive Director) John Greenslit will continue to be instrumental in the delivery of our programs.”

One of the goals in this area is to expand The First Tee’s classes into community centers in Lansing, including Gier and Southside, beginning this summer if the interest is there.

With an ideal student-teacher ratio of 6-1, the organization should be able to accommodate as many students as necessary and to help provide equipment for young players.

“We have a very good relationship with the golf suppliers in the area,” Froelich said. “Dick’s Sporting Goods has offered some equipment.

And Indian Hills has supplied cut-down clubs for some students.”

With a new facility, the Sycamore Center, a new executive director and new students to go along with the returning young players and young-at-heart volunteers, it’s shaping up as an excellent summer.

Front nine or back nine – nine may not be enough. H MAY/JUNE 2011

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Youth Softball Star Kate Buckland Catches Up

BY ANDREA NELSON

12 MAY/JUNE 2011

Since the second I was born at 10 pounds, 2 ounces, I was always one of the biggest kids my age. I was 5-foot-7 by the time I reached seventh grade – taller than every boy and girl in my classes.

Photography jOHN HAVEN

With that height came extra weight. Unfortunately, young kids can be mean to those who look different. I still remember being teased because of my size.

I was never obese, but I could have lost a few pounds. Looking at me now, Greater Lansing sport Editor Jack Ebling says he wants proof that I ever went through that stage.

Believe me, I did.

Then something happened.

I started playing organized basketball and joined the track team. My body changed completely with increased exercise and hasn’t resembled its sixth grade shape again.

There are many young girls who go through these changes, including local softball phenom Kate Buckland. The only difference is that this 13-year-old is a lot better athlete than I ever could have dreamt of being at that age.

Kate has been a member of the Detroit Compuware softball team since 2009. She is currently their starting catcher and led the team in hitting and home runs last season.

“I enjoy being the catcher,” Kate said. “I really like knowing that you’re the leader on the field.”

But Kate didn’t jump right to the fast-pitch softball team. Kate’s stepfather, John Haven, got her involved with athletics when she was 9 years old. She was a member of the Girls on the Run program at Cornell Elementary and competed in the Hershey Track and Field Meet several times. She did very well in sprints, but the softball throw was where she shined.

John said he’d never seen a young girl throw a softball the way Kate did. Thus, a softball career was born. John soon helped Kate join an Okemos recreational team. She was also chosen to be a batgirl for the Michigan State women’s team.

And that’s where Kate went through her first transformation. Like me, she had been a big girl for her age. Watching college athletes compete in the sport she loved, Kate realized how important the physical shape of a person’s body is to his or her athletic success.

“I think that’s when it all changed,” John said. “She saw her heroes out there, and she wanted to be like them some day.”

Kate began running and doing pushups and pullups every night. For a 9-year-old girl, she showed incredible dedication and determination to make her dream of becoming a softball star a reality.

“I really wanted to push myself to be the best I could be,” Kate said. “I felt running would get me in shape so I could participate more.”

But Kate’s body wasn’t the only part of her that began changing.

“She was just a changed person,” John said.

“She was confident about herself. She was proud of what she was doing. She was much happier, just happy in life.”

Kate was never an unhappy girl. But looking different and being teased for it hurts a young girl’s self-esteem. Becoming involved in any kind of sport gives young girls a channel to strengthen their bodies and minds.

“When I was overweight, I didn’t really feel comfortable in my own skin,” Kate said. “I felt like sports was kind of a place to get away, so I pushed myself farther and harder. I felt like I could get somewhere.”

And she has. Not only does Kate start on one

Girl For All Seasons Okemos 13-year-old Kate Buckland has found success in almost everything she has attempted.

something she’s not going to give up now. I can see it as a lifelong pattern.”

Kate doesn’t plan on giving it up, either. She loves being a leader on her team and setting an example for her teammates by working hard every play of every game. Her understanding of how important the strength of her body is to her athletic success and the dedication she has towards working herself into shape helped her become a leader.

“I look at her, and I just see this finely

I know that because of softball, because of sports, it really has helped her find her sense of self, her self-esteem.

KRISTA HAVEN

of the best fast-pitch softball teams in Michigan, but she also plays the guitar and trumpet.

Beyond sports, Kate is a straight-A student.

How does she fit it all in? On drives to Compuware practices, Kate sets up shop in the backseat of her family’s car and works on homework or practices her instruments.

She hasn’t fallen out of love with any of her extracurricular activities yet, so she doesn’t have a reason to quit any of them.

Kate’s mom, Krista Haven, said she doesn’t know how her daughter manages to fit everything in her busy schedule. But after seeing how Kate has changed and matured through her involvement in athletics, she’s not complaining.

“I know that because of softball, because of sports, it really has helped her find her sense of self, her self-esteem,” Krista said. “And that’s

tuned machine,” Krista said. “It came from knowing that she has to take care of her body to achieve the things that she wants to achieve. She has very consciously taken to training her body to be healthy.”

Kate said her involvement in sports has helped increase her self-esteem. Because she feels confident on the softball field, Kate said she feels that she can accomplish anything.

“I really want to be one of the best softball players out there when I get older,” Kate said.

“I know that’s going to take a lot of work.

There’s always room for improvement so that’s why I always try to push myself.”

If she works as hard as she has in the last four years to make her dream a reality, anything is possible for this 13-year-old. Already this spring, Kate is winning, 1,600-meter runs and turning in very good times.

MAY/JUNE 2011

13

shaped by sports

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I was never extremely overweight. Neither was Kate Buckland. But many children today aren’t developing healthy eating and exercise habits.

Dr. John Braccio said part of that problem is the way society has developed. In the age of the machine, Braccio said some children might not know what to do without their iPods, iPads or cell phones. These electronics are a way to keep the children occupied, especially when many modern households have two working parents. But electronic games take kids further and further from developing healthy habits.

“I always put the responsibility on the home,” Braccio said. “Once we take it away from parents, no one else can do a better job.

Parents need to have their kids more active doing things outside or exercising.”

There are several programs in the Lansing area that are dedicated to keeping children active. Jill Hough is a physical education teacher in Okemos who helped develop the Girls on the Run program.

She said the group is not only dedicated to teaching young girls the value of nutrition and exercise, but it’s also an empowerment program.

“It’s an opportunity for them to use running as a domain to look at other things that are important as young women,” Hough said. “I think there are so many stresses and demands on young girls that sometimes there isn’t that avenue that makes them feel good about themselves.”

MSU also has a program to teach elementary school students about these issues. The SPartners for Health program pairs kinesiology and dietetic undergrads with local fifth graders to monitor their health.

Director of Sports and Cardiovascular Nutrition Joseph Carlson began SPartners for Health to maintain or increase students’ exercise and nutrition to meet national recommendations.

Parents approve their child’s participation in the study. The children are measured on cardiovascular risk factors and nutrition and physical activity at the beginning and end of the school year. Master’s students at MSU then analyze the data to see if the program has had an affect on the children.

“Based on our first-year data, there were some improvements on selected nutrition and activity behaviors,” Carlson said. “However, there were no significant changes in respect to the risk factors we measured. But we need to keep in mind that not all these kids are overweight or not all these kids have elevated cholesterol.”

Carlson also helps student-athletes at MSU. At the college level, Carlson said some

Batter Up! Kate Buckland has been an MSU

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softball batgirl when she hasn’t been helping her own teams win games.

athletes restrict calories to make themselves leaner. This can cause them to develop anemia and stress fractures. Collegiately, Carlson said their main problem is making sure athletes are eating enough calories of the right nutritional value.

“With college athletes, we don’t have a lot of athletes who are severely overweight,” Carlson said. “One of the key things is getting them to eat a quality diet. One big problem with the athletes overall is making sure they maintain calorie balance and don’t go get in a situation where they go many hours without eating.”

From children to adults, it’s no secret that nutrition and exercise are important in every person’s life. But young children are most vulnerable to negative health habits because they only know what has been taught to them.

As a parent, Braccio said it might be difficult to speak to children about their weight, but it is a necessary conversation if weight is an issue.

“You want to be sensitive,” Braccio said. “You want to be tuned in. But on the other hand, we can be so sensitive that we can destroy the kid too. There’s a need for a balance, but it’s called parenting. Parenting is making good decisions, making tough decisions and just making decisions that are best for the child’s emotional and physical health.”

Braccio said a person must be well-rounded physically and emotionally in order to feel comfortable in their own skin. Children must be taught these values at a young age in order to grow into a confident and healthy person.

Involvement in sports is only one of many options to make this possible.

In today’s society, it is no secret that electronics and fast food are affecting the health of all Americans. But it is in children, the future of our country, that the problem begins and must be addressed by those who care about them most. H

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CITY PARKS & RECREATION

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aling The Pyramid DeMartin Defies Odds, Others Climb Soccer Ranks

BY STEVE GRINCZEL (WITH scott dane)

Doug DeMartin didn’t scale the soccer pyramid as much as he sneaked right up it.

