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SPORT CONTENTS

FINISH LINE

Raised To ServeCommunity, Children,Tennis All Winners

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44SPORTS AUTHORITY

Lansing’s Big SplashPopularity of Water Polo Leaks In From The West Coast

By BRENDAN DWyER

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10 AS BIG AS TEXASGenerosity, Tenacity Help Cowboys Ride

BY andrea nelson

14 T WINS & WINSHigbies Put Opponents At DeWitt’s End

BY andrea nelson

18 CONCUSSION dISCUSSIONCaution The Key With High-ImpactBrain Injuries

BY andrea nelson

26 AUdACIT y Of HOpEMinor-League Football, Dreams AndThe Capital City Stealth

BY Ted kluck

32 prO pIONEErSNFL’s Origins Tied To Shepardsville Team

BY doug Warren

34 1-LOvE AdvANTAGEEast Lansing’s Harry Jadun Loves Winning And Working

BY Jennifer orlando

38 pOOL SHArkHeather Strang Means Business In Water, Workplace

BY chip mundY

Green & GrowingGreg Jones Follows Father’sExample, Leads SpartansBY Jack eBling

22

EB-SERVATION0630 Nice Time

MSU’s Red Wings Give Back

BY sTeve grinczel

40 Braving Boji Team Lansing Foundation Provides New Challenge

BY Brendan dWYer

fALL 2010 3

PUBLiSheRSPORT Community Publishing

ediTORJack Ebling

ASSiSTAnT ediTORSAndy FlanaganAndrea Nelson

COnTRiBUTinG WRiTeRSBrendan DwyerJack EblingSteve GrinczelTed KluckTodd MartinChip MundyAndrea NelsonJennifer OrlandoDoug Warren

PhOTOGRAPhYBrendan DwyerCeil HellerChris HolmesMike MajorMatthew MitchellMSU Athletic CommunicationsTerri ShaverHeather StrangDoug Warren

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AssistsSPORT CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine

Volume #2 • Issue #9fall 2010

SPORT, The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine is published monthly by SPORT Community Publishing with offices at 617 East Michigan Avenue, Lansing, Michigan 48912. Postage is paid under USPS Permit #979.

Subscriptions: One copy of SPORT, The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine, is mailed complimentary to qualified business addresses in the Greater Lansing metropolitan area. Residential, household, promotional, out-of-area and additional subscriptions are available for $18 per year, half of the shelf price of $3 per issue. Subscribe at: www.SportLansing.com

Postmaster: Address changes should be sent to: SPORT Magazine, 617 East Michigan Avenue, Lansing, Michigan 48912.

Mike MajorBorn and raised in the Lansing area, Mike was always a huge sports fan, participating in baseball, football, basketball and golf in his youth. He served as the head boys basketball coach at Lansing Sexton from 1989-2005. Since leaving the coaching ranks, sports photography has filled that void. Mike can often be seen photographing area youth sports or playing a round of golf.

Steve GrinczelSteve was an award-winning sports reporter for Booth Newspapers of Michigan and mlive.com. He covered Michigan State University football and basketball from 1986-2009 and has written or co-authored two books on the Spartans. Grinczel began his soccer officiating career in 1975 and has more than 1,300 NCAA, high school and USSF games under his belt.

Andrea NelsonAndrea is a junior at Michigan State University, studying journalism with an emphasis in sports and public relations. She is a member of the Honors College and Tower Guard and has a true passion for sports. Andrea helped Frankfort High win back-to-back state titles in girls basketball in 2005-06. Today, she helps produce “Ebling and You” on 1320 WILS.

Doug WarrenDoug has been a sportswriter and broadcaster since 1996. He worked for WBBL and WLAV in Grand Rapids and for WILS in Lansing. Doug also served as a columnist/reporter for Scout.com, covering the Lions and MSU. He is a dedicated stay-at-home dad and lives in Lansing with his wife, Lori, and their three children. The newest, Noah David, was born on Super Bowl Sunday.

4 fALL 2010

Back in BusinessRevamped SPORT Is Bigger, Stronger, BetterBY JACK EBLING

Jack EblingSPORT EDITOR

Jack has covered sports and much 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 five books–four on Michigan State and one on the Detroit Tigers–and has contributed more than 125 pieces for national publications. 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. He became a sports radio host in 2002 and branched into news talk in 2006. Currently, he hosts “Ebling and You” weekday afternoons and co-hosts “The Jack and Tom Show” Saturdays on 1320 WILS in Lansing. A two-time graduate of MSU, he has lived in the area for 37 years and has helped to raise two remarkable young adults.

SPORT EB-SERVATION

it was a great idea long before the first issue was published in September 2008. It’s a better one now after two years of growing pains and community feedback.That doesn’t mean the SPORT you’ve come to know is history, though it still has an appreciation of the rich history that makes Mid-Michigan unique.

The real significance of this issue after a short hiatus is that The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine is back with

new ownership and big plans for 2011 and beyond.

Just when this publication was starting to gain traction, it got…Traction.

Camron Gnass, an omnipresent entrepreneur, is the new owner of the magazine, taking over from founder Don Loding.

Gnass owns Traction, a Downtown Lansing creative firm that has won 18 ADDy awards for branding, marketing and advertising campaigns.

And if you’ve liked what you’ve seen in the first 19 issues of SPORT, you’ve enjoyed Traction’s impressive design work, particularly the TLC provided by Jon Eslinger and Brian Paulson.

Under Gnass’s leadership, they’ve come up with cover concepts and given the publication a distinctive look.

With some significant changes and a few tweaks in 2011, SPORT should be bigger and even more eye-popping.

And beginning with this issue, a monthly magazine will be just that with consistent arrival dates. Project manager Jessica Cosens will see to that.

What readers will see is the same dedication to covering all sports in the Lansing area, from Michigan State football to cherry-pit spitting.

With help from assistant editors Andy Flanagan and Andrea Nelson, the goal here is tell the stories that haven’t been told or to present well-known ones in an innovative way.

Our staff of free-lance writers has expanded greatly, with well-known names like Steve Grinczel, Ted Kluck, Jennifer

6 fALL 2010

For most of you, the big concern isn’t the quality or variety of November’s content. It’s what the future holds for a toddler with big dreams.

As we move past our second birthday, you need to know two things, the answers to our most frequently asked questions:

If you’re an annual subscriber or would like to be, you’ll get 12 issues, not a year’s set of stories. Thus, if you think you missed four magazines, you’ll get four more in 2011.

The price is still the same – $18 for a 12 issues or $3 for a copy at the newsstands, if you can find one. The best idea and best value is still to subscribe online at sportlansing.com.

And if you have ideas for stories or terrific photos to submit, we’d still love to hear from you. Many of our best and most memorable pieces began with your input.

That won’t change with a new, improved SPORT. If anything, we hope to hear from you more often.

The same way you’ll be hearing from us.

Orlando, Sam Hosey Jr. and Chip Mundy contributing on a regular basis.

Flanagan and Nelson will also lend their unique perspectives. Flanagan is a Lansing lifer with decades of daily newspaper experience. And Nelson is a rising star in sports media, judging by her early print and broadcast efforts.

The photography will still be strong, with Mike Major, Rob Sumbler, Ceil Heller and many others sharing their artistic vision.

you see both those things in this return-from-vacation issue, our belated tribute to Football 2010 at all levels.

Nelson presents an important look at the problem of concussions, a feature on the Lansing Cowboys of Kendon Park, a great story about giving back, and a profile of the Higbie twins of DeWitt, who could burn out some bulbs in the scoreboard.

I take a long look at the development of MSU linebacker and future pro Greg Jones, who hasn’t forgotten how he got here and knows exactly where he’s going.

Kluck gives an intimate, first-person

account of the inaugural season of the Capital City Stealth, a division champ in their minor-league football debut.

And Doug Warren delivers a history lesson with his look at some pro pioneers, the Michigan Rushers of a century ago. Their contribution to the game can be seen with a stop at a historical marker along M-21.

But the 20th issue of SPORT is more than just football. Rappelling and tennis get attention here, too.

The award-winning Brendan Dwyer is all over this issue in his role with the Greater Lansing Sports Authority. He tells us about a water polo extravaganza in Mid-Michigan and talks about Over the Edge, a successful fund-raiser.

Finally, we touch on tennis, teaching and sportsmanship with Todd Martin, who has written our Finish Line guest piece. There is no better representative of the area than a noted humanitarian and the No. 6 athlete in area history, according to last December’s Top 150 rankings.

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GReATeR LAnSinG SPORTS AUTHORITY

Lansing’s Big SplashPopularity of Water Polo Leaks In From The West CoastBY BRENDAN DWYER

new sports are taking over the landscape – no shock to anyone with his or her head in the game.

It has been a slow but steady trend for 10 years or more. Football coaches have been scratching their heads for years now, wondering why kids are shunning the gridiron and turning out in droves for soccer and lacrosse.

But there is another new kid on the block in the youth sports scene. And he’s a lot more wet than just behind the ears. Jump into the pool and get to know the Michigan Water Polo Association.

Long popular in California and the West Coast, water polo is making its move to the Midwest and taking over cold-weather states with the ease and grace of an Olympic butterfly swimmer.

How has it grown, you ask? The same way girls ice hockey has grown so popular. When figure skaters wanted to get a little more physical, they turned in their skating dress for hockey pants.

Now, it appears that as traditional swimmers seek to switch gears from robotically turning out lap after lap and get into something more interactive and team-oriented, they make the dive into water polo.

“Water polo in mid-Michigan is growing in popularity, and the folks that are getting into it tend to be kids who have historically done traditional swimming,” said Matthew Latham, assistant water polo coach at Okemos High. “Kids have been excited to bring to the pool their skill as strong swimmers, then tie in components from other sports like soccer and even wrestling.”

Latham has seen a lot of growth in the sport since he graduated from high school (all the way back in 2000). There were only about ten schools with water polo teams in the entire state at that time – all for just boys.

Now, there are four or five high school teams in Greater Lansing alone, and they offer competitive girls teams as well. Clearly, the pool is nowhere near capacity as it pertains to interest in this up-and-coming water sport.

