Basketball playoffs stretched from March 30th through April 15th this year, and fans, coaches, officials and especially the Sportsmanship Brigader caught CYC folks practicing Random Acts of Sportsmanship (RAS) everywhere. Plus we even have a RAS sighting at a CYC Lacrosse game and at early season baseball games. Below are brief descriptions...enjoy!
* St. Norbert's 7th grade boys basketball was in a stretch run trying to make the playoffs. Head coach Rich Ely awards starting spots in the upcoming game based on how players perform at practice. At the practice before the last game, Tommy Carpenter had finally earned a starting spot. During the warm-ups for that last game against Sacred Heart, a much taller team, Tommy went to his coach and said, "I shouldn't be starting...we need our bigger players to start and get more playing time." He was able to see past his own desire to start the game and look at the bigger picture, what he thought was best for everyone on the team. Congratulations Tommy, your act of selflessness was great sportsmanship.
* IC-Dardenne 8th grade girls coach, Matt Beckerdite was a picture of positive encouragement as his team trailed in a tight semifinal match up with St. Clare. Matt was always encouraging his players, even when they made a mistake or lost the ball. He was positive in his instructions and kept telling them they could come from behind. Which they did. At one point, when a St. Clare player took a charge, #11 (did not get the name) for IC apologized, reached down and helped her opponent up and check to make sure she was OK.
* Officials Jeff Herman and Don Bowe are not only excellent officials, but also do a great job of interacting with the players, coaches and even the fans. I think their demeanor and conversation head off possible problems before things get too far out of hand. During a time out of one championship contest, Jeff went over to one of the players young sibling and asked how she was doing, was she enjoying watching her sister, etc. The officials were part of the game, not adversaries.
* Bob Springer, coach of the 6th grade boys at Mary Queen of Peace was recognized for his great sportsmanship by the Sportsmanship Brigade. In a tight overtime championship game, Bob and his team not only displayed good basketball skills, but great composure. Their opponents were taller, faster and very good shooters. But the MQP team had a plan, and showed their poise putting it into effect. There was no yelling at the referees or slamming the ball, or the "who me" expressions when fouls were called. The whole team displayed class, character and sportsmanship.
* St. Joseph-Cottleville and MQP met for the 5th grade championship. The Sportsmanship Brigade found 3 players worthy of RAS recognition. Matthew Hanson of St. Joe proved you can play hard without having a hard heart. Late in the game, he committed a foul and knocked an opponent to the ground. He immediately turned around and help him to his feet and said "Sorry". MQP players Nicholas Kurz and Andrew Nester were recognized for their enthusiasm, team spirit and encouragement of teammates.
* The Sportsmanship Brigade branched out and attended a CYC girls lacrosse game on Saturday, April 21st. The Brigade quickly noticed Katie's energy and passion for her teammates. When she entered the game, she hopped off the bench as if she were shot out of a cannon. Katie tapped all of her teammates sticks yelling, "Let's go!" She played hard and kept an almost permanent smile on her face throughout the game. Easily the heart and soul of her team, even Katie's teammates weren't surprised when she was recognized by the Brigade. Maya's recognition, on the other hand, was based on an act of humility and selflessness. A St. Gerard player made an amazing spin move and scored on Maya. This happened late in the game when St. Gerard was building its lead. Rather than stomp away in frustration or throw some sort of tantrum, Maya jogged over to her opponent and said, "That was a good shot" and rejoined her team on offense. Maya didn't have to acknowledge what happened, but she humbled herself in the face of adversity. The Brigade was impressed with this show of sportsmanship and saw fit to recognize Maya along with Katie.
* Solomon Alexander and his Sportsmanship Brigade decided to check on the youngsters, the really young baseball players, 2nd graders playing at Incarnate Word. They came across a pair of Twin Oaks players that earned RAS honors. Solomon wrote: "When I was in second grade, I fielded more ground balls with my face than my glove. That's not the case with Jack and Christopher of Twin Oaks. These two are great with the glove and their defense was a key component of Twin Oaks' victory. However, they are better teammates than they are players. In second grade, the kids change positions every inning and some kids sit out an inning or two based on the number of players. When it was Jack and Christopher's turn to sub, they didn't just sit on the bench and chew sunflower seeds. The two were cheering, rattling the fence and literally jumping up and down for their Twin Oaks teammates.
They really wanted their teammates to do well. It's not unusual for the Brigade to see teammates cheer for one another. On the other hand, it is rather unusual to see that type of attitude from star players on any level. The Twin Oaks coaches and parents are teaching these boys to be a team and it shows."
Spring sports are just starting up. Baseball, softball, lacrosse games, track meets and golf matches are all great places to witness Random Acts of Sportsmanship. When you see one, drop us a note describing what you saw, so we can share it with the rest of the CYC gang. Just send it to buzzswanston@archstl.org Sports are more fun if we are all practice Random Acts of Sportsmanship!
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