The unbridled intensity and raw energy of flat track motorcycle racing is easy to appreciate.
Apr. 30, Rochester Grangers @ Lumber City
Strike up a conversation with Madison Ballard and it soon becomes obvious that the tennis court is her happy place. She finds solace in a strong serve, bliss in a finely-executed backhand, revelry in a winning rally, and euphoria in a firm forehand.
In the early 1970s, a pair of young, Flint-area running enthusiasts took it upon themselves to address a glaring problem. The local running scene was very different at the time, and finding an outlet for one’s competitive juices often required extensive travel. It was a more tedious process, to put it mildly, than today – when a quick scan of Internet race calendars usually provides a myriad of nearby options on most weekends. So, in stepped John Gault and Mark Bauman to tackle the issue.
There is an unmistakable excitement in Zoe Weinberg’s voice when discussing skiing. It’s obvious that when the Fenton High School junior slips on a pair of boots, straps on skis, clutches her poles and shoots out of a gate onto a snow-covered slope, there is probably no place she would rather be. In this setting, enthralled by the sensation of carving out a flawless run, Weinberg is very much at home.
Adam Cooper is full of stories from his two decades guiding members of the Flint Falcons swim program – kids who joined for simple reasons, only to enjoy long-lasting, splashing success.
The AGA Gymnastics Training Center is a sprawling complex of more than 10,000 square feet nestled between I-75 and U.S. 23, just south of Hill Road in Grand Blanc. On most days, especially in the late afternoon, the facility hums with activity. Aspiring athletes by the hundreds – of all abilities, from pre-school through high school – hone their crafts from gymnastics to tumbling to cheerleading. It is also home to the Creative Learning Academy – an award-winning childcare center that incorporates gymnastics and other physical activities.
The University of Michigan football program is a perfect example of what a difference a year can make. October of 2014 saw the Wolverines mired in a 2-5 start on the way to a modest 5-7 record, and Fenton High School graduate Kenny Allen, while on the roster, was without a scholarship and yearning to become the team’s punter for the following season. One year later, much has changed for the better in Ann Arbor with numerous new faces in a bevy of places; not least of which is first-year coach, Jim Harbaugh, whose Wolverines had flipped their record from the previous season through seven games to 5-2.
After hanging up his helmet, packing away his cleats, and putting his pads to rest as a middle-schooler, Tyler Deering was unsure whether he would ever play football again. Instead, his primary focus at Bentley High School became basketball, and he developed into a key component of the Bulldogs’ starting lineup, earning honorable mention all-conference honors last season. Meanwhile, he watched the football team struggle season after season, never winning more than three games in a single year after last qualifying for the playoffs in 2008.
When Linnell Jones-McKenney was eight years-old, she had a clear picture of who she would become and what she would do with her life. “I had a dream I’d play professional basketball, work with young people and I would establish a youth activity center,” said Linnell, 56, a Flint native, basketball legend, 2002 Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame inductee and 2005 Greater Flint Area Hall of Fame inductee, who has miraculously accomplished two of the three visions she had as a child.
Last month, in his final act as a high school athlete, Grant Fisher donned a resplendent tuxedo, shiny black dress shoes and his trademark smile for a walk down the ESPY Awards Red Carpet.
