Samantha Taylor, a 2016 graduate of Cedar Springs Public Schools,
received multiple athletic honors for her basketball career.

Samantha Taylor, a 2016 graduate of Cedar Springs Public Schools, completed her sophomore year at Muskegon Community College (MCC) recently and received multiple athletic honors for her outstanding two-year basketball career as a Jayhawk. 

Taylor, a 5’8 shooting guard and two-time team captain, averaged 6.8 points per game and 2.6 rebounds per game, earning her MCCAA Western Conference All Defensive Team and All-Western Conference Honorable Mention. The MCC Women’s basketball team’s historic season came to an abrupt end, losing a heart-breaker 66-57 in the NJCAA Regional Semifinal game held at St. Clair Community College located in Port Huron, MI. 

Taylor certainly left her mark at MCC, as she was a key part in the Jayhawks recording back-to-back 20-win seasons, the 2018 MCCAA Western Conference Championship and the MCCAA State Championship. Taylor capped off her basketball career being named the 2018 Muskegon Community College Female Athlete of the Year. 

“Sam was a great example of what being a student athlete at MCC is all about. She not only excelled on the basketball court but excelled in the classroom as well. She had a great work ethic and attitude and represented both the MCC Athletic Department and the Women’s Basketball program proudly,” said Jimmy Booth, Muskegon Community College Assistant Athletic Director. 

Taylor will finish her academic studies at Grand Valley State University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the healthcare field.

Cedar Springs Youth Wrestlers and their awards. Photo by Terry Troupe.

By Jacquie Troupe

On February 4, Cedar Springs Youth Wrestling Club traveled to Grand Valley State University, Chippewa Hills High School and Oxford High School. 

Thirty local youth joined 463 wrestlers in the Open & Novice Tournament at GVSU. The Team went 64-50 for the day. 

Leading the team in Most Pins in Shortest Times were Rory Schoenborn (5th overall), Dawson Pike (6th), Spencer Schoenborn (7th), Dillon VanDyke (39th), Brycen Alber (41st), Austin Averill (56th), Gabe Gair (57th), Cameron Ellison (60th) and Deegan Pike (66th) helping CSYWC take the 1st place spot with 30 pins in 31:21. 

Mason Taylor had the Fastest Pin overall with :09; Spencer Schoenborn was 6th with :14; Dawson Pike and Cameron Ellison were 18th with :20; Brycen Alber was 41st with :28; Rory Schoenborn was 48th with :29; Dillon VanDyke was 67th with :34; Austin Averill was 80th with :37; and Gabe Gair was 85th with :38. 

Rory Schoenborn scored the most Team Points with 26, bringing the total to 223. They were second overall in Total Match points with 343, wrestling 71 scoring matches. Dawson Pike scored 19 in a single match coming in 7th overall. Austin Averill scored 17, Blake Falan and Thomas Prins 13, and Cameron Ellison and  Brycen Alber 12. 

According to Coach Scott Marsman, there was very intense competition at GVSU and the kids really held their own. “At the halfway point of the season we are very pleased with where the kids are at and are very excited as we work towards finishing out the year strong,” he said. 

In the 2011-13 age group, Brycen Alber placed 2nd in the 43lb class, Dawson Pike placed 2nd in the 46lb class, Blake Alber placed 4th in the 52lb class, Dillon VanDyke placed 3rd in the 55lb class, and Jaxon Fitzgerald placed 3rd in the 61lb class. 

In the 2009-10 age group, Novice Division Cameron Ellison placed 4th in the 49lb class and Zach Vu placed 3rd in the 112lb class. In the Open Division Tucker Crystal placed 2nd in the 58lb class. 

In the 2007-08 age group, Novice Division Deegan Pike placed 2nd, Austin Averill placed 3rd and Spencer Schoenborn placed 4th in the 63lb class. Rory Schoenborn placed first and brought home the Championship trophy in the 80lb class. Thomas Prins placed first and brought home the Championship trophy in the 110lb class. In the Open Division Blake Falan placed 2nd in the 71lb class and Hudson Crystal placed first and brought home the Championship trophy in the 85/90lb class. 

In the 2005-06 age group, Gabe Gair placed 2nd in the 112/119lb class. In the 2003-04 age group Ben Brunner placed 4th in the 122lb class. 

At Chippewa Hills HS, Sierra Streeter had 2 pins in 3:44, was 56th overall and brought home the first place medal in the 43lb class. Micah LaFlure placed 4th in the 43lb class. Ben Streeter placed first in the 67/77lb class and had the 14th fastest pin with :16.

