The Hastings Banner — Thursday, September 30, 2021 — Page 15TK coach sees ‘fire’ in his girls at Gold jamboree
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
Thornapple Kellogg varsity girls’ cross
country head coach Sam Wilkinson was
happy to share a story following the second
OK Gold Conference jamboree of the season
Tuesday afternoon at Gracewil Country Club.
“How did they do tonight, Coach?,”
Wilkinson was asked.
He started gushing with pride.
“Oh my gosh. They were amazing!”
“Really? Where did they place?” asked
the enquirer.
“I don’t know,” Wilkinson answered.
“Huh, did they have fast times?” the TK
coach was asked.
“I chuckled, ‘Ha, I don’t know that either,
but boy did they light it up. I’m so proud of
them,’” Wilkinson said. “I’m sure I left the
conversation with confusion just lingering in
the air.”
When he finally saw the results roll in
they weren’t what he was expecting. His
girls performed well, but the other teams had
picked up their game as well.
Forest Hills Eastern continued its domi-
nance of the league by winning the jamboree
with 32 points. Ottawa Hills was second
with 99 points, ahead of South Christian
102, Cedar Springs 106, Thornapple Kellogg
121, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 146,
Kenowa Hills 149 and Wayland Union 149.
Times were outstanding across the board
for everyone, but TK boys’ coach Josh
Reynolds expressed concern after the race
that the course might have run a little shorter
than it was supposed to Tuesday.
Still, it wasn’t the times or the scores that
caught Wilkinson’s eye. It was how his girls
looked running on the course from start to
finish, no matter who was ahead of them,
behind them or just exactly how many kilo-
meters they traveled.
“Only yesterday I expressed concern
because so many of us were running in races
with our eyes down,” Wilkinson said. “We
talked about keeping our eyes up and being in
the moment. We talked about not just running
fast and running hard in a race, but being in a
race and racing people. We talked about
being our strongest in our toughest moments.
Even though the girls were politely attentive
as they always are in those moments, I never
really know if it’s making a difference.
Maybe it didn’t. Maybe they flipped the
switch just because they decided it was time
to flip the switch. I’m good either way.”
“Tonight I saw them really racing,” he
continued. “When I looked at their faces
there was clear determination. When I looked
at their eyes there was focus and fire. They
were gettin’ after it. I felt like something spe-
cial was happening and that I was being
blessed to see it unfold. Well, something was
happening. We are starting to enter the back
half of the season with more experience, with
growth from the first half of the season, and
with more confidence, and I love it.”
Freshman Ava Crews led the TK girls’
team with a tenth-place time of 19 minutes
48.48 seconds. Jessica Durkee, a senior,
wasn’t far behind in 20:17.90.Junior Emelia MacDonald placed 24th in
21:32.87, sophomore Holly Velting 36th in
21:53.13 and junior Lindsey Velting 40th in
22:00.34.
The TK top seven also had freshman
Lydia Schilthroat and junior Lucy
VanDemark in it. Wilkinson was happy with
how they all performed and especially
thrilled to see VanDemark, who has recently
returned to action following a stress fracture,
run well enough to get back into the top
seven for the team.
“These were definitely not the only strong
performances,” coach Wilkinson said. “As I
mentioned, I saw a fight in our girls that I’ve
been waiting to see, and it was in all of them.
Times were fast, and admittedly the course
was a bit suspect, but we all ran on the same
course.”Ottawa Hills had the two fastest girls in the
race. Sophomore Selma Anderson won the race
in 18:51.33 and her senior teammate Adit Dau
was second in 18:53.93. Forest Hills Eastern
put four girls in the top seven, led by junior
Sarah Dixon who placed third in 19:22.26.
Ottawa Hills and Forest Hills Eastern had
the fastest individual guys as well. Ottawa
Hills junior Benne Anderson won the boys’
race in what goes down as a personal record
time of 15:33.30 for now. Forest Hills
Eastern junior Aiden Sullivan was second in
a new personal record time of 15:39.77.
The Hawks’ won the boys’ meet as wellwith 83 points, ahead of Catholic Central 90,
South Christian 92, Cedar Springs 94,
Wayland 96, Ottawa Hills 104, Kenowa
Hills 147 and Thornapple Kellogg 176.
Sophomore Lucas Van Meter led the TK boys’
team with a 16th-place time of 17:28.3. The net
for TK guys in recorded their best time of the
season. Senior Camden Reynolds was 25th in
17:43.98, senior Matthew Smith 39th in 18:25.2,
sophomore Kaden Hamming 60th in 19:37.
and junior Aidan Buist 65th in 19:46.68.
