Ypsilanti native strives to do her best in everything
By Linley Wartenberg
Hockey, check. Big Brother/Big Sister volunteer, check. Salvation Army bell-ringer, check. Bowl-a-thon for cystic fibrosis, check. Bottle collection for overseas soldiers, check. National Honor Society, check.
And you can add Michigan Hockey’s 2005 Female Scholar Athlete of the Year to the list.
Ypsilanti’s Lindsay Godsey, a checklist-prone right wing for the Ann Arbor Panthers 19 and Under team and senior at Lincoln Consolidated High School, balances her athletic skills and extracurricular activities with a stellar 3.83 grade-point average, earning her the Michigan Hockey honor.
“She’s so motivated. She keeps herself organized,” said her mom, Debra Godsey. “Lindsay makes her little lists to keep organized.”
It’s no wonder. Godsey’s involved in a host of activities at school, in athletics and as a volunteer.
All three of the Godsey children – Kevin, Tiffany and Lindsay – have “grown up independent,” says her father, Rick Godsey. “They’ve had to get themselves off to school since they were very young.”
Since both he and Debra worked, the kids got ready for school on their own. The early independence stuck with all three. Lindsay, in particular, is highly organized.
“Lindsay is very deserving of this award as she works hard in all of her endeavors,” said Lori Minthorn, Godsey’s social studies teacher. “Lindsay is an excellent student. She is always working. She utilizes her time management skills to the utmost.”
She works hard at everything she does.
“I just try to be my personal best,” she said.
For Godsey, to do anything less is out of the question.
“She told me, `It’s a waste of time if I don’t do my best,’” Debra Godsey said. “I thought it was awesome.”
Godsey has played hockey since attending her older brother’s games and deciding she she’d rather play than watch.
“I was getting bored sitting there watching and I decided I was going to play,” she said. “I have to be doing something constantly. I can’t be sitting at home.”
She joined the Ann Arbor program at age 12.
“I’ve haven’t played for another team,” she said, adding, “I quit dance for hockey.”
And Godsey’s also a multi-sport athlete. She plays shortstop and is captain of her high school softball team as well as a member of the tennis team. She finished with 14 goals and 28 points with the Panthers this season.
"We had a great season and Lindsay was a big part of that,” Panthers coach Paul Shelburne said. “She leads on the ice by how hard she plays. Lindsay is a great kid and a terrific player. Whatever she does, she does 100 percent."
Near the end of this hockey season, the intense, hard-working right-winger scored a goal then broke her arm in the final of the Little Caesars Amateur Hockey League Championship game against Traverse City.
“When I first learned that she was part of a hockey team several years ago, it seems to me very incompatible with her physical appearance; she was tiny,” said her French teacher, Isabelle Horn. “But I realized that she was tough as well.”
Tough indeed. Two weeks after breaking her arm, she was back playing hockey with a cast on.
“The first words out of her mouth were ‘When can I play?’” her mom said.
Her arm was still in a cast when softball season started, but Godsey got into the game anyway.
“I just got my cast off,” she explained before the Michigan Hockey Banquet of Champions. Her mother wasn’t enthused her youngest daughter had continued to compete in a cast, but “my dad was telling me to get back,” Godsey said.
“But my doctor said I could play with it,” Godsey added.
For Godsey, playing sports is a hobby.
“That’s what I love to do,” she explains. “My favorite sport is hockey. Softball is close to hockey, but hockey still beats it a little.”
Rick and Debra Godsey nominated their daughter for the award.
“She’s worked so hard for so long,” Debra Godsey said. “She always downplays everything she does.”
Rick Godsey didn’t mention the nomination to his daughter, who was taken aback when she received a phone call telling her she’d won the honor.
“I didn’t know what to say,” Lindsay Godsey said.
The 17-year-old has her eye on medical school, and has been accepted into Michigan State’s pre-med program. After graduating as a Spartan – something her Ypsilanti parents are having a hard time dealing with – she intends to study medicine at the University of Michigan after that. She’d like to focus on pediatric surgery.
“I want a job that helps people,” Godsey said. “It gets me out of bed in the morning.”
Godsey has participated in Lincoln High School’s Cadet Teaching program for the last year and a half. There, she works with elementary students as a teaching assistant, conducting small group instruction and lessons for the whole class, plus helping out where the classroom teacher finds it necessary.
