The Robertson family’s vacation to Grand Haven took a detour on July 25.
As they pulled out of their driveway on McClumpha Road, they stopped down the street at Plymouth-Canton Educational Park for about two hours because Max, their 14-year-old boy with Down syndrome, wasn’t about to miss his favorite event of the year.
The Plymouth football team, in collaboration with Livonia Churchill, has hosted the Sunshine’s Skills and Drills Football Clinic for Children with Special Needs for the past 11 years.
And Max hasn’t missed a single outing, which is saying something because the event is for children ages 5-17, and he was 4 when the Wildcats hosted their inaugural clinic.
“He’s like the mayor here,” said Max’s father, Scott, a teacher at nearby Gallimore Elementary.
Here’s how it works: Campers get paired with a Plymouth or Churchill player, make it through the giant blowup Wildcat tunnel and then are divided into groups. With their buddy, they do specific drills, such as running for touchdowns, blocking, kicking and tackling padded dummies.
Coaches lead the stations, while the players guide each camper through drills much like they would for the underclassmen during two-a-days at training camp in August.
Event director Brian Rochon said 60 campers stopped by this year, with about 100 parents and community members watching them in action beside their buddies.
“I like kicking field goals and scoring touchdowns,” Max said. “But my favorite thing is touchdown dances.”
Max is actually an incredibly big sports fan, as his first time at Sunshine’s sparked his interest in signing up for organized teams, meeting athletes and attending games.
He competes in an annual Special Olympics track meet.
He hits home runs over the fence while playing Miracle League baseball.
He’s a bowler, has played soccer and loves basketball. In fact, the Pioneer Middle School basketball team has asked him to sit on its bench this winter.
He’s interested in croquet, and if his parents would let him get his way, he wants to try boxing.
When he attends Salem in 2026, he’ll get to join the Rocks’ Unified sports programs.
“He’s always been athletic,” Scott said. “He’s got a really good arm and really good hand-eye coordination for batting.”
Max also enjoys the fanfare and environments at big games.
He loves marching bands, especially the tuba players. Almost daily, he watches a Michigan football hype video on YouTube that shows highlights from its 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship run with the Michigan Marching Band playing in the background.
Every year on his birthday, a handful of high school pep band members march to the Robertsons’ house and play songs for him.
“His special gift is how he relates to people,” said Max’s mother, Kristi, a teacher at Workman Elementary. “That’s how he makes connections with players and band members, and it’s one of his best qualities.”
Those friendships he’s created have afforded him several cool opportunities.
He’s danced on the field at halftime of a Michigan women’s soccer game.
He’s been invited to both a Detroit Lions game and training camp.
He’s been interviewed on live television by Fox 2 about playing football.
Heck, he’s even met his favorite Lion, Aidan Hutchinson, a few times; however, one of those meetings was by accident.
Last Halloween, while trick-or-treating in the neighborhood where Hutchinson’s parents live, Max snuck into their house. Lo and behold, in their living room was Aidan, with his foot propped up as he recovered from a leg injury that had forced him to miss 12 games in 2024.
“Aidan Hutchinson is a very cool kid,” Max said. “He hurt his ankle last season, but I met him on Halloween, and I got to see his two dogs and his sisters. I took pictures with him and got to say ‘Happy Halloween’ to him.”
Max and Aidan are now friends, with Max becoming one of Hutch’s Heroes, Aidan’s foundation that supports children with life-threatening illnesses and physical challenges.
“We’ve met a lot of parents, friends and people like Aidan through the things Max has done,” Kristi said. “I’ve always attributed that to Max’s positive energy. Anybody who meets him can quickly see how he spreads joy. Like the Hutchinsons, it was just an immediate connection with them because of Max and his joy of bringing everyone together.”
Max said he was excited about his trip to Grand Haven. He had plans to relax, take naps, swim, go on boat rides and ride horses while in West Michigan.
Most importantly, he said he appreciated how his parents sacrificed a head start to their four-day vacation so that he could maintain perfect attendance at Sunshine’s.
After all, what’s the most important event of the year without the mayor stopping by?
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Meet Max Robertson, the mayor of Sunshine’s Football Clinic
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