Yes, he may have started his trek as a first-grader at Mason’s Alaiedon Elementary School, in a beginners program put on by the East Side Soccer Club, a well-organized community recreation program. But he was hardly identified as a child prodigy.

PRE-USSF CLUB

DeMartin made the transition to the more advanced C.A. United club team in the Michigan State Premier Soccer Program (MSPSP) as a sixth-grader. But no one saw him as a phenom.

He maintained that relationship for six years – winning an under-15 state championship along the way – while making a name for himself as a four-year stalwart on Mason High’s varsity team.

But it wasn’t until DeMartin was a Bulldog senior that he made a quantum leap: He tried out for and made the storied Vardar Soccer Club, a nationally acclaimed MSPSP standard-bearer in suburban Detroit. Nevertheless, DeMartin still wasn’t considered a recruiting prize by collegiate soccer powers. At one point, only the University of Dayton showed interest.

Given the specialization and organizational sophistication that has swept soccer in recent years, it’s doubtful a player following the same path today would get a chance to lead the Big Ten in scoring while earning All-America and conference Player of the Year honors, as DeMartin did at Michigan State in 2008.

DeMartin was nobody’s idea of someone who would lead the Spartans to Big Ten regularseason and tournament championships or get drafted by Kansas City of Major League Soccer (MLS). Soccer wasn’t even his first love. His dad, Daniel, played and coached basketball and his brother, Joe, and sister, Lucy, played hoops for Ferris State.

“I was a late developer,” DeMartin says. “It probably wasn’t until my senior year in high

school that I considered, ‘OK, maybe I’ll play college soccer.’ Michigan State didn’t talk to me until the end of February my senior year. And the only reason was they had a kid transfer at semester and a spot opened up. I was just fortunate because there aren’t many kids who haven’t played ODP (Olympic Development Program) or for the bigger club teams over a longer period of time who get a chance to play at Michigan State.

“For kids nowadays, it’s a much different system even since I came up. You probably have to do certain things if you want to make it. If we want to create world-class players in the U.S., it’s the right step, but it’s tough. I can’t imagine myself at 14 or 15 having to choose. I probably would have stayed with basketball.”

Today, DeMartin is bumping his head up against the bottom of a ledge on the pyramid that even his considerable skills and accomplishments may not allow him to traverse. It’s an eventuality the vast majority of devoted soccer players come to at some point, whether at the end of their high school careers, following college or as a middling amateur or professional.

Kansas City didn’t sign DeMartin, but after sitting out a year with an injury he made 19 appearances in 2010 for the Portland Timbers of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) Division-2 Pro League. The Timbers joined MLS this year as an expansion franchise and invited DeMartin to training camp, but didn’t offer him a contract.

MAY/JUNE 2011

17

He spent 10 days looking for a soccer fit in Norway, where former Mason teammate and goalkeeper Steve Clark plays professionally, but an acceptable situation failed to materialize.

“As of right now I may be moving on,” says DeMartin, who has a finance degree. “There are other places I could be playing, but I’m somebody who wants to be successful in other areas of life, too. I don’t want to chase this to the point I’m not happy.”

Soccer moms and dads, once relegated to figuring out which mini-van to buy and how many orange wedges to provide, are finding themselves navigating a hierarchical structure, forcing decisions about what goals their son or daughter should realistically pursue.

Demystifying the soccer pyramid, a roadmap showing each potential milestone along a player’s career, doesn’t require an advanced degree in hieroglyphics, but those who don’t learn the significance of a myriad of acronyms may be left behind. Furthermore, soccer has various pyramids. USSF’s versions, for example, differ greatly from the one created by Greater Lansing sport.

With sign-ups under way throughout the area, children may get their first exposure to organized soccer even before they enter kindergarten via organizations such as American Youth Soccer (AYSO), the USSFsanctioned Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) and Mason’s MESSC. Municipal parks and recreation departments, the YMCA and private school leagues also offer introductory soccer.

Youngsters play short-sided games (six-vs.-six or eight-vs.-eight) on postage-stamp fields with an every-player-plays philosophy.

“This is an introduction to the sport to find out if kids enjoy it and want to play it,” says Todd Derby, Lansing-based TNT Dynamite Soccer Club Founder and CEO. “It’s an inexpensive way to get started.

The facilitators at that level are almost always volunteers. Teams are selected by registration, not by tryouts, and they’re based on neighborhoods, schools or some other nonathletic characteristic.”

Players can have fun playing recreational soccer, often organized around the theme of the local high school and coached by volunteers, until they go to college. However, as the game gets faster and demands more technical dexterity, the second tier, starting with the under-13 age group, is where the need

Doing The Dougie Mason’s Doug DeMartin led MSU to a Big Ten Championship and climbed the soccer pyramid to the pros.

for constant improvement and challenge grabs players with high aspirations.

“We start to recognize kids at the ages of 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 who figure out very quickly that they want something more,” Derby says.

“Fundamentally, the foundation for soccer skills is laid between the ages of 8 and 14. What’s important to note is, if you want to advance, you sometimes have to leave certain levels and push into the next level and be challenged.”

Promising players may opt to try out for one of the Lansing area’s three MPSP teams – TNT, Michigan Rush or the Chill SBC Soccer Club, which also have introductory programs that cater to the post-toddler set – or others throughout the state such as Vardar or the Michigan Wolves (boys) and its sister, the Hawks (girls), also in suburban Detroit.

In premier, players who don’t make the grade are cut and practices are conducted by professional coaches licensed through USSF. Players are funneled in to one of six layers of premier depending on ability. TNT’s top U-18 team competes in the Midwest Regional League (MRL) division, with out-of-state college showcase games in places like Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cleveland and Indianapolis.

“The premier program is a higher caliber of soccer than the high school programs,” Derby says. “But in Lansing, it’s not possible to have a highly competitive high school team without premier players. You wouldn’t find any recreational kids at someplace like Okemos or Mason – it just wouldn’t happen.”

Premier male players at the U-16 and U-18 levels with elite potential also have the opportunity to try out for one of Michigan’s two

Photography portland timbers, mATTHEW MITCHELL, MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS, heather collin, andrew brogan, carissa rahl, jim dickerson, regina stout

scaling the pyramid

U.S. Soccer Academy programs, which didn’t exist when DeMartin played. The Vardar and Wolves academy teams play a national schedule, as do the Vardar and Hawks U-15 and U-17 girls Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) teams.

Another option for select elite players is the Olympic Development Program, which rivals the academies, fields squads on the state and national levels, plays nationally and internationally and invites top players to join a residency program in Bradenton, Fla. The ODP pool typically supplies the age group (U-14 to U-23) U.S. national teams.

Completing the second tier are the high school programs, which include nearly all of the same players in a very different, but satisfying, community environment and a chance to win championships with lifelong friends.

“If your child is playing so he or she can become a college or professional player, that’s the wrong reason,” said Aaron Smith, head coach of the Holt High boys and girls varsity. “Kids need to enjoy the sports they play. Too many quit playing because of burnout and end up leaving the sport forever. Players that I still play with in my old man’s league all still love the game.”

Yet, the starting lineups of top high school squads in the area – East Lansing, Okemos, Mason, Holt, Williamston, DeWitt and Haslett, to name a few – and beyond are typically dominated by premier, academy or ODP players.

Can players develop later? Anything is possible, though the odds are long.

“First of all, you need to dream,” said longtime Lansing Catholic coach Gus Flores. “You need to set a goal and work harder than anyone else toward achieving it. Don’t listen to what anyone says you can’t do _ and they will, especially if you’re outside the specific pyramid.”

The talent pool gets even more distilled at the third tier, which is occupied by NCAA Division I, II and III programs, NAIA college teams and the U-20 and up men’s and women’s U.S. national teams.

Bill Boyle understands the trap doors that await players throughout the pyramid as well as anyone. Recently named to an assistant coaching position at Division I Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., Boyle served in a similar capacity at MSU last season. He was the men’s head coach at Division III Olivet College from ‘05-08, was a member of the Okemos staff that won a state high school title in ’04 and is the former head coach of the Haslett High School boys team. He was Michigan’s Mr. Soccer runner-up in ’93 after a stellar prep career at Okemos, is a former five-year ODP starter and mid-level professional player.

“As a player and a coach, I’ve had the door

shut over and over and over again, by people telling you you’re not good enough,” Boyle says.

College coaches know which recruiting grounds are proven because of the exacting demands placed on players, and which aren’t.

“If you play for the Vardar or Wolves academies, every single weekend you’re going to be seen by college coaches,” Boyle says. “When we’re recruiting, we know that the higher up the pyramid we go, for the most part, the more developed the player is and the more gameready he is for the college level. The odds of making it are just better for a player if he comes from the academy level or ODP regional teams.”

Even the lower-level college teams make every attempt to be as selective as possible.

“What I tried to do at Olivet is get fiveto-eight players every year who were the top players on their premier and high school teams, who were soccer junkies who loved to play year-round,” Boyle says. “I could have filled the rest of the spots with non-premier players, but they would never play.”