“Her evaluations have been excellent for all of the time that she has held this responsible job,” said Marsha Frank, Lincoln’s school-to-work coordinator.
She’s also an academic scholar, a member of the National Honor Society and a Michigan Academic Merit award winner.
"Lindsay is very well spoken both verbally and in writing. She's a high-caliber student," said Godsey's English Composition teacher Pam Lopez.
Pushing herself comes naturally to Godsey, who encouraged her fellow athletes to put their best effort into everything they do.
“If you try your best, you’ll never fail,” she said.
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Royal Oak’s VanTiem named 2005 Michigan Hockey Male Scholar Athlete
U of D Jesuit High School senior does it all
By Michael Larson
The University of Detroit Jesuit high school has developed a reputation for graduating many intelligent, well-rounded young men. And Michael VanTiem is no exception.
In fact, his hard work and commitment to excel in everything he does - from homework, to athletics, to community service - has made him an example to his peers, even with the high standards that a school like U of D Jesuit demands.
For his outstanding work ethic, and continued success in academics and athletics, the senior from Royal Oak was named the 2005 Michigan Hockey Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.
“When I found out that I was going to receive this award, I was truly honored,” VanTiem said. “It’s not like you go through school, or even life for that matter, doing things for the sole purpose of being publicly recognized for doing them. You do them because you want to. But, at the same time, it’s really nice to be given an award for working hard.”
And working hard is just one of many things that Van Tiem does well. In addition to maintaining a 3.8 grade point average at U of D Jesuit (with a schedule that included numerous Advanced Placement classes), being a member of the National Honor Society and being named to the academic all-state hockey team this year, his list of extra curricular activities reads like a rap sheet of public service and athletic commitment.
VanTiem has played hockey at U of D Jesuit for all four years of his high school career under head coach Rick Bennetts and was a top-four blueliner and alternate captain on this year’s squad. He has also spent the past two years playing varsity soccer and varsity lacrosse for the Cubs.
"Mike is the most involved, solid student I have had in ten years at U of D Jesuit,” said Bennetts of VanTiem. “He's involved in everything and he's a leader in everything he does. He is an incredibly mature kid who works hard on the ice and in the classroom."
Also, through many hours of volunteer work and public service, VanTiem has established himself as a large contributor to the wellness of his community.
While very few people his age can say they have given as much back to their community as he has, the modest VanTiem quickly looks past his volunteer work, saying that it’s, “I like being involved and its not that big of deal.”
But it is a big deal.
Despite carrying a full academic load of college prep classes and being a committed leader on three different athletic teams, VanTiem somehow finds time to be philanthropic.
He has been an active member in helping youth in his community as a soccer coach for 5th-8th grade students.
In addition to being part of U of D Jesuit’s Christian Service Team, which plans events and activities for the school community, he is also a member of many different public service groups. They include the human rights protecting organizations Amnesty International and the Detroit based Focus: HOPE.
VanTiem is also active in peer meditation, which is a student-to-student process of solving problems through discussion and understanding.
He was a participant in the nationally recognized, “Make a Difference Day” and he also attended the Team Leadership Conference held earlier this year at Wayne State University. VanTiem even took some time off last summer to go down to the Central American countries of Guatemala and Honduras to do missionary work with his church.
And if all that weren’t enough, VanTiem also finds time to help out at Gleaner’s Community Food Bank in Detroit and some other local soup kitchens in the surrounding areas.
“Mike is a tremendous young man,” U of D Jesuit theology teacher Martin Schreiber said. “He is one of those rare kids who comes along only once in awhile. He strives to be the best at whatever he does, but all the while he remains open and friendly to his peers. He leads them without even trying.”
And this is not the first time that VanTiem has been recognized with an award. He was also the recipient of the 2005 High School Hobey Baker Character Award and was an all-state nominee for the prestigious Wendy’s High School Heisman Award in 2004.
And although his impressive high school career is coming to an end, VanTiem undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of him. He has already been accepted into several college programs, including a six-year accelerated program in Athletic Medicine at St. Louis University, which only accepts a limited number of students. VanTiem is interested in physical therapy and could even end up playing lacrosse at the collegiate level.
But for all his successes, don’t expect him to spend too much time patting himself on the back.
