Lions Club Presents 2016 Sportsmanship Awards
Coach David Dupont, left, and the Men’s Soccer Team at Crockett High School received the Austin Founder Lions’ 2016 Sportsmanship Award Boys’ Team trophy and a $500 contribution to their school’s athletic department. A.I.S.D. Athletic Director Leal Anderson attended the May 12 luncheon.
The Travis High School girls’ basketball team, coached by Holly Tarter, left, received the 2016 Girls’ Team Sportsmanship Award and a $500 contribution to their school’s athletic department. A.I.S.D. Athletic Director Leal Anderson congratulated the two winning teams.
On May 12, Austin Founder Lions Club recognized two Austin high school teams and their coaches. Sportsmanship Award trophies were presented to the Crockett High School Men’s Soccer Team which is coached by David Dupont and to the Travis High School girls’ basketball team coached by Holly Tarter. Lion Greg Harkrider presented the awards and introduced keynote speaker William Graham, a former Longhorn defense and six-season starter for the Detroit Lions.
Graham gave a very inspirational talk about the importance of sportsmanship, which he said shows “character.” He stressed the importance of staying out of trouble in high school, and how character affects the ability to go to a good university and play sports at a higher level.
He encouraged the young team members to go to college and seek people with similar values, backgrounds and upbringing. He also advised them to not bring shame, hurt or disrespect to the coaches, parents, high schools and communities. He shared his personal story, and the importance of being able to say “no” and make good decisions – from high school to college to his days in the National Football League.
A.I.S.D. School Board trustees Julie Cowan and Lion Ann Teich and Athletic Director Leal Anderson, along with principals from Crockett and Travis High schools attended the event.
For more than 50 years, the Austin Downtown Founders Lions Club annually has recognized local high school boys’ and girls’ athletic teams for their good sportsmanship. The awards are intended to encourage good sportsmanship and recognize those teams and their fans who demonstrate it consistently throughout the year.
Only team sports are considered for the awards. For boys, the sports considered are football, basketball, baseball and soccer. For girls, volleyball, basketball, softball and soccer are considered. One boys and one girls team from among the four sports is honored, and recipients are selected only from Austin Independent School District schools.
“The club asks various officials (referees, umpires, etc.) to vote on which teams demonstrate the best sportsmanship based on the behavior of players, coaches and fans,” explained Harkrider, chairman of the club’s Sportsmanship Awards Committee. “Each official picks the top three teams in the sport that he/she officiates during the year. A point/percentage system is used to compare the teams fairly,” he added.
This marks the second time that the Crockett High School Men’s Soccer Team and Coach Dupont have received the Lions Club’s prestigious honor. Dupont’s team received the honor in 2010.
