Christian High Athletic News

by Mark Warners, Athletic Director, Grand Rapids Christian High School

New Eagle Mascot

Congratulations to 10th grade student Taylor Ling for his winning design of the new Christian High mascot. The Board will recognize him and art teacher Jonathan Quist at the June 16 Board of Trustees meeting.

Christian High Moves to Class B

For the first time since 1987-88, Grand Rapids Christian High School will be classified as a Class B school by the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) in 2008-09. With 1,005 students enrolled at Christian High, the Eagles find themselves below the 1,017 students required for Class A status. This change from Class A will directly affect basketball and volleyball, as the MHSAA still uses its classification system to divide schools into tournaments for those sports. For all other sports, the MHSAA divides the number of schools offering specific sports into four equal divisions (eight for football).

Students Design City League Commemorative Logo

Four Christian High students designed the logo used to commemorate the conclusion this year of the Grand Rapids City League. Congratulations to Austin DeJonge, Brendan Byxbe, Jake Van Timmeren, and Brad Quist, who won an award for their design. Their logo appeared on banners, flags, plaques, and T-shirts commemorating the City League’s 99th and final year.

The league held a farewell event on May 29 that included a tribute video and presentation highlighting the many individuals and teams that have contributed to athletics and to the community since 1909.

Eagles Join OK Conference

The City League is gone, and the Eagles are joining the OK (Ottawa-Kent) Conference, which also has a long tradition. Established 50 years ago, the OK Conference is the largest high school athletic league in the state. It has 51 schools in seven divisions, each named by a color. Christian High will participate in the OK White division, along with Creston, East Grand Rapids, Greenville, Lowell, and Northview high schools.

Raime Cronkhite Joins International Team

Raime Cronkhite, a senior at Christian High, has been invited to represent the United States this summer in the 2008 Tuscany Tournament in Arezzo, Italy, with the USA Athletes International softball team. She is one of 14 young women chosen to participate from various colleges. Upon graduation this June, Raime will attend the University of Dayton on a softball scholarship.

The USA Athletes International program offers student-athletes a rare opportunity to experience international competition while learning about the history and culture of other countries. The team’s goal is to foster international goodwill and friendship among nations, while promoting the game of softball.

Sports Roundup

  • Girls Cross Country: The Eagles cross country team finished third after having won the state championship the previous two seasons. This is the first time the cross country team has finished in the top three for three consecutive years. The Michigan Cross Country Coaches Association named Coach Doug Jager Coach of the Year.
  • Football: The Eagles football team qualified for the playoffs for the second year in a row, making this the first time in school history that we’ve had back-to-back football playoff appearances.
  • Boys Tennis: Led by Coach Charles Phelps, the Eagles tennis team finished sixth at the state meet. This is the highest-ever finish in the state tournament by a Christian High boys tennis team.
  • Volleyball: Coach Melissa Seif led a talented group of young women to 40 wins, the most ever for a Christian High volleyball team. Coach Seif will have many familiar faces next year, as the team graduated only one senior. And the Seif family welcomed two new additions on May 16, when Avery Ann and Nicholas John Seif were born. Coach Seif and the twins are doing well.
  • Boys Basketball: The boys basketball team finished with a 21-3 record, racking up the second most wins in school history (after the 1988-89 team). The Eagles also won the city championship for the second year in a row and took the district title, the first since 2001.
  • Boys Swimming: Led by Coach Jack Pyper, the swimmers finished seventh in the Division II state meet. This is the highest-ever finish by a boys swimming team at Christian High.
  • Competitive Cheer: The competitive cheer team, coached by Jacquie DeJonge, qualified for the state finals for the first time in the school’s history. The team placed fifth in the Division II finals. Special congratulations to Jacquie for being named regional Coach of the Year.

Sign Up for Eagles Summer Sports Camps

Christian High is offering summer sports camps in a wide range of sports for students entering 1st through 12th grades. Registration forms are available here. Questions? Please call Athletic Director Mark Warners at 574-5527.

Eagles Athletic Boosters Event: August 20, 2008

Reserve the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 20, for a special event brought to you by the Eagles Athletic Boosters. This event, formerly called the “Pigskin Panic,” will now raise money to benefit the 26 varsity teams (in 18 different sports) at Christian High. More information will be available in future mailings and online at http://www.grcs.org/highschool/grchs_boosters.html.

“Special Edition” Sports Clinics

As part of the Quest Center opening festivities on Sept. 6, Grand Rapids Christian Schools is pleased to offer a morning of sports clinics. Grand Rapids Christian High School coaches and student athletes will lead all clinics. The schedule is below; click here for more information and a registration form (due June 30).

Sports Clinic and Tour Schedule: Saturday, September 6, 2008

Clinic Tour
Wrestling (6th-8th grade) 8:30-9:30 a.m. 9:30-10 a.m.
Cheer (3rd-8th grade) 8:30-9:30 a.m. 9:30-10 a.m.
Girls Volleyball (3rd-8th grade) 10:30-11:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.-Noon
Boys/Girls Basketball (3rd-8th grade) 12:30-1:30 p.m. 1:30-2 p.m