“Like I said before, it’s a great honor to be recognized, but now I have to focus on what comes next.”
And if the past is any indication, whatever comes next for VanTiem will be more of the same success.
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Daavettila named Coach of the Year
Livingston County coach teaches fun and enjoyment of the game
By Ryan Doherty
For Brian Daavettila, coaching youth hockey has always been about having fun and putting his players first.
This philosophy of placing smiles before wins was a big reason why the seven-year coach was selected as the 2005 Michigan Hockey Coach of the Year.
“Wow, I am humbled and honored by this award,” said a quiet Daavettila.
This year Daavettila’s Livingston County Squirt B Huskies skated to an overall record of 32-1-3, and made it all the way to the MAHA state finals before they suffered their first and only loss.
Throughout the tournament the Huskies were continually involved in physical games, but Daavettila asked his players to skate through it and play a clean game. This is just one example of how Daavettila approaches coaching youth hockey. Many of Daavettila’s players were playing their first year of hockey, while others could take the puck end-to-end, and Daavettila molded the group of kids together for a memorable season because they listened to their coach and respected his methods.
“Brian stands out as a guy who does things the right way, he doesn’t shorten the bench and all the kids want to play for him, and it’s not just because they win,” said Livingston County Hockey Association House Director Jim Lawrence.
In a sport where all too often winning is paramount, Daavettila is a welcome presence both on and off the ice to players and parents alike.
“Brian is in it for the kids,” said Livingston County Hockey Association ACE Coordinator Steve Hill. “That’s his prize. Brian is a good role model and the kids enjoyed the games and the camaraderie of playing on a team, and he is everything you would want in a youth coach.”
Everything you would want in a youth hockey coach that is also a father of nine children, a devoted church member, and more importantly, someone who understands what playing youth hockey is all about.
“Other coaches like having his kids on their teams, not because they are good players, and they are, but because they are good kids,” said Lawrence. Daavettila was nominated on behalf of his player’s parents, and supported by Ironwood’s David Hartberg. Hartberg was in charge of public relations at the Squirt B State Championships and got an up close look at the Huskies players, parents and coach.
“He (Brian) was humble and honestly shared that they were just happy to be in the tournament and that no matter if they won a game or not, they came up to make it a great experience for the team,” said Hartberg.
Hartberg drafted a letter that detailed how Daavettila’s team’s actions were commendable and pleasure to watch.
“After his players lost in the championship game I didn’t see one kid throw a glove, helmet or a fit after they lost their first game of the season, a time when you might have expected that kids wouldn’t know how to lose with class after such a successful season,” Hartberg wrote.
Instead Daavettila’s players spent their time on the ice taking pictures and relishing in the moment after they realized how much they had achieved.
Meanwhile, many parents noticed the little things that Daavettila did throughout the year that impressed them the most.
“Brian has always been positive with the kids,” said Huskies parent Grant Pryde. “It was the pregame atmosphere that as parents, we appreciated the most. The locker room was never tense and the kids were not nervous, and the mood was light and fun.”
Pryde also touched on a compliment that Daavettila and his staff received from a somewhat surprising source.
“Our coaches have been given compliments from other coaches regarding their consistency in playing the lines and players fairly, and always maintaining their integrity behind the bench”.
This past season Daavettila did what a lot of youth hockey coaches try to do. He had a good season, encouraged his players, and remembered that the reason he was behind the bench was because your players want you to be there.
But more importantly Daavettila’s Huskies wanted to hustle and play hard for a coach that they knew believed in each and every one of them regardless of their talent level.
“Everyone received the same amount of ice time throughout the regular season and playoffs,” said Pryde.
Pryde and the other Huskies parents embraced Daavtila’s methods and became encouraging rather than critical.
“The kids demonstrated sportsmanship in all situations, and when we were away from home, Brian would always remind the kids that they were there representing their community.”
The Michigan Hockey Coach of the Year award is given annually to a coach that gets the most out his players, makes the game fun and passes on the passion for the game. Daavettila symbolizes all of the above, and is an example of what hard work and good clean hockey can get you when you put a smile on your player’s faces.
“I had a great group of players, a great group of parents, and a great coaching staff,” said Daavettila.
Even after receiving his award, Daavettila still did not want the spotlight on himself.
