2011 National Sportsmanship Awards Honorees

Camp Kilpatrick is a juvenile detention center in Malibu, Calif.  It served as the inspiration for the 2006 film Gridiron Gang.  Courts assign young men to the facility after they commit mostly minor offenses such as petty theft, vandalism or marijuana possession.  Yet many of the inmates are members of the notorious Bloods and Crips gangs.  This pre-adversarial relationship makes fostering teamwork next to impossible.  Kilpatrick basketball coach Kurt Keller tackled the impossible head-on.  He told Sports Illustrated, “At the start of a season, some of my guys would rather shoot at each other than pass to each other.”  Keller, however, has found a way to foster an atmosphere of good sportsmanship and character.  The evidence of his work shone through last season when Kilpatrick won the 6A Division championship and made the California high school playoffs.  More impressive than the Mustangs’ win-loss record was the respect and discipline they showed on the court.  After each game, league coaches rate the opposing team on sportsmanship.  Kilpatrick made such an impression on other teams that the league recognized the Mustangs with its annual Sportsmanship Award.  The team’s success and improved character seemed to rub off on its most adversarial fans as well.  Keller saw a remarkable difference.  “You could look up in the stands and see Bloods sitting near Crips, all of them cheering for our kids.”  Players change often at Kilpatrick, but the message does not.  Anyone can be successful when given an opportunity and direction.

Affton High School sophomore Daniel Crum is the first legally blind person to ever play on the school’s golf team.  Crum is thought to be the only legally blind high school golfer in Missouri.  Doctors discovered a brain tumor on his optic nerve when he was two years old.  Even after treatment, some parts of the tumor remain.  Corrective glasses help some, and Crum has been able to make adjustments when participating in sports.  He enjoys wiffle ball, flag football and basketball.  However, golf has a special place in his heart.  He told Sally Tippett Rains of the Affton-Shrewsbury Patch, “I like golf because it’s something I can play, even with my disability.”  Crum can’t see out of his left eye or from the middle of his right eye to his nose.  He lacks peripheral vision.  Despite the challenges, Crum plays by the same rules as every other golfer.  He receives no special help except to have someone spot this ball.  Affton Athletic Director Dan Oliver paid Crum a tremendous and simple compliment:  “He is a great kid,” Oliver said.  Leaving that type of impression on people will take Daniel Crum further in life than his driver ever will.

Sportsmanship seems to be inherent to the game of tennis.  It is one of the few sports where an athlete must practice, warm up and regularly converse with opponents.  Tennis players understand that the game requires serve and volley.  Give and take is essential to success.  Jocelyn Fischer of Adirondack Community College (Queensbury, N.Y.) embodies this understanding.  She is the winner of the 2010 NJCAA Lea Plarski Award.  The Plarski Award recognizes the student-athlete who exemplifies sportsmanship, leadership, and community service and academic excellence, coupled with athletic ability and achievement.  Known for her energy, enthusiasm and incredible work ethic, Fischer proudly wore the title of captain for the Adirondack tennis team.  She was the No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles finalist the past two seasons in Region 3 of the Mountain Valley Conference.  Off the court, Fischer maintained excellent grades while working as a volunteer Critical-Care EMT with the Hague, N.Y., Volunteer Department and Warrensburg, N.Y., EMS.  Moreover, she created training videos to help instruct fellow EMS staff members and students.  The two-time Adirondack Female Athlete of the Year also found time to volunteer at the Silver Bay YMCA giving tennis lessons and teaching weight training classes among other courses.  In addition to her tennis accomplishments, she has completed two triathlons and holds a Black Belt in Taekwondo.  In the past year, Fischer became a certified New York State firefighter and graduated from nursing school.  She will continue to use her skills to help others and recently accepted a job as an ER nurse at a hospital in Troy, N.Y.  Sports open many doors for student-athletes.  Jocelyn Fischer utilizes her considerable talent and character to hold those doors for others.

Jocelyn Fischer is the recipient of the NJCAA's Lea Plarski Award.