Even top college players, like DeMartin, have found it difficult getting to the uppermost two realms. MLS is America’s marquee professional league, a notch above an alphabet soup of midlevel pro outfits and the Premier Development League (PDL) – a top amateur league that includes the Michigan Bucks in Pontiac – but below the super-elite, 21- to 23-member men’s and women’s U.S. national teams that play every four years for the World Cup and is every serious soccer player’s ultimate goal.

“For probably 99 percent of these kids, college or PDL is the end of their career,” Boyle says. “But it still serves a purpose. It’s still going to be a great experience, winning championships and getting a degree.”

Some, a fortunate few, can have it all.

“In the end, if a player is good enough physically, technically, tactically and mentally, he or she will find a place to play,” said Smith, a former college and pro player. “Doug is a great example of someone who was given a chance with a high-end program and excelled at it.”

But DeMartin says the pyramid doesn’t have to be a hostile, carrot-and-stick environment.

“I’m always one who says, just let your kids have fun,” DeMartin says. “You see kids get burned out at early ages, and that’s too bad.

One of the great things about my parents is, they were always supportive and always there encouraging me to do my best and play my hardest, but they never pressured me.

“At some point, if you want to be successful, you have to take is seriously and push yourself.

Having fun while playing as much as possible is the way to go.” H

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Spirited Spar Mom Inspires Ryan Jones To Have Fun

BY CHIP MUNDY

20 MAY/JUNE 2011

rtan

Team Jones At Haslett High and MSU, Ryan Jones’ parents, Randy and Debbie, have always been with him, right by his side.

“If you’re not having fun, don’t do it.”

Those words are entrenched in the mind of Michigan State Spartans star second baseman Ryan Jones. It was the advice he received many years ago when he began playing baseball. It came from his parents, Randy and Debbie Jones, and he plays baseball with that message in his mind and his heart.

Right next to the emptiness in his heart.

In the middle of his first year as a student at MSU, Debbie Jones died after a six-month battle with cancer. Suddenly, baseball – and life in general – wasn’t fun for Ryan Jones.

“I kind of pushed baseball aside, probably for a month or so,” he said. “I had my baseball guys there at my mom’s funeral. So, I mean, baseball was never out of my mind. But just playing the game, I kind of pushed it away.

“It was kind of tough at the time, knowing that she was always there when I was playing and was always at every single game. I really didn’t know what to do.”

The Spartans did. They redshirted Jones and got a record-setting standout.

“I don’t know if you can really put into words what you felt for the kid, because it’s just such an awful thing – tragic, really,” MSU baseball coach Jake Boss said. “We all felt for him. And it was best for him to redshirt that year to get his mind right, take care of himself in the classroom, take care of his family and be there for his dad.”

Thus, the two-time all-state selection from Haslett High, where he had a career batting average of .486, was temporarily removed from the sport – a shock for someone who had played organized baseball since he was 8 on a 10-and-under player-pitch league.

It was a time to grieve and a time to grow.

“In that time when he didn’t have to worry

about baseball, you really saw him grow up almost overnight,” Boss said. “It was tough. It was a shame it had to be that way. I met with him weekly, and you could see it happening week after week after week. You could see the responsibility he was taking on and the accountability he had for what was going on in the classroom, on the field and with his family.

“In the midst of that tragedy, it was really neat to watch him grow.”

The Jones family is a baseball family. Randy Jones played high school baseball and slow-pitch softball as an adult. Debbie Jones teamed with her husband in a co-ed softball league and also competed in a women’s league. And Ryan’s sister, Rachel, played softball at Haslett High School.

“Ryan has been playing since he could throw a baseball at a very young age, and we just kept him in the sport through his entire life,” Randy Jones said, “That’s how he came to play baseball. He had good hand-eye coordination, so he has been blessed with a nice gift.”

Jones always played with the older boys, from that player-pitch league through to his days at MSU. He made the varsity as a freshman at Haslett. And as a redshirt-freshman at Michigan State, he became the starting second baseman.

“I just got used to being a younger guy on an older team,” he said.

Debbie Jones passed away in February 2009. And after being red-shirted that spring, MAY/JUNE 2011

21

spirited spartan

Jones got back into baseball by playing in a competitive summer league.

“It was tough, but learning how to play the game without her, feeling like she was actually there, was kind of comforting also,” he said. “I learned to cope with it. It’s tough, but at the same time, this is what she wanted me to do.

“That whole year was kind of tough for me. I remember playing summer ball and my dad coming to games. She would always be standing right there next to my dad and yelling at me – not yelling at me, but yelling for me. Then, she wasn’t there.”

Debbie Jones would have loved what was to follow for her son.

A year after her death, Ryan Jones flourished at MSU. He started 48 games for the Spartans and batted .360 (73-for-192). During the season, he hit for the cycle, getting a single, double, triple and home run in a game against Indiana. He needed a double in his final at-bat to complete the cycle.

“I remember people telling me, ‘Hit a double, Jones! Hit a double!’” he said. “So I came to the plate and said, ‘I’m going to rip this ball down the left-field line.’ I was going to pull it. That was my goal. And the next thing I knew, the ball was on the outer half of the plate. I just threw my bat out there, and it went down the rightfield line. The ball was just falling in anywhere.”

Still, Jones has had to overcome doubters.

At 5-foot-10 feet and 170 pounds, he lacks the size of most successful baseball players. But the added scrutiny doesn’t bother Jones. If anything, it drives him even harder.

“I always think of (major league shortstop) David Eckstein for some reason…(Boston

Red Sox second baseman) Dustin Pedroia, too,” Jones said. “They always have to have something distinct about them, something special to prove themselves at the next level.

“Eckstein does everything right, like real quick hands. Pedroia can hit home runs as a little guy. I guess each little guy has to prove himself in some way. Little guys always have to hustle, because they don’t want to do anything wrong. So if they hustle, people will notice them more.”

Boss concedes that a lack of size is a common reality when it comes to judging baseball talent.

“It goes with the territory, to be honest with you,” Boss said. “In our job and a lot of the pro scouts’ jobs, you try to project how guys are going to be three, four, five or 10 years from now. The best way to project is based on their body types. That’s the easiest way. Not that it’s always right, but it’s the easiest way.”

And Boss isn’t about to trade in his smallerthan-average second baseman.

After the 2010 season, Jones was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, becoming just the second Spartan to receive that honor. He also was named to the Freshman All-America team by Collegiate Baseball and was a secondteam All-Big Ten selection.

Jones and the Spartans, coming off a 34-19 season, appeared ready to take it to the next level in 2011. And so far this season, that’s exactly what they have done.

MSU swept a three-game series at home against defending Big Ten champion Minnesota, the first time that had ever happened, to vault to the top of the conference standings.

Photography MATTHEW MITCHELL, MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Fun Is Fundamental Jones has plenty of reasons to celebrate as the Big Ten’s leader in runs scored.

Jones’ hit streak reached 33 games, a school record, the second-best in Big Ten history and the longest in the nation this year. His averaged hovered in the .360s. And he led the league in doubles.

“I feel like I can say more now, because last year I didn’t know what to expect, especially because people were telling me what to do every single time,” Jones said. “Now, since I have a year under my belt, I feel like I’ve seen almost everything that could happen. So I kind of feel that they respect me more because I’ve had success. I know what it takes.’

Boss has noticed the change, too.

“What he went through with his mom, I think it forced him to grow up in a hurry,” Boss said. “He’s a mature kid. And he’s an outstanding leader. He’s just a sophomore eligibility-wise. So it’s kind of rare for a kid just in his second year to assume such a leadership role like that. He’s fantastic.”

And there’s more. Jones is having fun again playing baseball, something that would please Debbie Jones.

“She would want me to have fun,” he said.

“If you saw my mom, she would always be smiling. And that rubs off on me because I’m always smiling on the baseball field. I don’t know if people like that, though.”

Some of those smiles might come when an opposing player makes it to second base. Jones said he likes to make sarcastic jokes, not as much to irritate as to get a laugh out of someone – even an opposing player. He has different responses, depending on the type of hit.

Say a batter has a checked-swing double over the head of the first baseman down the right-field line.

“I’d go up and say, ‘Nice swing, bud,’ “ Jones said. “And I’d pat him on the back.”

What about a ball drilled into the gap for a double?

“I’d say, ‘Did you get that one?’ or something like that,” Jones said. “I’d be sarcastic with them. Maybe they’d get a little laugh, and I’d get a little laugh.

“I’m still in the game. But at the same time I can show some different emotions with them and mess around and have fun.”

It’s not surprising how often the word “fun” pops up when Jones talks baseball. It’s his way to enjoy the game.

“My parents were like, ‘If you’re not having fun, then don’t do it,’” Jones said. “So, if I’m not having fun, why am I here at Michigan State playing baseball? It would be a waste of time just to be here and try to go to the next level, just because I’m playing baseball.”

Somewhere, Debbie Jones must be smiling.

