by orionontv | May 21, 2024 | Community Event, Feature Writers
LAKE ORION/ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Two fun events for runners, walkers and athletes alike happened this weekend. The Donut Dash 5k and the Dragon Dash 5k events both took place on Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th respectively.
The Donut Dash 5k, which took place at Friendship Park in Lake Orion, was put on by YoungLife Lake Orion, an adolescent-focused religious group that puts on events in the community. Donuts were handed out during and after the race, with many young faces crowding the park that morinng enjoying their racing rewards.
Photo by Joe Johnson
The next day, on the other side of town, the Dragon Dash 5k event took place – starting at the Orion Center. The event primarily took place on the Polly Ann Trail, with runners of all ages and skill levels participating in the race.
In total, over 200 runners registered for the event, with 32 walk-ons registering that morning for the race.
The runners gathered at the starting line, and then… they were off!
Racers charged towards the entrance of the Polly Ann Trail, heading south towards Civic Center Park, then they turned around and headed back to the Orion Center – where the finish line was.
Photo by Joe Johnson
For the first time in the Dragon Dash’s 28-year history, the entry fees were collected and donated towards a local non-profit: Orion Area Youth Assistance.
ONTV broadcasting intern Lexi McKinney spoke to Jennifer Vezina, a recreation programmer at Orion Township Parks & Rec., Sunday morning about the 5k and how the event’s allocation will help children in need.
“All proceeds from this run will go directly to [Orion Area Youth Assistance], they will be awarding scholarships for participants needing financial aid to register for programs within the community,” Vezina said.
And the winner of the Dragon Dash 5k, for the second year in a row… Alexander Pollack.
Pollack, a Lake Orion Native, took the gold once again with a time of 18 minutes and 42 seconds.
“It’s hard to prepare for the heat, cause we’re coming out of winter so I think the heat got every body today, but, I don’t know, I just run a lot and have fun with it – that’s how I prepare,” Pollack said.
Photo by Joe Johnson and Lexi McKinney
The first female runner to cross the finish line was Maria Brandon, with a time of 20 minutes and 8 seconds.
“I had a blast out there! It was a great course, it was so well administrated,” Brandon said. “I am actually a running coach over at Great Lakes Athletic Club… I train a group of runners through my cadence classes and I work out with them as well. But now honestly, I have two little kids so right now it’s a lot of stroller-running, but once I lose the stroller it’s a lot easier to run fast.”
Family and fun was had here at the Orion Center this weekend, many other events will be taking place in the Orion area in the following weeks, including another running event, the Veteran’s Memorial Day 5k and 5-mile Run/Walk May 27th, as well as the summer season kickoff with the “Summer Sizzle” at the Orion Center on June 2nd.
For more information about these events, visit orionparks.com
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by orionontv | May 20, 2024 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Sunday May 19th at 10:45 AM
Here is the softball district preview. This will be updated once we get the District 56 matchups.
District 4 at Lapeer
Lapeer vs. Holly
OXFORD vs. Davison
THOUGHTS/PROJECTION: This should be a very interesting district. Oxford and Davison will be very interesting as will Lapeer and Holly in the district semifinals. I think the Wildcats experience moves them on over a very good Bronchos team. PICK: OXFORD.
District 22 at Farmington Hills Mercy
Livonia Stevenson vs. FARMINGTON
SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH vs. Farmington Hills Mercy
THOUGHTS/PROJECTION: Livonia Stevenson and Farmington Hills Mercy should be a very interesting district finals. The Spartans have a very strong team but so does the Marlins. Home field will be the difference here. PICK: FARMINGTON HILLS MERCY.
District 23 at Warren Mott
FERNDALE vs. Warren Mott
OAK PARK vs. Detroit Renaissance
THOUGHTS/PROJECTION: This is not a very strong district when looking at the teams. Warren Mott is a very young team and could get to the district finals. Ferndale is the other team that could make a run. I think Detroit Renaissance wins this district with ease. PICK: DETROIT RENAISSANCE.
District 26 at Waterford Kettering
Waterford Mott vs. Waterford Kettering
Waterford Mott/Waterford Kettering vs. BLOOMFIELD HILLS
WEST BLOOMFIELD vs. CLARKSTON
THOUGHTS/PROJECTION: This is a very interesting district. Clarkston hasn’t been themselves while West Bloomfield has had some moments of good and bad. Bloomfield Hills has also been solid as well. I can’t go against the Wolves in this district even with the changes they made, nope. PICK: CLARKSTON.