On the field, the behavior is called sportsmanship.  Off the field, it is called compassion.  The U.S. under-17 women’s soccer team brought compassion on the field when it competed against Haiti in the CONCACAF championship in Costa Rica.  Haiti came into the contest two months removed from the January 2010 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people.  One of the Haitian goalkeepers lost her parents. The federation’s soccer headquarters in Port-au-Prince collapsed killing 32 people inside.  U.S. goalie Bre Heaberlin was surprised the Haitian team even showed up for the tournament and wanted to help.  Heaberlin told a reporter, “I was really amazed that they would play.  A lot of my teammates talked about doing a fundraiser or something to help them.”  U.S. Soccer decided to equip its young team with the tools to be of assistance.  They packed all the soccer gear, clothing and toiletries they could handle and took it to Costa Rica for the Haitian team.  The match itself was not much of a contest.  The Haitians carried the hurt of an entire nation on their backs.  After losing to the U.S. 9-0, the Haitian goalie fell to the ground in tears.  Heaberlin and her teammates did not allow the player to stay there alone.  “We started walking to her,” Heaberlin said.  “Her coach helped her up and I opened my arms and hugged her.  She was crying and I was crying.  And all of my teammates began crying.  Nobody spoke any French.  We communicated with a nod and a smile.”   Hugs, however, are understood in any language.  The embrace lasted about 90 seconds of real time, but the impact on all the girls will last forever.  Abby Wambach of the U.S. women’s national team sent her young counterparts an uplifting message:  “It is rare to have moments like that show up, but even [rarer] to actually do the right thing when they arise.  It takes people who think outside of themselves to do what you all did.  I believe it truly shows one’s character.”  The U.S. team’s sportsmanship continued beyond game day.  Heaberlin even went so far as to start a charitable foundation to benefit the Haitian players.  Last July, the entire Haiti under-17 team was flown to Orlando to compete in the Disney Cup courtesy of Heaberlin’s foundation – Many Hearts One Goal.  The U.S. teammates continue to lead fundraisers and clothing drives specifically to benefit the Haitian team. 

“They’re kind of making a big deal out of nothing.”  Only people built with courage and polished with humility make statements like that.  Catholic Memorial School junior varsity hockey coach John Huether is such a person.  Richard Sweeney knows first-hand the depth of Huether’s character.  Catholic Memorial and Xaverian High School were just starting the third period of their game one Sunday morning in January.  Sweeney, one of two referees at the game, dropped the puck during a faceoff and attempted to skate away from the action.  He slipped and hit his head on the ice.  The impact knocked Sweeney unconscious.  Huether immediately jumped over the wall in front of his team’s bench and tended to the injured referee.  Huether, who is a nurse, began performing a series of neurological tests on Sweeney as he came to.  He could not remember the day of the week or his home phone number.  Two players helped Sweeney to a seat in the stands to rest.  He thought the game would continue once he was off the ice.  “I fully expected to be helped off the ice and have everyone go back to hockey,” Sweeney told Boston.com.  “I said, ‘Go back to coach your team.’  He told me, ‘You’re more important than the game.’”  Huether remained by his side until an ambulance arrived.  As paramedics escorted Sweeney to the locker room, Huether instructed players from both teams to tap their sticks on the glass in a show of respect.  “I was so touched by that,” Sweeney said.  “To me, that was an ultimate sign of respect… I had tears in my eyes.”  When the game was over, Huether was concerned that Sweeney might still not remember his phone number so his family could be notified.  He contacted league officials trying to find out Sweeney’s condition.  Huether’s efforts proved unsuccessful.  So the coach drove 15 minutes to the nearest hospital he knew to check for hockey-related admissions.  He learned that Sweeney had been admitted to a hospital closer to the game venue.  Huether then drove 15 minutes in the other direction and located Sweeney and his family.  The referee was undergoing tests and his children were in the hospital waiting room.  Huether stayed with Sweeney’s children for two hours – assuring them their father would be all right while lightening the mood with hockey stories.  Finally, Sweeney emerged with his wife and was surprised to see Huether with his children.  “I was a little choked up that he had been that good to me and my family and what he did for my kids was something I’ve never seen before,” Sweeney said.  Coach Huether thought nothing of his actions.  “I was just doing what you’re supposed to do when someone gets hurt.  No big deal.”  Huether’s actions were a big deal to Sweeney’s family and the young men he coaches.  The coach taught a very valuable lesson.  Sportsmanship is about using your skills to make the game better for others.  In this case, Huether used his skills as a nurse to ensure Sweeney’s safety.  No one will remember who won the game or how many goals were scored, but they will remember the assist a coach gave to a referee.

