New to the Arena: Catching up with Northern Michigan’s Newest Youth Sports Teams

The Bay Reps Girls hockey teams and NorthShore boys indoor volleyball gear up for their second seasons

By Kierstin Gunsberg | Sept. 7, 2024

In a region where slick roads and snow-laden mornings feel neverending (we’ll ignore last winter), the chance for high school girls to play a wintertime staple like ice hockey had been surprisingly out of reach—until now. Last year, parents and students from Mancelona, Cadillac, Elk Rapids, Kalkaska, Traverse City Central, Traverse City West, and St. Francis high schools came together to create Bay Reps Girls Varsity Hockey, northern lower Michigan’s first all-girls varsity hockey team.

As Stacey Feeley, a Bay Reps Girls board member, recalls, this team has been in the works for a while, starting with the female student athletes who voiced the need for the team. While northern Michigan’s male hockey players could play competitively straight through high school, the girls’ opportunities stalled when they outgrew playing with Traverse City North Stars at the youth level.

So, Feeley and the rest of Bay Reps Girls supporters got to work, spending the months leading up to their first season pushing through legalities and logistics—filling out paperwork, fundraising, and getting the word out within the community. Feeley notes that “more girls are interested” in the game now than ever before. Indeed, the NHL recently reported a rise in female hockey players, a sport traditionally dominated by the guys. Now, it’s the girls’ turn to take a shot.

One of those players, Taryn Beamish, is a junior at Traverse City Central who plays forward. She gave ice hockey a go in the first grade and has been hitting the ice ever since. So when the chance to join a varsity team came up last year, Beamish didn’t hesitate.

“Being able to represent my school with the sport I love sounded like a great way to bring girls’ high school hockey to northern Michigan,” she says.

Kate Classens, a senior who plays defense from St. Francis, found her inspiration closer to home. “My older brother played hockey, and I wanted to be just like him, so I started playing,” she shares. Joining the area’s first girls’ varsity team was something she couldn’t pass up either. “The idea of a girls’ high school team really piqued my interest,” Classens adds.

Season Two

Last year, the team was led by head coach Taylor Lundberg and assistant coach Erin O’Connor. Now, as the Bay Reps Girls gear up for their second season practicing at Traverse City’s Centre Ice Arena, O’Connor is stepping up as head coach. Though she might be new to the role, she’s no rookie when it comes to the game. Growing up, she also played varsity hockey before heading off to play for Cornell University. “I know exactly what it’s like to be in their shoes,” she says of preparing to lead the Bay Reps Girls. “I remember it like it was yesterday, and I just really look forward to helping them grow as players.”

Her game plan includes plenty of practice, where she’ll be focusing on guiding the players in skill development and honing their skating, stickhandling, and shooting techniques to prepare for their weekend games. Off-ice training, or “dry land” work, will also be on the agenda, with players sprinting and building explosiveness—all essential for stronger play on the ice.

“We’re also working on establishing our team culture and making sure everyone knows that the Bay Reps Girls are here to stay,” O’Connor says, adding that her team is now looking to add an assistant coach to fill her previous role. “We want to be a competitive team, and we’re in it for the long haul.”

While they’re sticking to their league games, they’re also sprinkling in some out-of-league matchups to sharpen their skills and keep the energy high.

“Last season, everybody in town was really, really excited about this,” says O’Connor, adding that the hype and excitement from their debut year has followed them into the next one. “We’re looking forward to building on the things that Coach Lambert had built last season,” she adds, reflecting on the foundation that led the team to Nationals last year in Westchester, Pennsylvania.

It was an experience that players Beamish and Classens describe as “lots of fun” but intense. “We played teams that were better than us, and we had a chance to prove ourselves,” recalls Classens.

The team’s growth isn’t limited to just on-ice skills; “Being so close with these girls on your team makes you become less of teammates and more like sisters,” says Beamish. “We will have arguments or disagreements, but at the end of the day, we are all here to get past our differences and work together. As a team, we have one goal in mind and are always looking forward to accomplishing that goal.”

Beamish thinks the team’s success and the ability to play at the varsity level will inspire even more girls to take up the sport. “I hope that this team will lead more girls into wanting to play and represent their high schools in hockey,” she says.

On the Court

While the girls finally have their own high school hockey team, northern Michigan’s volleyball community has their first boys indoor volleyball program, and it just got a big boost thanks to a recent decision by the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) to officially sanction the sport.

That sanction opens the door for boys volleyball to join high school sports rosters, creating new opportunities for athletes across the state. Jordan Bates, program manager for the boys indoor volleyball division at NorthShore Volleyball, sees this as a game-changer for the sport: “[We hope] it’s really going to take off and become a bona fide competitive sport,” he says.

Formed just last year, NorthShore Volleyball’s boys indoor team started with meetups at YMCA South and The Children’s House.

“We always had a few boys playing in the beach program. Then, last year, we had enough asking for an indoor program that we kind of made it happen,” Bates explains. The team began with around eight to ten players, though participation fluctuated throughout the season.

One of those new indoor volleyball players, Josh Ansorge, has been playing volleyball for three years. “This [past] year we struggled with numbers on the team,” says Ansorge, a student at Traverse City West Middle School. “We had maybe four to six people show up for practice, so we worked hard to fill in for those extra numbers. We practiced twice a week...my overall goals are to be very coachable.”

Although competing with established high school sports like football and securing practice spaces has been tricky, especially with school gyms often fully booked for other sports, Bates is optimistic that the MHSAA’s recognition will help grow the team by attracting more players from local schools. Once they’ve beefed up their numbers, NorthShore’s indoor boys volleyball will be able to hit the road and participate in away games.

Until then, they’re working to spread the word to middle and high school athletes looking for what Ansorge calls a great opportunity to squeeze in some exercise during the winter months.

Plus, as Bates points out, indoor volleyball is a sport that’s accessible to players of all heights: “You don’t have to be six feet or six-foot-five to play.”

Learn more about these new teams and see upcoming schedules at facebook.com/bayrepsgirlsvarsityhockey and northshorevb.com.