Why the move to the CMAC is ideal for Lansing Christian, Perry

Perry didn't have plans to find a new athletic home.

But when Lakewood, Leslie, Maple Valley and Olivet made their decisions to leave the Greater Lansing Activities Conference for new conferences last year, exploring other options became necessary.

Finding schools with similar enrollments and with a reasonable travel distance and similar programming for more than just varsity sports were Perry's top objectives in its search.

And Perry found that in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference, which it will join along with Lansing Christian for the 2023-24 school year.

"It was a good fit," Perry athletic director Mary Huhn said. "We're thankful that they allowed us to come join their tradition that they have had going for many years in the CMAC."

Lansing Christian, which was the smallest school in the seven-member GLAC, also saw its move to the CMAC as logical because of the opportunity it provided to compete against similar schools in Greater Lansing.

"I think when we looked at what were our options going to be with the GLAC not being a conference anymore, really the CMAC was maybe the only option in the sense of location and then also the school size," Lansing Christian athletic director Dan Carmichael said. "It provides a chance to compete against similar schools."

Joining great tradition

The additions of Lansing Christian and Perry bring the CMAC membership to 10 schools. The Pilgrims and Ramblers join Bath, Dansville, Fowler, Laingsburg, Pewamo-Westphalia, Portland St. Patrick, Potterville and Saranac in the league. All of those programs compete at the Division 3 or Division 4 levels in Michigan High School Athletic Association state tournaments.

Huhn said joining the CMAC's tradition of excellence is exciting. Several CMAC programs have won state championships in recent years. P-W has claimed titles in football, volleyball, girls basketball and track and field. Fowler is the two-time Division 4 girls basketball state champion and also has won a recent state title in track and field.

Laingsburg and Dansville have some of the state's top basketball teams in Division 3 this season and Portland St. Patrick has a girls basketball program with a rich tradition under one of the state's winningest coaches in Al Schrauben.

Lansing Christian brings plenty of success of its own into the CMAC. The Pilgrims won recent state titles in boys golf and girls cross country and also have had strong boys and girls soccer programs.

"We know that there is a great tradition in the CMAC between many of the schools," Carmichael said. "There's a high level of competition as well. We're just looking forward to being a part of that. In so many different sports the competition is at such a high level that it's good for our athletes and our athletic program."

From September:Inside Lakewood and Olivet's conference move from the GLAC to the CAAC

Stability for the future

Besides being part of the CMAC's tradition, Lansing Christian and Perry get stability for their athletic futures. Carmichael and Huhn said being part of the CMAC is a big deal for other extra-curricular activities and allows their middle school athletes to be part of a league.

Travel is another bonus, especially for Perry. Lansing Christian is in the middle of the CMAC footprint with Saranac being its longest trip among league opponents. Saranac will also be the longest trip for Perry, but Huhn is excited about the opportunity to share a league with nearby schools Bath and Laingsburg. Perry has regularly played both in football and other sports in recent years.

"It creates a little more of that rivalry situation," said Huhn. "That is definitely a bonus (our community) is excited about. I think we have a fan base that wants to travel and wants to support our athletic teams but sometimes those mid-week games where we're travelling an hour to Maple Valley or Olivet and Lakewood — it kind of reduces the possibilities of families being able to do that.

"I hope that this provides opportunities for our families and our fans to go support our teams when they're competing. I think that has been a huge plus."

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing Christian, Perry get stability in the CMAC