Respect for Spring Sports

As a senior at North Farmington I have observed many things over the past four years. One main thing I have seen is that there seems to be a drop in support for our sports teams when the spring season begins. During the Fall and Winter, everybody loves to attend football and basketball games. We have brown outs every Friday night in the fall and brown outs two or three times a month for men's and women's basketball plus many other sports such as soccer, hockey, swimming, and volleyball. While all of this is great, there seems to be little or no school spirit in the spring.

Over the past four years, I have seen spring sports games. I have been to lacrosse games, baseball games, tennis matches, and soccer games, and not just as a writer but as a spectator. When I have been, I have gone with two or three other friends, but we always end up being the only ones there. For baseball games, it's normally just us and parents, for soccer games, us and parents; do you see where I'm going with this?

Why does this happen though? Do we just not like these sports? I don't think so. Enough kids play them for them to be considered varsity sports. Some are unified, yes, but so is hockey and there are constantly kids in the stands for those games. Do we have too big of a homework load? Maybe, but it's the end of the year. Most students are beginning to wind down because the year is almost over, especially seniors. Plus, this is the easier trimester, at least for me. So I don't think that is the reason. Is it because we are lazy? Yes. This is the reason why. It has to be. It's the end of the year and we just don't want to do anything anymore. We would rather be out with our friends or participating in Water Wars than sitting in the stands at a baseball game. Are we that selfish? These are our classmates. They stay after school everyday and put a lot of effort into practices. They live and breathe their sports and they should be shown support for what they do from their peers.

This year, I think it would be nice if we showed some support for our spring sports teams. Go attend a track meet or a lacrosse game. They are fun to watch. Every turn on the track, every swing of the bat, and every hit off the tee should not be missed.

As students of North Farmington High School, we need to live up to our reputation of being people with a lot of spirit. It is necessary to attend these games to do so. Let's not fall off the face of the earth this year. There is a spring sports season. Here are some things to look forward to in the months of April May and June:

1. Baseball: The first baseball game is tomorrow, Tuesday, at home against West Bloomfield. The city across 14 mile road. You might know students on both teams. West Bloomfield could almost be considered a rival school because we are located so close to them. I know they look at us that way. So, maybe it's time for us to do the same.

2. Softball: Softball season begins today. They play at Troy Athens tonight. And their first home game is not until April 15 against Berkely.

3. Womens' Soccer: Soccer season has already begun. They have already played 3 games and they play again tonight at home against Seaholm.

4. Mens' Unified Lacrosse: Lacrosse has also already started this year. They have played 3 games and have a record of 3-0. They have a home game tomorrow night against Haslett High School. If you want to attend the game ask someone on the team where it is at because it alternates between all 3 three schools.

5. Womens' Unified Lacrosse: Women's Lacrosse has played 2 games this year and is 1-1. They also played in the Farmington Invitational over this past weekend where they played pretty well. They play tomorrow night at home vs. Tecumseh High School.

6. Mens' Golf: Mens' Golf does not begin until April 13th. However, they will have meets at places such as Glenn Oaks and the Farmington Hills Golf Course.

7. Mens' and Womens' Track: Track missed the whole day of school last Friday for a invitational at Eastern Michigan University. They don't have another meet until April 2nd. However, everyone should attend the Raider Relays here at North on April 24th.