“Coming off the Olympic Summer Games,

we always see an up-tick in interest,” Latham said. “But the kids who try it, stick with it and tend to recruit their friends. Right now the MWPA League is a club sport, and we have a steady turnout every year. Not enough schools are involved to be Michigan High School Athletic Association sanctioned. We do, however, feel that is a real possibility going forward.”

On Oct. 22-23, the East Lansing and Okemos high school teams hosted the 2010 MWPA North and South District Tournament, welcoming teams from Ann Arbor, Grand Haven and Birmingham, as well as those from Greater Lansing.

Latham said that with over 14 teams, each comprised of 15 athletes, as well as traveling fans, family and friends, you had an exciting event that brought more than 800 people and a nice economic boost to Greater Lansing.

When you see this simple formula come together, bringing inherent good to all those involved, you see why the Greater Lansing Sports Authority and the MWPA want to replicate events just like it as much as possible.

The future looks bright. When asked if Greater Lansing has what the sport needs to continue to grow, Latham responded quickly with a resounding yes for three big reasons.

“The first thing the sport needs to grow is a lot of interest, and we have that,” Latham said. “The more tournaments we hold, the more of an established water polo community we’ll become. More local high school teams will grow out of that.

“Second is the swimming venues. The Greater Lansing area has terrific water polo venues, on par with anything else available around the state.

“The last is the help available from the GLSA. They keep their eye out for tournaments that could work for Greater

Lansing and help make the tournaments that we already hold smooth and successful.”

Mike Price, manager of sports development with the GLSA, shares Latham’s enthusiasm for water polo and its potential as a consistent tournament sport for the community.

“Water polo is a fall sport, so right now in Michigan there is a couple of big tournaments going on every single weekend,” Price said. “I’d love to see Greater Lansing leverage its central location and solid venues to become a real water polo hub for the state. It’s an exciting new sport for us, and we’re ready to jump right in and bring it to town.”

Chances are good the MWPA district tournament will be back in Greater Lansing. For more information on the sport go to www.michiganwaterpolo.com. And keep up with all visiting events at www.lansingsports.org.

Having A Ball Teams from Okemos High and

Ann Arbor Huron battle for aquatic supremacy.

8 fALL 2010

First utility in Michigan with a goal-driven policy •to acquire renewable energy.Built Michigan’s largest solar panel array in •2008, preventing the emission of 85 tons of greenhouse gases each year.2009 “Energy Partner” award winner from the •U.S. Department of Environmental Quality for our renewable, landfill gas-to-electricity energy project.Today, we power more than 10,000 Lansing-area •homes with electricity generated from landfill gas – dramatically reducing the emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.A partner with General Motors and local •governments to create a network of charging stations for all-electric vehicles.We’ve given away more than 7,000 trees to •customers in the past four years, and more than 35,000 energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs since last September.Our nationally-recognized LED streetlight system •near the state Capitol uses 78 percent less electricity, virtually eliminating light pollution.In 2009, we were Michigan’s first utility with a •state-mandated, energy-efficiency program to benefit customers and the environment. Our award-winning, all-volunteer Adopt a River •program serves as a model for other river-nurturing efforts across Michigan.

A Green Leader in Michigan’s Hear tland

The Lansing Board of Water & LightMichigan’s largest public utility, now celebrating

its 125th year of service to mid-Michigan.

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Watch out dallas, Lansing has its own team of Cowboys. They might be a quarter of the size and a few years younger than the pros, but their hearts are twice as big.

As BigAs Texas

Previously known as the Lansing Dolphins, the team reinvented itself and became the Cowboys this fall with the help of a local entrepreneur. Healthcare Solutions CEO Matthew Brown came across the Dolphins last year when his son played against them. Seeing only one coach on the opposing team’s sideline, he offered his assistance. Soon he found himself in charge of the Dolphins’ defense.

“I saw this coach out there by himself doing offense and defense with his kids with no assistance,” Brown said. “He just didn’t have enough help. One coach can’t coach any team. So I asked him if I could help him out with his defense. He said ‘Sure’. I didn’t expect him to say ‘Show up Monday.’ But he did.”

One year later, the affect Brown has had on the team is clearly visible. He collected multiple sponsorships from companies he works with to support the Cowboys. Through these donations, Brown was able to waive the fee most organized football teams charge for participation. Brown said the average cost to play football is $500 per child, an amount that can be a financial strain for many families.

But Brown’s companies weren’t the only ones who put forward a generous contribution to help the Cowboys. Brown also donated a large sum of his personal income to outfit the team in equipment that would be the envy of some high school programs.

With a son playing for the Lansing Warriors, it might seem odd that Brown would donate so much of his time and money to the Cowboys. What was his motivation?

“It’s about the kids,” Brown said. “The one thing we fail to think about when we have our own agendas or priorities about what we get is the little kids.”

And he isn’t joking when he says little. The smallest Cowboy measures in at just under four feet tall. He’s a member of the 7 and 8-year-old team known as the Mighty Mites. It’s not hard to see how they were also given the nickname the “Bobbleheads.” When they take the field their small helmets and pads overpower their miniature bodies, bouncing around like, well, bobbleheads.

Just over 100 kids play between four teams of Cowboys. The 9 and 10-year-olds are Novice, 11 and 12-year-olds make up the Junior Varsity and 13 and 14-year-olds play on Varsity. There are 11 Mid-Michigan teams

Generosity, Tenacity Help Cowboys RideBY ANDREA NELsoN

Big Man, Big Heart Matthew Brown talks to

one of the four Lansing Cowboys youth football

teams he generously sponsors .

10 fALL 2010

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Natasha Williams has an 11-year-old son who plays on the Cowboys’ JV team. She hopes playing football will build her son’s character. Williams also understands the importance of having quality male mentors in a single-parent household.

“It’s a big positive, especially for little

guys whose dad’s not around,” Williams said. “This is something I can’t do for him. It’s like that ‘man’ thing. I can’t give him that.”

The coaches are more than willing to step into that role. Brown recruited many of the employees at his company to help coach the four teams. After they saw how energized he was about the Cowboys, Brown said it wasn’t hard to convince them to volunteer.

Ryan Carrier is both the head JV coach and an employee at Healthcare Solutions. He said one of the most rewarding parts of coaching is getting to know the kids’ different personalities. Building relationships with the players is just as important as seeing them progress on the field in Carrier’s mind.

“you definitely have to be patient, learn how to read the kids to know what type of motivation each and every one of them needs,” Carrier said. “It takes patience in not

only in dealing with them in disciplining, but it takes patience with yourself and learning exactly how to deal with each and every kid. There are just different ways to motivate.”

With over 100 players, it might get pretty hard for the coaches to keep track of each individual. But to be surrounded by so

many children is a dream Brown had that he probably never imagined coming true.

“I told my mom, she asked me when I was 8 years old, how many kids do you want?” Brown smiled. “I said I want a hundred of them. Now I do. I have 100 kids.”

And he has big plans for all of them, both on and off the field. Although sports teams are known for creating lasting friendships between players, Brown said the game will have a much deeper effect. He believes it will teach them discipline, respect and the ability to never give up.

Brown’s ideas have already had an effect on 14-year-old Jakary “Mississippi” McClain. McClain is a halfback for the Cowboys who just moved from Mississippi to Lansing, hence the nickname. He loves the brotherhood, respect and trust that he shares with his teammates. And his advice is simple.

in the Cowboys’ league, but they will only play six of them during their season. With a defense nicknamed “The House of Pain,” the remaining five teams might be lucky they don’t have to meet the Cowboys this year.

A large part of the Cowboys’ growth and success is due to the support the players receive from those around them. Their coaching staff has grown from one to twelve in the past year. And this doesn’t include the regular volunteers and parents who offer their help. Brown said many parents enjoy being involved in their children’s lives, and he’s always looking to enhance that support.

“I always encourage parents to come,” Brown said. “And if you come enough I’ll throw a whistle on you. I don’t think a parent can be too supportive of their child. I think it’s good and it makes a child feel good to see their parent on the sidelines cheering them on.”

But that’s not the only support the children get on the football field. Brown realizes that everyone involved with the Cowboys must be more than just a coach. They need to be role models as well.

“I think what it does is show them through good mentors that life can bring you a whole lot different opportunities if you make the right choices,” Brown said. “So you have to have good solid mentors that have made the right choice. If they can see that they made the right choice and still had a successful life, then they don’t turn to drugs and other things.”

Team Togetherness The Lansing Cowboys learn much more than football, thanks to selfless coaches and supportive parents at Kendon Park.

As Big As Texas

“Put in the hard work, go hard as you can and good things will come.”

- Jakary “Mississippi” McClain, Halfback

12 fALL 2010

“Put in the hard work, go hard as you can and good things will come,” McClain said with a thick southern drawl.

Brown would be proud.“Sometimes we’re full of reasons why

we can’t still accomplish what we wanted to,” Brown explained. “you can get held in football and a flag won’t be thrown. you can’t quit. Football will teach them that not every time will you be treated fairly. But if you have the focus and determination, you can still succeed. you can still accomplish whatever you want to.”

And he has plenty of experience in that area. The Eastern Quaker alum said he knew from a young age that he wanted to open his own business. After high school Brown worked at an insurance agency where he discovered the niche market of employee benefits. Sixteen years later, Brown has advanced from a company with one employee (himself) to one with 12 brokers and 20 support staff.

Juggling a company and a football team might seem stressful, but Brown said his life has become more balanced since he became involved with the Cowboys. It’s helped him see how important it is to make time for other people in his life, including his four

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children. Brown finds pure joy in coaching. The way his eyes light up when he talks about coaching makes it easy to see that he enjoys being out on the field just as much as his players do.

Carrier feels the same way.“It may sound selfish, but it’s rewarding

to come out and work with the kids,” Carrier said. “To see them come in the first day, and work with them, and teach them, and coach and see them progress. It’s just rewarding work to see the hard work you put in pay off in how they act, their discipline and their performance in football.”

None of the Cowboys have reached high school yet, but their coaches are making sure that they’ll be more than ready when they do. Brown believes children need to have positive experiences with adults to see that others care about them.