Just like she always did. H

Keeping Up With The Jones AGE:

20

HIGH SCHOOL: POSITION: MSU

Haslett Second Baseman

Chipper Jones,

Atlanta Braves “When I was little, I got No. 10, and I was kind of a Braves fan. I got this Braves tomahawk thing when I was little. And the last name just kind of clicked. I like how he plays. So I was like, ‘I’ve got the same number as Chipper Jones, and I’m keeping it.’ “

FAVORITE PLAYER:

MSU Coach Jake Boss “Fundamentally, he’s pretty sound.

Offensively, he’s a gap-to-gap hitter. And I think he knows his game. He’s not a big power guy. He hits a lot of line drives and ground balls. He has kind of bought into the same type of game our center fielder (Brandon Eckerle) plays. That’s a guy who really runs well and is one of the top hitters in the country right now. So Ryan has kind of learned from him, I think.

“Defensively, he’s outstanding. The turns he makes at second base on double plays are as quick as anybody I’ve ever coached.

And I’ve been fortunate to coach a couple of guys who played in the big leagues.

While his arm strength might not be as good, his hands are phenomenal.

“If he’s going to take his game to another level, he needs more doubles, more total bases, and I think he can still be a better base runner. There are times when he gets thrown out when he shouldn’t be. And he can work on jumps at first base.”

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Minor League Baseball Fuels Major League Upgrades

Worn out and worn down: The future home of the Lansing Lugnuts was a smudge of storefronts looking for a place to die.

The one block along Michigan Avenue between Larch and Cedar streets was, sadly, the bedraggled gateway to Michigan’s gloriously restored Capitol building.

It didn’t get any better on closer inspection.

Everyone called it The Sin Strip. There was the Velvet Fingers, a…um…massage parlor. As night closed in, things got seamier. Prostitutes and druggies prowled Michigan Avenue.

Homeless, intoxicated people staggered about.

A former newspaper reporter remembers heading to work at 5:30 in the morning, and there stood a naked man in the middle of the Michigan-Cedar intersection, both blocking and directing traffic.

There was a smattering of legitimate business.

24 MAY/JUNE 2011

But, mainly, what a passerby saw was a gaggle of facades that bespoke grime and gloom.

It was mid-1994 when an affable man with an Opie smile strode into David Hollister’s ninth-floor office in Lansing City Hall. Hollister had been sworn in as Lansing’s mayor about six months earlier and had been casting about for ways to revitalize and reinvent the city’s downtown.

Hollister’s visitor was Tom Dickson, co-owner of the Springfield (Ill.) Sultans, a minor league baseball team.

Dickson also handled key accounts for the renowned Leo Burnett advertising firm in Chicago. General Motors was one of Dickson’s accounts, so he knew something about Lansing’s rich automobile history.

But this wasn’t about cars. Dickson was searching for a new home for his ballclub.

Hollister doesn’t recall thinking much about attracting a minor league baseball team to help transform Lansing into a “world-class city” – a favorite Hollister catch-phrase.

Still, he was intrigued by Dickson’s idea, and he listened intently. As Dickson began to explain the underpinnings of minor league ball, Hollister’s eyes widened with excitement.

“Tom Dickson said it all with one word,” Hollister recalls. “Entertainment. For most fans, minor league baseball is less about baseball and more about the experience. Having fun, being with friends and family and being entertained.”

Photography CEIL HELLER AND LANSING LUGNUTS

BY MARK NIXON

Hollister told Dickson he was ready to step up to the plate, so to speak, but on two conditions: The ballpark had to be in downtown Lansing.

The stadium and the entire baseball experience must be heavily family-oriented.

Like many city leaders in Lansing and elsewhere, Hollister was weary of stories of suburban exodus. Basically, the story lines were the same. Either suburbanites never came downtown or, if they worked downtown, they fled to the ’burbs after 5 o’clock.

Hollister envisioned downtown Lansing as a destination for families from Grand Ledge, Mason and elsewhere. A place to be, not a place to be avoided.

Older residents, of course, well remembered the era before shopping malls, when the

downtown was the undisputed king of commerce. It was more than a place to shop.

It was an event to go downtown on, say, a Saturday afternoon. It was a place to see and be seen. It was a happening.

Could that sort of synergy be recreated?

Hollister became convinced it could. Even before minor league baseball became the talk of the town, the clock was ticking.

“Once we decided to go for this, we had a year to get it done,” Hollister said. “Tom Dickson explained that, once Springfield found out the Sultans would be leaving, attendance at the games would nosedive. A prolonged project to build a new ballpark in Lansing would hurt Dickson’s business elsewhere.”

Hollister set the wheels in motion. One of his first tasks: A visit to Gov. John Engler. The site the city had in mind was the block of Michigan Avenue between Larch and Cedar streets. Larch

and Cedar were official state trunklines and would need to be altered to make the stadium fit.

Hollister needed the governor’s blessing.

Politically, they were far apart. But Engler understood, as did Hollister, that this was not about baseball but economic development. Engler agreed that the State of Michigan would cooperate.

From start to finish, the entire project was daunting. With Hollister’s planning director, Dennis Sykes, spearheading the $13 million stadium design and construction, the city embarked on what seemed an impossible dream.

“Everyone said it couldn’t be done,” Hollister said. Not in one year. Not at that site.

The list of challenges was imposing.

Hollister had to forge a coalition of willing MAY/JUNE 2011

25

daring to dream

Big Lug, Big Hug The Lugnuts’ lovable mascot never acts his age, as new his friend, Tiana Nedziwe, appreciates.

partners, from local construction unions to local banks to a City Council that was often at odds with the mayor.

The stadium site was small – some said, too small. The city had to have the design approved by the minor league’s umbrella organization.

There was property to purchase, and the old Sin Strip had to be razed.

And public opinion? That was a work in progress. The usual suspects whined about the cost (actually, city debts were refinanced so no money came from Lansing’s general funds). Skeptics doubted that anybody would come to downtown Lansing at night to watch a baseball game.

Hollister and Co. plowed ahead, convinced the project was a game-changer. Lansing signed a 15-year lease with Dickson.

Ceremonial groundbreaking took place on April 3, 1995. It was Dave Hollister’s 53rd birthday.

By mid-summer, the Sin Strip was a fading memory, and in its place – a gaping hole.

Hollister reassured the community. “You will see a baseball diamond by the middle of September,” he predicted. He was right.

Stadium construction became a spectacle in its own right. Bleachers were actually erected slightly north of the construction site, so onlookers could monitor the progress.

26 MAY/JUNE 2011

Many stadiums are built up from the ground up.

Early on, the decision here was to dig down. As a result, someone walking along Larch or Cedar would be able to see the entire ballpark.

It was a conscious, populist decision by Hollister. “Some people wanted the stadium walled in,” Hollister said. “We said, ‘fence it, but no walls. If people want to stand on the sidewalk and watch the game for free, that’s OK.” A People’s Park, if you will.

But what would they call it?

Hollister had a plan. He paid a visit to Oldsmobile General Manager John Rock, asking if Oldsmobile would be interested in buying naming rights to the stadium. Negotiations eventually led to a 15-year, $1.5 million deal for naming rights.

Oldsmobile Park it would be; a fitting tribute to the company and its founder, Ransom E. Olds, who made Lansing an automotive powerhouse.

Late in 1995, a contest was announced to decide the name of Lansing’s new baseball team.

There were mundane entries (Lansing Capitals, the Lansing Rockets, as in Oldsmobile’s rocket engine) – and some bizarre entries like Mudwumps.

But Dickson and wife/business partner Sherrie Myers had the winner.

The new team in town would be called The Lansing Lugnuts.

When word got out, a collective groan rose up in the community. To many, the name sounded, well, a bit goofy…

Hollister hastened to explain, that was the whole point.

“Some wanted me to cancel the press conference to announce the name. The Lansing State Journal broke the story in that morning’s paper, and I got more than a hundred negative calls. They thought the Lugnuts name was demeaning, or just dumb,” Hollister remembers.

Hollister went ahead with the press conference. “I began by saying, ‘Lighten up!’

This is minor league baseball. It’s supposed to be fun. It’s part of the entertainment.”

Entertainment. There’s that word again…

Dickson and Hollister stuck to their guns, and history proved them right. In time, people didn’t simply come to accept the Lugnuts’ whimsical name – they embraced it.

In November of 1995, the general manager of the Lansing Board of Water and Light announced plans to raise money to erect a silvery lugnut atop a 140-foot-high brick chimney, across the street from the stadium on BWL property. Today, the towering lugnut lords over the Michigan-Cedar intersection.

Soon, in the shadow of the giant lugnut,

a new restaurant quickly became a favorite watering hole: The Nuthouse.

There was also a chance for regular folks to be a part of Lugnuts history. Engraved bricks were sold for as low as $50 each. They became the brick walkway to the stadium, with more than 3,500 bricks sold.

Later, mascot named Big Lug and Rachet became popular fixtures at the game – kids lined up to have their pictures taken with mascots. There were dance contests and home run competitions among fans, food given out as prizes and much, much more.