Jon Libera headed to Oxford HS to chase the Northeast Region’s Greights medal. He had some tough competition and brought home the 3rd place medal. So far he has won 4, one Gold-North Region, one Silver-Metro Region and two bronze for the West and Northeast Regions. He plans to travel to all the Greights tournaments this season. 

Mr. and Mrs. Brian and Penny Johnson of Cedar Springs, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Amy Johnson, to Grant Gould, son of Allen Gould of Sand Lake, and Kathy and Bill Cox of Ada. Miss Johnson is a graduate of Cedar Springs High School and Grand Valley State University with a Master’s in Educational Leadership. Miss Johnson is a teacher in Cedar Springs. Mr. Gould is a Tri-County High School graduate and is a foreman pipefitter in Grand Rapids. A June wedding is planned!

Be part of a focus group at North Kent Community Services

North Kent Community Services (NKCS) has partnered with the Dorothy A. Johnson Center’s Community Research Institute at Grand Valley State University to complete a community needs assessment for northern Kent County. This initiative, funded in part by the Sparta Community Foundation, Cedar Springs Rotary, and Rockford Rotary, will give insight to how NKCS can best address the needs in our community.

The Community Research Institute will be facilitating and gathering information from three community focus groups. These groups will be made up from individuals in the community whose households’ income are at or below the 200 percent federal poverty guidelines and who have never received services from NKCS. The focus groups will be held on:

Wednesday, March 22 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Friday, March 24 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Friday, March 31 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

If you or somebody you know are interested in attending one of these focus groups, please call (616) 331-7585 to sign up. Attendance is limited to the first 30 people who reserve a spot. Those who reserve a spot and participate in any of these focus groups will receive a $20 Meijer gift card.

Pictured is Desmond Smith, Champion in the 4/6 age group.

By Barbra Chong

This weekend WMP traveled to Grand Valley State University and Lakeview. 80 lb Blake Peasley, 9/10 age group, entered the Lakeview tournament. Peasley battled into the Finals, going 3-0 to take home a Championship title.

WMP had 14 grapplers enter the GVSU tournament and 11 placed in the top 5. 80 lb Blake Hammer, 11/12 Novice age group, finished in 5^th Place.

52 lb Kaleb Pautke, 7/8 age group and 55 lb Aaiden Vasquez, 7/8 age group, finished in 3^rd Place.

63 lb Luke Egan, 9/10 age group, finished 2^nd Place.

Taking home championship titles were 64 lb Quinten Cassiday, 7/8 age group; 67 lb Tyler Parmeter, 7/8 age group; 52 lb Desmond Smith, 4/6 age group; 61 lb Selina Stalker, 4/6 age group; 59 lb Josh Vasquez, 9/10 age group; 55 lb Kellen Weckesser, 7/8 age group and 49 lb Blake Werkema, 4/6 age group.

“Watching these kids build momentum each week is exciting. Their passion and drive is displayed every time they step on the mat. I am thankful for my athletes and the support of their parents,” said Head Coach Dave Andrus.

**photo by Mackenzie Jeanne Photography

SCHUMACHER – LENARDSON

Ricky Lenardson and Christine Ellis are proud to announce the marriage of their daughter Brittany Lenardson to Evan Lee Schumacher. Evan is the son of Michael Schumacher and Joann (Ignasiak) Uhl.

Brittany is a Cedar Springs 2011 graduate and 2016 Grand Valley State University graduate in Engineering and Evan is a 2008 graduate of Almont High School and a 2015 Grand Valley State University graduate in Engineering. They met while at GVSU in the engineering program. The wedding was held on September 24, 2016 in Imlay City, Michigan.

They are pictured with their “daughter,” Millie Schumacher.

Congratulations and may your lives together be blessed because you both are such blessings to everyone you know!

Love you both from Mom and Dad!

Logan Galinis placed 4th in the 58/61 lb, 6 & under age group at GVSU. Photo by B. Chong.

By Barbra Chong

West Michigan Pursuit traveled to Grand Valley State University this past weekend. WMP entered 21 grapplers and placed 16 in the top four. We have two Champions who remain undefeated this season, Chayson Eberspeaker, 6 & under age group and Jayden Marcano-Cruz, 7/8 age group. Out of 68 battles, WMP claimed 44 victories. Individual results are as follows:

4th Place Medalists include 95 lb Gage Bowen, 9/10 age group; 58/61 lb Logan Galinis, 6 & under age group and 46 lb Jacob Howard, 6 & under age group.

