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HARBOR SPRINGS — Before John Flynn attended his year-end review with the Harbor Springs administration, he thought maybe he, along with his wife, Amy, would be in for nice contract extensions and potentially a raise.
John and Amy were each coming off leading their respective boys and girls varsity basketball teams into regionals weeks prior during the 2024-25 season, the fourth season for each coach. Both also finished as regional coach of the year finalists.
Instead, in that April 17 meeting, both Flynns found out the 2024-25 season would be their final as coaches in Harbor, with both informed they would not be renewed for another season.
The move left many stunned and confused, notably the Flynns. It also led to becoming the main discussion during Monday's Harbor Springs Public School Board of Eduction meeting on May 12, the final of the 2024-25 school year.
Harbor Springs superintendent Brad Plackemeier declined comment per the request of his legal council ahead of Monday’s meeting. Harbor Springs Athletic Director Anna Novak previously declined comment in a request from the News-Review in April.
Plackemeier did, however, offer one comment late in Monday's meeting after many within the room had cleared out.
“The positions will be posted tomorrow and anyone who is interested can apply,” Plackemeier said regarding the possible reinstatement of the Flynns to their coaching positions.
Flynns out: John, Amy Flynn out as Harbor Springs basketball coaches
BCAM All-State: BCAM awards all-state, academic and team honors to Northern Michigan standouts
The Flynn situation during Monday’s board meeting – which left standing room only within the Harbor Springs Middle School cafeteria – was first addressed by school board member and trustee, Margo Damoose.
“I’ve seen the division this issue has caused in the community and it saddens me,” Damoose said.
The Flynns sat second row in attendance, their four children alongside them.
During the public comment session, 39 attendees spoke regarding the Flynns, overwhelmingly in support of reinstating the two as coaches, including a number of student athletes.
Harbor Springs parent Abby Urman was first to the microphone to speak in support of the Flynns.
“I’m not sure what else you want in a varsity coach other than what John and Amy do,” Urman said. “I hope the school board does the right thing and reinstates John and Amy as coaches.”
Many addressed the school board and administration directly, worried about the direction the program will head and the coaches the program would attract moving forward.
“I think this sets a very dangerous precedent for coaches in the future,” said Harbor Springs parent Robert Wedge.
While the support in the room sat overwhelmingly with the Flynns, there was support for administration, notably Novak as the athletic director.
The first speaker of the night was one many within the room and community knows well, longtime track and cross country coach Emily Kloss, who asked for support of Novak.
“She’s the best athletic director I’ve had in 35 years,” Kloss said. “I think we should trust our administration and athletic director to do what is best for the student athletes.”
Division 3 Girls: Michigan Sports Writers Division 3 girls all-state basketball teams
Division 3 Boys: Michigan Sports Writers Division 3 all-state boys basketball teams released
Harbor Springs tennis coach Laura Chamberlin also spoke in support of Novak.
“Being an AD is not an easy job,” Chamberlin said. “Anna has been an excellent AD for me as a coach. She’s very attentive, very accessible and very helpful. I wonder what this would say if we turn around and overrule the decision tonight?”
Many student athletes who were in attendance addressed the idea of having new coaches at the start of the 2025-26 season, most vowing to not return to the sport if the Flynns are not back.
Harbor Springs assistant boys coach Steven Bartel also stated he would not be interested in the positon, as some have encouraged him taking over the program.
Bartel 1,000 Points: Harbor Springs' Bartel joins Rams 1,000 point club; Charlevoix, EJ earn league wins
“I’m not going to stand by when a decision is short sided and unjust,” Bartel said. “I truly hope that Harbor Springs is above this. Just because this kind of behavior all across the country goes unchecked, doesn’t mean it has to happen here.”
For John Flynn, the situation that left him without a coaching job also left him both scratching his head and searching for answers. According to Flynn, there were a few reasons he was told he would not return.
The first came out of an incident regarding a convicted felon practicing with the Harbor Springs varsity a couple of times a week.
The individual was one of a number of former athletes, parents and locals who participated in Harbor practices over the past year, with Flynn finding all the bodies he could to run a full five on five practice, a challenge at times.
On Jan. 29 of 2025, Flynn met with both Plackemeier and Novak regarding the matter, resulting in Flynn being issued an official writeup, which stated, “Any future violations may result in a disciplinary action, up to and including termination of your coaching positon.”
Harbor Girls Title: Harbor Springs girls go back to back for Division 3 district titles, set up another reward
From that date, Flynn says the issue was address and no discussion from administration, including concern, followed.
“To this day, he has never stepped foot in the gym for any of my practices or workouts,” John Flynn said.
Two more issues Flynn says was brought up during the April 17 meeting included the low participation numbers within the program and an incident of Harbor Springs Middle School athletes participating in practices.
Both John and Amy often had middle school athletes attend practices. John stated that in these situations, no athletes ever violated Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) rules during his practices. Two individuals from the eighth grade regularly attended.
