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Saturday, June 12,
2004
Herald Palladium
By Al Arend
H-P Sports Writer
H-P Male Athlete of the Year: This Olds keeps
on going
It's no wonder Hartford's Jamin Olds
has his sights set on perhaps a career in sports medicine.
Despite undergoing two surgeries on his foot and having a separated
shoulder, the three-sport star still managed to be the key cog in
Hartford's athletic program the past four years.
Today he was named the 55th winner of The
Herald-Palladium's Senior Male Athlete of the Year Award.
"I knew I had a shot at it, but all the final five finalists had super
credentials," said Olds, who lettered in 11 varsity sports during his high
school career, three in football and four each in basketball and baseball.
"I wouldn't be where I am without my family, coaches and teammates."
He earned first-team Associated Press all-state honors in both football and
basketball his senior year and all-district honors in baseball this past
spring.
The other finalists were Bangor's Levon Mock, Lakeshore's Nick Freer,
Coloma's Bobby Edelberg and Gobles' Brian Leighton.
He is the first
Hartford athlete to win the award, which was expanded to include the entire
H-P readership area in 1995.
The H-P's Senior Female Athlete of the Year will be announced Sunday.
"I think overall he gave our athletic program here stability," said Ken
Dietz, Hartford athletic director and boys basketball coach. "He was
someone we could count on day-in and day-out. Someone our kids could look
up to and our community could be proud of.
"His desire to be part of the big game, or big play, was phenomenal," said
Dietz. "Jamin was prepared to get himself through those situations. His
preparation was incredible."
In football, Olds played quarterback and defensive back. He led the 7-3
Indians to the SAC championship and a playoff appearance last fall.
He threw for more than 1,100 yards and rushed for more than 300. On
defense, he earned all-state honors with 49 tackles and a whopping seven
interceptions.
However, one of his most memorable moments came as a junior flanker when he
caught the winning touchdown pass in the closing seconds as Hartford upset
Schoolcraft 35-27 in the playoffs.
In basketball, Olds led the area in scoring his senior season, averaging
26.1 points per game. He led the Indians to a 14-10 mark, scoring 35 points
in his team's 59-55 district championship win over Lawrence.
For his four-year varsity career he tallied 1,522 points, which stands 11th
on the area's all-time career scoring list. In baseball he was 7-2 with a
2.54 ERA his senior year, and carried a .424 batting average.
Olds missed nearly a third of the basketball season and the entire baseball
season his junior year while recovering from the foot surgeries.
"The first screw I had put in my foot, I bent it and had to have another
one put in," Olds said. He also separated his shoulder the eighth game of
the football season last fall, but played in both the SAC championship game
(a 22-8 win over Fennville) and playoff loss (22-19 to Cassopolis).
Olds will attend Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, an NAIA Division 2
school, to continue his academic and athletic career in basketball. He
carried a 3.51 grade point average in high school.
He's eyeing either a career in sports medicine or teaching. "Eventually,
I'd like to get into coaching," he said.
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