Cuts hurt student athletes

I was alarmed the other day when I found out how much money was cut out of the athletic budget at Willow Run High School. I know education is the most important foundation of any student's life but with that should come athletics.
I know for a fact most of these student athletes will not be turning professional and making football or basketball a career but I also know that a few of those can get college scholarships out of athletics and in turn use that to make a better life for themselves.
Does this huge cut in athletics translate to something more? I think it does. I am confused about why so much has to be cut. The junior varsity and lower programs will be out and the position of athletic director has also been eliminated. It seems to me to be a bit drastic and it will not attract other students to the district. In fact, I will bet it causes some students to reevaluate their positions and maybe go else where for an education.
I also wonder will this be something that Ypsi High, Lincoln or even Belleville will be looking at doing in the very near future?
I hope not but only time will tell the answer to that question.

High school wrestling is exciting

High school wrestling is one of those sports that is very hard to pick up and start as a freshman in high school. In order to be good student athletes need to really start wrestling in middle school or even a little bit earlier.
If you look at the really good programs in the area or if you are familiar with the teams like Bedford (who have numerous state title) than you realized these kids start at an early age.
It is not a sport that people take easily too. There are a lot of moves, stances and maneuvers that you have to learn and practice over and over again. The real good programs have coaches who were in their own right good wrestlers at the high school and even the college level.
I have seen some great kids come out of wrestling and covered a few state champions. There was one person out of Flat Rock whose name was Casey Steffen who was perhaps one of the best wrestlers of his era. This guys was so good and so fast that when we sent photographers out to get a picture half the time his opponent was pinned and the referee had Stefan’s hand in the air for the win before we could get an action shot. We are talking in less than 15-20 seconds he had his opponent pinned.
Another very impressive wrestler was Chad Schoen out of Gibraltar Carlson. He won the state title at (189) and was a tremendous football player (much like Steffen).
I had the honor a few years ago to cover Greg Egbert from Ypsilanti who made it all the way to the state meet before dropping his first match. According to his old high school Coach Claudell Ruffin Egbert is now wrestling for Eastern and waiting for a very good (125) ahead of him to graduate so he can get than spot.
The funny thing about the sport is that it doesn’t usually get a lot of fans. The meets can be very long and the tournaments, which are usually held on Saturdays, can go on forever. I like the fact that they can get in five matches at a tournament and usually one or two during the week.
The hard part of the sport is weighing in and actually having to make those weights every time. It makes for some tough times when they have to drop weight to get in a match. Give these kids a lot of credit while their friends are all out scarfing down fast food they are eating healthy and training.
Don’t think that being on a wrestling team is a piece of cake and don’t think those kids are not busting their humps in order to succeed.
I know Belleville has had a long history of very good wrestlers and if you look on the wall in the gym you will see some great names from the past of athletes who did well in the sport. Their coaches are always very astute in the sports and whether it is head Coach Anthony Munoz or assistant (former head coach) Mike Sherman you can rest assure those kids are ready for action each and every time they hit the mat.
Lincoln’s new Coach Mike Epps is also very knowledgeable of the sport and I can tell he really wants to drive this team to the top of the SEC and build a solid foundation in the middle school. Marvin Jones at Willow Run has been gaining wrestlers every season and getting that program pointed in the right way.
Don’t think of wrestling as a sport to fill the time between seasons because it is a very involved and intricate sport that requires a lot of blood sweat and tears.

Good bye to Curtis

I love to cover sports and I love to watch from the high school levels all the way up to the professional level. I must say that the trade the Tigers made this week that sent Curtis Granderson to the Yankees was a more than a bit of a disappointment.
Curtis was not only a good athlete in my book but he was a good person. The type of player you would like an entire team of. He was a good example for the kids (which is hard to find these days) someone who never talked bad about other players to the media. I really wish him the best of luck and I hope he does well.
I would goes as far as saying I thought he would be a Tiger for life. I am not saying he was like Hall of Famer Al Kaline but in my mind he was a great center fielder. Good bye and good luck Curtis.
Now that I said that I must mention that Jana Miller will no longer be writing sports for us and instead she will embark in news. I hope she realized now she will have to actually work (LOL). At least she won't have to put up with those ornery coaches who didn't want to talk to her. Good luck Jana and I hope you get to keep your desk especially since it is behind mine.

bye, bye Benchwarmers

.... psych!

