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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Feb. 13, 2007 Class C & D Scholar-Athlete Award Scholarship Recipients Announced EAST LANSING , Mich. - Feb. 13 - Ten student-athletes at Class C and D member schools of the Michigan High School Athletic Association have been selected to receive scholarships through its Scholar-Athlete Award program. Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 18th year of sponsoring the award, will give a $1,000 college scholarship to 32 individuals who represent their member school in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a post-season tournament. The first 30 scholarships are awarded proportionately by school classification and the number of student-athletes involved in those classes; and there are two at-large honorees which can come from any classification. Each of the scholarship recipients will be honored at halftime ceremonies of the Class C Boys Basketball final game at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing on March 24. Commemorative medallions will be given to other finalists in recognition of their accomplishments. The Class C Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are: Hilary Beauchamp, Iron Mountain; Riley S. Ford, Harbor Springs; Ben Halbower, Holton; Allyson J. Karaba, North Muskegon; Daniel L. Olsen, St. Ignace; and Kayla Jo Thompson, Marlette. The Class D Scholar-Athlete Award scholarship recipients are: Emily Anne Feldhake, Cedarville; Aaron R. Fletcher, Walkerville; Spencer Andrew McFarland, Mackinaw City; and Brenda Sisung, Fowler. Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class C Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay is also included:
Essay Quote - “Sportsmanship teaches students hard work, dedication, and how to accomplish their goals. Good sportsmanship is taught in educational athletics, but it is used in every aspect of life.”
Essay Quote – “People ultimately display sportsmanship in their ability to accept what life throws at them and the methods by which they try to overcome their limits. Whether ‘life’ is the other team, the rest of the application pool or simple, natural circumstances, legitimate obstacles deserve to be faced with legitimate tactics.”
Essay Quote – “Sportsmanship isn’t walking through lines at the end of games to shake your opponents’ hand and saying good luck. It is walking through that line and meaning what you are saying.”
Essay Quote – “Sportsmanship is as much about the person as it is the player. One that can handle the stress of sportsmanship in the competitive limelight will easily transfer these lessons learned to the game of life.”
Essay Quote – “The range of values that make up a sportsman are applicable to all areas of life. Ambition, perseverance, determination, responsibility, optimism, respect, fairness, and honesty don’t simply define someone as a sportsman; they define them as a person.”
Essay Quote – “Sportsmanship is the value that enables one to learn that the greatest lessons in life are those that come with defeat. Real winners in sports are those who know how to persevere and to behave with dignity and poise whether they win or lose.” Other Class C girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Ciera Stevick, Addison; Cecilia Kovach, Gobles; Megan Boddy, Iron Mountain; Jessica Holmes, Leroy Pine River; Jenna Urban, Saginaw Nouvel; Alyse Gonzales, St. Charles; Tori Beattie, St. Louis; Shelby LaBuhn, Ubly; and Katie Rayl, Unionville-Sebewaing. Other Class C boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Joshua Fracassi, Athens; Trent Herman, Bronson; Jacob Wimmer, Charlevoix; Ryan Klenke, Clare; Wesley Messing, Deckerville; Joseph Holcomb, Homer; William Birch, Kalamazoo Hackett; Matthew Duckett, Niles Brandywine; and Kristopher Marin, Suttons Bay. Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class D Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay is also included:
Essay Quote – “The opportunity to participate in high school sports is a privilege, not a right. When players, coaches, fans, or officials display poor sportsmanship they are abusing this privilege. Beyond that, they are taking away from the true purpose of educational athletics.”
Essay Quote – “Learning how to show good sportsmanship helps athletes develop their maturity, and teaches them how to lead respectful lifestyles as adults. Sportsmanship in high school sports is a great way to teach valuable, lifelong lessons to young adults”
Essay Quote – “Character is sportsmanship. As a leader, conducting yourself with honesty and integrity consistently is integral in earning the respect of your teammates.”
Essay Quote – “Sportsmanship is more than just how we act and perceive ourselves to other people. It is the atmosphere we create through our own actions. Sportsmanship is a way of life that teaches kids that good sports are winners.” Other Class D girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Sabrina Graham, Climax-Scotts; Samantha Danbert, Ellsworth; Kayla Horetski, Kinde-North Huron; Cassie Giacobassi, Litchfield; Elizabeth Sikkenga, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian; and Kala Belson, Pittsford. Other Class D boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Ryan Boden, Adrian Lenawee Christian; Joseph Rexroat, Lake Leelanau St. Mary; Chase Closs, Mackinaw City; David Kilpela, Painesdale-Jeffers; Reggie Kehoe, Pittsford; and Matthew Boersen, Wyoming Tri-unity Christian. Students applying for the Scholar-Athlete Award must be carrying at least a 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade-point average, and have previously won a letter in a varsity sport in which the Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsors a postseason tournament. Other requirements for the applicants were to show active participation in other school and community activities and produce an essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics. Farm Bureau Insurance, one of Michigan's major insurers, has a statewide force of 350 agents serving more than 380,000 Michigan policyholders. Besides providing life, home auto, farm, business and retirement insurance, the company also sponsors lifesaving, real-time Doppler weather tracking systems in several Michigan communities. The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,800 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year. -0- MEDIA ADVISORY -- A complete list of scholarship nominees and finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award can be found by clicking on the Recognition link on the home page of the MHSAA Web Site, and then clicking on Scholar-Athlete Award. Information about scholarship recipients will be posted on the MHSAA Web Site according to the schedule listed in this release, and media in the markets of the scholarship recipients will be notified the day before the public announcement. For more information about Farm Bureau Insurance, contact Luke Schafer, Public Relations Manager, at 517.323.7000. You can download the MHSAA’s Scholar-Athlete Award logo from the MHSAA Web Site – click on Forms & Graphics off the home page. RL07-037 AT&T, Farm Bureau Insurance, Henry Ford Health System and MEEMIC Insurance |