ThunderRidge has hired Matt Asik as its next girls basketball coach. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Matt Asik has been hired as the head girls basketball coach at ThunderRidge, Grizzlies athletic director Sean Patterson said on Sunday.
Asik was an assistant with ThunderRidge’s program for the past few years, and is also the head junior varsity softball coach and a math teacher at the school.
Matt Asik. (Courtesy of ThunderRidge HS)
Asik will be the Grizzlies’ third coach in four seasons. He takes over for Paula Krueger, who left in June to become an assistant at her alma mater, Northern State.
Krueger was the coach for two seasons; she took over for Bill Bradley, who led a highly successful 10-year run at the school from 2003-13 which saw ThunderRidge win Class 5A titles in 2004 and 2005. Bradley coached in Tennessee from 2014-15, and was hired in June as the head coach at Monarch.
Asik was an assistant under Bradley and Krueger.
ThunderRidge figures to be a contender for the 5A crown next season. The Grizzlies return their two leading scorers in 2015-16 in seniors Taylor Rusk (14.0 points) and Jaz’myne Snipes (11.9 points). Rusk was a first-team all-state pick in 5A last season.
Boulder has hired Doug Kazarosian as its new boys tennis coach, Panthers athletic director Eddie Hartnett announced on Thursday night.
Kazarosian had been the coach at Broomfield for the past five seasons. He replaces Adrian Games, who was the coach for two seasons but took a job in California this summer. Games led Boulder to a fourth-place finish at state in 2014.
Kazarosian led Broomfield to two regional championships (2013 and 2011), and has coached a number of state qualifiers, including a run of qualifying five players from 2010-12.
He’s also been a tennis pro for 25 years, and currently teaches at the Broomfield Swim and Tennis Club.
Kazarosian is a well-accomplished tennis player in his own right, and was ranked No. 1 in men’s 4.5 singles in 2004, and No. 6 in men’s 40 singles in 2013.
Kazarosian has lived in Boulder for 26 years, according to Hartnett.
CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico, pictured in his office. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
AURORA — Paul Angelico, now entering his sixth school year as the commissioner of the Colorado High School Activities Association, has his eyes facing forward.
During his leadership, CHSAA has been a pioneer in things like the NFHS Network, and its partnership with You Can Play! — a national organization which seeks eradicate homophobia in sports.
We caught up with Angelico this week to talk everything from goals for the upcoming school year to the transfer rule — and also took some questions from Twitter.
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Q: Has your perspective changed sitting behind the big desk?
Paul Angelico: Probably. But I don’t know that I could define to you how, though. Every year is a different year, and based on what the issues of that year are, my perspective changes.
I always knew that when it boils right down to the bottom line, all we have to go by is our constitution and our policies. The membership doesn’t want the commissioner making decision based on what he wants or desires. I think every year that becomes a stronger reality to me.
On a purely technical level, sitting there, you realize, “I can’t just do what I want.” The constitution and policies, they work for us well, and I can’t stray from those. In eductation, a school’s principal is able to go, “Here’s the rule, but here’s Johnny, and here’s another thing.” He can use the rule as the guideline. I’m not able to do that.
Q: Let’s talk 2015-16. Goals, hopes, aspirations as an Association?
Angelico: I think we’ve established that this year will be the year of the coach. We want to make sure that we are trying to reemphasize the educational basis of what we’re doing — that coaches are teaching their kids how to be good citizens. And that’s how they’re going to become better teams.
Q: So, even beyond coaching, sportsmanship is a focus.
Angelico: Right. It’s about team, it’s about community. It’s about school. The whole concept of why we’re playing the game, why we’re offering the activities. Why do we spend millions of dollars on this activity? It’s not because we want to give somebody a trophy.
Q: Often, there’s that hypothetical question, “If you were commissioner for a day, what would you do?” Well, you are commissioner. Let’s say there wasn’t the process of a Legislative Council or a Board (of Directors): What do you change?
