Boyne City athletics honored with MHSA exemplary program award; athletic director cites strong participation and GPA gains

Cody Inglis, senior assistant athletic director at the Michigan High School Athletic Association, presented Boyne City Public Schools with the MHSA Exemplary Athletic Program award, telling the board: "This was truly a team effort led by Matt as the athletic director." The board and the audience applauded the district’s recognition as the only northern Michigan school to receive the award this award cycle.

Matt Windell, Boyne City’s athletic director, then delivered his biannual report, highlighting participation and academic metrics. Windell said the district’s participation rate is about 72% at 7th grade and 63% overall in high school, and that middle- and high-school combined participation sits at 67%. He emphasized multi-sport involvement—"This year we are celebrating 51 kids playing at 3 sports"—and the program’s emphasis on developing leadership and accountability. He added that athletes in every grade generally had higher GPAs than non-athletes, framing athletics as "an extension of the academic classroom."

Board members asked about adding new sports and how student interest is measured; Windell said the district uses interest surveys and examines conference competition, travel logistics and roster feasibility before advancing a program. He gave girls hockey as an example of a sport that can be offered through a co-op with area teams and noted district efforts to encourage multi-sport participation to reduce specialization and injury risk.

The recognition and report were positioned by the board as both an honor and an internal audit: the MHSA site visit prompted a self-assessment that board members said will guide program development. No formal action was required beyond the presentation.