Well, not really. I'm still leaving sports. In case you missed this news, look over here. But in terms of actually seeing my face, these lovely men with their lovely jerseys and their tousled locks will probably still have a lady present.

The logic behind this is that I like my desk. It's really that simple. It's large, feminine-ish in color, and I've already decorated the entire wall in front of me. There are cow pictures, cute overload pictures, and plenty of Twilight/Rob Pattinson memorabilia. I can't find enough wall space for all of that upstairs. Plus I might be willing to admit that I've grown attached to a few of my colleagues. Who else can laugh with me at socially inappropriate websites of mockery?

In the end this decision will come down to the big boss, sports editor Terry Jacoby. This is sort of my shameless attempt at staying put. But if he wants my space, he can kick me out.

Dear Terry, Do you want my desk/space? Check: Y N Maybe

But in all other terms, farewell Benchwarmers. If I can figure out how to transfer my ownership rights to this blog, I'll do it............. or will I?

Lions game was a treat!

I was treated to a rare Turkey Day treat on Thanksgiving. Because of the Belleville and Eastern Michigan University ties the paper has with a few current members of the Green Bay Packers I was able to go and watch the Detroit Lions battle the Packers at Ford Field.
Cullen Jenkins of Belleville is a defensive end for the Pack and is in his sixth season with the team. T.J. Lang is a rookie one year removed from Eastern Michigan University and he plays offensive guard and tackle.
It was a pretty busy Thanksgiving Day in Detroit as usual so I told my sports editor, Don Richter, that we better leave for the game by 10:30 a.m. Kickoff was set for 12:30 p.m. and I wasn’t sure the amount of traffic we would run into down in D-Town.
As I expected we were forced off the freeway because of the Thanksgiving Day Parade and forced to circle around Ford Field through an alternative route. We had to swoop in for the tickets and parking pass but I have to admit despite talking about 30 minutes to do that it was much better than paying $50 for parking by the field.
We found our parking space a few blocks from the field and got on the bus to take us to the game. It was nice having a press pass. We didn’t have to wait in any line and we were able to flash it to the security who promptly informed us were the press box was and the elevator.
We decided to walk the seven flights of stairs up to the press box (something I wouldn’t advise in the future). When we got there guess what they had to ear? Turkey and stuffing and carbonated beverages were on tap for us in the box.
Not too shabby considering must of the high school football games that I attend do not even have a cup for us to put water in out of the team’s water jugs. That being said we ate and rubbed elbows with coaches from both teams and local media and sports writers like Rob Parker and some from the Associated Press like Scott Held (who I worked with in Southgate with the News-Herald).
After we ate we took our seats and watched the game. As expected the Lions didn’t fare all that well and things definitely had a green tint to them on the day and the Packers walked away with what turned out to be an easy win.
While, the reason I went to the game was to interview the two of the players so it was no surprise it was time to head to the locker room and find out how the other side lives. Let me tell you it lives rather well and from what I can tell the professional level of sports is a totally different experience than watch the Belleville Tigers, the Ypsilanti Phoenix or even the EMU Eagles.
These guys are use to success and you can tell that they don’t get bothered by the media and the media loved to feed on whatever they have to say.
After waiting or the players I wanted to interview to become available and get out of the showers I was reminded exactly how big these professional athletes really were. I mean they were giants and besides being tall they were all in extremely good shape.
So I was able to talk with Jenkins and I asked him what it was like coming home to play and how many friends and family he had at the game. He said he had around 50 people at the game and admitted that was slightly more than usual. He said the win was a very big one for him and his team especially after not having the start to the season they would have liked.
I asked him about the crowds and the cheering at the game and he said he doesn’t even hear it or admitted that if he did hear it he was so focused on his assignments and what he needed to do that it didn’t matter to him.
Jenkins said he still talks to his old high school coach Bob LaPointe from time to time but admits it is kind of hard to keep track of his former team.
Lang who is a rookie this season admitted he had about 50 people at the game to watch him as well. He loves playing the sport and admits that he is learning a lot and just glad to be on the field and help the team anyway possible. He seemed a bit more eager to play in front of his friends and family that Jenkins. The funny part was Jenkins could almost laugh about how the rookie was with the reporters and other members of the media. Despite the loss (as expected by the Lions) it was a bunch of fun to be at the game and I really did enjoy the entire experience.