Angelico: I would require that coaches must be charged in educationally-based activities to ensure that what coaches are doing on the playing field is educationally sound and appropriate with high school kids. That’s not to say that many of them are not already, but then we could say to the public, “Here’s what happens in every program.”
Q: A big thing this year that’s going to go into effect in 2016-17 are the changes to CLOC. Can you sum it up? And what are the advantages of the new system?
Angelico: The new system was designed to do all we can to create equality among classifications, that approximately the same number of schools are playing in the same classification. We’re trying to level the playing field by saying there are the same number of kids in 5A or 4A or 3A competing for the title.
Q: Will there be some headaches in setting it up this fall?
Angelico: (Laughs) It’s going to be complex. There are a lot of variables, and every individual sport has to be determined individually. It’s going to take a couple of days to get it done.
Q: There are a number of different ways sports quality for the postseason. Is there an advantage to having similar criteria across the board?
Angelico: If we have the same criteria, or similar criteria, in every sport, at least schools would know what to expect and why they qualified or how to qualify. Whether that’s volleyball or baseball or any sport. The downside to me is that every sport might need to be a little bit different based on the nuances of the sport, how many teams are involved, geography, whatever. I think schools believe they want them all the same or similar.
Q: You chair the holding company of the NFHS Network. What does the future of that network look like?
Angelico: The future is inevitable. For any endeavor like (CHSAA), it’s got to be tied to emerging technology — visually, sites like CHSAANow, radio, all that stuff. It’s moving faster that we had thought it would. I believe what that means is it will be one of the reasons sports can continue at the rate is has been for the past 20 years.
In order to stay up with society, we need this technology to keep us relevant. If we don’t have CHSAANow, the NFHS Network, or whatever else it takes to keep us in front of the public, we would slowly wither and become secondary.
Angelico: The reason we got involved was because one of our basic tenets was that when you’re in sport, because you now have a platform, you have to use it for good things. The LGBT community is one of the most prejudiced against. And no one should be bullying any kind of kid.
So you start from the most bullied, and work your way back: You can’t bully LGBT, you can’t bully someone because they’re fat, you can’t bully because they’re dumb, you can’t bully because they’re bald. You take the most extreme and you start there, and you say, “That’s not OK,” because then everything else falls into place.
We had an opportunity fall in our laps that gave us an opportunity to make a statement that we needed to be making anyway. It wasn’t about pride in doing this for ourselves, being the first to partner with them. We were thankful that the opportunity was there so we could make that statement. Otherwise we wouldn’t have had the vehicle to make that statement.
Q: The transfer rule. There are always proposals ranging from, “Let everyone play wherever they want, whenever they want,” to “Make them sit out a year, no matter what.” Will this debate ever go away, and is this a better transfer rule out there?
Angelico: We always look at every other state and what they’re doing. We have one of two options: We make it totally non-subjective, where if (a transfer) meets this criteria, you don’t play; if you meet this criteria, you do play, and there’s no ability to make any human choices in that. Or we continue to do what we’re doing where we have some ability to make exceptions for an existing rule.
Nobody will ever be happy with what we do. Normally that’s based on some controversial decision that just happened, and whoever’s upset with the rule doesn’t know all the stuff behind the scenes as to why a decision was made. There’s no way to not have controversy with a transfer rule.
Q: Do you think it would help if everyone did know all the behind-the-scenes stuff?
Angelico: It would really be helpful, but more often than not, we can’t make it public. Based on HIPPA, based on privacy, based on the fact that they’re minors, and most of the reason we make decisions would be personal issues that the parents would not want us to make public. So, no, we can’t do that. But, yeah, it would help. (Laughs) It would help a lot.
Q: Let’s take some questions from Twitter. From @2CuriousGeorge, “Do the Broncos give CHSAA any discounts at Mile High?” The question seems to be on ticket prices.