“If we want the leaders of tomorrow to actually lead, we must give them compassion,” Brown said. “We need to be compassionate in how we deal with them if we want them to be compassionate with us in the future as we get older.”

And the coaches show their players plenty of compassion. As a defensive coach for the Novice, Brown likes to take his team out to

eat as a treat for the Cowboys’ commitment to the team. But it’s not all fun and games.

Ahmad Whitby, age 9, said it best.“We run hard and play hard.” And that’s what puts a smile on Brown’s

face. He loves to see his players express their passion for football when he least expects it and watch their confidence build day by day.

“Seeing a child see that he can achieve what he wants to achieve, even though people might have branded him as not having the skill set to do what he’s accomplished,” Brown said. “To see him feel good about himself. It’s just an incredible thing to see.”

So the next time you drive by Kendon Park in Lansing and see over 100 young football players in practice, take a minute. Watch the “Bobbleheads” cheat on their push-ups when the coaches have their backs turned. Look at the number of parents and family members sitting on the sidelines supporting the kids. Count the number of cars that line the road. Look at the way the coaches interact with their players.

It’s more than football. It’s a community, a place to have fun, a learning and teaching environment, a family. A family of Cowboys.

14 fALL 2010

Higbies Put Opponents At DeWitt’s EndBY ANDREA NELsoN

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Twins& Wins“higbie-to-higbie.”… You hear that phrase uttered often on Friday nights when DeWitt High is on the football field, and for good reason.

As senior twins, Caleb and Jacob Higbie have more than varsity experience to credit for their athletic success. They have each other and the natural connection only identical twins seem to have. At quarterback, Caleb knows where to throw before his wide receiver brother even gets there. And they connect almost every time. It’s not cheating. It’s the twin thing.

“We’re just so close,” said Jacob, No. 4. “We spend every day, pretty much every second, together. We’re really close twins, as corny as that sounds.”

Caleb and Jacob have been playing organized football together since they were in fifth grade, but started in their backyard a lot sooner than that. Growing up with over 30 cousins, someone always had a football or basketball in their hands. The third-generation DeWitt boys were raised true Panthers, and it was a dream come true for Caleb to suit up in blue and white.

“I grew up watching DeWitt football and it was always one of my dreams to be there one day and play it,” said Caleb, No. 12. “I guess part of it is being able to compete

and going out and just hitting people and having fun with it. It’s just a lot of fun.”

But the competition they crave on the field began at home. The twins’ mom, Stacey Higbie, said her boys are inseparable. When they were younger, though, she said their playing would often turn into fighting because they were so competitive.

“We used to fight all the time, big fights,” Jacob said. “We still are competitive about stupid little things. But I’d say us two were the most competitive, just with each other. I think that made us who we are; we just

fALL 2010 15

competed against each other and that’s how we got better.”

DeWitt’s head football coach Rob Zimmerman is thankful for that. He said the twins have a lot of energy and can be a handful at times, but are fun-loving kids who fit well into their roles as senior leaders.

“There’s absolutely no question that they are our emotional leaders on this team,” Zimmerman said. “They’re very, very physical players, but they’re very emotional also. Pretty much where those guys go, we’re going to go as a team. They’re our fire, and they always play that way. If one’s not firing the team up, then the other one is.”

The twins both like to get their teammates pumped up before games by being vocal and showing their excitement. But that’s not the only thing they have in common. Caleb and Jacob have the same class schedule, share a car, and in a time when most kids see their cell phones as an extension of their body, the twins even share one of those, too.

The boys also share a room, but not just between the two of them. There’s a younger

set of Higbie twins, Dylan and Landon, who split the room as well. yes, two sets of twin boys under one roof, in one room. But their older sister Meghan didn’t mind. She had four real-life dolls to play dress-up with.

“All of the boys, they were kind of like my dolls when I was little,” Meghan said. “They let me dress them up like little girls and they actually started to like it.”

With five children under the age of 3 at one point, Stacey and her husband, Quentin, had their hands full. But Stacey had eight brothers and sisters within a 10-mile radius and two sets of grandparents who were more than willing to help when they were needed.

The family jokes that Quentin has three wives: Stacey and her sisters Kim Stoken and Mitzi Muysenberg. Stoken said she and Muysenberg acted like fill-in moms for the Higbie children whenever their help was needed. Caleb and Jacob even asked if Muysenberg was one of their mothers at one point.

“When Jacob and Caleb were between 3

and 4, my sister Mitzi and I were sitting there and they asked my sister Mitzi, ‘Which one of us did you have?’” Stacey said. “They thought I had one of them and she had one of them because she was always around and they called her ‘Mom’ because she was there helping me.”

Caleb and Jacob may have mixed up their aunt and mom, but the twins’ relatives often do the same with the boys. Muysenberg said they used to call the twins “buddies” because they couldn’t tell the boys apart. The twins, though, had tricks up their sleeves, according to their grandma Margie Ballard.

“When they were real little we’d always say, ‘Now which one are you?’” Margie said. “And they would just say the opposite. So if it was Caleb that we asked, it was really Jacob and then they’d get to snickering and they’d say, ‘Oh, we’re just joking.’”

With such a large and tight-knit family, the Higbies and Ballards have their own section in the bleachers at the twins’ football games. Grandpa Lloyd Ballard said there are about 15-20 family members at every varsity game cheering on the boys, and Caleb and Jacob love it.

“It’s awesome to have that support,” Caleb said. “After the game you’re giving out 50 hugs and a bunch of kisses. They’re all really supportive and they’ve always been like that. It’s definitely cool seeing that whole section cheering for you.”

They boys’ families wouldn’t have it any other way. Quentin said he’s very proud of his children and smiles the whole time he’s watching them on the football field. Grandpa Lloyd Ballard couldn’t agree more.

“I tell you what, those two boys have just brought grandma and me a lot of enjoyment in their sports,” Lloyd said. “We’ve watched them ever since they started out about the fifth grade and they’ve always been good at what they do, never bragging about what they do. They just do it.”

It brought tears to Stacey’s eyes when she described how proud she was of the young men Caleb and Jacob grew up to be. She described them as kind, caring boys who finish each other’s sentences and have a great relationship. It’s obvious that the twins’ family thinks very highly of the boys and enjoys being part of their lives.

“Jacob and Caleb just tug at your heart strings just a little bit different,” Stoken said. “They’re just such neat, humble, classy kids. And they adore and worship the ground their mother walks on. They’re neat kids to be around so you want to be around them.”

Up until a few years ago, Muysenberg said it was common to see the twins intertwined

Twins & Wins

Explosive Attack When Caleb Higbie isn’t throwing to brother Jacob or Jordan Johnson, he’s handing

the ball to workhorse running back Nathaniel Deak in the spread option.

16 fALL 2010

do, no matter what it is. And that’s what they’re out there for, to do their best. And they do.”

The twins hope their hard work will take them to the next level. Caleb and Jacob are both interested in attending a Division II school to play football. They have visited Saginaw Valley State University and both expressed interested in becoming Cardinals.

Any school would be lucky to have the Higbie tandem on their side. Their athleticism and natural connection are a dangerous combination that they use to their advantage.

Caleb and Jacob have been inseparable since day one, so it only seems right that they should move on to the next phase of their lives together. you’d think that after 18 years you might be tired of being around someone who is identical to you in every way. Not the Higbie boys. They like being together. They’re friends.

It’s a twin thing.

on the floor while they watched TV. She said they were always either fighting or showing love to each other. That is, when they weren’t ganging up on their older sister. Meghan Higbie said her younger brothers used to give her a hard time, but they’re more than just siblings now. They’re best friends.

“I’m glad that I have them,” Meghan said. “I’m a pretty lucky girl. Jacob and Caleb, they’re really good boys. And they’re not the kind of boys that are all about themselves, are cocky and think that just because they’re getting the attention that they’re the best. They give credit to everybody, not just themselves.”

Zimmerman said the Higbie twins have grown a lot over the past year. They’ve taken an ownership of the team as senior leaders, and their hard work sets an example of what is expected from their teammates. Their dedication and athletic abilities don’t go unnoticed, but the twins’ grandpa, Keith Higbie, said they never let their success go to their heads.

“They’re not ones that seem to gloat over all this glory, like they think they’re better than anyone else,” Keith said. “They’re the type of kids that enjoy doing what they do, and they give it their all in what they

Two-Way Talent The Higbies seldom leave

the field, as Jacob shows in shedding a block and

preparing to make another tackle.

Caution The Key With High-Impact Brain InjuriesBY andrea nelson

Concussion discussion

“You just got your bell rung.”

“Tough it out.”

“Get back in the game.”

“Don’t let anyone know you’re hurt.”

Athletes have heard it all. Unfortunately, some believe it.

But a concussion in football isn’t your every day bump or bruise. With the help of recent research, athletes, coaches, parents, doctors and many others involved in athletics are starting to realize the true effects of serious head injuries.

According to Dr. Randolph Pearson, who practices sports medicine and has a family practice in Lansing, a concussion is a complex injury to the brain caused by rapid movement of the brain within the skull cavity. Collision sports such as football are more likely to cause head injuries because of high impact hits happening at fast speeds. The most common symptoms of concussions are dizziness, headaches, visual changes, confusion and unbalance. But Pearson said many times the severity of the concussion isn’t visible until long after it occurred.

Although the healing process varies

between players, Pearson said athletes should never return to competition the same day they suffered from a head injury. It may take hours, days or weeks for an athlete to recover, but the first blow to the head isn’t always what has doctors worried.

“If the brain hasn’t healed, then they’re more likely to have more severe symptoms after the second concussion,” Pearson said. “That’s what we call a second-impact syndrome. That’s why it’s really important for us to make sure an athlete has his brain healed before he goes back to participation.”

The Michigan High School Athletic Association took strides to make sure athletes are fully healed before returning to play. The National Federation of State High School Associations developed guidelines addressing concussions, leaving the details of the proposal up to individual states. The MHSAA Representative Council created a five-step protocol in response to the regulations, requiring athletes with concussions to be cleared by an MD or doctor of osteopathy (D.O.) before returning to competition. If schools do not comply with the new rule, they will be placed on probation and forced to forfeit the games in which the injured athlete played. A second offense will result in the extension of the original probation

18 fALL 2010

fALL 2010 19

and the exclusion of participation in the postseason tournament.