Seniors Benjamin Trudell and Michael
Blair were the six and seven runners for the
TK guys.168773
HOPE TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSIONPUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
TO: THE RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS OF HOPE TOWNSHIP, BARRY COUNTY,
MICHIGAN, AND ANY OTHER INTERESTED PERSONS:PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Hope Township Planning Commission will hold a meeting and public
hearing on Thursday, October 21st, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hope Township Hall, 5463 South M-43,
Hastings, Michigan 49058 within the Township, to consider the following variance request:Delton Venture LLC is requesting to rezone property (08-07-020-029-00) located
at 277 Lakeside Drive, Delton, MI 49046 from RL, Residential Lake district to
MHP, Mobile Home Park district.A copy of the Hope Township Zoning Ordinance and the application is available for review at the Hope
Township Hall, 5463 S. M-43 Hwy, Hastings, Michigan 49058, during regular business hours. The
Hope Township Zoning Ordinance is also accessible at http://www.hopetwp.com.Members of the public may provide written comments for the Planning Commission’s consideration
by emailing or mailing those comments to the Township Clerk for receipt at least one day prior to the
meeting at [email protected] or at the address below. Written comments will also be received from
any interested persons by the Hope Township Clerk at the Hope Township Hall during regular busi-
ness hours and may be further received by the Planning Commission during the hearing. Oral com-
ments will be taken during the hearing.Hope Township will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with dis-
abilities at the hearing upon seven (7) days’ prior notice to the Township Clerk at the address or
telephone number listed below.HOPE TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION
Hope Township Hall
5463 South M-
Hastings, Michigan 49058
(269) 948-168774
HOPE TOWNSHIP ZONING BOARD OF APPEALSPUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
TO: THE RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS OF HOPE TOWNSHIP, BARRY COUNTY,
MICHIGAN, AND ANY OTHER INTERESTED PERSONS:PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Hope Township Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a meeting and
public hearing on Tuesday, October 26th, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hope Township Hall, 5463 South
M-43, Hastings, Michigan 49058 within the Township, to consider the following variance request:Ashlee Russell wishes to construct a house within the required side yard, rear
yard (road side), and front yard (lake side) setback areas on a legally noncon-
forming parcel (08-07-032-031-00) located at 9049 S M43 HWY, Delton, MI- The Hope Township Zoning Ordinance requires that buildings and struc-
tures be set back 20 feet from the side lot line, 20 feet from the rear lot line, and
50 feet from the lake on lots in the RL, Residential Lake zoning district, which can
be reduced by 50% on legally nonconforming lots, except that a structure shall
not be any closer to a lakeshore or roadway than a straight line connecting the
nearest building on each side of the lot. The applicant is requesting an 8-foot
variance in the front yard (lake side), 2-foot variance in the rear yard (road side),
and a 5-foot variance in the side yard.
A copy of the Hope Township Zoning Ordinance and the application is available for review at the Hope
Township Hall, 5463 S. M-43 Hwy, Hastings, Michigan 49058, during regular business hours. The
Hope Township Zoning Ordinance is also accessible at http://www.hopetwp.com.Members of the public may provide written comments for the Zoning Board of Appeals’ consideration
by emailing or mailing those comments to the Township Clerk for receipt at least one day prior to the
meeting at [email protected] or at the address below. Written comments will also be received from
any interested persons by the Hope Township Clerk at the Hope Township Hall during regular busi-
ness hours and may be further received by the Zoning Board of Appeals during the hearing. Oral
comments will be taken during the hearing.Hope Township will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with dis-
abilities at the hearing upon seven (7) days’ prior notice to the Township Clerk at the address or
telephone number listed below.
HOPE TOWNSHIP ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
Hope Township Hall
5463 South M-
Hastings, Michigan 49058
(269) 948-Kiwanis, Southeastern seeking to secure playground grant
Kiwanis International has a mission to
improve the lives of all children and values
the benefits of play.
The Southeastern Elementary Playground
Committee of the Kiwanis Club of Hastings
has spearheaded the challenge of raising
funds to improve the outdoor area at
Southeastern Elementary while working
closely with school Principal Dana Stein.
Through various community and private
donations, Kiwanis members are proud to be
nearing the deadline for one of their largest
grant endeavors through GameTime and
Sinclair Recreation of Holland.
Sinclair Recreation recently installed of
the accessible playground at Tyden Park in
Hastings and overhauled the Fish Hatchery
Park playground.
GameTime has a grant opportunity recently
awarded to the playground committee: a 100
percent matching grant. Kiwanis has raised
approximately $25,300 through community
donations, local grants and the school’s par-
ent-teacher organization. However, there is a
caveat: GameTime, the manufacturer and
grantor of the matching funds, requires a min-
imum structure purchase of $40,000 with a
deadline of Nov. 3 to submit the order.
Kiwanis has the chance to double commu-
nity donations via the GameTime grant if the
committee can meet the deadline and mini-
mum requirement, said Kiwanis members
and committee chair Korin Ayers.
A recent bond proposal was voted down for
the Hastings Area Schools that would have
included funds for these desperately needed
playground updates for all of the schools, Ayers
said. Southeastern Elementary last saw an
update in 1997. Sadly, she said, many of the
swings had to be removed to meet safety stan-
dards, and some of the structures don’t offer
adequate space for the number of students.
The new structures would provide safe and
appropriate play options for the burgeoning class-
es. These effective play structures are designed to
meet the social, emotional and physical needs of
the students. Many students find much-needed
release through play that meets their sensory
needs like climbing, swinging and spinning.
“For my child with autism superpowers, any
extra equipment like swinging or spinning pro-
vides input to help him process and cope with
daily triggers,” said Ashley McBrian, a parent
of three children who attend Southeastern
Elementary. “Play is so important for the health
and wellness of our students.”
In order to make this dream a reality for
Southeastern Elementary and double the
effectiveness of every donation, Kiwanis is
looking to raise another $15,000 before Nov.
- Other efforts include Direct You Dollars
receipts from Spartan stores, direct dona-
tions, and applying for supplemental grants.
Businesses and individuals may send dona-
tions and Spartan Store receipts to Korin Ayers:
Kiwanis Club of Hastings, PO Box 38, Hastings
MI 49058. The community also can follow
progress and updates via a Facebook event
“Southeastern Elementary Playground $
x100 Campaign by Kiwanis Club of Hastings”
which seeks to find 100 people or businesses to
donate $100 (or more) each. Kiwanis is a
501(c)4 nonprofit in the city of Hastings.
These are the two options being considered for the playground at Southeastern Elementary School in Hastings. Both structures offer multiple possibilities for playing, climb-
ing and sliding. (Image provided)