A remarkable act of sportsmanship occurred when Manchester and East Catholic high schools (Manchester, Conn.) continued their fierce wrestling rivalry last year.  East Catholic led Manchester in a dual meet with four matches to go.  But East Catholic was on the verge of losing the meet because the team did not have any wrestlers available to compete in the remaining weight classes.  So Manchester coach Lou LaGuardia turned the tables.  He decided his team would forfeit the final four matches, resulting in no points being awarded to either squad.  Instead of a win for Manchester, the meet concluded with a 30-24 East Catholic victory.  Manchester displayed sportsmanship in its purest form.  The school showed respect to an opponent for a superior performance.  After all, East Catholic had won every match in the meet in which it had a wrestler compete.  Manchester felt its opponent had deserved and earned victory.  The actions of LaGuardia and his team made a lasting impression on East Catholic coach Jason Marsh.  He told the North-Central Connecticut Journal Inquirer, “This speaks volumes about the coaching staff and the athletic department over there.  Once again, these guys proved to me why they have such class and sportsmanship.  It’s not about winning.  It’s about what the kids can learn.”  Rivalries are not about hatred of the other team, but love of the game.  Manchester proved that its love of wrestling far exceeds the numbers on any scoreboard.   

After Northwestern College set a school record for victories with a 30-7 record in 2008, coach Beth Wilmeth sought to establish a new standard for success.  She preached integrity and she wanted her players to display that principle on the court.  After seeing one of the Eagles’ opponents make honor calls, the team decided to implement its own system in which it surrenders a point it doesn’t deserve.  If a student-athlete touches a shot that goes out of bounds and the officials miss the touch, the Eagles self-report it.  Initially, officials were taken aback at tournaments where Northwestern competed.  The NCAA was even contacted to determine if Northwestern’s actions were fair.  Representatives from the NCAA ruled that honor calls are not only fair, but also encouraged.   Although they have not cost the Eagles a match, the honor calls did result in the loss of 30 points during the 2009 season.  But the focus on honesty and integrity had an effect on Northwestern’s opponents.  Other teams followed the Eagles’ lead and instituted their own versions of the honor call system.  Middle blocker Elissa Sandstrom told the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “It still stinks giving up a point, but it feels right.  Other teams have said, ‘Thank you for being honest.’  And if you want to be a person of integrity, you have to have it in all areas.” 

Northwestern College is the recipient of the NCAA's Sportsmanship Award.

In October 2009, Southern New Hampshire University cross country runners Tyler Parks and Mike Smith were competing in the New England Championship in Boston.  At approximately the 3.5-mile mark on the course, they came across an unconscious Boston University runner who was face down in a wooded area.  It was estimated that the runner had been lying there for three to four minutes and possibly 100 runners had passed him.  Parks and Smith stopped to assist the runner, even though doing so prevented them from finishing the race.  After initial efforts to wake him, the pair took hold of the runner, who soon regained consciousness.  Parks and Smith proceeded carefully to take him to the nearest medical tent.  He turned out to be suffering from dehydration and ended up being fine.  Southern New Hampshire Director of Athletics Chip Polak said, “Tyler and Mike helped a fallen runner because it was the right thing to do.  It was a selfless act.  They never anticipated or expected to receive recognition.  I am extremely proud to have Tyler and Mike representing SNHU.”  Although Parks and Smith did not complete the race, their character shone brighter than any medal.

Tyler Parks and Mike Smith are the recipients of the NCAA Sportsmanship Award.