“you have to start with what are some of the basic tenants of educational athletics, and safety is one of them,” said MHSAA Communications Director John Johnson. “And when you’re talking about injuries in general but concussions specifically, you’re talking about something which, not properly treated, could end up putting the kid into a life-altering situation.”

Johnson said one in 10 concussions result in a high school player becoming unconscious on the field. This means that 90 percent of concussions occur in situations where an athlete may take a hard hit and simply feel dizzy afterwards. These are the players who return to their huddle undetected because they don’t want to be taken out of the game.

“They’re not as vigilant about injuries, they want to play through it,” Johnson said. “So the thing we have to avoid at all costs is the second-impact syndrome. That is where kids’ lives can take a turn for the worse, if the kid returns to play too soon. One of the foundation blocks of school sports is safety, and this is a great step for school sports.”

Another safety feature many high school, college and professional teams are using is the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing program (ImPACT). Pearson described ImPACT as a neurocognitive computer program that presents athletes with a series of problems and questions. The test judges their reaction time, accuracy of choices and verbal and visual speeds. Players are given the test before their season begins and take it again if they have a concussion. The results of the two tests are then compared to judge the severity of the injury. ImPACT is then given repeatedly to the injured player, allowing doctors to watch the athlete’s brain heal and accurately determine when they can return to play.

Pearson said Michigan State was one of the first institutions to use the ImPACT program to follow athletes over time. He believes it has helped them understand how athletes get concussions and how long it will take them to recover.

“I think it’s been really instrumental in increasing our knowledge of the physiology behind concussions and also increasing our ability to manage these athletes safely,” Pearson said. “We’re now more sophisticated with our evaluation and know that when a brain is injured it can have really subtle

findings, so we’re able to zero in on some of those findings.”

Holt head football coach Al Slamer said his school also uses the ImPACT program. He believes it allows their trainers to make an accurate assessment of injured players. Slamer said he feels lucky that such technology is available for their use, but understands that it’s not just the physical injury they must worry about.

“I think the most difficult part of any injury is the mental part,” Slamer said. “you can always get over the physical part of it; you’re going to heal up. But the mental part of it,

especially when you’re feeling pretty good, when you’re feeling about 90 percent, and you have to rely on the doctors to go through that.”

Senior East Lansing Trojan Paul “Pasha” Kaleka knows the effects of concussions a little too well. Kaleka suffered from a concussion during the first day of pads this year. It came in a series of hits, though; Kaleka said his head was never directly hit. He described feeling “goofy” and not like himself. But he was cleared to play, and six days later he suffered a second concussion that has kept him off the field this season.

Pasha’s dad, Peter Kaleka, said he would like to see Pasha play again this year because he knows it would make his son happy. But he’s torn between the potential long-term effects of the two concussions and Pasha’s love for the game.

“One of the things I worry about is that if he gets back in and plays, and he plays less aggressively than he’s used to or he starts to play hesitantly, that’s where I’ve always heard people do get hurt,” Peter said. “And if he plays very aggressively is he going to have a third concussion? And with a third, that ends the season.”

Mary Kaleka, Pasha’s mom, said her heart is in her throat every time she watches her son play and knows it might be even worse when he returns.

“It’s a serious thing,” Mary said. “It’s not just a bump on the head. And the thing that is such a concern is that it doesn’t show

up right now, it’s the long-term effects. It’s the 25-30 years from now.”

But Pasha is more than ready to play football again, no matter how long it might take.

“I can’t wait to get back out there,” Pasha said. “This didn’t even faze me at all. I just can’t wait to get better and get back out there.”

Athletes are eager to return to competition for a number of reasons. Their love of the game, fear of losing their starting position or desire for their paycheck all play a factor in their impatience. That’s why it’s hard as a doctor to help athletes realize that returning to play too soon may not be in their best interest.

“I think it’s difficult in a lot of cases, because these are highly motivated athletes who want to get back to participation,” Pearson said. “So it’s difficult sometimes for an athlete to understand that the little headache that they had may be a sign of a bigger problem.”

These bigger issues can lead to long-term effects such as memory problems, mood swings, personality problems and dementia.

“The biggest long-term effect is the decrease in cognitive ability,” Pearson said. “So athletes actually will have decreases in their IQ over time if they have repeated concussions that aren’t allowed to heal. They have decreased reactions, so they have slowing in reaction time, which obviously in a fast sport in football can be really dangerous for the athlete.”

Even though research on concussions has improved in the last few years, there is still a lot of information about head injuries that has yet to be uncovered. But one thing is clear: Concussions are serious injuries that should not be taken lightly, especially among young players.

“The outcome of any game is not bigger than the safety of a child,” Johnson said. “If a coach ignores it, their team could ultimately get kicked out of the MHSAA season tournament. If a parent ignores it, and they know what they’re looking for, and yet they allow their kid to compete, they’re a fool. Again, nothing–nothing—is more important than the health and well-being of a child.”

Concussion Discussion

“It’s a serious thing…it’s not just a bump on the head. And the thing that is such a concern is that it doesn’t show up right now.”

- Mary Kelaka

20 fALL 2010

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22 fALL 2010

Greg Jones Follows Father’s Example, Leads Spartans With PerserveranceBY JACK EBLING

Green &Growing

he’d love to direct hit movies some day.

For now, Greg Jones will have to settle for direct hits on ballcarriers and one of the best highlight films in college football.

The Michigan State senior middle linebacker and second-year captain is writing his own incredible story, a Hollywood script.

That much was clear long before the Spartans’ wild win over Notre Dame, their domination of Michigan and their stunning start in the Big Ten.

Jones’ path to East Lansing, his growth as a player and a person and his choice to finish what he started is fact, not fiction.

And the leading man in MSU’s sudden turnaround is No. 53 himself.

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fALL 2010 23

Today, 19 of MSU’s top 31 defensive players are freshmen or sophomores. But with veterans like Jones and strongside linebacker Eric Gordon, coordinator Pat Narduzzi has experienced leadership.

“That means we have a lot of stepping up to do if we really want to prove ourselves,” Jones said. “That’s everybody, not just the seniors. And it’s my job to help those guys out.”

First, he had to help himself. Despite earning National Linebacker of the year

honors in 2009, Jones knew he had to get bigger to get better and added 15 well-packed pounds after a maddening junior season.

“He’s a tackling machine and the heart and soul of our defensive unit,” Narduzzi said. “But he knew he had some work to do. He had to become a better pass defender. And he needed to understand what everyone was doing, not just his own assignments.”

We’ve heard “Tackle by No. 53, Jones” so often, it’s no surprise that he’s a leading candidate for the Butkus Award as the country’s top linebacker.

And we’ve seen enough plays like his sprint-and-strip against Western Michigan, his two interceptions against Northern Colorado, his near-theft of a handoff to Wisconsin running back John Clay and his humanizing hits on Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson.

Jones said he doesn’t have a tight-end bone in his body. But he’d be a great goal-line fullback, one of the few goals he hasn’t set or met.

“Last year hurt so much,” Jones said of a 6-7 finish. “We never had a losing season like that. yeah, we made it to a bowl game. We needed to win it. And that did influence my decision to come back a little bit.”

When most people thought he’d be an NFL rookie this season, Jones sat down with his family and stayed grounded.

A media arts and technology major, he chose to pursue a degree AND the football. He wasn’t done pounding the books or some Big Ten ballcarriers.

“I wasn’t as big as I needed to be,” Jones said. “And it was a family decision. We all thought it would be better if I came back, finished my senior year and got my degree. I had unfinished business.”

So did his teammates – at least those who

“Leadership is sacrifice, commitment, responsibility and trust,” he said. “It’s all of those things. And a leader does that all of the time, not some of the time.”

Besides leading the Spartans in tackles for the third year in a row, Jones has led by example and helped a talented team mature.

The Cincinnati native was a pretty good player at Archbishop Moeller High. But no one knew he’d develop into a two-time All-American.

“We were talking about that the other day,” said MSU defensive line coach Ted Gill. “When we were at Cincinnati, he was at our camp playing defensive end. It has been a pleasant surprise to see him progress and grow up each year. He has really developed into not only a fine player but a fine young man.”

That’s what usually happens in fine families. And when it comes to teaching life’s lessons, few can keep up with the Joneses.

Greg’s dad, a bartender at a country club, set a great example by working, not whining. When it was time to pay his son’s participation fees at Moeller, he made weekly stops at the school to drop off his tip money.

“I remember meeting his dad more than

Greg,” said Bob Crable, Jones’ high school coach and a star linebacker at Notre Dame in the late 1970s. “It was at an open house. He had very good questions. And he wasn’t focused on football. He wanted to know how Moeller would benefit his son.”

It helped in many ways. yet, Jones wasn’t a can’t-miss prospect. And his choice to attend MSU was as complicated as comical.

“He was always fast,” Crable said. “But his upper body wasn’t developed. We didn’t know if he’d be a running back, a defensive

back or what. He played defensive end for a couple of years. Then, we looked at changing the defense for him.”

Crable was a big fan of Mark Dantonio, then the head coach at Cincinnati. And it was Crable who told Dantonio just how good Jones could be with the Bearcats.

That was never a viable option for a player who wanted to play in the Big Ten. In fact, he committed to Minnesota. He would have been a Golden Gopher if Glen Mason hadn’t been fired after his team blew a 38-7 lead over Texas Tech in the 2006 Insight Bowl.

Suddenly, Jones’ mind was filled with uncertainty. And his voicemail was filled with messages.

“The defensive coordinator at Minnesota, Greg Hudson, was a Moeller grad, too,” Crable said. “Greg really liked him a lot. But when Glen and his staff got fired, I sat Greg down and told him he could de-commit and go somewhere else.”

One of the first calls came from East Lansing. Dantonio’s staff had a second chance with a new destination and finally overcame one of strangest recruiting roadblocks in school history.

“I couldn’t get through to him,” Dantonio said. “Finally, I asked him what Minnesota had to offer that we didn’t. He said, ‘Coach!…The Mall of America!’ I couldn’t believe it. I told him, ‘Greg, we have malls in Michigan, too!’”