District 27 at Seaholm
NORTH FARMINGTON vs. GROVES
SEAHOLM vs. BERKLEY
THOUGHTS/PROJECTION: This is a very interesting district. Berkley looks to be the favorite in this district with a ton of proven experience. Seaholm played in the Red and has home field. The Maples have been looking really strong recently. Groves has been up and down as has North Farmington. Both the Raiders and the Falcons are more than capable of winning this district as Seaholm. I think the Bears find a way and win this very competitive district. PICK: BERKLEY.
District 28 at Avondale
TROY vs. TROY ATHENS
AVONDALE vs. ROYAL OAK
THOUGHTS/PROJECTION: This is a very interesting district. Troy and Troy Athens should be a very interesting district semifinals. I really like what Royal Oak has done. They won a district last season beating Berkley and hopes to continue that same magic. It’s a tougher district this time around but the Ravens get it done for the second time. PICK: ROYAL OAK.
District 29 at Stoney Creek
LAKE ORION vs. ROCHESTER
STONEY CREEK vs. ADAMS
THOUGHTS/PROJECTION: Erin Flynn vs the Dragons looks like it will be inevitable pending if there isn’t any upsets. Stoney Creek is ranked, has one of the State’s best pitchers, and has home field. Lake Orion has been an honorable mention all season. If the Dragons can get to Flynn and force her pitch count to rise that spells trouble for the Cougars. Give me the team that has been there before. PICK: LAKE ORION.
District 56 at Geographic host
HARPER WOODS
Detroit Denby
Detroit Lincoln King
Detroit East English
Detroit Southeastern
Harper Woods Chandler Park
THOUGHTS/PREDICTION: This is not a strong district when looking at the teams. I think Harper Woods wins this district because of the schedule. PICK: HARPER WOODS.
by orionontv | May 20, 2024 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Sunday May 19th at 9:05 AM
Here are the baseball districts preview.
District 15 at Novi
Novi vs. Livonia Stevenson
Novi/Livonia Stevenson vs. FARMINGTON
Novi Detroit Catholic Central vs. Northville
THOUGHTS/PREDICTION: This is shaping up to be a very tough district. Novi won the Division One State crown last season while Novi Detroit Catholic Central is a proven powerhouse. Northville has been a very strong program as has Livonia Stevenson and Farmington. This district could go either way with the winner likely having a deep postseason run. I don’t see anyone knocking the Wildcats in this district. PICK: NOVI.
District 21 at Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit
SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH vs. Detroit Renaissance
Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit vs. FERNDALE
THOUGHTS/PREDICTION: This is not a very strong district when looking at the teams. Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit has had a strong season but can’t count Ferndale out despite having to face the Cubs in the district semifinals. Southfield Arts and Tech and Detroit Renaissance has been up and down. I think Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit wins this district with ease. PICK: DETROIT UNIVERSITY-DETROIT JESUIT.
District 22 at Seaholm
BERKLEY vs. TROY
BERKLEY/TROY vs. GROVES
ROYAL OAK vs. SEAHOLM
THOUGHTS/PREDICTION: This is a very interesting and competitive district. There are some really good teams in this district that could make some noise. Berkley, Groves, Troy, and Royal Oak are solid teams but Seaholm has been battle tested. Home field matters in a district like this and having the new facility will help. PICK: SEAHOLM.
District 23 at Bloomfield Hills
NORTH FARMINGTON vs. WEST BLOOMFIELD
Birmingham Brother Rice vs. BLOOMFIELD HILLS
THOUGHTS/PREDICTION: This is a very competitive district. Birmingham Brother Rice just won the Catholic League crown and is the top team in the State. West Bloomfield has been state ranked all season and has a really good pitching staff. Bloomfield Hills and North Farmington could play spoilers. If there is a team that is primed to be upset it’s the Warriors. I think the Lakers get it done behind their strong pitching staff. PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD.
District 24 at Waterford Kettering
AVONDALE vs. Waterford Kettering
Waterford Mott vs. Orchard Lake St. Marys
THOUGHTS/PREDICTION: This is not a very strong district. I don’t see anyone in this district knocking off Orchard Lake St. Marys. PICK: ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARYS.
