100 Years of FootballHope's celebration of 100 years of football this past weekend was a huge success thanks to the many alumni who returned to campus for the Homecoming celebration. Pictured below is a true legacy, coaches Ray Smith, Russ DeVette and Dean Kreps who combined have guided the Flying Dutchmen more than half of Hope's 100 years of gridiron glory!
Hope College says Goodbye to Colleague
The following article appeared in the Anchor- April 22, 2009
It is a rare occurrence where an individual sticks with a job for most of his life and still enjoys every day he comes to work. It is even more rare to find a man who upholds morality, honesty and faith in all that he does. For the past 39 years, Hope College has been blessed with the presence of just such a man. Ray Smith, director of athletics for men, will retire in June. His departure will mark what many would label the end of an era, one of success, and not just in the win column.
Mark Northuis, chair of the department of kinesiology, said that although Smith has had an incredible coaching and administrative career in the record books, it is his Christian faith that truly marks his successes. "For him, his faith is more important than any win/loss record," Northuis said. "He desires to change people through faith."
This faith has changed people, just ask Pete Semeyn, pastor at Faith Reformed Church in Traverse City. Semeyn was on the football team when Smith first started as head coach in 1970; he graduated and went into teaching, but it just didn't feel right. He felt called to ministry, but before he made the life-changing decision, he decided to ask important people in his life what they thought. He turned to Coach Ray Smith. "He knew me better than anyone; he'd seen the good, the bad, and really ugly side of me," Semeyn said in a sermon delivered at The Gathering on Jan.25. "We (Semeyn and his wife) told him that we were considering ministry...(Smith and his wife, with tears in their eyes, responded by saying) 'We've been praying for you for two years, that God would call you into ministry.'" If his faith and commitment to people wasn't enough, his performance and success speak volumes.
Smith took over the realm as Hope's head football coach when the team hadn't won the MIAA in seven years. He went on to become the winningest football coach in MIAA history, as well as being named the Division III coach of the year in 1984. On top of football, Smith has also coached wrestling, golf and baseball at Hope.
His success as a coach can also be attributed to his character and faith. Smith was able to bring in high quality student athletes through his personal approach to recruiting. "Ray was the first coach in the league that really recruited," Northius said. "He combined his knowledge of playing with his strong character to bring in high quality student athletes." Smith added the role of director of athletics for men in 1980; during his 29-year tenure as athletic director, Hope has won the MIAA Commissioners' Cup 23 times (and number 24 is probably right around the corner).
Smith will be able to reflect with fondness at all he has accomplished when he moves on to retirement in June. "There are so many pleasant memories," Smith said. "When I look back on my years I will definitely have a smile on my face. The Lord had a plan for me and my family to come to Hope, and I am certainly a better person for coming here."
Smith most likely won't be thinking about how many wins his football team had, or the number of times Hope beat Calvin; he will remember the people he has changed and those that changed him.
"My experience here has been buoyed by meeting strong Christians," Smith said. "There have been so many intelligent people that I have worked with and coached that had a love for both sports and Christ." One hundred forty eight wins, 23 MIAA Commissioners' Cups, 39 years at Hope College, countless lives changed. "It is nice to leave your job with no regrets," Smith said.
No regrets, now there's something to strive for.
The following article appeared in the Anchor- April 22, 2009
It is a rare occurrence where an individual sticks with a job for most of his life and still enjoys every day he comes to work. It is even more rare to find a man who upholds morality, honesty and faith in all that he does. For the past 39 years, Hope College has been blessed with the presence of just such a man. Ray Smith, director of athletics for men, will retire in June. His departure will mark what many would label the end of an era, one of success, and not just in the win column.
Mark Northuis, chair of the department of kinesiology, said that although Smith has had an incredible coaching and administrative career in the record books, it is his Christian faith that truly marks his successes. "For him, his faith is more important than any win/loss record," Northuis said. "He desires to change people through faith."
This faith has changed people, just ask Pete Semeyn, pastor at Faith Reformed Church in Traverse City. Semeyn was on the football team when Smith first started as head coach in 1970; he graduated and went into teaching, but it just didn't feel right. He felt called to ministry, but before he made the life-changing decision, he decided to ask important people in his life what they thought. He turned to Coach Ray Smith. "He knew me better than anyone; he'd seen the good, the bad, and really ugly side of me," Semeyn said in a sermon delivered at The Gathering on Jan.25. "We (Semeyn and his wife) told him that we were considering ministry...(Smith and his wife, with tears in their eyes, responded by saying) 'We've been praying for you for two years, that God would call you into ministry.'" If his faith and commitment to people wasn't enough, his performance and success speak volumes.