They also had more than their fair share of problems in a Spartan program that had gone 14-21 from 2004-06 in its last three seasons under John L. Smith.

No one could have known that Dantonio’s first incoming class would go 6-2 against the Fighting Irish and Wolverines, compete for two Big Ten titles and play in four warm-weather bowl games.

Green & Growing

“He’s a tackling machine and the heart and soul of our defensive unit.”

- Pat Narduzzi, Coordinator

Standing Tall Jones has established himself

as one of the top three middle linebackers in

Michigan State football history.

24 fALL 2010

returned. An ugly incident in Rather Hall the day after the regular season ended last November still makes Jones shake his head.

“That whole thing was one bad decision after another,” he said. “They weren’t all bad guys. But everybody makes mistakes. And we have to make better decisions when times get tough. I wish someone would’ve told me about that last year so I could’ve stopped it.”

Jones has stopped enough runners and receivers and sacked enough quarterbacks that he has a chance to pass Butkus and Lombardi award recipient Percy Snow for the No. 2 spot on MSU’s career tackles list, behind only four-year phenom Dan Bass.

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve looked at their pictures every day,” Jones said. “you always wonder, ‘Who’s the top dog? Who’s the best?’ And I actually got to meet Percy a couple of years ago. It was tremendous. I was star-struck. Then, there’s Dan Bass, who did about everything you could. Just to be mentioned with those guys is truly amazing.”

Jones didn’t have 32 tackles against Ohio State in his first game as a freshman or a 99-yard interception return against Wisconsin, as Bass did.

But he could wind up with the school record for tackles behind the line of scrimmage. And Jones did something no other Spartan has done. He surprised his dad on a campus visit with the unveiling of his All-America plaque.

“That meant a lot,” the son said of a smiling father. “I always felt that he did so much for me, to see his face made it all worthwhile. His face got red in a way I don’t normally see. He’s usually laughing at me or just laughing, period. But he couldn’t get any words out at first. Then, he thanked me and told me he loved me.”

Jones already knew that. So did anyone else who’d watched the family interact. And that was clear before the move from Moeller to MSU.

“Mr. Jones never, ever complained,” Crable remembered. “That was a message he left with his son. When players leave Moeller, they can purchase their helmet. I think it costs about $200. But I recommended that they give Greg’s helmet to his dad as a gift.”

When his son leaves MSU, it won’t be to sit idly and watch his favorite film, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Jones hasn’t taken many days off. Instead, he has taken the chance to make his family and his football program proud.

Father’s Day Gift Greg Jones, the dad,

is flanked by his son and MSU coach Mark

Dantonio during his All-America recognition.

fALL 2010 25

Minor-League Football, Dreams And The Capital City StealthBY TED KLUCK

Audacity Of hope

26 fALL 2010

“We gonna win this game!” shouts Clifford Clark, defensive back and pastor at a place called the Epicenter of Worship in Lansing. Clark is my teammate, and right now on a sunny Saturday afternoon in May, he’s whipping a minor-league football crowd into a frenzy.

If minor-league football is facing a constant identity problem – that is, a battle for legitimacy – on this afternoon, the first-year Capital City Stealth are winning. It’s the little things in minor-league football. The stands are full of cheering fans, the coaches have matching polos and the players are outfitted in professional-looking uniforms. The largest hurdle, though, is putting a product on the field that looks legitimate. And for today at least, it’s working.

The Stealth are led by a variety of local athletes that literally span generations. The two starting linebackers, Eric Hadley and James Williams, are both 19-year-old kids from Haslett High School. They are so talented they could play almost anywhere collegiately. Defensive end Juan Rodriguez, 37, and once from Lansing Eastern High School, is a pharmaceutical sales rep by day. He will line up next to me, 34, on the defensive line all afternoon. Defensive back Sam Grantham from Mason High School will score the franchise’s first touchdown on a kickoff return (and is also a dead ringer for a young Anthony Michael Hall). Such is the diverse beauty of minor-league football.

“Win or lose, today is a success,” owner Robert Huntoon said sometime in the third quarter.

Huntoon is a laid-off autoworker who has been working around the clock on a project that was doomed to fail, at least on paper. Starting a minor-league football team in an area in dire economic straits seemed like the farthest thing from a good idea. But to understand the culmination of the hard work, it’s important to start at the beginning.

I’m normally very protective of peoples’ dreams. That’s why when I heard about the formation of a new semi-professional football team in the Lansing area, my

Audacity Of hopeCrunch Bunch The Capital City Stealth proved

they can still compete in their first year of play.

first reaction was to be skeptical. But the reaction that immediately followed was to begin looking online for equipment and training in earnest.

When I met with Huntoon last fall at a coffee shop in Grand Ledge, we both acknowledged that this was the worst possible time to do anything entrepreneurial. It seemed that storefronts in Lansing were closing faster daily, and the only thriving operation was that of the ever-vigilant meter maids downtown.

Still, Huntoon was undaunted. That’s another tenet of semi-pro involvement: being undaunted when age, logic, lack of

fALL 2010 27

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funding, and sometimes the breakdown of your own body tell you to stop. Participation in football is a very powerful drug – one that can’t be obtained anywhere but the semi-organized confines of a football team. It’s not like basketball where a guy can find a blacktop run or a yMCA league. Football is all or nothing. And I was interested. At 33, I had last put on pads and a helmet in 2006, as a member of the Battle Creek Crunch. The Crunch was a professional indoor outfit with whom I played for the purposes of a book project. Previously, I had bounced around several Midwestern semi-pro leagues, playing for the Delaware County Thunder in Ohio, the Jackson Bombers and the Lansing Lightning.

In the fall of 2009 the Capital City Stealth didn’t have a home field, a practice venue, uniforms or a head coach. They had a Web site and a player sign-up form that was being flooded with hits by local athletes. That proved something I’d felt all along: there are more quality football players out there than there are opportunities for those players.

A few months later, I was shocked to find that the team was training in the completely legitimate indoor Capital Centre in Lansing. Usually semi-pro teams are relegated to inner city junior high practice fields, pockmarked with rocks, bare patches of dirt and empty bottles. When I joined the team for a workout in the winter, walking into the Capital Centre past umbro-clad soccer players and their platinum blonde moms, I felt the same sort of excited nervousness I had come to expect and rely upon as essential to life. In fact, so essential that as an athlete I felt incomplete without it.

“I was recruited to semi-pro football by Mike Powell, who I teamed up with to help form the Albion Chargers that played for 2 years in 2004-2005,” Huntoon said of his minor-league football roots. “I was assistant GM, assistant head coach and player for the Chargers. In 2009, I was recruited again to be General Manager for the ypsilanti yellow Jackets.”

Some players, especially older players like the pharmaceutical rep and I, are there for fun…chasing the buzz one last time. Other players, like defensive end/bouncer Greg Sizemore, are there to be scouted. The lure of getting film and playing in the NAFL (the most legitimate semi-pro league in the nation) seems like a stepping stone to greater football pastures such as the arena league, the UFL, or maybe even the National Football League.

There are just enough instances of players jumping from these small leagues to the NFL that players keep this irrational dream alive. As was the case in the early 90s when the

Arizona Cardinals used a first-round pick on a semi-pro player named Eric Swann. In fact, there is a certain brand of irrationality that’s almost a prerequisite for all athletics, but especially semi-pro football. Players must cling to the iron-clad belief that they are special. That if things had happened differently (if they’d stayed healthy, if their coach had given them a fair shake) THEy would be playing on ESPN and Fox Sundays. This is, of course, wildly untrue in most cases. So ridiculous it’s almost endearing – like a child’s dream.

“There are two rewarding things that I look forward to,” Huntoon said. “Getting

some of our young talented players to the next level, whether it be college, NFL, CFL, etc., and bringing some inexpensive, but very exciting football to the Lansing area for die-hard football fans.”

Wide receiver Ryan Troiano, 22, has several factors working against him. He didn’t make his Dansville High football team and hadn’t play organized football until last year. He was in a semi-pro league in Florida, though he says that he is “still pursuing his dream of being a professional athlete.”

Audacity Of Hope

Troiano Triumphs Wide receiver Ryan Troiano exemplifies the Stealth spirit by battling the odds and

helping his team win a division title in its debut season.

28 fALL 2010

Still, his passion and his identity is football. “I’m about to start a new job at a factory

that makes parts for GM,” Troiano explained. “I moved to Florida for work and found the team when I did an Internet search for ‘local football.’ I was told after a game to come back to Grand Rapids and try out for the Rampage. But then I got there and they folded. That’s when I found the Stealth.”

The other strike against Troiano is that he is a white man playing a position that is dominated by African-American players. To decide to be a professional football player, and then to play one of the game’s toughest positions at 6’0 and 160 pounds is another thing entirely.

“I think a lot of people think it’s tough being white in a predominantly black position. But athletically, I’m kind of used to it. It’s all I’ve played so I tend to not even think about it anymore,” Troiano said of semi-pro ball, the ultimate melting pot. “At first, it felt a little out of place. We have had people on the team from all walks of life. And this league in particular has put a few people in the NFL. So I’m keeping fingers crossed and I’ll be there soon.”

Perhaps the greatest triumph of

minor-league football is that on a day-to-day basis, while making parts for cars, Troiano can think of himself as a football player. He can think and dream of this while watching the NFL Draft, or driving to and from his job. This – the dream – is the one antidote against ankle sprains and sore muscles that actually matters. It accomplishes far more than painkillers in that it gives hope – false or otherwise.

Defensive lineman Matt Seabrook said it best after an early-season practice: “I sold my big-screen television to do this (players pay to play). It better be worth it.”

From where I sit on the bench in the third quarter, trying to catch my breath, it occurs to me that Huntoon’s decision, at the risk of sounding melodramatic, brought a lot of joy to a lot of people. Government and academic types spend a lot of money commissioning programs to bring diverse people together, and to bring about hope in dire economic times. Those programs usually fail miserably. Perhaps all they needed was a football and some pads.

