Coast to Coast Baseball would like to invite local players (ages 14-18) to one of our upcoming tryout events. At the tryout, our staff will evaluate player’s skills in four areas: hitting, fielding, arm strength & speed. Players accepted to the program, will join college coaches and pro scouts at the $28 million Roger Dean Complex in Jupiter, FL for games and instruction this December 27-31.

Since the summer of 2001, over 4,000 athletes from 46 different states have particpated in the Coast to Coast Baseball program. Our alumni now compete at every level of collegiate baseball… and even professionally.

In addition to the tryout, an instructional hitting camp will be held the same day. The goal of the camp is to help players improve hitting fundamentals as well as their mental approach at the plate.

Events will be held at:

Genesee Fieldhouse – Grand Blanc, MI

Wednesday, July 12, 10 am

Elite Baseball -Wyoming, MI

Thursday, July 13, 10 am

Hardball Fans – Kalamazoo, MI

Friday, July 14, 10 am

A hitting camp follows each tryout.

For more information, players and parents can visit our website www.CoastToCoastAthletics.com. Register for an event either on the webiste or by calling our office at 740-236-8390.

By Mark Schumann

On the final day of school, June 7, the entire student body of Cedar View Elementary went to Red Hawk Stadium for the 55 meter dash finals.

On May 31, all of the students participated in the annual field day. Students were active in 9 different events, with winners crowned in the football kick, tennis ball toss, soccer kick, jump rope contest and 55 meter dash. The other 4 non-competitive events were: gunny sack race, hurdles, kickball and the free play area.

The first place and second place boy and girl from the 55 meter dash races on May 31 moved to the championship event on June 7.

The final results were:

4th grade boys champion: Sawyer Smith

4th grade girls champion: Cora Gonzales

5th grade boys champion: Eli Howland

5th grade girls champion: Ja’Kayla Finley

The Middle School girls track team finished undefeated.

The girls middle school track team finished the regular season with an undefeated record.  This was the first year joining a new middle school conference and the girls excelled at the challenge. At the conclusion of the season, the 7th and 8th grade split their conference meets by grade level. The 7th grade team finished second, but only by a small margin.  The 8th grade team won their conference meet, which was also held at Red Hawk Stadium. This year the middle school team had a record number of girls out (87), which was a great thing for our program.

At the conclusion of the regular season, 15 girls represented Cedar Springs at the MegaStar meet, hosted at Shephard HS. In order to run in this event, they had to be part of the top 8 relays or top 16 individuals in their event in the state. The girls that attended the meet put down some incredible times and distances to finish 2nd overall as a team, to Traverse City West, a D1 team.

Seven school records were also broken this year. Abby Buttermore (70m), Kaelyn Colclasure (200m), Arianna Rau (400m), Sophia Dault (long jump & 55 hurdles), Arianna Rau (shot put) and the 400 relay team of Buttermore, Rau, Dault and Olivia Sherman.

Congratulations to these great young ladies and all the hard work they put in throughout the season. Each and everyone one of them dedicated themselves to working hard and as a result, saw their times/distances drop throughout the season.  Also a huge thank you to all our parents who supported the kids and parents throughout the season.  We definitely had the biggest crowd no matter where we were running!

The 7th and 8th grade boys track team finished with an undefeated record for the third year in a row.

Sixteen 7th and 8th grade track athletes from Cedar Springs competed at the Mega Star meet and won the team championship.

The CSMS boys track team finished its dual meet season with a third consecutive undefeated record.  The team completed their season by splitting into separate 7^th and 8^th grade teams to compete in separate conference championship invitationals. The 8^th grade team placed first with 157 points, which was followed by Greenville, with 102 points. The 7^th graders finished in first place with a total of 134 points, outdistancing second place Lowell, with 108.

In addition to their outstanding performances at their conference championships, the 7^th and 8^th grade team combined to send 16 athletes to compete at the Mega Star meet in Shepherd, Mich. There were 80 teams around the state represented at this meet. In order for an athlete to compete, they must have one of the 16 best times in an individual event, or in the top 8 for a relay team. The team fought hard and won the team championship with 83 points, over second place Traverse City West, with 70 points. Individuals who earned first place medals include Alex Nylaan, Spencer Bray, Caleb Peacock, Corey Bowers, Nathan Elliston, Carter Bayink and Aiden Brunin.

Seven school records were broken this year, which is the most by one team in the history of the middle school program. Corey Bowers set three school records in the 3200m, 1600m and 800m runs. Jeremy Campione broke the school record in pole vault by going 11’0. The 1600 meter relay team of  Spencer Bray, Caleb Peacock, Aiden Brunin and Corey Bowers broke the record that was established just last year and set the Mega Star meet record by running a time of 3:48. Tucker Cooke, Daniel Vaughn, Christian Moleski and Jeremy Campione broke the 400m relay record by sprinting to a 49.16 time. Finally, the 800m relay team of Daniel Vaughn, Christian Moleski, Aiden Brunin and Landon Totten set the school record with a time of 1:41.56.

The track team enjoyed an unbelievable and historic season this year due to their hard work, dedication and commitment to individually do what was necessary to make the team a success.

Congratulations to all team members on a fantastic season. A special thank you to all parents, staff members, high school coaches and athletes who are always on hand to cheer our team on and for running great home meets.

Jordan Ringler commits to Davenport University

Jordan Ringler, a 2017 Cedar Springs High School graduate, has signed a letter of intent to wrestle for the Davenport University Panthers this fall.