District 27 at Utica Ford II
Utica Ford II vs. TROY ATHENS
Utica Ford II/TROY ATHENS vs. Sterling Heights Stevenson
Sterling Heights vs. Utica
THOUGHTS/PREDICTION: This should be a very competitive district in Utica. Troy Athens has been solid all season. Utica has been very consistent all season. Utica Ford II has home field and has been solid. Utica got the best draw of the teams and the Chieftains should move on. PICK: UTICA.
District 30 at Lake Orion
STONEY CREEK vs. ADAMS
STONEY CREEK/ADAMS vs. LAKE ORION
Utica Eisenhower vs. ROCHESTER
THOUGHTS/PREDICTION: Lake Orion has been a very odd team to figure out this season. They lost the season series to Rochester but bounced back against Stoney Creek and Adams. The Dragons also have two wins against Utica Eisenhower. Rochester has proven they can go into Lake Orion and win, they did it twice this season. Utica Eisenhower is also a proven team as well. This is anyone’s district to take but when in doubt go with the home team. PICK: LAKE ORION.
District 31 at Grand Blanc
Fenton vs. CLARKSTON
Fenton/CLARKSTON vs. OXFORD
Grand Blanc vs. Holly
THOUGHTS/PREDICTION: This is a very interesting district. Clarkston and Oxford have both been up and down all season. Grand Blanc has been very good all season. Holly and Fenton have been solid teams as well. The Bobcats have home field in their district which helps. Grand Blanc could be in line to make a deep postseason run. PICK: GRAND BLANC.
District 56 at Grosse Pointe University Liggett
Grosse Pointe University Liggett vs. St. Clair Shores South Lake
Grosse Pointe University Liggett/St. Clair Shores South Lake vs. Harper Woods Chandler Park
Detroit East English vs. HARPER WOODS
THOUGHTS/PREDICTION: This is not a very strong district. Grosse Pointe University Liggett is a proven powerhouse. Harper Woods could make some noise and get to the district finals. I don’t see the Pioneers getting by Grosse Pointe University Liggett. PICK: GROSSE POINTE UNIVERSITY LIGGETT.
by orionontv | May 16, 2024 | Entertainment, Feature Writers, Music, Pop Culture
Expectations can be a damning thing. If you have predisposed ideas about a person, group, idea or event, then it completely warps your idea of what that thing is and will be. This rings true for a myriad of different topics but how it primarily affects me and my music enjoyment is with hip-hop.
Every time I think that a certain artist is done with producing and releasing good music, and every time I think that there is an artist that can do no wrong, something changes – those expectations get undermined.
This is what happened last year, about six months ago, with Westside Gunn and Ken Carson, two artists who have primarily released great and poor music respectively. Ken Carson ended up releasing the better album that week by a large margin and Westside Gunn’s ended up falling short.
This week, we have two hip-hop/RnB and neo-soul legends, Chief Keef and Donald Glover (a.k.a. Childish Gambino.) Both artists have carved their own paths in music cannon in the early to mid-2010s.
Keith Farrelle Cozart (a.k.a. Chief Keef,) is a Chicago-drill artist that rose to prominence in the early-2010s with his abrasive and bombastic drill tracks such as “I Don’t Like” and “Love Sosa.” Lately though, Chief Keef’s music has been on the decline, with each release straying farther and farther from what made his music fresh and great.
However, Chief Keef’s latest studio outing, “Almighty So 2,” is a mighty beacon of hope to those who have written Chief Keef off.
To start off with genre, this was not a trend-hopping rage rap album like people have predicted, instead this is a full blown, throwback, true Chicago-drill rap album. Songs like “Jesus,” “Runner” and “1,2,3” all have triumphant production that include classic drill staples: horns, a pulsing bass line, clicking hi hats and lots of car engine sound effects.
Chief Keef is arguably the most comfortable he has ever sounded, no awkward flows, no whack-sounding bars – all precision and all skill. Boastful yet introspective lyrics are what I usually look for on the lyrical side of a modern rap record and Chief Keef effortlessly delivers.
Finally, the record is the perfect length, 16 tracks and just over an hour – the album never overstays its welcome. There are a few tracks and one skit near the beginning of the record that halt the album’s momentum for a bit, however this is short-lived as track five, “Jesus” really picks the album’s speed back up.
For Chief Keef, this album is a great moment, however, on the other side of the spectrum is Childish Gambino.
Gambino is one who usually releases great music: “Because The Internet,” “’Awaken My Love’” and the single “This Is America” all have set him up for success.