The thing is, it’s a privilege to play football competitively because of the uniqueness of the undertaking. To equip a team is expensive. To play the game is, well, brutal. It’s not a normal activity for adults. There’s something very Fight Club- esque about going into work covered head to toe in bruises and abrasions. There’s also something exceedingly cool about it.

editor’s noteAnother cool thing for the 2010 Stealth was a Great Lakes Conference division championship. At 9-2 in conference play and 11-3 overall, the team was ranked No 24 in AAA Minor League Football in the American Football News Today poll. The season ended with a 9-2 playoff loss to the Traverse City Wolves. Already, fund-raising efforts are in the works for 2011.

fALL 2010 29

SPORT QUICK HIT

We form our opinions about professional athletes based largely on what we see and hear in the media. Fairly or not, we lump them all together when we say they’re: grossly overpaid, spoiled, self-centered and egotistical prima donnas with a sense of entitlement that makes them believe misdeeds should be excused because of who they are and what they do.

nice TimeMSU’s Red Wings Give BackBY sTEVE GRINCZEL

The exceptions don’t get enough ink or air time to balance out the perception — not that coverage of a million random acts of kindness by otherwise pampered elite athletes would draw an iota of attention away from Tiger Woods, Ben Roethlisberger or LeBron James.

It’s heartening to observe, however, pro hockey players Drew Miller and Justin Abdelkader standing firm against the unstoppable current of such overgeneralizations. On the morning of the

eve of the start of Detroit Red Wings training camp in Traverse City, the teammates and former Michigan State Spartans were making the rounds in the Children’s Center at Sparrow Hospital.

There’s no denying the public relations aspect of their appearance — it was part of a well-choreographed, third-annual community relations tour that had various Red Wings visiting veterans’ centers, hospitals and elementary schools around the state.

Miller and Abdelkader dutifully played to the cameras while knocking knuckles with 2-year-old Jack Brondyk, a smiling dervish despite the asthma that landed him in a tented bed. And they compared notes with 1-year-old Hudson Ballard, who sustained a broken jaw not from a vicious crosscheck, but an accidental tumble off a chair.

Then, in a playroom decorated with finger-painted MSU block S’s and crammed with toys, Miller and Abdelkader presented the Sparrow Foundation with a check for $22,295.

As a one-time event, it didn’t broker much in terms of contrition or absolution. But if there was any cynicism aimed at Miller and Abdelkader’s sincerity, it was thoroughly dispatched as the story of their involvement with Sparrow was told and retold.

“It’s something you do not because of the media or the attention you get from it,” Miller, an East Lansing native, said. “you do it because you want to make a difference in these kids’ lives.”

In 2005, Miller took it upon himself to start the “Spartan Buddies” program, which began with him spending some of his spare time between practice, classes, studying, games and travel every week with sick kids.

“At Michigan State we were encouraged to give back to the community,” Miller said. “When I was playing (junior hockey) in Omaha, Neb., we visited a children’s ward in a hospital and I just thought it was a great experience for myself and how happy the kids were to see us. It was something I wanted to pursue at Michigan State because this is the community I’m from and I enjoy being around kids.”

Teammates eventually accompanied him and a few years later, Abdelkader complemented Miller’s initiative with “Shoot for a Cure,” a fundraising component aimed at childhood cancer research. Today, athletes from nearly all 25 MSU men’s and women’s varsity teams participate in the programs.

Some of the money—represented by a check as big as a screen door—raised by Spartans student-athletes will be used

Giving Back Justin Abdelkader (left) and Drew Miller bring joy to a child at Sparrow Hospital. Ph

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the kids, because I do think it helps with their recovery, and their parents.”

Good luck finding the media stereotyping pro athletes as being caring, generous, compassionate and all-around good guys because of Miller and Abdelkader. Then again, that doesn’t matter in the long run as long as their largely unreported deeds get them labeled as exceptional exceptions.

“The impact we can have on these kids as pro and college athletes is just great and to build relationships because of it makes it special,” Abdelkader said. “I try to pride myself in being a grounded and humble person. Coming here and seeing what a 6-year-old is going through can be devastating, but it makes you realize how fortunate you are not just because you’re an athlete, but because you’re a healthy individual.

“Seeing what these kids go through makes you realize how you can take life for granted so easily, but how really special it is.”

to ease the distress experienced by sick children and their families. It might provide a hand-held computer game a child might use to while away the countless lonely hours spent in the hospital or doctor’s office. Parents might get a backpack of practical items that come in handy during prolonged visitations, and which they may not be able to afford.

Of even greater value, perhaps, are the personal one-on-one relationships Miller, Abdelkader and their cohorts have built and continue to nurture.

“When I was in college, we were spending a half-hour to an hour with the kids we got to know because we were here so much,” Miller said. “you make a difference in their day because you take them away from their experience, which for a lot of them is scary and unknown.

“It’s tough to see a young person go through something like that, and you want to make a difference any way you can. The smile you put on their face is what’s rewarding for us. When we started it, did I envision it being this big? I don’t think so, but seeing where it’s at now definitely makes me proud of what we started because it goes a long way with

Autograph Time Drew Miller signs a Red

Wings pennant for a young patient at Sparrow.

Professional football in the 21st century is a high-tech marvel. From August through February, it dominates the nation’s sports conscience as America’s unquestioned National Pastime. And the National Football League sits at the top of the gridiron heap.

But where did it all begin? We all know the football stork didn’t drop Baby Gridiron on America’s doorstep with a multi-million-dollar endorsement deal and signing bonus the size of a city’s annual budget.

The answer to the beginning of pro football is a lot closer to Mid-Michigan than you may

realize – to the towns of Ovid and Shepardsville. A historical marker along M-21, near the

corner of Shepardsville Road, proves that fact today. you can see it from your car, a 15-yard run east of Rushers Market.

The event is also commemorated with a parade, a touch football game and a potluck every July 4 – a tradition that began in

NFL’s Origins Tied To Shepardsville TeamBY DoUG WARREN

Pro Pioneers1995, the centennial celebration of the pro game in Mid-Michigan.

But before we get there, let’s take a trip back to the days of Julius Caesar, where foot and ball first met.

American football derives originally from soccer, which was developed during the Roman Empire. Soccer remained the king of “foot” games until 1823, when at Rugby College, England, ball-carrying was introduced. For roughly the next forty years, soccer and rugby remained related, but solidly separate.

Then in 1862, the prep athletes of Boston’s “Oneida Football Club” grew tried of both traditional games and decided to make a hybrid, merging the best elements of each. Combing the kicking features of soccer and the running from “scrum” in rugby – American football was born.

The game took off in popularity in Boston and the first organized game, between Oneida and a group of non-club Bostonian “All-Stars” took place November 7, 1863, with Oneida winning 12-0.

Six years later, the first college football game took place, with Rutgers defeating Princeton, 6-4. Over the next two decades the game spread from New England, across Pennsylvania and Ohio to Chicago. As the new game spread and gained popularity, so did the tug-of-war between those who sought monetary gain from it and those who wished to keep it a game for amateurs.

In 1892, Northwestern University pulled out of a game with the Chicago Athletic Club because the Northwestern faculty refused to allow their amateurs to play against a team with members who, “take expense money in traveling around the country to play games with various teams,” as was reported in the October 16, 1892 edition of the Chicago Daily Tribune.

Being that Chicago has always been

History Lesson The location of the first pro football game in Michigan 115 years ago is marked for all

to see near the corner of M-21 and Shepardsville Road.

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a shot-and-beer city with a wild side, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the first salvo in the pro-versus-amateur football wars would be fired there. However, 188 miles east of the Windy City, a native of Ovid, Leo Grove, was beginning to learn about the game of football as a student at Albion College.

Less than three years later, he and a few of his Mid-Michigan neighbors would have a professional football story of their own to tell.

At Albion, Grove was a halfback and member of the 1894 MIAA champion Briton team. Their record was 5-1-1 that season, including a 6-6 tie and a 19-12 victory over Notre Dame. Both of those games were played in South Bend. The win came in the final week of the season and spoiled the Irish’s unbeaten season.

The following summer after graduating, Grove was making $20 a month as a teacher back home and decided to organize a football team of local toughs from Clinton and Shiawassee counties.

“They were mostly farm boys from the log cabins on the farms around here,” Grove recalled in 1952 to the Detroit Free Press. “A couple of them had played football but not much.”

“So we used to practice every evening after the farm work was done. We’d meet at the general store in Shepardsville and go through a regular workout on the lawn between it and the railroad depot. Many times we strung kerosene lamps around and we always had a crowd watching.”

The team adopted the name, Michigan Rushers, and Grove began to schedule games. The first of which was scheduled for July 4, 1895 against a team from Ovid Township. The game was advertised in the June 27, 1895 issue of the Ovid Register-Union which read, “Don’t miss the ball game at Shepardsville on July 4th.”

The Rushers won the game that day and, after a hat was passed in the crowd, the winning Rushers split a pot of $3 for the efforts. The losers got bruises and memories.

“Three dollars went a lot farther in those days,” Grove said, “and we were able to buy a few pieces of equipment with our money.”

The schedule that first year included games with Ithaca, St. Johns and Ionia high schools, Alma College and a team from Pontiac. The pay continued along with the games.

A fellow Rusher, Will Marvin, along with

Grove, recalled the Pontiac game later that year – when the Rushers hired eight college players for five dollars each – to PIC magazine in 1952.

“We played the Pontiac team at the (Ovid) fairgrounds,” Marvin said. “And we had several college players who did not want their names given as they took pay for playing.”

“It doesn’t sound like much money now,” Grove said. “But in those days it was swell pocket money.”

In the years following World War II, Grove attempted to get the attention of the National Football League and get them to acknowledge that it was his Rushers who

took part in the first professional football game on record.

Grove obtained sworn statements from surviving Rusher player Marvin and the umpire of that first game, Frank Smith. Grove even enlisted the help of then-Detroit Lions General Manager, Nicholas Kerbawy, in the mid-1950’s to help with the cause.

However, the NFL commissioner at the time

was Pennsylvania native Bert Bell, who refused to budge on the league’s stance that the site of the first pay-for-play game was Latrobe, Pa. That town’s yMCA squad played a team from neighboring Jeannette on Sept. 3, 1895.