Angelico: The Broncos have been good to us, through outside organizations. The Denver Outlaws and the Hall of Fame, which are connected to the Broncos, actually get the rental on that stadium for us, and ensure that we make our needed profit. We don’t work directly with the Broncos, we work through third-person agencies, which, without the Broncos’ cooperation, we couldn’t do.
On ticket prices, you’re going to pay more to go to Sports Authority than you are to All-City Stadium. But we don’t set them.
Q: Another from @2CuriousGeorge, “When will CHSAA let teachers into playoff games for free?”
Angelico: As soon as the membership, which owns CHSAA, makes the decision. If the budget committee would like to go that route, they have that ability any time they want.
Q: From @thewhipshow, “Any hope of adding extra baseball games and starting the season around April 1?”
Angelico: We’ve asked the question, and we’ll continue to ask the question. But, again, the schools will have to make that decision. And, frankly, I think many of our high school baseball coaches that also coach summer teams are not in favor of that, because, frankly, we would be stepping on their toes in the summer league if we change the dates.
Q: From @big_bigote, “Why do teams from the same conference play each other early in the playoffs?”
Angelico: We always go so far as to say that the same league won’t play in the first round. Beyond that, it’s out of anybody’s control. If you were to consider second round and beyond, you wouldn’t have a true bracket. You’re going to affect lots of other teams who are playing wrongly-seeded teams in the first round.
Q: From @nhaas, “Will the basketball officials finally learn the block/charge call for this upcoming season?”
Angelico: Since that’s been a question for the last 40-plus years, I have no reason to believe that anything will change. My question is, “Will the public ever figure out what a block/charge is?” Starting with me, because I always question those calls. I think it becomes just as much an education problem with us fans as it is for the officials.
Q: Any big thoughts about the year?
Angelico: I’m looking forward to this year, because I think our numbers have been up, our ticket sales have been up a bit. I think the programs that we’re offering through the Broncos and through You Can Play! and Why We Play, we have an opportunity to educate the public on what high school sports really are centered about, not what society is pushing them to try to be.
Missy Franklin, the dynamic swimming standout who graduated from Regis Jesuit in 2013, was named the Best Female College Athlete at the 2015 ESPY Awards on Wednesday night.
She was unable to attend the award ceremony, but posted a video thanking for her award on Twitter:
Wish more than anything I could have been at the ESPY's tonight. This is what was happening instead!😫🚘 Broken car! pic.twitter.com/yonQRlHVxq
— Missy Franklin Johnson (@missyfranklin) July 16, 2015
Franklin just finished her sophomore season at Cal, where she won three individual NCAA titles — the 200-yard individual medley, 200-yard freestle and 200-yard backstroke — and helped the Bears to the NCAA title. After the season, Franklin was named the Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year, NCAA Swimmer of the Year, and also won the Honda Cup as the top female collegiate athlete.
Franklin has since turned pro.
This is Franklin’s second ESPY. After her performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London — where she won four gold medals and a bronze as a junior in high school — she won the 2013 ESPY for Best Female Olympic Athlete.
At Regis, she led the Raiders to state titles as a sophomore and a senior, and runner-up finishes as a freshman and junior. She broke numerous state records, and still holds individual state records for the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 500 free, 200 IM and 100 backstroke, as well as a team records in the 400 freestyle relay.
Lewis-Palmer’s Paul Tillotson. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Lewis-Palmer’s Paul Tillotson and Cherry Creek’s Tanner O’Tremba were named All-Americans in their respective grades by MaxPreps on Thursday.
Tillotson, a right-handed pitcher, outfield and third baseman, was named as a utility player on MaxPreps’ Junior All-American Team. He will be a senior in the fall.
A Nebraska commit, Tillotson was 8-1 with a 1.62 ERA last season in leading Lewis-Palmer to the Class 4A championship game. He struck out 145 batters, which was the best in the state regardless of classification.
Tillotson also hit .446 with 32 RBIs and six home runs, and stole six bases.