Smith took over the realm as Hope's head football coach when the team hadn't won the MIAA in seven years. He went on to become the winningest football coach in MIAA history, as well as being named the Division III coach of the year in 1984. On top of football, Smith has also coached wrestling, golf and baseball at Hope.
His success as a coach can also be attributed to his character and faith. Smith was able to bring in high quality student athletes through his personal approach to recruiting. "Ray was the first coach in the league that really recruited," Northius said. "He combined his knowledge of playing with his strong character to bring in high quality student athletes." Smith added the role of director of athletics for men in 1980; during his 29-year tenure as athletic director, Hope has won the MIAA Commissioners' Cup 23 times (and number 24 is probably right around the corner).
Smith will be able to reflect with fondness at all he has accomplished when he moves on to retirement in June. "There are so many pleasant memories," Smith said. "When I look back on my years I will definitely have a smile on my face. The Lord had a plan for me and my family to come to Hope, and I am certainly a better person for coming here."
Smith most likely won't be thinking about how many wins his football team had, or the number of times Hope beat Calvin; he will remember the people he has changed and those that changed him.
"My experience here has been buoyed by meeting strong Christians," Smith said. "There have been so many intelligent people that I have worked with and coached that had a love for both sports and Christ." One hundred forty eight wins, 23 MIAA Commissioners' Cups, 39 years at Hope College, countless lives changed. "It is nice to leave your job with no regrets," Smith said.
No regrets, now there's something to strive for.
Three Kinesiology Majors Honored 
April Muske, Rachel Oosting, and Molly Smith have all been elected into Phi Beta Kappa. You can follow this link for the full story:
Congratulations ladies!
Hope College Athletic Training Rehabs Athletes using Video Game Technology
Dr. Kirk Brumels of the Hope College athletic training staff had an intuitive sense and a fair bit of anecdotal evidence that popular activity-based video games like "Dance Dance Revolution" and "Wii Fit" Balance Board programs could play a positive role in helping athletes with balance rehabilitation, but he hadn't located any hard data to support the notion. So, this fall he and a team of student researchers tackled the topic themselves. They conducted a study, published in the winter 2008 edition of "Clinical Kinesiology," that found that such games offered the best of both worlds: they were more effective than traditional rehabilitation tools and the athletes enjoyed them more.
Ironically—or, rather, perhaps because the athletes were enjoying using the activities--participants in the study also believed that the games were less difficult than the traditional tools even as they were more effective.
"They perceived it as easier, yet the data suggested that it was as effective as, if not more effective than, the other exercises," Brumels said.
The athletic training program at Hope has been using "Dance Dance Revolution" and "Wii Fit" with athletes who have had ankle sprains, knee injuries and other lower-extremity injuries, to help restore balance, coordination and agility. "We also use it a lot to help facilitate the transition from crutch use to ambulation," he said.
In "Dance Dance Revolution," the athletes stand on the game's one-square-meter pad and step in a direction indicated by the game's video screen. Through the "Wii Fit" system they stand on a platform and adjust their posture, leaning and shifting their weight through games such as "Ski Slalom," "Table Tilt" and "Balance Bubble."
Brumels was inspired to start using the games a few years ago, when his daughter showed him her new "Dance Dance Revolution" game. "I thought, 'Oh, my, this has a ton of applications in the athletic training world and rehabilitation," he said. The college's athletic training program began using the newly designed Wii system more recently.
He recognizes that the video game balance programs are much more interesting than the traditional balance exercise programs, which involve standing on a variety of stable and unstable surfaces, maybe interacting with a ball or other object, in the training room.
The athletes, he has found, have responded to the greater entertainment value offered by the video games accordingly. While through the traditional program, he said, they might typically participate for a week and then simply stop showing up, athletes using the games regularly stay for the entire multi-week regimen.
"We've had incredible compliance with the athletes on it," Brumels said. "As long as it's fun, and they're doing it and it's beneficial to them, that's what we want."