Public vs. Private

On March 13, 2009, North Farmington High School played in the District Championship basketball game against St. Mary’s High School. The North Farmington Raiders had home court advantage and their student body behind them. The players put their heart and soul into the game, however, they didn’t come out on top; St. Mary’s won the game 50-45. Although the game was close, it is unfair to the student athletes of North Farmington, who work so hard all season long for their diligent public school. They shouldn’t have to play against a private school in the state playoffs. Private schools have better funding, are allowed to recruit, and offer scholarships, unlike public schools, like North Farmington, where sports are not what are constantly on an athlete’s mind like they might be for a student on scholarship.
In private schools across the state of Michigan, such as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Detroit Country Day, recruiting is allowed in order to make their school the best it can be at any sport. They begin this process while the student is still in seventh or eighth grade. They are allowed to send letters to families talking about how good their school is in academics and athletics, and many families take the opportunity to consider sending their child to these schools. It’s no wonder that schools such as Detroit Country Day and St. Mary’s are ranked in the top 20 for mens’ basketball each year. Their programs are stellar because they are able to pull kids in with scholarships and hire coaches that would be way out of budget for any public school.
These private schools become even more intense when it comes to scholarships. After sending families these letters to get them interested, the will begin to scout the students. If the school thinks that they are good enough, then they may offer the family a scholarship. Students such as Chris Webber, now an NBA star, was on a scholarship at Country Day, and with him, they won three state championships. If this kid is getting a free ride at a school because he is so good, it’s not really fair for him to go and play against a public school. In a public school, like North Farmington, the only kids who can be on the team are kids who attend the school, and they can’t do anything about who those kids are. A private school and a public school are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Whenever a public school plays a private school, it is a well known fact that the public school is the underdog, and upsets in these situations are rare.
At North Farmington, sports are not the biggest topic on everybody’s mind. Classes are. However, at a private school, they might be because if you are on scholarship, sports are why you are there. North Farmington it well-known for its student body that is energetic, has good grades, and does their homework every night. Students there do whatever it takes to get an A. Yes, they still love their sports teams. At Brown Out after Brown Out, the students show up with the utmost enthusiasm and support for their teams, however, if they have homework or a big test the next day, you probably wouldn’t see many students in the stands. At private schools, winning is expected. The teams are never timorous of other schools. They practice everyday preparing for games, just like North Farmington; however, the private schools might have better equipment due to the better funding they have.
Private schools have much better funding for everything they do than a public school does. At private schools, many alumni make donations to the schools, and there is a tuition fee to even attend the school. Unlike public schools where all the funding comes from taxes, private schools are able to accept money from many sources to build better training facilities, nicer locker rooms, get higher end equipment, and the list goes on forever. These school are able to excel in athletics because of the better funding they receive.

When a public school plays a sport against a private school, the outcome is normally a lot to a little. These games are David versus Goliath. While there is the occasional upset or close game, it is the private school that normally comes away with the trophy. It is not fair that this should happen, however it is the way the system works. But it is time for change, time to change the system. It is not fair that North Farmington should have to play St. Mary’s, but its not who wins or loses that matters, its about what is right and what is wrong, and the people who are in charge of the Michigan High School Athletic Association should know that.

Teacher of Football

English teacher Parker Salowich made the decision to leave his head coaching position at Salem High School and will be back at North Farmington next season. For three years Salowich was the head football coach at Salem. Year in and year out he worked for the school to make the football program the best it could be, until this year that is. Current head coach, Todd Schultz will still remain at his position, along with all the other coordinators and staff.

It all began in a meeting Salowich had with his Defensive Coordinator at Salem. They were looking at the roster for next season, and Salowich realized that he could no longer coach there. "There were 120 names on the board and I didn’t know 85 of them," he said. "As a head coach that shouldn’t happen, and that was one of the main reasons I decided to leave."

There were many reasons for why Salowich decided to leave. He coached at a school he did not teach at and spent hours away from his family working on the depth chart, watching tape of his team, all while still grading English papers for his job at North.

Salowich has a strong presence on the football field. In 2005, he served as NF’s Varsity football offensive coordinator and assistant head coach to Todd Schultz. Salowich had a high-powered offense led by stand out running back Mark Moundros, who now plays football at the University of Michigan.

"We’ve been friends for a very long time, [Salowich and I]" Schultz said. "I was on his interview committee when he was hired by the district, and before I was the head coach, we served on Rich Burrell’s, a former head coach, staff together."