After the season, Tillotson was a first-team all-state pick in 4A — one of only two juniors on the team. He is an early contender for 4A player of the year next season.
O’Tremba, meanwhile, was named to MaxPreps’ Freshman All-American Team as an outfielder.
O’Tremba, set to be a sophomore this fall, burst onto the scene pretty much immediately for Cherry Creek. He ended the year with five home runs, the most of any freshman in 5A, and hit .406 with 21 RBIs.
He also was 3-0 with one save and a 1.75 ERA as a right-handed pitcher. He struck out 25 batters to just 10 walks.
O’Tremba appeared in seven games as a pitcher, and started just two. But the second start came in the 5A state tournament, when he didn’t allow a run in five innings of work to help the Bruins beat Grandview 4-1.
O’Tremba was an all-state honorable mention selection in 5A — one of just two freshmen in any class to be named to a team in any classification.
Earlier this month, Fairview’s Ryan Madden was named a second-team All-American among all grades by MaxPreps.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he tales of sports officials all have a similar beginning. They tend to be a part of a group who find themselves in college or recently graduated and in dire need of additional income. More importantly, they all have a love of sports and want to remain involved no matter how far removed from their playing days they might be.
And Colorado has seen a fair share of officials who start at the high school level develop into collegiate and professional level referees. In fact, many former Colorado high school refs have donned the stripes for some of the most important games in recent sports history.
But like any profession, they didn’t just start at the top. These men who used to prowl high school football fields and gyms began their careers at an entry-level position.
NCAA basketball official Dave Hall was one such individual. Hall had been recruited to play baseball for the University of Colorado. The scholarship money wasn’t as much as he or and any other player would’ve liked, so he was forced to look elsewhere for additional cash.
“At the University of Colorado, I played baseball for Irv Brown,” Hall said. “I was a baseball player on a partial scholarship and he said to a bunch of the freshman and sophomores, ‘If you want to earn extra money you have two choices. You can either go work in the cafeteria and clear tables, or I have some basketball officiating assignments at a very low-level — fifth grade girls and fifth grade boys.’”
And so began Hall’s journey, one which spanned many, many high school games. He maintained a job as a ref through his college years and stayed involved at the high school level after graduation. His chance to work the next level came through Brown, the man who started him on the path in the first place.
The University of Northern Colorado was one refs short for a varsity basketball game, so the call was made to Hall.
“They were independent, Division II and someone couldn’t make it so Irv asked me if I wanted to go up to Greeley,” Hall said. “I was 23 and the players were just about my age. That was my first college game.”
And the snowball effect continued. Eventually Hall began working games for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and soon made his way to the Division I level. Like any official, whether it by at the high school, college or professional level, Hall did have outside employment. He worked as an accountant for a software company, but retired on Dec. 31, 2003 and now focuses solely on his work as a referee.
On top of working national championship games in the NCAA tournament, he boasts a résumé that would garner the attention of any sports fan.
(Caden Colson/cadencolsonphotography.com)
“The most notable (championship game) was probably the 2000 championship game between Michigan State and Florida,” Hall said. “Recently, even though it wasn’t a Final Four game, but was probably the game of the tournament, was the Elite Eight game between Kentucky and Notre Dame. It had the record for the biggest audience in the NCAA in the history of the sport. It was a big time game for not being a Final Four game.”
On the football front, Colorado Springs native Greg Burks is a another official who got started on a high school level, but now holds national recognition. The former three-sport ref (baseball, football and basketball) had the honor of serving as the referee for the very first college football playoff championship game this past January.
“That was a truly amazing opportunity to have,” Burks said. “That was bigger than life. I had so much fun doing it and doing the first one; doing all of that was incredible.”
Like Hall, Burks attended college at the University of Colorado and upon graduating he figured out that he wanted to remain involved in sports and pocket some additional cash. Not once during the process did he think of it as something he would stick with as long as he did.