The four-week Hope study involved 25 athletes who were asked to rate their experience with the three systems between one and five according to difficulty, engagement and enjoyability. While the traditional methods earned a relatively low 2.17 for enjoyability and a 3.33 for engagement, "Dance Dance Revolution" earned 4.14 in both categories and "Wii Fit" earned 4.40 in each. The traditional methods rated 3.17 out of five for difficulty, while "Dance Dance Revolution" and "Wii Fit" weighed in as easier at 2.71 and 1.60.
Especially significant to Brumels was the finding that the athletes who had used "Dance Dance Revolution" and "Wii Fit" showed greater improvement in balance as measured by force plate testing following their month-long rehabilitation experience. It was an added bonus that the exercises were perceived as easier and more enjoyable by the participants.
Even as the participants in the study worked on their balance through the various rehabilitation methods, other students learned through the research process itself. Brumels conducted the study and co-authored the paper during the recent fall semester with four Hope senior athletic training or exercise science majors: Troy Blasius, Tyler Cortright, Daniel Oumedian and Brent Solberg. "They were intimately involved in the literature review, the study design, the implementation of it, and the data collection and analysis," he said.
While other studies had considered the clinical potential in games like "Dance Dance Revolution" and the "Wii Fit" system, Brumels said, their emphasis had been on benefits such as the cardiovascular workout they can provide. Based on his team's review of the literature, he said, the Hope study is the first to consider such games' potential in balance rehabilitation.
In addition to being featured in "Clinical Kinesiology" in the latter part of 2008, the Hope study is slated for additional presentation later this year. Brumels is scheduled to give talks about it during meetings of the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association and the National Athletic Trainers' Association Annual Educational Symposiums in March and June respectively.
Athletic Training Program Sponsors Drive for "Wheels for the World"The athletic training program at Hope College is collecting used wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches and other such ambulatory and rehabilitation aids on behalf of "Wheels for the World."
"Wheels for the World" collects and refurbishes such devices and sends them abroad with volunteers who deliver them to people with disabilities. The objective of "Wheels for the World" is to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the disabled all around the world.
The local drive will take place from Saturday, Jan. 31, through Saturday, Feb. 28. Those with items to contribute may deliver them on Fridays between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. to the Hope College DeVos Fieldhouse athletic training room. Pickups may also be arranged.
Additional information may be obtained by emailing hopeembraces@gmail.com or calling (217) 714-4515.
The fieldhouse is located at 222 Fairbanks Ave., between Fairbanks and Lincoln avenues and Ninth and 11th streets. The athletic training room is on the lower level of the west (Lincoln Avenue) side of the fieldhouse.
"Wheels for the World" is a subsection of "Joni and Friends," which provides ministry outreach programs to people with disabilities and their families. "Joni and Friends" was founded in 1979 by Joni Eareckson Tada. At the age of 17, Joni was in a diving accident which left her a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. She has since become a leading disability advocate as well as an author and artist.
Athletics Director Ray Smith Announces Intention to Retire
HOLLAND - Longtime Hope College coach and athletic administrator Ray Smith has announced he will retire at the end of the current school year.
The winningest football coach in the history of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), Smith, 70, has spent four decades teaching and coaching and is presently is professor of kinesiology and director of athletics for men.
Smith came to Hope in 1970 and was football coach for 25 seasons (1970-94). He has also coached wrestling, golf and baseball. He has been director of athletics for men at since 1980. During that 29-year span, Hope has won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Commissioners Cup award for having the best cumulative performance by its athletic teams a record 23 times.
He holds the all-time record as the longest-serving and winningest head football coach in MIAA history. His football teams posted an overall record of 148-69-9, including nine conference championships. The 1984 team finished 9-0, the only perfect season in the college's 99-year football history.
He was named the NCAA Division III co-coach of the year by "Football News" in 1984 and in 1999 received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the annual West Michigan Sports Awards banquet.
In 2002, he was named co-recipient of the college's Vanderbush-Weller Award in recognition of his personal integrity and the modeling of his Christian faith in his work with students.
In 2005, Hope named the weight training facility in college's new DeVos Fieldhouse in honor of Smith and his wife Sue for their decades-long service to Hope and the Holland community.
He is listed in the National Football College Hall of Fame, and has been honored by the State of California for outstanding and exceptional work with youth.
In 2006 he was inducted into the Riverside, Calif. Sports Hall of Fame. Smith's family moved to Riverside from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota when he was eight months old. An outstanding three-sport athlete in high school, he went on to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on a full scholarship.
At UCLA he lettered in baseball and in football. His football honors were numerous, including team captain, outstanding senior player, honorable mention All-American and UCLA Athlete of the Year. He played in the East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl.