The NFL held onto that belief until the mid-1960’s when researchers uncovered evidence that takes us back to 1892 Chicago.

Soon after the 1892 dispute between the Chicago Athletic Club and Northwestern University, the Chicago club pulled a man by the name of William “Pudge”

Savoring The Past The Michigan Rushers of Shepardsville live on with a market that commemorates

their glory days as pro football pioneers in the Midwest.

Heffelfinger away from his railroad job in Omaha, Nebraska, to join the Club on a six-game Eastern tour where he would be paid for his “expenses,” a common amateur loophole of the time.

Heffelfinger was a native of Minneapolis. The three-time football All-American at yale (1889-91) was considered one of the best amateur players of the time.

Less than a month later, on November 13, 1892, Heffelfinger, and two of his Chicago teammates, were lured away mid-tour, by the Allegheny Athletic Association to play in a game against their cross-town rivals,

the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, who had unsuccessfully tried to lure the services of the Chicago trio days before.

According to a hand-written ledger, which today resides at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, Heffelfinger was paid the sum of $500 to suit up for Allegheny, becoming the first documented professional player in American football history.

The ethical war between the amateur and pro football worlds would carry on even after the NFL was founded in 1920. The final battle in that war would come in 1925, when Illinois’ All-American halfback, Red Grange, would leave Champaign before graduation and join former Illini end George Halas’ Chicago Bears squad.

Grange would earn over $100,000 in salary and a percentage of gate receipts for his 19-game effort. It was a barnstorming football mission that many historians say saved the NFL from early extinction.

So while Leo Grove and his Michigan Rushers may have been denied first place – wrongly and later rightly – in American professional football history, there is little doubt that the 1895 gridiron barnstormers from Shepardsville were the first pro team in Michigan history.

“They were mostly farm boys…A couple of them had played football but not much.”

- Leo Grove

fALL 2010 33

1-Love AdvantageEast Lansing’s Harry Jadun Loves Winning And WorkingBY JENNIfER oRLANDo

Off the court, Harry Jadun is a soft-spoken East Lansing High senior who likes to play video games and hang out with friends on the weekends. On the court, he is a vocal, intense tennis star who is extremely driven.

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But when his undefeated season came to an end on Sept. 30 with a 6-2, 6-2 loss to Grand Ledge’s Trevor Stoimenoff for the CAAC Blue No.1 singles title, Jadun did what he almost always does after a tough match.

He practiced.For a little over an hour at the Michigan

Athletic Club, Jadun said he worked on his game “just to get that bad feeling out of my mind.”

“you remember how you felt after you lost when you don’t want to practice and it motivates you,” he said.

It motivated him enough to sweep three matches and a regional crown the next weekend. His season ended with a loss to Portage Northern’s in a Division 2 semifinal.

Preparation

At just 16, Jadun’s mindset and work ethic are those of an athlete and individual well beyond his years.

Returning as the defending Division 2 state champion at No. 1 singles, Jadun and others had high expectations for him and for the entire East Lansing tennis team.

“you can say you don’t think about it, but you do,” he said of defending his title. “This year has been a lot tougher. There has been nothing to compare it to but last year.”

But the lefty says his success doesn’t come easily.

While many of his opponents may think

otherwise, Jadun insists not much would be attainable without a lot of hard work and long hours.

“That’s what people don’t see,” he said of all his preparation off the court. “People say, ‘I want to play like Harry,’ but it’s lots of work. [Tennis] didn’t come easy – it was a long haul.”

That long haul continues and includes spending an average of 3.5 hours each day honing his game by hitting shots or working out. Many times, it requires Jadun to get practice in before school starts.

Karim Jelassi, East Lansing’s head coach, reiterated that preparation is key and that Jadun’s skills don’t just appear out of thin air.

fALL 2010 35

“I told him that tennis is not luck. It’s not magic,” he said. “you have to work hard the right way, whether it’s strategy or hitting a lot. It’s the only way to get results.”

Jelassi knows a lot about results. As a professional tennis instructor, Jelassi has coached some of the best in the game, including Jennifer Capriati, while an instructor at Saddlebrook Tennis Resort in Florida.

About 10 years ago, Jelassi came to the Michigan Athletic Club to teach. About five years ago he began teaching Jadun and others who are now on the East Lansing and Okemos teams. So when the opportunity to coach the East Lansing varsity boys tennis team came up, Jelassi thought “why not?”

Jelassi said he enjoys his additional role as a head coach because he gets to see how the players he instructs, like Jadun, play during the season.

1320-WILS

THE FINAL FIX FOR THE SPORTS JUNKIE

SATURDAYS | 8-11AM

Jack EblingTom Crawford

If it happens in mid-Michigan, we get you the full story first.

1-Love Advantage

Concentrated Effort East Lansing High

tennis star Harry Jadun stays focused and keeps

working to be the best player he can be, with

help from Coach Karim Jelassi.

36 fALL 2010

“I can see what they need to work on, if it’s coaching or visualizing,” he said.

Mind GameWith the many intangibles involved

in tennis, like controlling your nerves, maintaining your focus and sustaining momentum, Jadun said he thinks the game is 75-percent mental.

There are times when coaching can only do so much. The rest is up to the player.

“A lot of kids can hit the ball well but not play a match well,” he said.

While Jadun is not immune to intangibles, he’s also not going to let them take over on or off the court.

Instead, he utilizes them to his advantage.During breakfast at the hotel the day

before Jadun’s state semifinal match last year, nerves were taking over.

“My hands were shaking so much the cereal fell out of my hands,” he said.

But instead of letting the fear consume him, he went on to win that match and the championship match.

“If you value something that much, you really don’t want to lose it,” he said. “you

can’t be scared of it; you have to embrace it. you’ll be 10 times prouder when you get it.”

When he’s playing, Jadun said he feels he only has one true opponent.

“I consider myself my biggest enemy on the court,” he said. “I can hurt or help myself.

family GameThe drive to play tennis started with

Jadun’s family. The support they give him is extremely important.

“Their support really helps,” he said. “Even if I didn’t want to play tennis, they’d still support me.”

It may have been tough for Jadun to play any other sport besides tennis, since his two older brothers and parents all play.

The itch to follow in his family’s footsteps happened when he was 6 years old. He had a sports idol in his brother, Cyrus, who was five years older.

“I begged my parents to let me play,” he said. “I wanted to be like my older brother when I was younger.”

He said he didn’t win much until he was 12 years old. That was also the year he won his first tournament.

Since then, much of his time has revolved around tennis. And he said there are times when the demanding schedule can take its toll.

“Sometimes, of course, [tennis] takes over,” he said. “That’s when you stop playing and let it come from the inside of you – it can’t come from anywhere else.

“I’ve had bouts with tennis where I haven’t played in months. [My parents] say, ‘Harry, don’t worry, when it comes back to you, play.’ I’ll wake up in the morning and just want to play again.”

The desire to continue playing tennis in college also is a way Jadun’s following in his older brother Cyrus’ footsteps. Cyrus played for Kalamazoo College. Jadun said he hopes to play for a Division 1 school or a Division 3 school and focus on academics.

But no matter where Jadun serves up his lefty spin, he’ll continue to practice and be prepared.

“I just really love working hard,” he said. “At the end of the day, you can say you improved on something — if not tennis, then something at school. you put in the hard work to see the accomplishments.”

fALL 2010 37

Pool SharkHeather Strang Means BusinessIn Water, WorkplaceBY ChIp MUNDY

heather Strang doesn’t reflect much on her athletic successes. She doesn’t forget them, either.

Strang, 44, is a vice president of Jackson National Life Insurance Company in Lansing. It is a great position that she says gives her a lot of satisfaction. But she isn’t going to say that it is more glorious than the days when she was competing against many of the top female swimmers in the nation.

“There is nothing like being up there on the podium after a swimming victory,” Strang said.

She should know. Strang was named as one of Greater Lansing’s top 150 athletes of the past 150 years in the December 2009 issue of SPORT.

She was third in the 1980 Olympic trials and was a finalist in 1984; she won gold with the U.S. national team in 1981 and

‘82; she was a finalist in the World Games in 1982 and a finalist at the Pan-Am Games in 1983; she was a four-time NCAA All-American while at USC; and she won six state championships at East Lansing High.

As further proof of her grounded attitude, she named a high school event as one of her top two thrills during her swimming career.

Strang was a sophomore in 1982, and the state meet was at McCaffree Pool at Michigan State University. She won the 200-yard freestyle in a record time of 1 minute, 47.58 seconds. And she said she remembers the lights and the atmosphere after she won.

“I’d never swam that fast,” she said.It remains a part of the Michigan High

School Athletic Association record book for best times in the state meet. It is sixth all-time in the 200-yard freestyle, and it remained a state record until 2002. Just two girls - Allison Schmit of Canton and Kara Lynn Joyce of Ann Arbor Pioneer - have beaten that time. Strang also is fifth all-time in the 100-yard freestyle in 50.31 seconds. That was the state record until 1996. And just three girls have beaten that time.

Strang’s other top memory came in the 1980 Olympic trials in Irvine, Calif.

“I wasn’t thinking I would do anything, but I ended up in a swim-off,” said Strang, who had tied for eighth in the 50-yard freestyle preliminaries with Michelle Reagan, also of Lansing.

Strang won the swim-off and went on to place third in the championship finals with a time of 26.46 seconds. Jill Starkel won the event, and Susie Thayer was second. They were two of the girls Strang had admired.

Again, her grounding paid off.“My family had a lot to do with that and

rooted me with reality,” Strang said. “My mother told me, ‘They’re just people, just like you are.’ It was OK to admire them and what they had done, but nobody is untouchable.”

Swimming took Strang to four high schools in four years. She went to East Lansing as a freshman and Fairfax High in Lansing as a sophomore. Then, Strang divided her junior year between East Lansing and Lakeland (Fla.). She was a senior at Mission Viejo in California.

“I went to the camps of the day,” she said. Today, Strang gets into the pool a couple

of times a week.“I think it’s more mental than physical,”

she said, adding that she has taken an interest in kayaking, racquetball and biking. She also said that at times she tries to see how fast she can go.

“But I don’t have starting blocks, and I loved my starting blocks,” she said.

