WHITEHALL — Whitehall senior Camden Thompson's ever-expanding list of awards added another one Monday, when he was announced as the male Class B recipient of the Rich Tompkins Multi-Sport Athlete Award.
Named after the Hart High School alum, Reeths-Puffer teacher and former executive director of the Michigan High School Coaches Association who passed away in 2015, the award honors a boy and a girl in each enrollment class who plays multiple sports, with winners selected on the basis of their athletic performance, scholarship, leadership and service. Thompson will formally be presented the award at Whitehall's senior awards night May 18.
Thompson said it meant a lot to him to win the award, especially as an athlete on the west side of the state, which often doesn't get as close a look for awards as stars on the east side.
In a sports climate in which specialization is a common sight, Thompson's ability and desire to play three sports and excel in all of them - he's achieved all-state in football, basketball and track and field - is something he takes pride in.
"I
just want to compete," Thompson said. "That's the main thing. As
many things as I can compete in, that's what I want to do. The more
things they give me that showcase all I've got, I'm going to give it all
I've got."
Whitehall boys track coach Kirk Mikkelson is, like Tompkins, a Hart grad, adding an extra layer of sweetness to Thompson's award.
"I've known him for quite a while," Mikkelson said. "He
taught me a lot about track and field. The man's a legend. For one
of my athletes to get the award named after him was just
outstanding."
Mikkelson is, like several area coaches, a proponent of multi-sport participation, with Thompson probably the most notable but far from the only example.
"The thing a lot of people have
lost sight of is, if you want to be a good athlete, you need to play a lot
of sports," Mikkelson said. "I encourage all of these guys to play a fall sport and
play a winter sport. If they don't have a winter
sport, we get in the (Viking Athletic Center) and train and go to indoor meets, (and I encourage them to) play
baseball in the summer. Even if you're not going to play baseball for the school, play baseball in the summer if you have a
chance to do it. It's fun. You'll find a lot of enjoyment out of any sport you play."