“We accomplished a lot this year as a team,” he said. “And these kids are the reason I coach, and as long as they keep on smiling I’ll keep coaching.”
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Trenton resident has run THA’s Beginner Program for 20 years
By Philip Colvin
Veteran coach Frank Murphy is a well known figure to almost everyone who has ever been a part of the Trenton Hockey Association. For over 20 years he’s taught the association’s youngest players how to play the game, and some of those kids have grown up and enrolled their kids in Murphy’s beginner’s hockey program.
Murphy started the THA beginner’s program in 1983 and has made an important contribution to amateur hockey – and created a legacy that will endure long after he hangs up his skates.
For that commitment to teaching young players how to play the game and his unwavering support of amateur hockey, Michigan Hockey named Murphy the 2005 Hockey Person of the Year.
“I’d like to thank Michigan Hockey for this award,” said Murphy. “Coaching hockey with the young players and coaches in the Trenton Hockey Association has been both rewarding and fun. And I’d like to acknowledge all of the people who have helped our program for the last 20 years. I am honored.”
A native of Boston, and a 32-year resident of metro-Detroit, Murphy is known for his humility, his friendly, laid-back demeanor and for always diving in and trying to make a difference.
“He’s so humble, he doesn’t like the lime light and he doesn’t do it for the recognition,” said Kevin Begeman, who has helped Murphy run the beginner’s program for the last 10 years and whose 26-year old son was in Murphy’s first class. “He loves being on the ice with the kids.”
Despite Murphy’s low-key approach, members of his association know the value of what Murphy has done to help grow the game.
“He loves hockey, he’s involved in everything we do and he’s always been there to help the kids,” said THA board member Dave Grasso.
Murphy wrote his master’s thesis for USA Hockey Level 5 Coaching Certification on the aspects of running a successful beginner’s program and has developed into one of the foremost authorities on teaching young players how to play the game.
“It has been trial-and-error process,” said Murphy, who believes one of the best teaching tools is making sure the players are having fun.
Because of young player’s short attention spans, Murphy has learned to improvise to keep his students interested and excited about playing.
”We keep drills short and change things up at the first sign that they’re getting bored,” said Murphy, who’s also a finalist for the 2005 United States Olympic Committee’s Volunteer Coach of the Year Award.
Begeman laughs when describing Murphy’s patience when working with the 1200 young players, mostly aged 4-6 years old, who have passed through the THA beginner’s hockey program.
“He’s got a great temperament for working with kids. In all those years I’ve never seen him scream or lose his temper,” said Begeman. “His heart is in the right place.”
In addition to being a role model for the association’s young players, Murphy has also helped develop a number of association’s young coaches.
A 2001 inductee into the Trenton Sports Hall of Fame, Murphy served on the THA Board for 10 years (1986-96) and organized and ran goaltending and coaching clinics during that time. In addition to assisting at USA Hockey Level 2 clinics, he runs an annual on-ice coaching clinic for the THA each fall to demonstrate the teaching of fundamental hockey skills.
“He’s probably created half the coaches in the THA over the past 20 years with this beginner’s program,” said Begeman. “What has happened is that Frank calls the parents who can skate and asks them ‘Hey, bring your skates, OK?’ And the parents come out and help and a lot of them have kept on coaching.
“So Frank has developed our young player’s love for the game and helped turn inexperienced parents into veteran coaches.”
Over the years a number of Murphy’s former students have stocked Trenton High School’s powerhouse teams.
“The 1996 Trojans team that went 28-0 and won the state tournament and was ranked #1 nationally was made up of kids from Frank’s class,” said Grasso.
Miami (OH) University star defenseman Andy Greene learned to play in Murphy’s class. He remembers how much fun he had and how being on the ice with Murphy made him want to want to come back to the rink again the next day.
“He made it fun to learn how to play,” said Greene, who played for Trenton High and with Compuware’s junior A team before joining the RedHawks. “Those were great times.”
Murphy retired after a 33-year career in chemical engineering in 1999 and has talked about stepping down as the head of the beginner’s program. But although he’s groomed Begeman to take over the program, no one expects Murphy to disappear from the rink.
“I know he’s said he might retire soon, but I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Michigan Amateur Hockey Association high school representative Kevin Ahern, who has known Murphy since childhood. “He is a genuine great guy.”
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