A bronze statue was erected outside the ballpark, a homage to the timeless tradition of baseball and its generations of budding fans.

Inside, the wow factor was kicked up a notch. It felt just right: At once dazzling and comfortable, as if it had always belonged here.

In their first year, the Lugnuts sold more merchandise than any other minor league team – and actually outsold some in the Majors.

Meanwhile, fan support grew and grew. More than 410,000 tickets were sold in advance of Opening Day. By Aug. 22, the Lugnuts became the first Class A minor league team to surpass 500,000 visitors in its first season. Since the first pitch on April 5, 1996, more than 5.6 million people have walked through the gates to watch the Lugnuts play.

Perhaps too little credit is paid to what the stadium and the Lugnuts have done for Lansing.

Example: Directly across from the ballpark (now Cooley Law School Stadium) is the Stadium District complex. It boasts a coffee-and-chocolate-themed gathering place, a bank, commercial offices, residential suites and the headquarters of both the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau.

On April 5, 1996, the Lugnuts took the field for the first time. Getting to that point was a major feat. The tight timeline was unforgiving.

“At one point, there were crews painting in a snowstorm,” Hollister remembers.

Often forgotten is the fact the very first game played in Oldsmobile Park was not played by the Lugnuts.

The inaugural game was played two days earlier, on April 3, between Big Ten rivals Michigan State and Michigan. It was one year to the day from groundbreaking – another notch in Hollister’s birthday belt.

His birthday gift was a gift to Mid-Michigan – a brand-spanking new ballpark, smack dab in the middle of Lansing, soon to be hailed as the model for future minor league parks.

The Sin Strip was gone, gone, gone. In its place was a glistening symbol of a city that dared to dream. H

Always On Tr MSU’s, East Lansing’s Jim Bibbs Can’t Stop Giving

BY DAVID HARNS

28 MAY/JUNE 2011

Track

Jim Bibbs is steadily making his way down the halls of East Lansing High as he has done nearly every day during track and field season for 14 years. The trip takes longer than expected, but not because 82 years of age are slowing him down. The trip takes longer because he can’t take more than a few steps without a student flagging him down. “Hi, Coach Bibbs!” is the familiar refrain as he walks toward the track, an oval that has defined his life for over 60 years. He greets each student who greets him and hugs those who hug him – black and white, freshman and senior.

He knows he has a place in these kids’ hearts. And he cherishes the fact that he is there.

James Bibbs was a talented athlete, growing up in the city of Ecorse, a southwest suburb of Detroit, the son of a factory worker. Playing baseball during the summer and running track in college, the All-American had set a world record in the 60-yard dash and found himself on the receiving end of minorleague baseball contracts from the New York Yankees and St. Louis Browns. The Yankees had offered $500 per month, and to Jim that sounded pretty good. When he mentioned it to his dad, however, the response was, “You ain’t quittin’ school for $500 a month. That ain’t no money. You’re gonna finish school.”

In Jim’s mind, that settled that.

Having just finished his freshman year at Michigan State Normal School (the precursor to today’s Eastern Michigan University), Bibbs had struggled mightily in his chemistry and Latin classes. An A-B student in high school, Jim found himself talking with James “Bingo” Brown, the dean of men at MSNS, about his academic difficulties. He remembers exactly what Bingo told him that year: “You’re a little boy from a little town who can do big things – but you’ve got to hit those books.” His reply was a simple, “Yes sir, Dean.” And so he did.

Those two men framed his approach to life.

“I respected Bingo and was afraid of my dad,” Bibbs said with a laugh. These words of advice were spoken in the early 1950s. He didn’t realize at the time that, in the six decades to follow, he would say those words, or their equivalent, to hundreds and thousands of

young people – both on and off the track. And they would listen.

Jim’s mother had wanted him to be a doctor; he wasn’t interested, so they had settled on pharmacy as a course of study. But Jim quickly realized that in order to study pharmacy, he would have to transfer to the University of Michigan. Spartan fans everywhere can thank Jim’s track coach at the Michigan State Normal School, James Marshall, for keeping him from doing so. Jim was entrenched at his current school and didn’t want to leave his track coach.

He decided instead to study physical education.

After earning that degree, Jim continued his studies, earning a master’s degree in phys ed from Wayne State.

With those degrees in hand, Bibbs’ career goal was to coach high school track. And when he was hired at his old school, one of his proudest moments, he thought he was there for life. But when Ecorse High earned backto-back titles in the Spartan Relays in 1966 and 1967, Bibbs was asked to do something he never thought he’d do – leave after four years.

“I must have impressed somebody,” Bibbs said of Athletic Director Biggie Munn. “They called and asked if I was interested in coming to Michigan State as an assistant coach. I had mixed emotions. I love Ecorse. But how do you turn down Michigan State? As much as I love Ecorse High, turning down Michigan State is like leaving Halle Berry. It’s kinda difficult to do.”

Thus, the first African-American coach in Spartan history was on his way to campus.

MAY/JUNE 2011

29

The date was July 23, 1967, and Bibbs hadn’t been hired at MSU yet. He was in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for the start of the fifth Pan American Games. As he was preparing to lead the U.S. Women's Track Team, the city of Detroit was on fire. Literally. The 1967 Detroit riot began in the early hours that Sunday and resulted in dozens dead, hundreds injured, thousands arrested, and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed.

Although Bibbs wasn’t in the country for the race riots, he definitely understood the social impact that they had on society.

“I guess people worried that black people still had matches and they might be coming to Michigan and Michigan State, hitting the colleges next,” he said only half-joking. “So they decided to hire some black coaches. I happened to be the lucky one they picked. I think at that time they were looking for an African-American coach. I guess they thought I was the best one out there. And I’d like to think they were right.”

When he arrived in East Lansing, Bibbs was confident in his abilities to represent his race as a coach.

“I’m not one to feel a lot of outside pressure.

I just tried to do the best I can,” Bibbs said, recalling subtle racism. “If it stayed subtle, I could pass it up. I might have reacted differently if someone had been confrontational. My mother always taught me sticks and stones would break my bones, but words would never hurt me.”

Bibbs has always viewed MSU as a leader in diversity. But until he was hired, that diversity hadn’t extended beyond the athletes. Bibbs knew that the color of his skin might have helped him land his job, but he also knew that it wasn’t going to help him keep it.

“You get a job for any number of reasons,” he said. “But you gotta produce in order to keep the job. I managed to stay here 28 years …and I had a lot of wonderful athletes who helped make me look good.”

Two of those athletes were Herb Washington and Marshall Dill. Washington joined Bibbs in his first year in East Lansing in 1967. Two years later, Dill arrived. Both of those athletes earned All-America honors several times, won both Big Ten and NCAA championships and ended up as members of the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. They were exactly the type of athlete Bibbs recruited: good runner, good student, good kid.

“I don’t buy problems,” Bibbs said with a laugh. “If I’m gonna have problems, I gotta get them for free. I’m not going around giving nobody no scholarships to create problems.”

As head coach, Bibbs turned away some athletes who didn’t measure up in the character or academic categories. He also brought a few in who were borderline and spent extra time with them, stressing the importance of studying hard.

“I see myself as a coach and also see myself as an educator,” Bibbs said. “I think our job is to help young people prepare for life. Like I tell them, even if you make the pros or become all-world – if you do that and you leave school at 22 – let’s say 10 years – now you’re 32. If you get lucky and die at 33, you had a beautiful life. But if you get old like me, what am I going to do between 32 and 82 if I don’t have some other things going for me? We all have a little period of time when we are blessed with athletic skills. But at some point in time, that runs out. No one’s gonna hire me just because I ran track.”

When Bibbs first came to East Lansing, he moved into Cherry Lane Apartments. When he got married one year later, at age 40, he and his new wife, Martha, moved across the street to the Red Cedar area, about 5 blocks from the Breslin Center – where they’ve lived ever since. Bibbs describes his wife of 41 years as “more noteworthy than me.” The first black and first woman Civil Service Director of the State of Michigan, Martha had her own impact on MSU Athletics.

“She’s been a great asset to me as a coach down through the years. We’d go recruiting and she’d recruit mamas while I recruited the dad and the son,” Bibbs said with a laugh.

In 1995, Bibbs retired from MSU as the longest tenured head coach in program history.

He is still involved at MSU, though, often going on trips with the teams and speaking with the athletes. Walt Drenth, Director of the Men's and Women's Track & Field and Cross Country programs at Michigan State, had Bibbs impart his wisdom at the team banquet recently.

“Our athletes respect him,” Drenth said.

“They were on the edge of their seats. There wasn’t anybody talking. There wasn’t anybody texting. Nobody was looking out the window.”

Bibbs took a couple years off from coaching before he found his way back to the high school track in 1997. One of his grandchildren was running track at East Lansing High, and he wanted to see if there was anything he could do to help.