“When I first started doing it, my goal was to do a state championship game,” Burks said. “That was the top; that was a far as I ever thought. Like other things in life, once you start doing something and become involved with something and become passionate about it, more opportunities open up.”
NFL back judge Terrence Miles can certainly relate to that passion. Following in his father’s footsteps, Miles got into officiating when he graduated from college in 1993. His career began as a referee for youth football at Thornton City Park.
He eventually worked his way up through learning at camps and taking advantage of assignments at higher levels. It was in his fifth year of officiating that he was given eight varsity-level games, a feat he considered a major accomplishment.
It wasn’t until he saw one of the most bizarre plays he ever witnessed that he realized he had come into his own as an official.
“There was one play I had at All-City Stadium,” Miles said. “I was working on the sideline and the ball gets thrown over to that area and it gets tipped. It’s about to hit the ground and hits the guy’s foot and he catches it on the deflection and just runs the other way. I’ve never seen a play like that and I’ve been to the NFL level.”
Miles saw the develop right in front of him and knew he was positioned right where he was supposed to be. It was that moment that told him he was going to be good at what he did. As he continued to work, the leagues that he worked for began to agree and in Feb. 2015, Miles walked into University of Phoenix Stadium as a back judge for the Super Bowl.
But he was hardly the first Colorado-based official that had reached that level. In all his years of officiating, Tom Fincken had been named to an official for three separate Super Bowl games. He worked on the crews for Super Bowls XXIX (San Francisco vs San Diego), XXXII (Green Bay vs New England) and XXXIV (St. Louis vs Tennessee).
Getting to that point was obviously a career defining point for Fincken, but he never lost sight of where he came from or the work he put in to reach the top level of officiating.
“If nothing else, (I learned) to be humble and appreciate you come from,” Fincken said. “It’s still the game of football and you’re still going to have to officiate it and hopefully one of the things you’ve learned over the years — from the high schools, from the small colleges — is you have to go back to basics and follow the mechanics.”
But the key to learning those mechanics, is starting at a young level and working up. That’s the common theme that Hall, Burks, Miles and Fincken all preach. Kids these days might live in a different time, but a recent college graduate who wants to remain involved with sports in some way is nothing new to society.
“You get so many student-athletes who finally reach the apex of the pyramid where they can’t play anymore at a competitive level,” Hall said. “The organized part of the sport is gone and they get kicked out of the pyramid. Now, they still have a passion and they love sports. If they want to continue that love of the game in whatever that sport is, one of the ways you can do that is through officiating.”
Burks added: “The challenge of refereeing is so formidable that (you’ll thrive) if you like that kind of challenge and you like being around the game. For me that was a big factor, having a game to go to and to be involved with.”
The prospect of starting at the youth or high school level isn’t the dream job that any high-profile official aimed for right away. But with any job in any industry, continuing to work and to get better paved the way for some to reach a level that in some ways, they still feel like they’re dreaming to this day.
“I just have to think to myself as a Denver kid from Park Hill, I just worked the Super Bowl,” Miles said. “If you would’ve told me I’d do that 20 years ago when I started at Thornton City Park, I would’ve said you were crazy.”
Tom Robinson, the officials liaison at the Colorado High School Activities Association. A high school teacher and coach, Robinson started working high school football games in 1969 after encouragement to do so from his former high school coach and mentor, Guy Gibbs.
“It was the typical way most officials get started: with a mentor who does more than just plant the seed,” Robinson said. “They lead by example and constantly follow up with how you are progressing.”
Robinson received a letter in the mail in 1975 from the Western Athletic Conference asking if he would accept working two football games at Utah State University and the Air Force Academy and the rest is history. He went on to work a full schedule for the WAC and the Western Athletic Conference as a Head Linesman for 12 years and a Referee for 13 years.
Robinson is currently a replay official for the CFO West (Big 12 and MWC). He has worked numerous bowl games during his ongoing career.
John Adams, former Supervisor of Officials for the WAC and the Secretary of the NCAA Football Rules, was the instrumental voice that garnered Robinson prestigious recognition in the The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame as an Outstanding College Football Official in December 2008.
