Sportsbeat–by Peter Jakey

Props to the boosters; bidding war with a coach

Kudos go out to the booster organizations in Rogers City and Posen for their community-minded spirit. The Rogers City Sports Boosters spearheaded an effort to place a digital sign on school property, while the group in Posen had a successful fundraiser October 4 to fund athletic busing for the rest of the school. Both organizations needed help in fulfilling their goals. In Rogers City, the board of education chipped in a big chunk of the final tab, while many folks pulled together in Posen to collect what was needed for this year and some for next year as well. The final figures were to be discussed at the next meeting (Wednesday, past press time).

*** *** *** The digital sign has been a welcome addition along Bradley Highway, said superintendent Jamie Huber at Monday?s board meeting. ?I?ve heard lots of compliments,? said Huber. ?We?ve already been able to pass out a wealth of information to the community. I hope you are pleased with the outcome, I know I certainly am.? Information is uploaded to the sign from Mrs. Karen Robin?s computer in the high school office, much the way pictures are transferred from digital cameras to computers. ?I?ve actually noticed people slow down on U.S.-23 so they can read the sign,? said board member Bob Starnes. ?I think that is an added benefit of the sign,? said Huber.

*** *** *** Going into the auction, I had hoped to be the only one interested in four tickets to the Western Michigan at Michigan State football game, November 7. My oldest son, Mark, had expressed an interest in going to see his first college game as a 15th birthday present in early November. I had checked the Internet for prices days before learning the tickets would be in the auction. It was my first live auction and had no idea how it

was going to go. I tried to tell my son to not be disappointed if we didn?t get the tickets, that I didn?t want to go above $130. The value of the tickets is $196. I told Mark the bidding could start at $130, or more, and it all would have been over very quickly. It started far lower than that, thankfully, but Posen boys? basketball coach Steve Hentkowski had a son who wanted those tickets maybe as much as we did, so a bidding war ensued. When Hentkowski bid $140, I thought I was done, but there was a little birdie chirping in my ear, ?Dad! Dad!? as auctioneer Richard Strzelecki pointed right at me, ?145! $145!?

I lifted up my paper plate with my number on it.? All right, $145,? I said under my breath. It was the last bid. I was told my son just lit up with excitement when the tickets were ours. He ran out in the parking lot screaming with the envelope held high over his head. The tickets are fantastic, too. They are on the 15-yard line about 25 rows from the field. It will be my first game at Spartan Stadium, so a full report in Sportsbeat will be turned in in the second week of November. Since the price was higher than I expected, my wife was informed that our 21st wedding anniversary (November 5) would be spent at Spartan Stadium. A kiss at halftime while the Spartan band plays a romantic tune or two sounds romantic to me. I?ll take her out for an ice cream afterward, I hope that will keep me out of trouble.