“Not once did these guys take reps away from current team members, they did not know our offenses and our defenses and basically again, much like others I invited, were simply in the gym playing ball,” Flynn said. “In my mind this was the perfect way to help build for the future. These two young men were glorified managers.”
While John did not receive a written violation, Amy did, then resolved the issue and both thought the situation was closed.
“In literally every year I have coached, at every school I’ve coached I have had middle school kids, such as Rider (Bartel) and Braeden (Flynn) in eighth grade practice with us. I did this growing up, and I still remember hopping into my father’s JV practices in the upper gym as a squirrelly seventh grader, as it was always the highlight of my day.”
Regarding the low numbers within the program – which did not feature a boys junior varsity level team during the 2024-25 season – John and Amy have both worked on addressing the youth levels as coaches, in hopes of building the program from the bottom.
“This year we hosted the largest youth tournament Saturday basketball get-together in the league in February at the middle school and Shay (Elementary) gyms,” John said. “For the first time since I’ve been at Harbor, our sixth grade, fifth grade and fourth grade teams all went undefeated on the day, and Harbor Springs had multiple teams in each grade.”
Where does this leave many looking for answers, including the Flynns?
Well, answers weren’t part of the plan Monday night and if Plackemeier’s comment holds weight, there may be nowhere for a resolution to be had.
When an attendee raised that same question to the board, regarding if a decision would be made, Harbor Springs School Board president Paul Fairbairn restated that the board does not make hiring and firing decisions.
“The school board does not make that decision,” Fairbairn said. “The school board does not overturn policy. The administration is who hires and fires employees.”
Harbor's Role Players: Harbor Springs' little-known players having just as big of an impact
Damoose did file a motion to hold a closed session following Monday’s meeting, which was approved by the board just after 9 p.m., ending the public portion of the meeting at just over three hours.
While they don’t know what will come out of a closed session, the Flynns are still hopeful they can be back in Harbor Springs next season.
“I’m just asking for another chance to make it right for all of us so we can continue doing great things for our community, our girls and for our school,” Amy said during her time addressing the room. “Please, please consider John and me for reinstating.”
John echoed those same hopes as his wife.
“Why would we want to come back here? For you guys, for the community. For my seniors and their blood, sweat and tears," John said. "I don’t know what the outcome of this whole mess will be, but I do know Amy and I love the community in Harbor, we love the vast majority of our parents, we love coaching the kids in Harbor and we want to make this work."
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Harbor Springs community voices support for basketball coaches John, Amy Flynn
Continue reading...
John and Amy were each coming off leading their respective boys and girls varsity basketball teams into regionals weeks prior during the 2024-25 season, the fourth season for each coach. Both also finished as regional coach of the year finalists.
Instead, in that April 17 meeting, both Flynns found out the 2024-25 season would be their final as coaches in Harbor, with both informed they would not be renewed for another season.
The move left many stunned and confused, notably the Flynns. It also led to becoming the main discussion during Monday's Harbor Springs Public School Board of Eduction meeting on May 12, the final of the 2024-25 school year.
You must be registered for see images attach
Harbor Springs superintendent Brad Plackemeier declined comment per the request of his legal council ahead of Monday’s meeting. Harbor Springs Athletic Director Anna Novak previously declined comment in a request from the News-Review in April.
Plackemeier did, however, offer one comment late in Monday's meeting after many within the room had cleared out.
“The positions will be posted tomorrow and anyone who is interested can apply,” Plackemeier said regarding the possible reinstatement of the Flynns to their coaching positions.
Flynns out: John, Amy Flynn out as Harbor Springs basketball coaches
BCAM All-State: BCAM awards all-state, academic and team honors to Northern Michigan standouts
The meeting
The Flynn situation during Monday’s board meeting – which left standing room only within the Harbor Springs Middle School cafeteria – was first addressed by school board member and trustee, Margo Damoose.
“I’ve seen the division this issue has caused in the community and it saddens me,” Damoose said.
The Flynns sat second row in attendance, their four children alongside them.
You must be registered for see images attach
During the public comment session, 39 attendees spoke regarding the Flynns, overwhelmingly in support of reinstating the two as coaches, including a number of student athletes.
Harbor Springs parent Abby Urman was first to the microphone to speak in support of the Flynns.
“I’m not sure what else you want in a varsity coach other than what John and Amy do,” Urman said. “I hope the school board does the right thing and reinstates John and Amy as coaches.”
Many addressed the school board and administration directly, worried about the direction the program will head and the coaches the program would attract moving forward.
“I think this sets a very dangerous precedent for coaches in the future,” said Harbor Springs parent Robert Wedge.
While the support in the room sat overwhelmingly with the Flynns, there was support for administration, notably Novak as the athletic director.
The first speaker of the night was one many within the room and community knows well, longtime track and cross country coach Emily Kloss, who asked for support of Novak.
“She’s the best athletic director I’ve had in 35 years,” Kloss said. “I think we should trust our administration and athletic director to do what is best for the student athletes.”