Fourteen years later, not only does Bibbs help on the track, he helps off the field. He is seen as a friend and a mentor to children throughout the area, always passing on the advice that he learned at their age. In fact, Bibbs has become so popular that the James E. Bibbs Invitational Track Meet was launched in 2006. East Lansing’s current track and field coach, Pat Murray, said that Bibbs “shows up every year, sits there the whole day – for the whole meet. He knows the kids, the parents, and the grandparents. His enthusiasm is just catching.”

From all indications, “Bingo” Jones’ prophecy from 60 years ago has indeed come true, and many times over at that: a little boy from a little town did indeed do great things. Both on and off the track. H

They Call Him Coach Bibbs loves nothing better than helping young people like Mercedes Lee and Shane Lynn-Habron of the 2011 East Lansing Trojans.

30 MAY/JUNE 2011

Photography MIKE MAJOR

always on track

Five-By-One TESTIMONIALS FROM JIM BIBBS’ ATHLETES

MARTHA BIBBS

Photography MATTHEW MITCHELL, MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATION

Love Of His Life And Relay Partner “At the mellow age of 40 years old, Coach Bibbs became a husband and father of five on the same day. Although my friends warned me he would be set in his ways, I completely ignored them and knew from the beginning that he was a winner in every way. He soon demonstrated that he was as superb in these new roles as he was as an athlete, coach and teacher. We have enjoyed over 41 years of marriage during which time we both excelled in our chosen careers with lots of support, love and pride from each other.

In retirement, we have enjoyed collaborating at times and at other times pursuing solo interests, still supportive of each other. We lead a blessed, fun-filled and fulfilling life. Our children and our grandchildren continue to recall words of wisdom from Coach Bibbs that have endured the test of time and continue to guide them through life.”

HERB WASHINGTON MSU World-Record Sprinter “Coach Bibbs set a standard. He has always been a very positive person. He always builds up your confidence so that you know you can be whatever you want to be. It was a continuation of what my mom would say. You define you.

No one else can define you. His advice was paramount in how I conducted myself. It set the foundation for my accomplishments. He was the old-school Tom Izzo.”

MARSHALL DILL

RANDY KINDER

MSU World-Record Sprinter

East Lansing Football And Track Champion

“I had a lot of problems when I came back (to Lansing) in 2002; (Coach Bibbs) and his wife, Martha – they took me to church, they dusted me off and turned me around. Coach Bibbs has been an extended father to me over the past 10 years. I’ll listen to him before I’ll listen to anyone else. He’s a true blessing from God.”

“On a pure track level, he was a great resource and great motivator. All of his experience, he was able to distill it and give it to me.

I improved so much, track-wise, that it surprised me. He was a tremendous help to Derrick Mason and me with our sprint drills while we were getting ready for the NFL Combine. And his influence was even greater off the track. He has, like, 8,000 grandkids and is always there for all of them. He is a pillar, not only in the black community, but in the entire (East Lansing) area. I couldn’t imagine this area without him and Martha.”

JUDI BROWN CLARKE East Lansing/MSU Star And Olympic Silver Medalist “My first interaction with Coach Bibbs wasn’t about sports. He was my friend’s father.

When he introduced me to track, it wasn’t my favorite sport. But he reframed my world and gave me a lot of confidence, I never would’ve fathomed being a world-class athlete without him. He always mentored us – not just about track but about life. It wasn’t just about how to get the best performance. It was how to become the best person you could be.

Watching him do that, I was able to translate my athletic skills to life skills. Without that, I definitely wouldn’t be the person I am today.

Before I’d run, I’d always talk to him. He’d say, ‘It’s not about the competition. It’s about you.

You need to focus on the things that make you successful.’ That really resonated with me and made me able to pay it forward. But I can’t imagine how many student-athletes he has touched, kids who’ve been in trouble and gotten help and a better quality of life.”

Hall Of Famer Bibbs, the first African-American coach in MSU history, thanks everyone who has made a career memorable in his induction speech.

MAY/JUNE 2011

31

All Bets Once-Vibrant Harness Racing Struggles

BY CHIP MUNDY

Harness racing in Michigan has become a big gamble, and not because of daily doubles, trifectas and exactas.

It wasn’t that long ago that seven tracks in Michigan hosted live harness racing each year, but this year just three – Hazel Park Raceway, Northville Downs and Sports Creek Raceway – have live racing, and that has forced horsemen in the state to make some difficult decisions.

32 MAY/JUNE 2011

Photography CEIL HELLER

s Are Off Some have left the state for other states with more racing dates and more lucrative purses, while others, like Leslie’s Darrell Wright and Joe Casagranda, are trying to make things work in Michigan. And that’s where the gamble comes in.

“I was going six or seven nights a week 12 months a year, and I’m down to two nights now – three when we go to Hazel Park,” Wright said. “Those nights were all in Michigan, too. It wasn’t like I was running all over the country or into Canada. We had that many race dates in Michigan.”

Casagranda spends much of his time as a shoer for horses, and he has Wright race some of his horses and other drivers run his horses at tracks such as Hoosier Park in Indiana. He returned to Michigan after trying the New York scene.

“I moved to New York and just plain didn’t like it,” Casagranda said. “I like it here.”

Veteran driver Rob Harmon moved to New York two years ago, leaving behind his family and farm in Cement City. He’s been successful, and after two years his family finally was able to join him in New York this spring.

“It has been real hard, but it’s good that they’re finally here,” said Harmon, who is in Middleton, N.Y., and races at Yonkers and Meadowlands. “Now I’m in a state where they are trying to preserve racing and not kill it. I’m sorry, I have nothing good to say about the lawmakers in Michigan.

“I owe four more years on my farm, and I’m just going to sell it for what I owe and put it behind me.”

Just six years ago, there were 356 live racing dates with nearly $20 million wagered. This year, there will be roughly 127 racing dates, and the fewer dates impact not only the drivers, trainers and owners, but it cuts work for people who had jobs at the tracks.

So, those who have remained in Michigan, like Wright and Casagranda, have had to hit the road in search of races. This year, Wright

has been racing at Toledo Raceway Park and in Windsor, Ontario, and he’s feeling the crunch in several different ways.

“Timewise, I spend a lot more time on the road, so there is less time with the family – and you still have to do your work at home,” he said. “The expenses are much higher as you’re traveling twice as far and three times as far sometimes, and with the price of fuel, it just really drains the budget.”

Wright, 48, has between 4,000 and 5,000 wins in his 30-plus years of racing, but the driving is just part of the job. Maintaining the horses and getting them in racing shape takes many more man-hours than the actual races.

“There are no days off,” Wright said, who often is assisted by his daughter, Mariah, the recipient of 2010 Harness Horsemen International $4,000 Jerome L. Hauck Scholarship and a student in veterinary medicine at Adrian College. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Sunday or Christmas, the horses have to eat every day, and they need to be fed.”

Much like the drivers, owners, trainers and their families.

Raceway, which closed after its racing dates in 2008. The bills were introduced - but were not passed - to allow the tracks to have slot machines, something that is legal in Indiana and Windsor and is being introduced in Ohio.

Rakietien is hopeful that under new Gov. Rick Snyder, the politicians might become more open to the idea of slot machines at race tracks.

“One of the positive things that is happening right now is that we’ve made a lot of friends in Lansing,” Rakietien said. “We have a new governor, so it’s a fresh start . We didn’t only outlive two terms of (former Gov. Jennifer) Granholm but three terms of (former Gov. John) Engler before that. And Engler was the one who said horse racing should go the way of the whip and buggy.

“We’ve been in survival mode for like 24 years, and it’s ridiculous.”

Obviously, Wright has been an interested observer, and he is both confused and frustrated by the lack of success with the bill in the state legislature.

“I don’t understand,” he said. “Rasinos - or the racinos have really helped the other states. I really

W e ’ v e b e e n i n su rv i va l m o d e for like 24 years, and it’s ridiculous.

DARRELL WRIGHT

So, what’s the answer? It lies in the funding.

And harness racing has tried to turn to on-site slot machines – the so-called racinos – but state government has rejected bills that were introduced to make the racinos legal.

Dan Rakietien, general manager of the Michigan Harness Horsemen’s Association in Okemos, has seen the political battle firsthand from his days of running Jackson Harness

don’t understand our legislature. I’m not slamming them because there are legislators in there now that maybe will help us out. But we’ve got to have some help competing with the casinos. It’s really not a level playing field for us. If we could get slot machines or card tables at the track, we could really compete and have the business rebound.”

Rakietien said another thing that has hurt harness racing is illegal betting on the internet.

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“There is so much Internet gaming going on that it’s hurting Michigan immensely,” he said. “Even at Northville, instead of going up to the window, you can see people betting the offshore sites. It’s not legal in Michigan, but they don’t regulate it – they can’t regulate it – so that’s a big problem. There are a ton of people betting online.”

Then, on top of all the troubles, five Michigan horsemen were suspended in 2010 after a probe into race-fixing at race tracks across the state.

