There
are some 'sick' sports achievements unfolding around here, which is a
good thing
BY ED WRIGHT
March 8, 2010, :15
p.m.
I'm not quite sure how things like this evolve, but the word "sick" has
become the new hip word for "incredible" or "spectacular", at least for
the 20-and-under crowd.
For example, "Did you see Lebron James' sick dunk the other night?"
Or, "How sick was
Shawn White's 720-degree snowboard move at the Olympics?"
And, "Did you see how sick
the Lions played Sunday?"
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Upon
further review, when referencing the Lions, the old-fashioned
definition for "sick" still applies.)
As far as the local sports scene is concerned, some awfully
"sick" performances have been unfolding the past few months.
Let's start with the one that was on the largest stage: The
Arctic Edge ice dancers' gold and silver medal efforts at the Winter
Olympic Games two weeks ago.
Now, I don't know about you, but if I knew 10 million people
were watching my every move, I don't think I'd be able to walk up a
flight of stairs without stumbling.
The gold medal-winning Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir;
and the silver-medal American duo of Meryl Davis and Charlie White
pulled off some of the most
incredible
moves on skates I've ever seen, knowing full well that if one blade
landed four inches wide of the mark, six years of relentless training
would go crashing into the Vancouver Arena's boards.
Pretty amazing stuff.
Now, instead of getting a chance to sit around and admire their
hard-earned medals, the skaters are right back at work at the Arctic
Edge, polishing their programs for next week's World Championships,
which to me, is kind of like playing the NFC Championship game a couple
weeks after the Super Bowl.
Although it may seem a bit anti-climactic, all four skaters
assured me last week that they will be amped up for the Worlds, just
like they were for the Olympics.
And anyone who has watched Virtue, Moir, Davis and White's
admirable training regimen the past six years would be surprised if
they weren't standing side-by-side again on the World Championships
medal podium in a couple of weeks.
RED ALERT
If you haven't watched Canton's girls basketball team play this
season -- unfortunately, judging by the size of the crowds I've seen,
that would be most of you -- you're missing quite a show.
Coach Brian Samulski's hoopsters have put together a "sick"
season so far, heading into Tuesday night's Class A Regional semifinal
game against Hartland (7:30 p.m. at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School).
The Chiefs are 21-1 and ranked No. 2 in Class A not because they
are "Showtime"-like flashy, but because they do the things that most
NBA teams don't do: dive after loose basketballs like their lives
depended on it, go after rebounds like they're laced with gold and
stick to the player they're assigned to cover like Crazy Glue.
During the Chiefs' latest post-game group photo with the
championship trophy -- there have been three of these in the past two
weeks -- if someone would have thrown a basketball onto the court
behind them, I have no doubt each and every Chief would have dropped
what they were doing and chased after the bouncing sphere.
If floor burns were a statistical category, several Canton
players would have at least a few triple-doubles this season.
It is time the Plymouth and Canton communities get behind this
team, which epitomizes hard work and doing the non-headline-grabbing
things that lead to success.
Canton, whose roster is stocked with a collection of unselfish,
I-don't-care-how-many-points-I-score-as-long-as-
we-win players, is just three victories away from playing at the
cathedral of girls high school basketball: MSU's Breslin Center.
After observing the Chiefs over the past few months, I'd be
surprised if I'm not printing out a Mapquest to East Lansing next week.
WONDERFUL WHALERS
How often do we get a chance to watch a potential
professional-sports superstar blossom before your eyes before he gets
to the "Show"?
Not often.
If you live within a half hour of Compuware Arena, you have a
golden chance to do just that every Saturday night and a lot of Friday
nights when the Plymouth Whalers take the ice.
The highlight of the Whalers' successful 2009-10 campaign has
been the "sick" play of center Tyler Seguin, who has met the sky-high
expectations that greeted him prior to the start of this season.
Seguin is one of the most gifted skaters and play-makers to
strap on a pair of skates during the Whalers' long and successful
tenure in Plymouth.
He makes breath-taking rushes to the net seem routine.
And he's not alone. Teammates Matt Hackett, AJ Jenks, Robbie
Czarnik, Michal Jordan -- and the list goes on -- are worthy of the
more-than-cost-effective ticket prices the Whalers charge and a couple
hours of your time on Saturday nights.
Between the Olympic ice dancers, the Canton hoopsters and the
Whalers, there are some incredibly "sick" sports achievements unfolding
around here.
And they're not likely to get healthy any time soon.
Which, according to today's popular slang-uage, is a good thing.
Ed Wright
can be reaches at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.
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