Division 3 Girls: Michigan Sports Writers Division 3 girls all-state basketball teams
Division 3 Boys: Michigan Sports Writers Division 3 all-state boys basketball teams released
Harbor Springs tennis coach Laura Chamberlin also spoke in support of Novak.
“Being an AD is not an easy job,” Chamberlin said. “Anna has been an excellent AD for me as a coach. She’s very attentive, very accessible and very helpful. I wonder what this would say if we turn around and overrule the decision tonight?”
You must be registered for see images attach
Many student athletes who were in attendance addressed the idea of having new coaches at the start of the 2025-26 season, most vowing to not return to the sport if the Flynns are not back.
Harbor Springs assistant boys coach Steven Bartel also stated he would not be interested in the positon, as some have encouraged him taking over the program.
Bartel 1,000 Points: Harbor Springs' Bartel joins Rams 1,000 point club; Charlevoix, EJ earn league wins
“I’m not going to stand by when a decision is short sided and unjust,” Bartel said. “I truly hope that Harbor Springs is above this. Just because this kind of behavior all across the country goes unchecked, doesn’t mean it has to happen here.”
Searching for cause
For John Flynn, the situation that left him without a coaching job also left him both scratching his head and searching for answers. According to Flynn, there were a few reasons he was told he would not return.
The first came out of an incident regarding a convicted felon practicing with the Harbor Springs varsity a couple of times a week.
The individual was one of a number of former athletes, parents and locals who participated in Harbor practices over the past year, with Flynn finding all the bodies he could to run a full five on five practice, a challenge at times.
On Jan. 29 of 2025, Flynn met with both Plackemeier and Novak regarding the matter, resulting in Flynn being issued an official writeup, which stated, “Any future violations may result in a disciplinary action, up to and including termination of your coaching positon.”
Harbor Girls Title: Harbor Springs girls go back to back for Division 3 district titles, set up another reward
From that date, Flynn says the issue was address and no discussion from administration, including concern, followed.
“To this day, he has never stepped foot in the gym for any of my practices or workouts,” John Flynn said.
Two more issues Flynn says was brought up during the April 17 meeting included the low participation numbers within the program and an incident of Harbor Springs Middle School athletes participating in practices.
Both John and Amy often had middle school athletes attend practices. John stated that in these situations, no athletes ever violated Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) rules during his practices. Two individuals from the eighth grade regularly attended.
“Not once did these guys take reps away from current team members, they did not know our offenses and our defenses and basically again, much like others I invited, were simply in the gym playing ball,” Flynn said. “In my mind this was the perfect way to help build for the future. These two young men were glorified managers.”
You must be registered for see images attach
While John did not receive a written violation, Amy did, then resolved the issue and both thought the situation was closed.
“In literally every year I have coached, at every school I’ve coached I have had middle school kids, such as Rider (Bartel) and Braeden (Flynn) in eighth grade practice with us. I did this growing up, and I still remember hopping into my father’s JV practices in the upper gym as a squirrelly seventh grader, as it was always the highlight of my day.”
Regarding the low numbers within the program – which did not feature a boys junior varsity level team during the 2024-25 season – John and Amy have both worked on addressing the youth levels as coaches, in hopes of building the program from the bottom.
“This year we hosted the largest youth tournament Saturday basketball get-together in the league in February at the middle school and Shay (Elementary) gyms,” John said. “For the first time since I’ve been at Harbor, our sixth grade, fifth grade and fourth grade teams all went undefeated on the day, and Harbor Springs had multiple teams in each grade.”
Moving forward
Where does this leave many looking for answers, including the Flynns?
Well, answers weren’t part of the plan Monday night and if Plackemeier’s comment holds weight, there may be nowhere for a resolution to be had.
When an attendee raised that same question to the board, regarding if a decision would be made, Harbor Springs School Board president Paul Fairbairn restated that the board does not make hiring and firing decisions.
“The school board does not make that decision,” Fairbairn said. “The school board does not overturn policy. The administration is who hires and fires employees.”
Harbor's Role Players: Harbor Springs' little-known players having just as big of an impact
Damoose did file a motion to hold a closed session following Monday’s meeting, which was approved by the board just after 9 p.m., ending the public portion of the meeting at just over three hours.
While they don’t know what will come out of a closed session, the Flynns are still hopeful they can be back in Harbor Springs next season.
“I’m just asking for another chance to make it right for all of us so we can continue doing great things for our community, our girls and for our school,” Amy said during her time addressing the room. “Please, please consider John and me for reinstating.”
John echoed those same hopes as his wife.
“Why would we want to come back here? For you guys, for the community. For my seniors and their blood, sweat and tears," John said. "I don’t know what the outcome of this whole mess will be, but I do know Amy and I love the community in Harbor, we love the vast majority of our parents, we love coaching the kids in Harbor and we want to make this work."
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Harbor Springs community voices support for basketball coaches John, Amy Flynn
Continue reading...