After college he spent three seasons playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, which he chose over the NFL so he would not have to play on Sundays, before retiring in 1962 because of an injury. Immediately prior to coming to Hope, he was head football and baseball coach at Antelope Valley College in California.
In addition to the bachelor's degree from UCLA, Smith holds master's degrees from Pasadena College and Western Michigan University.
He also serves as the college's admissions liaison to the Reformed Church in America.
Throughout the years Ray and his wife Sue have been involved in the Young Life ministry, active in their church and highly invested with students. He was a longtime member of the Leisure & Cultural Service Advisory Commission of the City of Holland.
Ray and Sue Smith have been married for 48 years, and their family consists of a son Randy and his wife Chris, and their children Brianna and Chandler; a son Jeff; and a daughter Jennifer and her husband Brian, and their children Hezekiah and Rebecca.
Other articles regarding Ray Smith's retirement:
Grand Rapids Press article
Holland Sentinel article
HOLLAND - Longtime Hope College coach and athletic administrator Ray Smith has announced he will retire at the end of the current school year.
The winningest football coach in the history of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), Smith, 70, has spent four decades teaching and coaching and is presently is professor of kinesiology and director of athletics for men.
Smith came to Hope in 1970 and was football coach for 25 seasons (1970-94). He has also coached wrestling, golf and baseball. He has been director of athletics for men at since 1980. During that 29-year span, Hope has won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Commissioners Cup award for having the best cumulative performance by its athletic teams a record 23 times.
He holds the all-time record as the longest-serving and winningest head football coach in MIAA history. His football teams posted an overall record of 148-69-9, including nine conference championships. The 1984 team finished 9-0, the only perfect season in the college's 99-year football history.
He was named the NCAA Division III co-coach of the year by "Football News" in 1984 and in 1999 received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the annual West Michigan Sports Awards banquet.
In 2002, he was named co-recipient of the college's Vanderbush-Weller Award in recognition of his personal integrity and the modeling of his Christian faith in his work with students.
In 2005, Hope named the weight training facility in college's new DeVos Fieldhouse in honor of Smith and his wife Sue for their decades-long service to Hope and the Holland community.
He is listed in the National Football College Hall of Fame, and has been honored by the State of California for outstanding and exceptional work with youth.
In 2006 he was inducted into the Riverside, Calif. Sports Hall of Fame. Smith's family moved to Riverside from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota when he was eight months old. An outstanding three-sport athlete in high school, he went on to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on a full scholarship.
At UCLA he lettered in baseball and in football. His football honors were numerous, including team captain, outstanding senior player, honorable mention All-American and UCLA Athlete of the Year. He played in the East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl.
After college he spent three seasons playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, which he chose over the NFL so he would not have to play on Sundays, before retiring in 1962 because of an injury. Immediately prior to coming to Hope, he was head football and baseball coach at Antelope Valley College in California.
In addition to the bachelor's degree from UCLA, Smith holds master's degrees from Pasadena College and Western Michigan University.
He also serves as the college's admissions liaison to the Reformed Church in America.
Throughout the years Ray and his wife Sue have been involved in the Young Life ministry, active in their church and highly invested with students. He was a longtime member of the Leisure & Cultural Service Advisory Commission of the City of Holland.
Ray and Sue Smith have been married for 48 years, and their family consists of a son Randy and his wife Chris, and their children Brianna and Chandler; a son Jeff; and a daughter Jennifer and her husband Brian, and their children Hezekiah and Rebecca.
Other articles regarding Ray Smith's retirement:
Grand Rapids Press article
Holland Sentinel article
Senior Molly Smith Chosen for National Program
The Michigan Athletic Trainers' Society (MATS) has named Hope College senior Molly Smith of Urbana, Ill., one of only two students who are attending Michigan colleges or universities to participate in the student leadership program of the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA).
Smith and Kent Games of Grand Valley State University were selected to participate in the iLead ("I... Lead, Engage, Activate, Develop") program, which will take place in Washington, D.C., on Saturday-Monday, Feb. 21-23. The program is designed for a maximum of 150 students nationwide - up to three per state.