Gambino’s latest effort, “Atavista” (formerly the project known as “3.15.20”) is a revamp of his 2020 record, an album that – at the time – sounded entirely unfinished. Now, that record is complete, with one new track, re-mixed and re-mastered original tracks, and a thematic through line to tie it all together, how does “Atavista” hold up against all of Gambino’s other records?
The answer is not well.
The truth is, Gambino does not expand upon any established ideas, instead he recycles them until there is no more meaning to those original great ideas.
The meandering alternative-RnB of “Because The Internet” is present on tracks like “To Be Hunted” and “Sweet Thang,” as well as the progressive neo-soul of “’Awaken My Love’” on “Time” and even the jitter, erratic hip-hop of Gambino’s critically panned (but cult-classic nonetheless), “Camp” on “Final Church.”
All of these recycled and not-expanded upon ideas just feel tired at this point. It’s depressing that Gambino spends four years re-mixing and re-mastering all of these tracks just to end up sounding like copies of your old work.
It’s not a good look at all.
What we can learn from this journey into expectation is to just not have expectations. Go into an album blind, do not look anything up about it, do not listen to any singles or teasers – just listen!
If we all lose our expectations of what something can be, then we can really have a discussion of the merits of art and the like.
by orionontv | May 15, 2024 | Community Event, Feature Writers
LAKE ORION – On Monday, May 13, 2024, Lake Orion Robotics (a.k.a. Team 302) hosted their annual RoboExpo at Lake Orion High School. Students from all-ages interested in Robotics came to LOHS to see robotics demonstrations and even control some robots.
Student representatives from Team 302 came together during the event to show off all of their robotics accomplishments from the past school year. ONTV’s Joe Johnson spoke to Bruce Stone, Lead Competition Mentor at Team 302 about the event.
“We put on an annual festival, where we bring in the entire program from kindergarten to high school to show off what the kids have done throughout the entire school year for competitive robotics,” Stone said.
So why robotics? Why should Lake Orion students care more about robotics than traditional sports like Football, Baseball or Soccer? Bruce Stone answered that exact question for ONTV.
“We are always looking for more kids, we are always looking for more engagement. We say that in robotics, this is the only sport that the kids will ever do that when they graduate, they’ll go pro – this is what they’ll do for the rest of their career.” Stone said. “All of this is about problem-solving and teamwork, learning engineering, science and technology skills… Learning how to work in a team, in a competitive environment where it’s kind of like the environment you would have at work.”
RoboExpo was a great opportunity for new students to get involved. Excited kids from all over the community came to learn more about robotics, but how soon can they get started?
“We start recruiting for the next season, right now… We recruit from middle school and elementary school because they start in the summer, right in the beginning of the school year and the high school team starts in the fall,” Stone said.
Team 302 is interested in finding new faces for their exciting robotics teams. If you or someone you know is interested, you can visit team302.org, or their Facebook at facebook.com/firstteam302/ for more information and upcoming events.
Photo by Joe Johnson
Photo by Joe Johnson
by orionontv | May 14, 2024 | Community Event, Feature Writers
ORION TOWNSHIP – On Thursday, May 9, 2024, Orion Township Parks and Recreation, along with Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital, pot on their second annual Motherhood Matters Health and Safety seminar at the Orion Center.
The event included raffles, speakers and nearly 20 different vendors that offered information. Speakers came to the Orion Center to deliver information about kids’ safety while driving, as well as information about Breastfeeding.
Joe Johnson of ONTV spoke to Tiffany Kennedy, the Community Health Coordinator of Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital about the event.
“We have our ‘Motherhood Matters’ – all the nurses are here, doctors are here and lovely vendors with lots of good gifts for the mamas and the families,” Kennedy said.
Resources from Ascension Providence Rochester came to the Orion Center to support Moms and Moms-to-be for Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 12.
“We have our lactation consultant from Ascension Rochester, we have some of our midwifes here as well, we have our primary care doctors, our trauma department – so lots of different people here from Ascension,” Kennedy said.
Fun activities and tips for household needs like picking up laundry or other items off the ground while pregnant, this was achieved in-part by the Great Lakes Athletic Club Team.
“We’re so grateful for our community partners, they did a wonderful job – lots of giveaways, lots of love and dedication to the community. It’s nice to see them all come together today,” Kennedy said.
Ascension Providence Hospital is at the Orion Center every Monday and Friday from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m.
For more information, visit ascension.org/classes or visit greatlakesathleticclub.com
Photo by Joe Johnson
Photo by Joe Johnson
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