Success occurs when preparation meets opportunity.  The junior varsity softball team from Marshall High School in Indianapolis was in no way prepared to play the freshman team from nearby Roncalli High when the schools met last spring.  Roncalli had not lost a game in 2 ½ years and this was Marshall’s first game ever.  That fact alone would make for a potential blowout.  But Marshall had even greater disadvantages.  Marshall brought two bats, five balls, no helmets, no sliding pads and no cleats.  Several players did not know where first base was, how to stand in the batter’s box or how to hold a bat.  Their coach had never even seen a softball game before.  Roncalli decided to end any potential humiliation before it started.  At first, Roncalli coach Jeff Traylor suggested it would be more beneficial to have the teams practice together.  That meant Marshall would forfeit the game, something its players did not want to do.  So Roncalli then offered to be the team that would forfeit – a gesture that would bring its impressive winning streak to an end.  While not wanting to quit, the Marshall players ultimately realized that the opportunity to practice with Roncalli would help them become a better squad.  In the end, Marshall officially forfeited the game, refusing to allow Roncalli to suffer a loss on paper.  Instead of a lopsided result, the afternoon turned into a valuable session for both sides as Roncalli players worked with the Marshall players on fundamentals.  Traylor told ESPN.com, “One at a time the Marshall girls would come in to hit off of the [Roncalli] pitchers.  As they hit the ball their faces lit up!  They were high fiving and hugging the girls from Roncalli, thanking them for teaching them the game.  The change from the beginning of the game to the end of the practice was amazing.”  Traylor then decided to go a step further for Marshall.  He asked his players’ parents and others in the community to contribute money and equipment.  The effort raised $2,500.  The selflessness and generosity inspired Reebok and the Cincinnati Reds, who provided equipment and field preparation.  Marshall did not win any games last season, but the team held leads in its last three contests.  The girls were excited by their progress and returned to Roncalli two weeks later for another practice.  Their passion for the game blossomed to the point where the Marshall players and parents wanted to extend the season and play AAU summer softball.   By offering to give up a sure win, Roncalli gained something greater – knowing that loving the game is so much sweeter when you share it with someone else.

Andria Scheese grew up in Oregon City, Ore., and attended Oregon City High School.  She appears to be not all that different from her teammates on the Concordia University (Portland, Ore.) women’s cross country team.  That in itself is a compliment and testament to the 33-year-old senior business major.  Scheese began working at McDonald’s at 16 not to make extra spending money, but to support her family.  Raised by a single parent, Scheese’s mother needed her help to care for her younger and older sisters.  The road was not easy for the avid runner as she juggled work and school.  Scheese married and had her first child at 19.  Two years later, she found herself divorced and wanting to provide a better life for her family.  She took a job as a packaging clerk with Kaiser Permanente and was soon promoted to lead staffer.  Scheese had her eyes on a management role, but needed a college degree.  After running a road race with her sister, Scheese thought she might still have the talent to compete on the collegiate level.  She could use her love of running to obtain that elusive degree.  Scheese soon enrolled at Concordia and overcame a broken foot to join the cross country team.  Her perseverance paid off.  In 2009, Scheese qualified for the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships and set a school record in the preliminaries of the 3,000-meter run.  She earned All-America honors at the 2009 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships with a third-place finish in the 1,500 meters.  Concordia University coach Randy Dalzell said, “She has been an inspiration to her teammates by showing a positive attitude about everything she does.  She believes in the system we have put in place for her and does all the little things she has to in order to get the best results.”  Scheese is a true role model.  She works as an account manager by day, takes classes at night, and remains a dedicated mother to her three children.  She will graduate from Concordia this spring and looks forward to pursuing her MBA at the school.  Andria Scheese shows that while the road to your dreams may be bumpy and longer than you thought, you can get there… just keep running.

Andria Scheese is the recipient of the NAIA's "All That's Right in Sport" Award.