Athletic trainers are allied health care professionals who prevent, manage and rehabilitate injuries in physically active populations. Hope offers a major in athletic training as one of three majors within the department of kinesiology. Hope was the first liberal arts college in Michigan, and is one of only a few institutions in the state, to have its athletic training program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
The Michigan Athletic Trainers' Society (MATS) has named Hope College senior Molly Smith of Urbana, Ill., one of only two students who are attending Michigan colleges or universities to participate in the student leadership program of the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA). Smith and Kent Games of Grand Valley State University were selected to participate in the iLead ("I... Lead, Engage, Activate, Develop") program, which will take place in Washington, D.C., on Saturday-Monday, Feb. 21-23. The program is designed for a maximum of 150 students nationwide - up to three per state.
The program will present a series of interactive sessions designed to help the students develop leadership skills. Presented in conjunction with the 2009 Hill Day Campaign and Athletic Training Educators' Conference, the program will also prepare students for future participation in NATA's StarTRACK program, which is designed to develop future leaders in the athletic training profession.
Smith is an athletic training major. Her clinical experience has included working with the college's football, men's basketball, swimming, volleyball, women's soccer and women's tennis teams, as well as with a local high school and summer sports camps at the University of Illinois.
Her activities at Hope have also included the Relay for Life fundraiser on behalf of the American Cancer Society, Acting on AIDS and the Mortar Board honor society. She is the daughter of James and Betsy Smith of Urbana, and a 2005 graduate of University High School.
Athletic trainers are allied health care professionals who prevent, manage and rehabilitate injuries in physically active populations. Hope offers a major in athletic training as one of three majors within the department of kinesiology. Hope was the first liberal arts college in Michigan, and is one of only a few institutions in the state, to have its athletic training program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
Athletics Canned Food Drive a Success
We are pleased to announce that the first-ever Hope College Athletics Canned Food Drive was a success! A total of 886 canned and non-perishable food items was collected and will be delivered to Community Action today.
The baseball team collected the most food items and has designated a $250 grocery gift certificate to a needy Holland family.
Congratulations to everyone who participated!!
We are pleased to announce that the first-ever Hope College Athletics Canned Food Drive was a success! A total of 886 canned and non-perishable food items was collected and will be delivered to Community Action today.
The baseball team collected the most food items and has designated a $250 grocery gift certificate to a needy Holland family.
Congratulations to everyone who participated!!
Jorge Capestany Named PTR Master Professional
HOLLAND - Jorge Capestany, manager of the DeWitt Tennis Center at Hope College, has earned Master Professional Status with the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), becoming only the ninth person worldwide to hold Master Pro distinction with both the PTR and the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA).
HOLLAND - Jorge Capestany, manager of the DeWitt Tennis Center at Hope College, has earned Master Professional Status with the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), becoming only the ninth person worldwide to hold Master Pro distinction with both the PTR and the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA).
PTR Master Professional certification recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to tennis throughout their careers. Considerations include teaching, coaching and playing experience; service to the community to facilitate the growth of tennis; service to the PTR and other tennis associations; professional development; publications, presentations and/or research; and tournament administration. The eligibility requirements also include having been certified at the Professional Level for at least nine years.
The USPTA had named him a Master Professional in 1992. He was the youngest Master Professional in the USPTA's history. Capestany has managed the college's DeWitt Tennis Center since the fall of 2003 and is a 27-year veteran of the tennis industry.
His new Master Professional certification marks the second time this year that he has earned recognition from the PTR. In February the registry named him the "Michigan Pro of the Year," the sixth time that either the PTR or the USPTA had awarded him the honor.
In February 2006 he was named "Facility Manager of the Year" by the Midwest Division of the USPTA, which had twice previously named him "Midwest Professional of the Year." Other honors that he has received through the years have included being named "Man of the Year" by the Grand Rapids Tennis Patrons and receiving the Cap Leighton Award from the Midwest section of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). He has developed hundreds of ranked juniors, including three national champions.
Earlier this year he launched a new video-based tennis instructional Web site ( www.tennisdrills.tv) that has more than 660 video clips of tennis drills and tips. He has spoken at several national and world tennis conventions, and has served as a consultant to many clubs and professionals. He is a past president of the Western Michigan USTA district and the USPTA Midwest Division.
He is a 1984 graduate of Grand Valley State University, and is USTA Sports Science level 1-certified.
Founded in 1976 and one of only two organizations that certify tennis professionals to be teachers, the PTR is the largest global organization of tennis teaching professionals, with more than 13,000 members in 126 countries. The registry's mission is to educate, certify and serve tennis teachers and coaches around the world in order to grow the game.