Donald Currier Jr., Donald Harmon, Wally McIlmurray, John Moody and Richard Ray each were suspended in May of 2010, casting a shadow of doubt on the legitimacy of harness racing.

It sees to have had a negative affect from the fans’ point of view.

“Our handles dropped, and it affected the simulcast or the export signal,” Rakietien said.

“It was a huge impact, and it almost dropped the export signal by 20 percent.”

But the racing goes on, and Rakietien said the three tracks that continue to have live racing are in good shape.

“The three that we have are pretty stable,” he said. “The only concern I would have would be Northville, and that’s because the property is worth so much in that area.”

During his final years at Jackson, Rakietien helped start a promotion that was attracting 2,500 to 3,000 fans every Saturday night. There was a roaming broadcaster in the stands, and it became a popular night out for the young and the old and families as well.

“We can promote and bring fans back, and we proved that at Jackson,” Rakietien said.

“But does it translate to handle numbers?

That’s really where the problem is.

“Michigan has less people, and there is less disposable dollars. People can’t afford to go to the race track. They can barely afford to fill their gas tank. Right now, it’s very tough. Our purse numbers are based on handle, simulcast handle. The simulcast handle keeps dropping, and we’ve been working on a 20 percent decrease from last year. Right now, its looking like it’s going to turn out to be about 15 percent.”

But Casagranda believes more positive promotions would help attract fans.

“Slots are kind of a plug to a big leap,” he said. “I hope people can get back to where horse racing is big again, but there have to be some changes. We’ve been in the entertainment industry for 100 years, and it hasn’t changed.

They need to make superstars out of the horses and make superstars out of the drivers and trainers, too. That’s what they do in NASCAR.” Harness racing in Michigan dates back to 1944, when Northville Downs opened as one of the first tracks in the United States to offer nighttime harness racing. Jackson followed

No Money Tree Dan Rakietien of the Michigan Horsemen’s Association knows his organization and his sport needs help from the legislature. in 1948, and tracks later opened in Swartz Creek (Sports Creek Raceway), Saginaw, Mount Pleasant and Muskegon and Hazel Park.

“My attitude is still positive, though I’m not quite as optimistic as I once was because it’s so much more difficult now,” Wright said. “You really have to struggle to make ends meet and get the bills paid. Before, there used to be a little left at the end of the month. Now, there’s too much month left at the end of the money. But we’re getting by and hoping something positive happens in Michigan because we don’t want to leave.

“It may come down to that, though. We’ve lost some good horsemen. I don’t know if our government realizes how much horse racing does for Michigan as far as the economy.” H

Michigan Harness Racing History YEAR DATES HANDLE

1985 466 1995 634 2005 356 2011 127

$255,299,364 $208,974,623 $19,918,130 TBD

2011 Racing Dates HAZEL PARK (50 dates) Fri., May 6, thru Sat., Aug. 27 (Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays)

SPORTS CREEK RACEWAY (16 remaining) Fri., Nov. 25, thru Sat., Dec. 31 (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays)

NORTHVILLE (48 dates, 24 remaining) Fri., Sept. 2, thru Sat., Nov. 19.

(Fridays and Saturdays)

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Always Supportive It’s Academic For Angela Howard-Montie

Like many lifelong Michigan State fans, Angela Howard-Montie was born and raised a Spartan. Growing up a few miles down the road in Dimondale, she lived and breathed East Lansing as a child and student-athlete.

And she still does.

Howard-Montie may not have left Michigan State since graduating 16 years ago, but Spartan fans should understand her reasoning for that as well.

“I just enjoy helping the students and the community,” Howard-Montie said. “I get to be involved in the community and love the community, so it makes it easy to stay. It has worked for me.”

Spartan For Life Angela Howard-Montie shares a laugh with her former MSU gymnastics coach, Kathie Klages.

The student-athletes and coaches at MSU are happy it has. Howard-Montie is the Director of Student-Athlete Development in the StudentAthlete Support Services (SASS) department at MSU. She deals with community service and outreach, career development, personal development and awards and honors for all 25 varsity sports.

Howard-Montie began working for SASS as a graduate intern. The department hired her full-time after she earned an MBA in marketing.

She started as the academic coordinator for eight sports and worked her way up to the position she holds today.

36 MAY/JUNE 2011

Fourteen years later, Howard-Montie has made a difference in the lives of hundreds of student-athletes. But what makes her so successful is her unique ability to relate to student-athletes, having been one herself.

“Sometimes just the fact that you can say you’ve been through the same situations here at Michigan State, it maybe gives you a little bit more credibility,” Howard-Montie said. “I think it does help. You can relate some of your experiences, not just your successes, but mistakes that you made.”

Howard-Montie began gymnastics when she was 4 years old. She had always dreamed of being a Big Ten athlete, but a burnout led her to take three years off from the sport late in her career.

Luckily, when her dreams resurfaced as a high school senior, Howard-Montie was given a second chance. Kathie Klages had just been hired as the head gymnastics coach at MSU and was one of Howard-Montie’s past coaches. Howard-Montie was given the opportunity to come to MSU as a preferred walk-on under Klages.

“She was such a hard worker and quickly regained her gymnastics skills, which is a difficult thing to do,” Klages said. “She did earn a scholarship a couple of the years she was at Michigan State because of her work ethic and her attitude.”

In her five years at MSU as an undergraduate, Howard-Montie was a 4.0 student and earned multiple Academic All-Big Ten and All-American Honors. She earned two undergraduate degrees in business administration and psychology and was initially interested in sports marketing. But Howard-Montie found her passion with SASS. It’s that passion, according to Director of SASS Jim Pignataro, that has helped HowardMontie become so successful in her work.

“In this type of role that she has for us, if you don’t have passion, you aren’t going to be effective,” Pignataro said. “And that has been really the reason for her success. The students feel that. The coaches feel that. The people in the community that she works with feel that.”

Howard-Montie said she enjoys the community outreach part of her job more than anything else. She helps studentathletes become involved with programs such as Spartan Buddies, where athletes are trained volunteers in the pediatric ward of Sparrow Hospital. Howard-Montie said student-athletes have even started bringing volunteer ideas to her, and she loves turning their thoughts into reality.

“I think that’s the rewarding part,” HowardMontie said. “You get that with a lot of careers, where you feel those little things make a big difference. It’s just gratifying when I see the students giving back.”

Community outreach may be Howard-Montie’s favorite aspect of her job, but there’s no doubt she loves it all. She even enjoys giving tours of the Clara Bell Smith Academic Center. That allows her to point out differences between the opportunities student-athletes have today and what was available when she was there.

And it was very different 14 years ago.

“I would’ve been a lot saner if I had tutoring that could help me so I didn’t have to stay up all night after having a competition,” HowardMontie said. “I remember having to drive back from Ohio State after a night competition once.

I had to get back so I could meet with a group because I had no other way to get help with anything. I still remember it.”

Howard-Montie’s experience as a student-athlete without strong support services might have been difficult, but it taught her skills that shaped her into the hard-working director she is today.

“You learn to deal with so many different things as a student-athlete,” Howard-Montie said. “You deal with teams and teammates and adversity and you have to learn how to figure it all out. There’s not very many other experiences in life that you go through where you’re dealing with all of that.”

The variety of experiences Howard-Montie faced as a student-athlete followed her into her career. But that’s what she loves about it. She never knows what to expect when she walks into the Smith Center, but her student-athletes do: a passionate and giving mentor who will go above and beyond to help them fulfill their dreams just like she has. H

Photography MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

BY andrea nelson

Being a Spartan, iS Being aBle

TO COACH HOOPS WITHOUT HAVING TO

JUMP THROUGH THEM! April 30, 2007 marked an important day of transition for Suzy Merchant.

That’s when she was hired as head coach for the MSU women’s basketball program — the day she began her career as a Spartan.

It wasn’t easy, but four years later, she still loves her job.

“Basketball has taken me all over the country, but my heart has always been here,” Merchant said.

No matter where they’re destined to go, there’s sure to be a network of Spartans ready to cheer them on to victory and help with the transition.

“At some point, our players will graduate and face the realities and challenges of life after college,” Merchant said. “Sure, they have the skills to dribble the ball down the court and score points, but will they succeed after graduation when it’s time to hoof the pavement, put their degree to work and find a job or place to live? There’s a real power in our worldwide network of alumni and friends. They’re doctors, nurses, lawyers, bankers, teachers, parents ... friends. On the court, they make a deafening noise and go stark raving mad to distract our opponent at the free-throw line. Off the court, they give us job leads, provide a helping hand and recommend places to go and places to live.

In the game of basketball, just as in the game of life, we all dream of winning. The MSU network of alumni and friends gives us the advantage we need to win. Shouldn’t you be a part of it?”

“My name is Suzy Merchant, and the MSU Alumni Association is my personal network ... for life!”

— Suzy Merchant • MSU Women’s Basketball Head Coach Join the MSU Alumni Association — your personal network...for life.