3rd Place Medalists include 130 lb Isaac Casey, 9/10 age group; 55/59 lb Josh Vasquez, 9/10 age group and 90/95 lb Dylan Whidden, 13/14 age group.

2nd Place Medalists include 55/59 lb Michael Cannon, 9/10 age group and 64 lb Isaiah Sostenes, 7/8 age group.

Champions are 55 lb Quinten Cassiday, 7/8 age group; 58/61 lb Chayson Eberspeaker, 6 & under age group; 58/61 lb Luke Egan, 7/8 age group; 43/49 lb Jayden Marcano-Cruz, 7/8 age group; 72/77 lb Blake Peasley, 7/8 age group, 52 lb Aiden Vasquez, 6 & under age group; 52 lb Kellen Weckesser, 7/8 age group and 126/133 lb Maston Wood, 11/12 age group.

“Each week these kids continue to impress with their own determination to be the best they can be. They truly are the Pursuit of Champions,” said Head Coach Dave Andrus.

Lights! Camera! Action! Kent County teens in grades 6–12 have a chance to make a movie, win a prize and see their film on the big screen. Kent District Library is pleased to present the Kent County Teen Film Festival. Applications and film submissions are due Friday, January 22, 2016. The Festival will take place from 10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 27, 2016 at Celebration! Cinema North and is free and open to the public.
A jury will review all submitted entries and select films to be screened at the Festival. Prizes will be awarded for the best films in various categories.

“We know that Kent County teens have amazing artistic skills, whether it be acting, directing, editing or composing original music,” said Monica Walen, Youth Specialist at the East Grand Rapids Branch of Kent District Library. “The Film Festival is a great way for them to show off their talents to the entire community. Plus, they’ll be able to see their creations on the big screen!”

Festival rules and further information including a link to the entry form can be found at www.kdl.org/teens. Questions about the Festival can be emailed to teenfilmfestival@kdl.org. Celebration! Cinema North is located at 2121 Celebration Dr. NE, Grand Rapids. The Kent County Teen Film Festival is sponsored by CompuCraft and Grand Valley State University Film and Video Production.

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks will host the Comstock Park Panthers in the new GRidiron Classic at Grand Valley State University on August 29. The photo shows Red Hawk quarterback Collin Alvesteffer being tackled by a Panther during last fall’s win over Comstock Park.

Saturday, August 29, marks the first game of the 2015 season for the Cedar Springs Red Hawks, and you don’t want to miss it! They will host the Comstock Park Panthers at Grand Valley State University Lubbers Stadium, in the brand new GRidiron classic, at 4 p.m.

The West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) partnered with Grand Valley State University and the OK Conference to promote the newly created high school football showcase, which will feature three games:

1:00 p.m. Hamtramck vs. NorthPointe Christian (host)

4:00 p.m. Comstock Park vs. Cedar Springs (host)

7:00 p.m. Oak Park vs. Zeeland West (host)

“West Michigan prides itself in our high school football and this event will highlight the start of the season with some great matchups at a superb facility,” stated Mike Guswiler, President of the WMSC, in a press release last spring.

Each purchased ticket entitles the bearer to attend all three scheduled games. Tickets are available online at a cost of $8 Adults / $6 Students. Tickets purchased on the day of the event at the door will be sold for $10 Adults / $8 Students.

Last year, the Red Hawks took on Comstock Park in their opening game on the Panther’s home turf, and ran away with the game, 50-13. They went on to become OK-Bronze Champions, and ended their season after losing to Muskegon in the second game of the playoffs.

Come on out and cheer on your Cedar Springs Red Hawks!

Brook trout released into Cedar Creek last week will help researchers understand more about the fish and their relationship with our cold water creek.

This summer, the Rogue River Home Rivers Initiative in Michigan partnered up with a professor and his graduate students from Grand Valley State University to study brook trout movement in the watershed. Dr. Mark Luttenton, Biology Graduate Program Coordinator, and his students, Justin Wegner and Graeme Zaparzynski, set out to evaluate the response of brook trout to a range of water temperature regimes, specifically summer water temperatures that surpass the temperature for maximum growth (13° C) and upper thermal preference (16° C). They also sought to understand the extent to which brook trout moderate internal body temperatures behaviorally by seeking coldwater refuge and how it relates to diet and fish bioenergetics.

To do so, they implanted 10 brook trout with a temperature sensitive radio transmitter. The transmitter will allow them to track their movements using telemetry and communicate core body temperatures throughout the summer. Every other day, the researchers will locate each fish and collect water temperature data to inform their findings.

