Paul Baumgartner was nominated for his unwavering sportsmanship and his positive influence on teammates and parents alike. Besides thrilling his coaches and teammates with his exceptional athletic abilities, Paul has equally been recognized by the players and parents as the player who encourages all teammates and even the players from opposing teams. Over the years, Paul has also demonstrated a respectful willingness to listen and learn from the direction of his coaches. As a goal keeper, Paul has natural athletic abilities that are quickly noticed by all who observe him on the field. Yet, he has always kept an open ear to direction from his coaches, his parents, and his former coaches. Paul has been an example and role model to everyone from teammates, parents, coaches and anxious spectators who have had the good fortune to see him play.
Grace Hinton, an athlete from the Southwestern Youth Association, was nominated for being a respectful, polite and incredibly hard working player. Grace is routinely the first to volunteer for any kind of setting up or taking down of equipment. She always pays close attention and wants to learn. It is normal for Grace to ask specific questions on strategy, positioning and how her and her teammates should play in different situations. During games, Grace is always there to stop and help up a teammate or even an opposing player to make sure they were not hurt. Grace is always willing to play out of position if needed. She is the prototypical “first to arrive and last to leave”. Grace never does anything because she feels like she should or because she felt obligated. She does what she does because she wants to and she loves the game of Soccer. Grace is a credit to the Southwestern Youth Association and she deserves to be recognized as the champion she is.
Andrew Ide, coach of the SYA Dark Green Kids United, was nominated for the leadership he has shown and for the environment he has created on his team. Andrew stepped in when a team had lost several players to a travel team. He volunteered to take a few boys had had not moved on and he created a new team. He not only coached for that season, instead he continued with his group for many seasons. Including other children, he created a very solid group while building skills and being committed to them as a team. Andrew’s commitment, along with his passion, has passed down to his team and has inspired many children to love Soccer and continue with the sport. Coach Ide has the gift of being able to inspire kids to play well and make them feel like they are important and special. He is competitive, seeks excellence and builds skills while creating a cooperative team environment. The boys on Andrew’s team support each other and the team is almost void of ego because Andrew sets this example. His efforts and achievements are most certainly deserving of this recognition.
Lynne Saltsman, a parent and team manager for the SYA U-15 Screamer Travel Soccer team, was nominated for her outstanding work and never ending contributions as a team manager and as an ambassador for her club. Lynne shines in her role because of her talent, professionalism, dedication and thoroughness… all the while being completely accessible and friendly. Just a few examples of Lynne’s accomplishments include organizing carpools, serving as a “foster manager” for teams without regular leadership, providing parents with weekly calendars and reminders, personally welcoming new team members and handling their extensive paperwork, tournament coordination, and even serving as the team photographer! Lynne shines as not only a representative of the Southwestern Youth Association, but also as an amazing parent and person.
This awards program honors youth, coaches and parents for extraordinary service in pursuing victory with honor. The program’s aim is to help restore the ennobling tradition of amateur athletic competition. Despite the attention that poor behavior and bad sportsmanship attracts, there are plenty of positive role models and examples of players, parents, and coaches who demonstrate positive character in sports. The FCAC recognizes outstanding youth and adults who have demonstrated extraordinary service in the sports community while modeling the basic traits of good character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
