Tecumseh Herald Sports

Tecumseh Public Schools is currently selling customized bricks to fund its athletic field concession, bathroom and ticket complex, with a “Buy a Brick” program.

Tecumseh High School Athletic Director Griff Mills, Tim Vannatter, and Stan Ames set up the fundraising program where each person who donates has a personalized orange brick placed along a walkway in front of the concession stand leading to the new football field.

“It's going well,” said Mills of the support shown so far. “People have been very favorable to the idea because they are able to leave a lasting legacy.”

A goal of $150,000 has been set for the project and so far it has been very well supported.

The bricks will be of a finished texture, tangerine in color, and painted black in the engraving. They will be displayed in a symbolic 'T' as spectators walk through the building. Bricks will be available for purchase until Friday, July 10, to help fund the project. The donations are tax deductible. Additional bricks will be placed along the walk leading to the home stands in later orders.

Campaign levels of Sponsorship include Supporter, 4x8 Brick for $100: Supporter 8x8 Brick for $250: Bronze Club, 4x8 Brick and Wall Plaque for $500 to $999: Silver Club, 8x8 Brick and Wall Plaque for $1,000 to $4,999: and Gold Club, 8x8 Brick and Wall Plaque for donations of $5,000 and up.

Bricks can be from an individual, family or dedicated to a loved one. Bricks that are 4x8 have space for four lines of 24 letters while 8x8 Bricks have enough room for six lines of 24 letters.

Anyone interested in 'buying-a-brick' should contact Mills at the Tecumseh High School Athletic Department, 424.6505 or by emailing gmills@tps.k12.mi.us. Information is also available on the TPS web site, tps.k12.mi.us.

EAST LANSING -  GradeCheck.net, a Michigan startup company that reinforces the academic aspect of school sports, has earned a rare endorsement from the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

GradeCheck.net provides an Internet-based program that assists students, parents, school counselors and administrators monitor academic progress and helps high school students qualify for National Collegiate Athletic Association member and other college scholarships. In 2008, GradeCheck worked with educators and parents to facilitate more than $2 million in scholarships for their students.

GradeCheck.net founder Shelia McBride states: "Our innovative, national system provides benefits to all high school students. We provide a national college admissions information database, an applications checklist, a scholarship application checklist, as well as a Grade Point Average calculator. These tools help students know if they are on track to meet the entrance requirements of a college or university long before they start submitting applications."

GradeCheck.net will be introduced to MHSAA constituents at upcoming Athletic Director In-Service programs, Captains Clinics and throughout the Association's year-round "Reaching Higher" initiative intended to help students aspire to and reach their full potential in high school athletics.

"We are pleased and excited about this new partnership. This opportunity has the potential to reach students all across the state of Michigan to provide a clear advantage for achieving academic success and for securing a college education," says McBride.

By MICKEY ALVARADO

Siena Heights University will be seeing a whole lot more of Lenawee County's younger athletes pass through its facilities as host to numerous events being coordinated by the recently created D1 Sports Academy.

A trio of veteran coaches started the sports academy just two months ago due to the lack of camps and training offered locally in several different sporting venues. The three founders are well known throughout Lenawee County and immediately brought credibility to the D1 Sports Academy with their many years of combined experiences. Siena Heights Athletic Director, Fred Smith, the Saints' head men's basketball coach, Al Sandifer, and Clinton Middle School teacher and coach Mike Howe are the ones getting everything going. The group is backed by 25 to 30 other local coaches from collegiate to high school levels.

The main focus of the academy is to include individuals of all age groups so they can get a good look at what Siena Heights is all about, but just as important, assist in building long-lasting relationships with other athletes and coaches while improving their abilities in their preferred sports.

Currently there are several events scheduled and listed on the academy's website, www.D1sportsacademy.org.

The First Annual Firecracker 2-vs-2 is a five-division event set for July 4, at Siena Heights University, and the following weekend, on July 11, the First Gibraltar Carlson 2-vs-2 Basketball Tournament will be held.

The 20th Annual Saints Basketball Camp will take place from July 13-17 while the First Annual 'Howe' To Train and Be Ready For Football Camp is from August 17-21.

Three Maple City Shootout pre-season basketball scrimmages are scheduled for November.

The 8th Annual Mending the Sacred Hoop Pow Wow is scheduled for this
weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28, at the Cal Zorn Recreation
Center, 300 W. Russell Road, featuring Native American food, dancing,
music and crafts.