Jordan, son of Paul and Jane Ringler of Cedar Springs, has wrestled most of his life, beginning with freestyle when he was just a kindergartener. Jordan, a very tough competitor, has taken several awards over the years through the Michigan Youth and the Middle School/High School programs. He has participated on national teams, and he has been a consistent hard working leader, as described by teammates and coaches. Jordan plans to pursue the health care field for his BA and eventually hopes to obtain his doctorate of Physical Therapy. Congratulations Jordan!

2017 graduate Isaiah Schatz and his family. He recently committed to playing soccer at Northern Kentucky University as goalkeeper.

Also trying out for national Futsal team

Isaiah Schatz, a 2017 graduate of Cedar Springs High School, recently committed to a Division 1 soccer program at Northern Kentucky University as a goalkeeper.

He also has been invited (based on an earlier trial in South Carolina) to attend the final U.S. Youth Futsal National I.D. trial that brings together the best youth Futsal players in the nation as judged at all State Futsal I.D. Trials earlier in the year. Top players at the U.S. Youth Futsal National I.D. Trial will be selected for U.S. Youth Futsal National Teams. The final trial is in Kansas from July 13-15.

Players are evaluated throughout the event, with top players chosen for U.S. Youth Futsal Teams that will train together and travel internationally. Those chosen will travel to Costa Rica for three international matches from July 23 to July 30.

Futsal is the official indoor soccer game. It is small sided (5v5), played on a smaller pitch (roughly basketball court sized) and with a smaller ball.

The United States Marine Corps Sports Leadership Academy will host a free basketball clinic June 24 at MSA Fieldhouse (5435 28th St Ct SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546).

The USMC Sports Leadership Academy is a unique experience for athletes seeking skill training and leadership insights that go beyond the playing field. These nationwide sports clinics offer the chance to enhance basketball ability through instruction from some of the area’s best basketball coaches as well as learn leadership from some of America’s best leaders, the United States Marines. “We are excited to provide this opportunity for the local youth to complement their athletic experiences with the skillset to become exceptional leaders,” Mr. Leroy Pennington, Director of Eastern Recruiting Region Marketing said. “The USMC Sports Leadership Academy is a unique skill building experience that provides a great atmosphere for its participants.”

Participants will be immersed in the fundamentals of basketball while being exposed to Marine-style leadership. Marine Corps Leadership Traits will be taught during short breakout sessions throughout the day and focus on how the sports skills learned on the field relate to real world leadership challenges. Whether in the classroom or on the court, USMC Sports Leadership Academy attendees will experience the skills required to stand out among their peers.

The Basketball Academy begins at 8 a.m. and concludes at 4:30 p.m. following the awards presentations and closing ceremony. All participants receive a USMC Sports Leadership Academy t-shirt and free lunch as well as a camp swag bag. The seven top performers receive 2017 Academy All-Star medals. The event is open to anyone between the age of 15 and 19 years of age. Limited registration is available at www.usmcsports.com.

Coaches know the game, now players can learn the secrets of leadership that will carry on beyond the realm of athletics.

Brandon Sawade with Coach Lett.

Cedar Springs senior Tara Tepin, junior Brandon Sawade, and senior Alex Douglas all competed at the MHSAA Division 2 State Track finals.

Coach Rob Neier, senior Tara Tepin, and Coach Covey.

On Saturday, June 3, at Zeeland Stadium, three members of the boys and girls track team competed in the MHSAA Division 2 State Finals Track Meet.

Senior Tara Tepin placed in both the 100 and 300 meter hurdles and earned all state honors. Tara lowered her school record in the 100-meter hurdles in the prelim race to 15.26 to qualify for the finals, where she placed fifth with a time of 15.34. Tara ran the 300 hurdles in 46.79, just short of her school record in that event, for eighth place. Tara also earned academic all state in both events.

Junior Brandon Sawade and senior Alex Douglas competed in the meet for the boys team. Brandon placed fourth in the pole vault with a jump of 13 feet 7 inches and earned all state honors. Alex competed in the 110-meter hurdles and ran a time of 15.52 in his preliminary race, but did not advance to the finals in the event. Alex placed 12^th overall in the event.

Hannah Heintzelman will be running Cross Country and Track for Muskegon Community College next fall. Hannah finishes her high school running career with Cedar Springs as an outstanding athlete. As a Red Hawk she competed at the state level in both cross country and track.

“I wish her all the best as she continues her running career as a MCC Jayhawk,” said Coach Marie Covey. “Her leadership and athleticism will be greatly missed.”

The 13th Annual Rockford Area Kids Triathlon is set to be held on Saturday July 8, 2017 at the Rockford High School.  Races will start at 9:00am and participants should arrive an hour before race time.

This is a swim/bike/run event for children age 2-17 sponsored by the Rockford Public Safety, Kent County Sheriff’s Department, and the Michigan State Police. The purpose of the Kids Triathlon is not only to promote physical fitness to our children, but to give them positive alternatives to drugs and alcohol through athletic competition.

Every participant will receive a t-shirt, medal, and participation certificate.  The top three boys and girls in each age group will receive a trophy.  The cost of this race is $20.00 and all proceeds from this event will benefit the Michigan Special Olympics.  The following is a list of races, start times, age groups and the distances they will be performing in:

Awards will be presented at approximately 12:45pm.

For any questions or to register for this race please contact F/Lt Kevin Sweeney of the Michigan State Police at 517-719-1195 or by email at sweeneyk@michigan.gov