Trout Unlimited suggested Cedar Creek in Cedar Springs for the study and facilitated a partnership with the local chapter Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited and the Cedar Springs Community Building Development Team, whom helped fund the project. On June 23rd, the research team along with excited community members gathered at Cedar Creek near 15 Mile to watch the surgical implantation of the radio transmitter and subsequent release of the tagged brook trout.

The Rogue River Home Rivers Initiative will use this data to prioritize restoration efforts in the watershed to focus on key trout habitat in the coldwater creek, particularly where groundwater inputs have been identified by the GVSU students

Justin Balczak captured the 2015 NCAA Division II decathlon national championship, picking up his second individual national title. Photo by Joe Reinsch, Asuza Pacific University.

Justin Balczak (center) on winner’s stand. Photo courtesy Jeff Myers.

Grand Valley State University hosted the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships on May 21-23. Former state champion hurdler, Justin Balczak (class of 2011), who attends Azusa Pacific University in California, competed in the decathlon, a grueling two-day event.

The event accumulates points based on how close the decathletes come to the world record mark in each event. Upon the conclusion of each event, the athletes are given 30 minutes to prepare for their next. There is very little mental and physical rest.

On day one, Justin competed in the 100m dash, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m dash. Balczak posted an 11.37 in the 100; long jumped 23’ 2”; threw the 16lb. shot put 42’ 8”; won the high jump event at 6’ 7.5”; and ran the 400 in 50.36 seconds. After the first day of competition, Justin led the field of 15.

Day two started with the 110m hurdles, followed by the discus, pole vault, javelin, and concluded with the 1500m run. His 14.71 seconds in the hurdles placed him second; he struggled in the discus by throwing 116’ 3”; placed second in the pole vault with a jump of 14’ 11”; threw the javelin 175’ 10”; and finished the 1500 in 4:43.99. His points earned declared him national champion in Division II.

This was Justin’s first outdoor national championship, while he won the heptathlon this past winter. “It’s terribly taxing on the mind and body,” remarked Justin. “You learn that you have to forget the last event and prepare for the next.”

He is coached by former Olympic decathlete, Brian Clay.

In July, Justin will compete in the Pan-American Games in Toronto. With success, he can earn a roster spot on the U.S. National team.

Balczak is a well decorated collegiate athlete. He has earned All-American status four consecutive years competing in indoor track and field (three at Lake Superior State University and one at Azusa Pacific), while being awarded All-American three times in the outdoor season (two at LSSU and his first at A.P.U.). He has one season of eligibility remaining in outdoor track and field.

Arthritis Foundation honors 7-year-old who has arthritis 

Named one of the nation’s “Most Incredible Themed Races,” the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis will be held on Saturday, December 13, 2014, at 9 a.m. at the Grand Valley State University Eberhard Center, 301 West Fulton Street, EC210, in Grand Rapids . More than 1,000 participants are expected.

Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis raises funds to fight and cure arthritis, the nation’s leading cause of disability. Participants dress in holiday-themed costumes and tie jingle bells to their shoes creating a fun and festive atmosphere. This family-friendly event includes a competitively timed 5K run with walk option, 1K kids’ Snowman Shuffle, prizes for best costume and top fundraisers, and medals for the best run times in 13 age categories. Entry fees are $30 for the run/walk and $12 for the kid’s Snowman Shuffle. All proceeds support the Arthritis Foundation’s programs, services and research.

Register by going to www.Arthritis.org/Michigan or calling (855) 529-2728.

Arthritis is a serious disease that causes slow and painful deterioration of the body’s joints. Often mischaracterized as an “old person’s” disease, arthritis affects more than 50 million Americans, including 300,000 kids. In Michigan, more than 2.3 million adults and 10,300 children have arthritis—that’s 31 percent of the population!

Owen Barrett is a 7-year-old from Walker. When he was 3-years-old, he developed a recurring rash that was misdiagnosed several times. Owen was referred to a pediatric rheumatologist who accurately diagnosed him with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The doctor said he had active inflammation in every joint he checked and that he probably had arthritis since birth.

“My husband and I were shocked,” said Aimee Barrett, Owen’s mom. “Owen never complained of pain. Not once. The doctor explained that most kids who have arthritis don’t know a life without pain, so they don’t know to complain about it. Pain is their norm. It broke my heart.”

“We hope for Owen, when he has his own children, that he can tell them, ‘I had arthritis as a child, but they found a cure,’” said Aimee. “And we hope to make so much noise about this disease that people aren’t shocked when I tell them, ‘My son has arthritis. He’s only 7-years-old.’”

For more info on the Jingle Bell Run/Walk or to register you can visit jinglebellrungrandrapids.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1121965