Stars of Sportsmanship

It seems, these days, you can't turn on professional sports without seeing two athletes trading verbal jabs - or worse, physical ones. Somewhere along the line, we've lost the sportsmanship that goes with sports. But not quite everywhere, and not at every level. For the third consecutive year, Covenant Christian High School, on Indianapolis' West Side, has chosen to honor its opponents for good sportsmanship. "It teaches our kids something, too," said Covenant Christian athletic advisor Denny Towles. "Because as they're playing their opponents and watching for examples of good sportsmanship, they're recognizing the values we hope they project in the field of play." Throughout the year, Covenant Christian's student-athletes and coaches scout opponents for more than just game tendencies. The Warriors' sports teams are also looking for the way their opponents conduct themselves, looking for other student-athletes on opposing teams who show the best sportsmanship. Then, at the end of the year, they honor their opponents with a banquet. Those student-athletes, their coaches, parents and athletic directors gather at Covenant Christian for an evening of celebration, featuring good food and a guest speaker. For the third annual event, held this past Friday, the Sportsmanship Star Awards Recognition Banquet featured Mike Leonard, the head football coach at Franklin College. The importance of sportsmanship was best summarized by Leonard, as he gave his speech to honorees. "My grandfather told me two things about football - which really apply to all sports," said Leonard. "First, you play as hard as you can; you hit them as hard as you can. But second, when the play is over, you reach out your hand and pick them up." There's still sportsmanship out there these days. You just have to look at the right places to find it. Sportsmanship Star Award Winners: Betsy Jones, Ritter girls cross country Kenny Faris - Ritter boys cross country Marissa Engle - Monrovia girls soccer Douglas Sprowl - Washington Community boys soccer Casey Drummer - Tech boys tennis Lindsey Stewart - Cascade volleyball Whitley Emerson - Speedway girls basketball Craig Blair - Cloverdale boys basketball Brittany Sichting - Whiteland girls swimming Kathryn Hanssen - Scecina girls track Georard Mitchell - Howe boys track Marcus El - Pike boys golf Jennifer Garrett - Howe softball Matt Catton - Scecina baseball Brittany Garner - Manual girls tennis