Last fall, Skyline High School in Scottsboro, Ala., shut down its football program due to injuries and waning interest.  Principal Kevin Dukes was left with a locker room full of uniforms and equipment and no team.  Enter Central-Haynesville High School – located four hours away.  Fire destroyed the rural Alabama school’s field house in late September.  All of the football team’s uniforms and equipment were inside.  The fire happened on a Tuesday morning and Central had a game to play three days later.  Dukes heard about the tragedy and wanted to help.  As luck would have it, Skyline and Central had the same green-and-white school colors.  So Dukes drove to Montgomery to give Skyline’s football uniforms and equipment to Central Athletic Director and interim football coach Toriano Baker.  Other schools stepped up and provided shoulder pads, footballs, coolers and mouthpieces.  However, Skyline’s offer had the greatest impact on Central’s players.  When they took the field, the uniforms were a perfect fit.  Baker told local media:  “I am still in shock and we have all been overwhelmed by the concern that has been shown to our school since the fire.  Mr. Dukes told me that if their uniforms could help our kids’ situation, then that is what he and his school wanted to do.  He didn’t know me or our players but he cared about them.  He and others who stepped forward have taught all of us a valuable lesson about kindness.  This is why we’re in this business.”  Dukes deflected credit, saying it was the right thing to do.  For the Skyline principal, helping kids is his motivation and their success is his reward.

This past winter was a harsh one.  Record snow and ice totals hammered most of the United States.  The northeast was hit especially hard.  Xavier University basketball players Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons are from New York.  The two were trying to return to Cincinnati for a late December home tilt against visiting University at Albany.  Mother Nature had other plans.  An incoming blizzard canceled almost all flights out of the northeast and the Xavier players – the team’s two leading scorers – seemed to be stranded.  After exhausting all other options, Xavier asked its incoming visitors to give the players a ride.  To make it to Cincinnati, Albany chartered a bus and was prepared to include Holloway and Lyons on the 12-hour drive.  Albany’s leading scorer, Logan Aronhalt was well aware of the potential benefit for his team if it refused to give the opposingplayers a lift.  He told FOXsports.com, “It would be one of the biggest wins Albany has ever had.  But this is the right thing to do.”  Lyons’ home is about 10 minutes from the Albany campus, so he was able to make the bus with relative ease.  Holloway was not so fortunate.  With waist-high snowdrifts, Holloway remained in his hometown of Hempstead.  Lyons begrudgingly accepted the ride, but was well received by the Albany players and staff.  “I wasn’t happy about it at first, but it’s pretty cool,” he said. Lyons enjoyed dinner with the team and watched a few movies on the bus ride.  Xavier coach Chris Mack spoke glowingly of Albany and coach Will Brown.  “It was obviously really, really nice of Will Brown to do this.”  Brown, however, downplayed the gesture and viewed Lyons like one of his own players.  “He was no different than any one of our guys.  The minute he got on the bus, he put his head phones on and whipped out his phone and within an hour he was out cold.”  Lyons went on to hit a career-high six three pointers and lead Xavier to a victory over Albany.  Nonetheless, Albany displayed a great gesture of sportsmanship worthy of recognition and emulation.

Rick Wallace is a teacher, coach and administrator at Blocker Middle School in Texas City, Texas.  He has spent nearly three decades molding young people through academics and athletics.  Tyreese Williams was molded under Wallace’s tutelage.  The two met more than 20 years ago in Banquete, Texas, just outside of Corpus Christi.  Wallace served as defensive coordinator for the high school football team and Williams joined the team as a freshman.  Williams flourished at Banquete High.  He earned good grades and played basketball and ran track in addition to football.  During his sophomore year, Williams’ father landed a better paying job in another city.  But the family liked the situation Tyreese was in and did not want him to move.  So father and son conceived a plan to keep Williams at Banquete.  The 15-year-old would live alone.  Wallace objected, and after checking with his wife, Sissy, he offered the young Williams space in his house.  The couple became Williams’ legal guardians in 1988.  Williams graduated from Banquete two years later.  He joined the military after graduation and eventually opened a contracting business after returning home.  His business grew, and by 2008 he had nine employees.  In late 2008, Williams’ health began to fail.  Doctors diagnosed him with Stage 4 renal failure.  Williams would need a kidney transplant.  When Rick Wallace found out about the battle his former player and surrogate son faced, he began investigating the steps to be a kidney donor.  In Williams’ case, 13 turned out to be a very lucky number.  Twelve others, mostly blood relatives, were tested but did not match.  However, Wallace proved to be a near perfect match for Williams.  Despite the risks and costs, Wallace went forward.  Leading up to the transplant, he paid for his own food, hotel and travel costs as he made the monthly trip to the medical center in Austin, Texas.  He also lost time at work because of the appointments and had to curtail his duties at work because of the physical toll.  Wallace and Williams underwent successful transplant surgery in July 2010.  Since then, Wallace has returned to work with some limitations.  He gets tired more easily and has to take more breaks.  Williams is still recovering but is off kidney dialysis.  He told the Galveston County Daily News, “Coach had everything going for him, yet he gave it all up for me, for my life.  They say there’s no price on life, but I know he’s paying one.  What a gift I have.  Now, it’s my turn, with a new life, to keep giving just like coach.”