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Big Red To Big Mic Lansing’s Dave Campbell Still Talks Good Game

BY ANDY FLANAGAN

Campbell, like Miller and Morgan, had spent 21 years at ESPN in various capacities on its baseball broadcasts, including the final 12 years (1999-2010) as an analyst on its Sunday Night Baseball radio broadcasts. During that time he earned several kudos, including this from Sports Illustrated: “(Dan Shulman) and his baseball partner, Dave Campbell, form as splendid a duo as there is on radio.”

No matter. Campbell is out of work – and he’s unsure when or if he’ll return to broadcasting.

“I was talking to my boss a couple years ago and said I might think about retirement. It turned out it was last year,” said Campbell, 69. “Jon Sciambi (his broadcast partner in 2010) and I really hit it off. I thought it was going to be like Joe Buck and Tim McCarver (the FOX broadcasting team).

“I still want to work, and I still think I can

38 MAY/JUNE 2011

bring something to the table. But it takes two to tango, and I don’t have anyone to dance with.”

Campbell admits he’s frustrated at not being able to land a job for this season.

“My agent asked me what I wanted to do,” he said. “I want an opportunity to go with a team and do 50-60 games a year, not the fulltime grind of 140-162 games.” Referring to the Sports Illustrated evaluation, Campbell added: “It’s amazing to me that you can be considered the best in the industry and not get a job offer. It’s just the nature of the beast. At least I wanted it to be my decision. But life isn’t always fair, and we always don’t get what we deserve. All in all it’s been a pretty good run.”

Campbell got his start in broadcasting while he was concluding his eight-year (1967-74) major league career. While he was playing for the San Diego Padres in 1972, Campbell tore his Achilles tendon after laying down a bunt. Laid up with nothing to do, he would watch the Padres on television – at least the few times they were on.

“The Padres only televised 18 games a year then – nine in Los Angeles and nine in San Francisco,” Campbell said. “They had one guy broadcasting, and he didn’t know a lot about baseball. I went to Buzzie Bavasi (San Diego’s general manager) and said I can be the color analyst. He was already paying me, so I said, ‘Just give me meal money.’ That’s how it began.”

Campbell got the final nudge he needed to enter broadcasting when he joined a San Diego independent television station after he retired from baseball. He was complimented for how well his voice sounded during his part-time stint as the Padres’ color analyst.

From there he devoted his time to learning the ins and outs of broadcasting. He did Padres TV games from 1978-88, then during his stint with ESPN he also was the Colorado Rockies’ color analyst from 1994-97.

“When I got hurt, it obviously was a blessing,” said Campbell, a utility infielder who finished his baseball career with a .213 average. “I think back to what Whitey Herzog

said at his Hall of Fame induction: ‘Baseball was really good to me after I quit playing.’ I think I was the same way.”

Campbell, who grew up playing on Lansing’s sandlots, played football and baseball at Sexton High. That meant playing for his father, Bob Campbell, the longtime Big Reds baseball coach.

“I was a bit of a late bloomer,” said Campbell, who grew almost 9 inches between his sophomore and junior years. “I was a little gawky. I didn’t have much coordination.”

Campbell went on to play at the University of Michigan, even though they didn’t offer him a scholarship and Michigan State did.

“My dad had gone to Michigan and played football and baseball there,” he said. “That’s all I heard growing up.”

The Wolverines won the NCAA title in 1962, and Campbell caught the eyes of scouts at the College World Series. He performed well in the summer Basin League in South Dakota against the likes of future major league pitchers Jim Palmer and Jim Lonborg, and the Tigers drafted him in 1964.

Campbell recalled former Sexton teammates Jerry Sutton and Chuck Holton saying the coaches at Sexton—Iggy Konrad, Clay Kowalk, Russ Maples, Ed Majdeski, Ken Eckman, Buck Nystrom and Campbell’s father—contributed to their development as athletes and people.

“They tried to teach us to think on our own and be prepared for situations,” Campbell recalled. “I always thought the job of a coach was to prepare you for life.”

Now, Campbell, who lives in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, is preparing to go to Italy and Switzerland in May with his wife.

“I’ve got my (agent) looking at 2012,” he said of a possible return to broadcasting. “I’m just going to put it in God’s hands. If it happens, it happens.” H

Photography Topps baseball cards

Jon Miller and Joe Morgan aren’t the only familiar voices who will be missing from ESPN’s baseball games this season. Count Lansing native Dave Campbell among them.

finish line

Anchor Away My Life As The ‘Weenie Boy’

It was a cold April night 13 years ago, and I was as nervous as I’d ever been watching a baseball game. It had nothing to do with who won the game. I was about to get up and entertain 7,000 fans.

I prayed for an eight-run inning to give me more time to prepare.

With two outs, my teeth started to chatter and it had nothing to do with the 52-degree temperature. out, “Hey, Lugnut fans! How ya doin’ tonight?”

There was silence. I froze. A man in the last row stood up, looked right at me and I expected him to tell me to go back home, which I very likely might have done.

“Yeeeaaaaahhhhh!!!”

He cheered. Then, everyone else cheered. Then, I cheered.

From that moment on, I never felt nervous as the stadium emcee for the Lansing Lugnuts.

Working at Oldsmobile Park was like a college internship: a lot of fun with other young people but always a professional atmosphere. It was my job, along with the “Pit Crew,” to entertain the fans every game during the summer. Hosting mini-game shows, giving away donuts, singing “Take Me Out To the Ball Game” as Harry Caray, dancing to the Village People and shooting T-shirts and hot dogs was a blast for every single one of the 70 Working The Crowd WILX-TV news anchor Jason Colthorp home games each year. entertains Lansing Lugnut fans.

Every game day for me began with throwing on the old No. 50 home jersey and checking the Game “You’re nervous?” I thought. “I’m the one At A Glance, our schedule of events for the who has to do all the talking!” entire game. Conversations like this with my The batter swung and lifted a lazy high fly “Pit Crew” boss weren’t unusual: to center. “Please God, make him drop it,” I ME: How do you expect me to do the “Power thought. He made the catch and the music Sing Off,” the “Hot Dog Cannon” and “Go Nuts started. I hopped up onto the dugout, my heart For Donuts” all in a row? pounding out of my chest. I looked out into the PCB: I thought you might want a workout sea of fans to see cold, unfriendly faces. tonight.

I had no air in my lungs but somehow pushed “I’m really nervous,” said the woman in the seat next to me who was about to be my very first contestant.

40 MAY/JUNE 2011

ME: Three outs to get from home plate to out behind center field and three more to get back to third base?

PCB: You can do it if you hustle.

ME: OK. I sure hope this isn’t the night our boy throws an eight-pitch inning.

PCB: Maybe we better move hot dogs to the sixth.

There were many nights I was sprinting with two outs and two strikes through fans trying to get down aisles and onto dugouts to perform the next game with a fan-turnedcontestant. I always made it, sometimes with the help of a walk or a hit or a trip to the mound. Even at its most hectic, the nights at the ballpark were fun for all of us on staff because we were helping make the baseball game experience complete for the fans.

Even the most diehard baseball fan couldn’t help smile as a kid smeared his face in an ice creameating contest or felt the competitive juices flow while passing a pillow-like bag of chips or hopped on his or her feet to catch a smushed-up hot dog shot out of a gas-propelled cannon.

It’s the Hot Dog Cannon that led my mother-in-law to call me “The Weenie Boy.” I thought Frank would have been just as funny and less embarrassing.

Despite that moniker, I often miss those days and nights of feeling like part of a baseball franchise – part of the reason fans come out to watch. It was amusing signing autographs on the faces of 9-year old kids, relaxing to stop in right field and watch the game as the sun went down behind the stadium. It was encouraging to see a player put in the hard work day after day and celebrating when he moved to the next level.

I miss sitting on the cool, green grass of the infield with my daughter after the game to watch the fireworks show. And I miss calming a fan’s nerves because they were so scared to get up on the dugout in front of the crowd.

Luckily, I can still do almost all of that. We all can. We can do it 70 times a summer at the corner of Michigan and Cedar. And all those memories happen every day at the ballpark.

See you there! H

Photography lansing lugnuts

BY Jason colthorp

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2011

Sparrow Health Classic Tuesday, June 28 Hawk Hollow and Eagle Eye Golf Courses The 2011 Sparrow Health Classic tees the best parts of the game a little higher. »

Serious golfers will love the challenges offered by some of the toughest holes in the region.

»

Recreational golfers will enjoy the scramble format and the beautifully manicured greens, as well as fun gifts for every golfer.

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PGA Professionals will be on-hand to provide one-on-one instruction on the practice ranges prior to play.

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Not a golfer? Consider being a part of the newest addition to the Health Classic - sign up for a late shotgun at the 18-hole real-grass putt-putt course at Hawk Hollow.

The Health Classic offers an unforgettable day of golf, and all proceeds benefit the area of greatest need at Sparrow. This means that however you choose to participate, you are helping to impact the health of the men, women and children that come to Sparrow for care each day.

To register online, go to sparrowfoundation.org. Questions? Call 517.364.5688.