When Schultz became the Varsity head coach, he brought Salowich up to the top level with him.
The 2005 Raiders, who went 7-3 in the regular season, made it to the State Playoffs only to lose to Walled Lake Central in the first round. When the season was over, Salowich announced he would not be back as a coach next season.

In 2006, although he was still an English teacher at NF, Salowich became the Varsity football head coach at Salem High School in Canton.

"I had always wanted to be a head coach," Salowich said. "The opportunity presented itself, and I took it."

"Coaching there and working here put so much stress on my teaching," Salowich said. "Most coaches look at coaching as a full time job, and during the season it was common for me to spend about 40 hours a week on football."

Over the past three years, while Salowich was coaching at Salem, the NF football program has had three straight loosing seasons. Now, Salowich will bring his intensity and love of the game to the NF sideline, once again and instill it in his players.

"I love North Farmington," said Salowich. "There is a great heritage here and you are part of the fabric for the community. In Salem, they try to have that sense of family, but it’s fake. Here, everyone has a sense of tradition."

Salowich has a plethora of experience under his belt. It is what makes up his personality and style. He played football in high school, coached at NF for four years, and was the head coach at Salem for three.

"It’s his unorthodox personality that makes him so well-known," fellow English teacher and friend Kevin Ozar said. "He possesses a method of teaching and communication with the students that is rarely seen, especially at NF."

"It’s good to be consistent as a coach," he said. "I have great expectations and I put a lot of effort into coaching. I expect the same effort to be returned by the kids on the field."

Coaching has also really influenced Salowich’s teaching style. He once had a parent tell him that he coaches English. His style of teaching football and teaching English are very similar.

"He brings the same intensity to the classroom that he does to the playing field," said Schultz.
Salowich really wants kids to excel, not just in the classroom but also on the football field."

"Salowich is a very honest guy," Ozar said. "It’s his ability to truly dedicate himself to the task at hand that makes him such a good teacher and coach."

Schultz is very glad to have Salowich back on the NF sideline. They have coached together and been friends for a very long time.

"Salowich and I share everything, so I knew of the challenges he was having at Salem," Schultz said. "Salem’s loss is our gain."

"He understands what we are about," Schultz said. "We want to provide our players with a learning experience and Salowich can bring that to the table. It will be great having him aboard again."
Salowich’s new coaching position is still up in the air. Many meetings between he and Schultz’s coaching staff are taking place to define his position.

"I’ve had the opportunity to coach with a lot of people," Schultz said. "Some good, some not so good, but it was because they couldn’t teach the game. Salowich is a man who can do that, and it is what makes him one of the best coaches around."

On A Roll

The Mens’ Swim team is 24-0 since 2006.

"We all know what we have to do to continue the streak," said senior captain Michael Tetrick. "No one wants to lose it, and it motivates us to do better."

This year, the team is the largest it has ever been, with more than 20 swimmers.

"It’s a good group of guys," Tetrick said. "It’s the first time in a while that we have all worked together as a team, instead of going for the individual accomplishment."

Newcomers to the team, seniors Max Corman and Nate Valade, said the team chemistry is great.
"There are no bad influences on the team," Corman said. "Everyone looks out for each other."

So far this season, the NF swim team has won all their meets. They have competed against the likes of Farmington, Rochester, and Avondale. They also participated in the West Bloomfield Invitational, where they placed first for the first time in four years, after facing Novi, West Bloomfield, Troy Athens, and Livonia Churchill.

"The size of the team has really surprised me this season," said head coach Michael Harfoot. "I don’t know if it was the Olympics that made kids want to join, but it has really helped us out a lot."

Last season, the team had trouble filling all the lanes. This year, it was only the second time in Harfoot’s 11 years coaching here that he had to cut swimmers.

The team is led by captains Michael Tetrick, Phil Robinson, and Michael Sapick.

Junior Mickey McNeece made state cuts after the first meet of the season for the 100 Butterfly.

"I’ve made state cuts before, but doing it in the first meet of the season doesn’t happen often," McNeece said. "It’s really good to know and now I can set my goals higher."