And, although she isn’t able to get back on a swimming podium anymore, the satisfaction she gets from her job with the Jackson National Life Insurance Company is enough.

“As a team captain in swimming, I learned there are a lot of ways to motivate people,” she said. “I can talk to a lot of different people at different times and have them understand the same thing. In the business world, nothing is as black and white as it was in the pool with the times. So that has been a reality check.

“It has been quite a journey.”

No. 1, Then And Now East Lansing native Heather Strang has always

stood above the rest, in the pool and the business world. Ph

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4 Joined Jackson National in July 2000 as a Director in Internal Audit, was promoted to Assistant Vice President in 2002 and then promoted to Vice President in 2006.

4 Managed Prudential plc North American internal audit function for 7 years and is currently Prudential’s North American Project Manager for Solvency II (proposed European insurance regulatory capital regime) implementation project scheduled for 2012 and estimated at $30M.

4 Served as a Board Member for PPMS (Prudential plc company in India) for 4 years.

4 Offered 3 international positions within Prudential’s global operations specifically a global internal audit role.

4 More than 20 years experience in the financial services industry and private and public accounting industries in a variety of roles with Ernst & Young, Kenneth Leventhal, Lend Lease/Bovis and others that has included domestic (Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Phoenix and Michigan) and international (London, Paris, Mumbai, Singapore, Kuala Lampur, Prague) working experiences.

4 Has attended various Prudential plc and Jackson sponsored executive training programs including the JNL Leadership Development Program and the Prudential Discovery Training Program. She also attends various industry conferences and programs related to regulatory laws and changes, risk management, internal control assessments and others.

4 Received BA in Business Administration

Where is heather Strang now?(Accounting and Marketing majors) from University of Southern California; attended on a full athletic scholarship.

4 Personal achievements include 1980 Olympic Trials Bronze Medalist and 1984 Olympic Trials Finalist, member of many US International Traveling Teams as well as a Scholar Athlete and a NCAA All American.

4 Second Vice Chair Board Member of the Boys and Girls Club and a Board Member of The First Tee of Mid Michigan.

4 Member of AICPA, MACPA, IIA and other industry groups.

4 In her spare time, when she is not collecting airline miles, she enjoys sailing (spent a short stint in the US Virgin Islands on a 50 foot sailboat charter boat) and is a certified PADI diver.

raising over $60,000 for regional destination development. Key organizers from Team Lansing made their appreciation known to all involved.

“We want to thank everyone who made this event possible, especially those with the Boji Group,” Hladki said. “We chose the Boji Tower because it was the tallest building in Lansing, but we also know the Boji Group’s reputation for community support. We learned through this event that there is nothing the people in this community won’t do to help our region grow.”

To learn more about the Team Lansing Foundation or the Over the Edge event, visit www.teamlansing.org.

everyone has a golf outing. While that’s a completely proven, effective and popular way to gather interest and raise money for a cause, the Team Lansing Foundation wanted to do something different.

As it turns out, that something different became the opportunity to rappel down the outside of the 23-story Boji Tower in downtown Lansing. Efforts to break out of the traditional fundraising mold earned the Team Lansing Foundation the rights to a unique, first-time event for the area that had participants – including local media personalities and local business leaders – going over the edge for a whole new way to give to the community.

“The Team Lansing Foundation Board Chair Tom Collins learned about Over the Edge at a conference for non-profit organizations and thought it would be perfect for what we were trying to achieve here in Lansing,” said Lee Hladki, president of the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau and its charitable and community development arm, the Team Lansing Foundation. “The staff of the GLCVB and the experts with Over the Edge worked together seamlessly to create an event that had an exciting and marketable draw to thrill seekers, which ultimately served the community at large.”

Paul Griffith, president and CEO of Over the Edge, agreed with event organizers from Team Lansing that the success of the first-time event meant a lot and during the planning stages his knowledge of the rappelling process and his team of experts with Over the Edge helped put Team Lansing and event participants at ease.

“All the Over the Edge staff is IRATA (Industrial Rope Access Trade Association) and SPRAT (Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians) certified, and we use only industrial gear on a 100-percent OSHA-compliant site,” Griffith said. “We were happy to work with Team Lansing and the Boji Group to offer a wonderful experience that is completely safe to help participants challenge their comfort zone for a good cause.”

The lucky band of nearly 100 participants had spent preceding months tapping friends, family and colleagues for their individual

fund requirement. For $500, they got the dubious honor of being the first group of folks, other than window washers, to snub perfectly functional elevators and staircases for a completely different way down from the top floor of the Boji Tower. Held on a day well-known among area residents as a day of local exploration, the 16th annual Be A Tourist In your Own Town, the stage was set for a true vertical challenge.

While the thrill of the event itself was obvious motivation, many were also fueled by the underlying value in what the Team Lansing Foundation was trying to accomplish. Many even surged past the fundraising minimum in efforts to create awareness for the foundation, fund various destination development efforts and help create opportunities in the hospitality industry for residents of the Greater Lansing community. Top fundraiser for the event and GLCVB Administrative Assistant Kristina Kauffman shared her thoughts on her role with the cause and how it felt to take the leap for Lansing.

“Raising as much money as I could became as exciting to me as the chance to go over the edge,” Kauffman said. “Usually I don’t seek out adventurous things, but I knew this was a really unique activity and good for a local cause. Once I told people what I was doing, the offers to sponsor me really came in, and I knew I could blow past the $500 minimum.”

And surpass it she did, raising over $1,675 in pledge funds. Kauffman also said while fundraising for the unique event was easy, taking the 23-story leap took a bit more courage.

“When I got up there and had to let go of the railing and trust the ropes I was pretty nervous,” she said. “But before long I was moving along, checking out the scenery and actually wanted the moment to last.”

At the end of the day, the inaugural Over the Edge event for Team Lansing Foundation was a resounding success,

Braving BojiTeam Lansing Foundation Provides New ChallengeBY BRENDAN DWYER

SPORT QUICK HIT

40 fALL 2010

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Eye On The BallEAST LANSING’S TOdd MArTIN, NO. 6 ON THE LIST

Of MId-MICHIGAN’S ALL-TIME GrEATEST ATHLETES,

dELIvErS A BACkHANd rETUrN dUrING AN ANNUAL

BENEfIT MATCH fOr COUrT ONE ATHLETIC CLUBS.

phoToGRAphED BY ChRIs hoLMEs

fALL 2010 43

ones. As I became an adult it was more and more apparent to me that I wanted to teach and impact the lives of young people. When my childhood coach, Rick Ferman, and I sat down to brainstorm ways to give back, it seemed to make perfect sense to try to help kids. My work now, in large part, consists of helping young tennis players strive for greater heights in tennis. I love sharing knowledge with them but my greatest desire is that I might have a similar effect on any of them as Rick did on me.

I speak of my parents and Rick and their impact on my childhood, but it doesn’t stop there. I grew up in a neighborhood of friends that were like my own brothers and sisters. There are several in my high school class who I stay in touch with and dozens I would cherish the opportunity to catch up with (not quite ready for Facebook though). I also credit my teachers, coaches, and merchants in the community for setting an example that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. To this day, there are two places I visit every time I return to Lansing – Jersey Giant Subs and Pockets Pool Hall. I love these places (obviously for their great sandwiches and some of the best pool tables this side of New york City, respectively) because they give me a peek into a beautiful community. Its people are diverse and dynamic and remind me of home.

Children, tennis, and the Greater Lansing area have all benefited from the hard work put in by the TMDF staff, Board of Directors and our supporters. We now serve over 400 Mid-Michigan youths in tennis, leadership, life skills and tutoring programs. It is a source of tremendous pride that what my coach and I once saw as a potential way to give back has become a home and launching pad for so many important children that live/lived amongst you.

Looking forward, I crave many of the same experiences for my own children. For their sakes, I hope that my family has landed in the type of community that will inspire the kids to give back. I pray that they find their passions in life, and that they grow to know the love and joy of children. I’m certain that my own experiences with tennis, community and a kids’ charity will help me shape them to my best ability.

Raised To ServeCommunity, Children, Tennis All WinnersBY ToDD MARTIN

SPORT FINISH LINE

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during most of my 14 years of playing professional tennis, i lived in florida. In fact, I moved to the swampland in 1993, less than three years into my career. I loved Lansing like none other, and it was home. But I needed a place to train in warm weather and grow more independent. For the first several years of my career, Florida didn’t become home. It merely served as that place to train and, frankly, a place to keep my stuff (what little of that there was). Eventually, I met my wife . . . from New Jersey. She shared my view of Florida at the time. Together we decided to get out of dodge, or Florida, as soon as my days of chasing tennis balls were over.

Funny thing happened – KIDS! yep, once we had kids and our own parents

had retired to Florida, we didn’t seem to be in quite such a hurry to leave the Sunshine State. Man, how the roots do grow deep in fertile land.

Now, nearly six years since my chasing ended, we are still firmly, in fact more firmly than ever, entrenched at HOME in Florida. It seems that kids brought us so

much: Obviously, the love that we all feel as parents; the responsibility to give them stable surroundings; the desire that they know their grandparents; and a sense of being part of the community.

It was with this sense of community that the Todd Martin Development Fund was founded in 1993. There is always great need to serve children, especially those who are

at-risk, and it is pretty obvious how important tennis has been to me. To me, it seemed like a pretty logical three-pronged way to give back.

Admittedly, I was no rebel growing up in East Lansing. I was a happy kid from a great family (I’m biased). My parents were primarily responsible for NOT having to deal with too many headaches from me. However, I also give tennis a good deal of credit for reinforcing some critical life skills such as discipline, character, sportsmanship and politeness. Without these attributes, I would never have been successful or well-respected. For these reasons, I have always thought that tennis is A-1 on the list of sports to learn and grow in.

I’ve always loved children. I’m sure there were plenty of times I begged my parents to “give” me a baby brother or sister. Alas, they never did, but that didn’t change my enjoyment of young

The Todd Squad Tennis star Todd Martin, a proud product of

Mid-Michigan, has never stopped giving back to his community,

especially to junior tennis players at Court One Athletic Clubs.

44 fALL 2010

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