“I would do anything to help any one of my players and any one of my family members.  Anything I could do in my power to give them a better quality of life, is something I want to do.”  These are the words of Wake Forest head baseball coach Tom Walter.  Many people have made this type of statement, but how many really mean it?  Walter not only means it.  He lives it.  Kevin Jordan was a highly-touted baseball player coming out of high school and had committed to Wake Forest.  Doctors diagnosed Jordan with Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Autoantibody (ANCA) vasculitis.  This essentially means that Jordan’s immune system had attacked his body; particularly his kidneys.  Even with his kidneys operating at 15 to 20 percent of capacity, Jordan continued playing baseball through his senior year of high school.  The New York Yankees even saw fit to draft Jordan in the 19th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft.  Jordan had every intention of beginning his freshman year at Wake Forest.  Before the start of the fall semester, Walter accompanied the Jordan family to a doctor’s appointment.  That is when the Demon Deacons coach realized the gravity of the situation.  “I had no idea what Kevin had been going through over the course of the summer and the spring,” Walter said.  “It just gave me a whole new perspective on everything.”  Jordan previously had three dialysis treatments per week.  That soon increased to daily treatments.  After a full day of classes, Jordan hooked himself up to the dialysis machine every night at 11 p.m.  He stayed connected until 8 a.m. the next day.  With Jordan’s kidney function deteriorating, a transplant became the next logical treatment option.  Jordan’s family was tested without a successful match.  Walter informed the family that he would like to get tested.  On the first day of spring practice, Walter got the call from doctors that he was a match.  The two underwent successful surgery on Feb. 7 and both are expected to make a full recovery.  Walter’s family, team, and Wake Forest officials were extremely supportive and lauded his selfless act.  However, his character and humility only allow him to give credit to the young man whose life he saved.  “Kevin even showing up on our campus I thought was a courageous act on his part, certainly far more courageous than anything I’m doing,” Walter said.  “For him to be a freshman in college, not knowing anybody on campus, and having to be in a room on dialysis, I think just took incredible…the word I keep coming back to is courage.”  Just as a baseball coach recognizes baseball talent, a courageous man recognizes courage in another.  Good sportsmanship requires behavior that allows everyone to stay on the field and keep playing.  Walter made sure Kevin Jordan will continue playing on the field of life.  

Last spring, University of St. Francis (Joliet, Ill.) golfer Grant Whybark secured a spot in the NAIA National Championship by virtue of his team winning the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference title.  All of the members of the winning team qualify for nationals, as well as the individual winner of the tournament.  With his ticket to nationals already punched, Whybark still had a chance to win the individual title.  The sophomore found himself in a playoff with Olivet Nazarene University Senior Seth Doran, who had to win to advance to the NAIA championship.  The St. Francis golfer made his intentions clear on his tee shot.  Whybark intentionally hit his ball 40 yards to the right of the fairway and finished with a double bogey on the hole.  Doran made par and won the playoff.  When asked why he did it, Whybark told Yahoo! Sports, “We all know Seth very well.  He not only is a very good player, but a great person as well.  It was one of those things where I couldn't feel good taking something from him like this. My goal from the start was to get to nationals with my team.  I had already done that."  Some national pundits scratched their heads at Whybark's actions, but the young man provided a simple explanation:  "I think some people were surprised, but my team knew what I was doing and was supportive of me.  I felt Seth deserved to go to nationals just as much as I did." The light of a man's character shines long after the polish on his trophies has faded.