McNecee wants to break the pool record for the 100 Butterfly before he leaves North Farmington.

According to Harfoot, Junior Garrick Givens is also swimming very well.

"It’s amazing to see Givens back in the pool swimming so well," Harfoot said.

Last season, Givens was out with a back injury and had to have major surgery done. He was out for six months.

"All my muscles were weakened, so it has slowed me down a bit," Givens said. "However, at the West Bloomfield meet, I dropped four seconds off my 200 freestyle time."

It was the best time Givens has had since the surgery.

Every other day, the team is practicing in the pool at 5:30 in the morning, and they continue to practice after school each day.

The team does almost everything together. They even hang out outside of the pool.
"After every meet, we go to Wendy’s," Valade said. "And after Saturday practice we go out to Royal Buffet."

The swim team still has more than half a season left to play. Right now, they are 8-0 this season.

"Expectations have been set," Corman said. "We know what we have to do to keep the streak going, and we hope to continue it throughout the rest of the season."

Change You Should Believe In

Did you know that, just last year, the Womens’ Basketball team made it to the state semi-finals? They were District Champions.

Did you know that the Mens’ Swim team is 21-0 over the past three years, with state qualifying swimmers?

It’s time to catch you up. Did you know that the Farmingtion United Gymnastics team won back to back State Championships in 2005 and 2006, along with Regional Championships in 2007 and 2008?

Today, as a senior, I can walk into the gym and see the banners and plaques; but, it is appalling to see that the most recent one says 2006, when, since then, there have been championship teams.
There was no banner raised or ceremony for them. All that transpired was an announcement in the morning; that’s it.

And there are more. All these teams have taken North’s athletics to new heights. Football, soccer, and basketball plaques hang with pride to let the world know that we are the Raiders.

In professional and college athletics, when a team wins a national championship, a bowl game, or a conference championship, there is normally some type of ceremony recognizing the accomplishments of the teams where a banner is raised. Why don’t we do this at North Farmington? We are supposed to be a school where accomplishments are of the highest recognition.

Also, the banners are in a spot where you can’t even see them. At some high schools, the banners are hanging directly above the gym floor, where they are at least noticeable.
Even individual accomplishments should be acknowledged by updating the records in the gym and pool.

Something needs to happen. The pep rally, which involves the athletes, is a good place for these announcements to take place. We could still have all the fun with them, as the teams are introduced. However, if a team for that season won a championship, the banners could be updated, or the plaques could be hung in front of the whole school.

Pay To Play

In recent years, one of the worst things to come out of high school athletics is Pay to Play. It means exactly what it says. Athletes must pay a fee in order to play their sport.

Pay to play is ruining high school sports. It's unbelievable. Even with the bad economy, pay to play is still taking place. We need to be able to conserve our money right now, not spend it. This year alone, its costs $100 per high school athlete, and $50 per middle school athlete. That means that if your a sixth grader right now, and you play football through your senior year of high school you will spend $550 dollars on football. And what if you also play basketball and baseball? Thats like two mortgage payments on your parents house. And also, for some sports, like hockey, lacrosse, downhill skiing, and bowling, there are previously established fees, which cost more than the normal rate.

"I wish we didn't have it," Principal Rick Jones said.

"It's an unnecessary aspect of the game," Varsity Football Head Coach Todd Schultz said. "The money doesn't even go toward sports, it goes to the academics first, so it's very difficult to fund some of the after school sports."

Even members of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) are against Pay to Play. In fact, they are trying to ban it in public schools.

"Participation fees drive students away from playing their sport," MHSAA Director Jack Roberts said.

Yes equipment costs a lot, but its unfair to make the parents pay for everything. To have their child play, watch their child play, and attend the team banquet at the end of the season. For god sake, it even costs money to be in the Musical and Marching Band.

Pay to play needs to stop. Its ridiculous to make parents pay over $500 in four years just to have their kid play sports.