On Saturday, two Grand Entry's are set. One will take place at 1 p.m.,
and another at 7 p.m. On Sunday, a grand entry will take place at 1
p.m., only. Gates open at 10 a.m., on both days.

A fireworks display is scheduled again this year on Saturday beginning at dusk.

The head man this year is Greg Morsaw while the head woman is Sarah
Brant. Jon Rinehart will be the emcee. Sam Doyle will be the fire
keeper. The head veteran is Wayne Hardwick.

Performances by native artist Arivil Bird will take place throughout
the weekend. The host drum is Spirit Lake while the co-host drum is
Niwiwan. Southern Wind and Red Shield are invited drums.

The event is hosted by the Leh-Nah-Weh Native American Organization and
the City of Tecumseh. It is funded in part by United Bank and Trust and
the Michigan Humanities Council (an affiliate of the National Endowment
for the Humanities).

The Pow Wow is an alcohol and substance free event. The cost to enter
on both days is $5 for adults, $3 for students and $2 for senior
citizens. Weekend passes can be purchased for $8. One day family passes
are available for $10.

The 8th Annual Honor Our Ancestors Commemorative Walk will take place
on Saturday at 9 a.m. The public is invited to attend. The five-mile
walk begins at Sequoia Camp grounds at 2675 Gady Road and ends at the
Cal Zorn Recreation Center. For more information contact Tony Johnson
at 517.918.5681 or Fred Johnson at 517.673.5559. The event is hosted by
the Leh-Nah-Weh Native American Organization.

By MICKEY ALVARADO

Unable to get much going at the plate while facing a pitcher every bit as good as their own, Clinton's varsity softball team ended its bid for the Division 3 state championship with a 2-0 loss in the semifinal to Gladstone on Friday, June 12, at Bailey Park in Battle Creek.

Clinton (39-6) freshman Tierney Nelson and Gladstone's Mackenzie Shepeck went to battle as both teams' key pitchers and a pitching dual between the two didn't allow much in the way of base runners until the fifth inning when the Braves produced two hits that scored the game's only runs.

The Redskins had a couple good opportunities to tag runs to the scoreboard, having base runners in scoring position in both the first and third innings. Jordan Randall had a lead off single in the bottom of the first inning for Clinton but with two outs she was thrown out when trying to steal third base. With one out in the third inning the Redskins had Nelson get on first base with a single. Haley Mercy pushed her to second with a bunt that had her on first base but a double play off the bat of Randall closed the inning. Clinton had just one more hit the rest of the game.

Gladstone was able to score its two runs in the fifth inning with a two out rally. The Brave's leadoff batter was walked to get things rolling and she advanced to second on an overthrown pitch. The following two batters were struck out by Clinton's ace. Hillary Mahoney wasn't intimidated by the freshman pitcher and singled to left field to give Gladstone just enough time to score its first run. Abby Riggio followed with another single that plated the game's final run. Clinton began warming up its junior pitcher, Kristen Espinoza, but she never went in on relief with Nelson getting out of the inning with another strikeout.

By MICKEY ALVARADO

The death of a family member has a way of forcing people to reflect upon their own lives as it was with former 1977 Tecumseh High School graduate Dave Bilkie who recently lost his father, Larry, in February.

When looking back at his youth he remembered the times when he was inspired to do whatever he could to help his teammates win a game and possibly advance Tecumseh into the post-season tournaments. Bilkie thought to check the Michigan High School Athletic Association's record books to see where he'd stack up in the listings and was surprised to see that what he'd done then would have him listed in two categories. When he was a senior in high school he was strung as tight as a fiddle and setting records in the sports he played.

Now he's pushing 50 and his knee's are not as sound, but when he was young they carried him to several outstanding accomplishments as a guard, including 11 steals in one basketball game and a 100 steal season.

“I was looking at the MHSAA website and saw all those records and thought it was pretty cool. So I looked up the basketball records and said, hey, I could be there,” said Bilkie.

It was during his senior season when he produced the steals. His quick hands and feet allowed him to steal 11 balls from Airport's Red Devils, four in the last two minutes of the game. His 100th steal was recorded in a final regular season contest at New Boston Huron.

His efforts in the sport earned him All-League and All-County records and he also was awarded the same honors in track, advancing to the state meet three times.

“Back in the day, I was very, very, fast, very quick said Bilkie. His speed on the hardwood allowed him to get some serious air time when taking shots at the net and allowed for an unusual shooting style.