The list of names is very long one of officials that got their start working for the Colorado High School Activities Association and worked professionally or at the NCAA Division I level.
Some of those currently working are: Scott Novak (football), Kent Payne (football), Verne Harris (basketball), Bob Staffen (basketball), Lonnie Dixon (basketball), Ryun Mendoza (wrestling), Fred Marjerrison (wrestling), Ben Keefer (wrestling), Bob Keltie (hockey) and Randy McCall (basketball). The list goes on.
For more information on how to become an official, email Tom Robinson at the CHSAA office (trobinson@chsaa.org) or visit the Officials Page.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – To address a potentially dangerous gap in medical-response planning for after-school practices and events, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) announced recently at its 2015 Annual Summer Meeting in New Orleans that it is encouraging every high school in the country that does not have an existing emergency action plan in place to prepare its teams to utilize the Emergency Action Planning Program, “Anyone Can Save a Life.”
Developed in 2008 by the Minnesota State High School League and Medtronic Philanthropy, “Anyone Can Save a Life” is a first-of-its kind, emergency action planning and training program for after-school practices and events. It is designed to provide a coordinated team response to every major medical emergency, including sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) – the leading cause of death of young athletes in the United States.
“The reality is that every day we send thousands of students out to fields and gyms for practice and events where there is a lack of systemic support for emergencies,” said Jody Redman, associate director of the Minnesota State High School league (MSHSL) and co-developer of the program. “One coach cannot provide a coordinated response alone. This program empowers students to be a part of the response which increases the speed and effectiveness of response until emergency services can arrive. ”
Originally created to respond to cardiac arrest, this third version of “Anyone Can Save A Life” covers all medical emergencies, providing a turnkey solution for every school wishing to implement an emergency action plan for after-school practices and events.
“If you are prepared to respond to Sudden Cardiac Arrest, a deadly condition, you are better prepared to respond to every emergency,” said Bob Gardner, NFHS executive director. “We are encouraging all athletic administrators, appropriate health-care professionals and coaches to take the time during their season to implement the plan. It only takes a few minutes, and we have seen that these actions can save lives.”
After successful pilots in Minnesota, Arizona, New York and Washington, the NFHS Foundation provided funding to expand the scope of this program to distribute training guides nationally to its member state associations and their member schools. “Anyone Can Save A Life” training materials are available at no cost at anyonecansavealife.org.
Using the program guide, coaches assign specific “emergency response” roles to students on every team at every level. If a student suffers a serious injury, or life-threatening event, teammates immediately spring into action with the information they need to call 911, assist with CPR and retrieve the automated external defibrillator.
“This training will not only make our kids safer at school,” said Joan Mellor, Sr. Portfolio Lead at Medtronic Philanthropy and co-developer of the program, “it will provide them life-saving skills that will benefit the entire community.”
Mark Melancon, a 2003 graduate of Golden, made his second appearance in the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Cincinnati.
Melancon, a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, came on in the top of the eighth inning with the National League trailing 6-2.
He struck out the Yankees Brett Gardner, and the Blue Jays’ Russell Martin, before giving up a home run to Brian Dozier of the Twins. Melancon then got the Tigers’ Jose Iglesias to ground out to end the inning.
“It’s so neat. It gives me goosebumps just watching everybody and being a part of it. And, man, it’s — what talent. It’s just cool,” Melancon told MLB.com after the game. “(There were) just some special moments this time. It got to sink in. I really got to enjoy two days here. It still went extremely fast and busy, but good times all the way around.”
Melancon was also an All-Star in 2013, again with the Pirates, but did not appear in the game, which was hosted by the Mets in New York.
Only 12 products of Colorado high schools have ever been selected to play in the All-Star Game, according to Baseball-Reference.com. This season, Melancon became the seventh Colorado product to be selected to multiple All-Star Games.
Great American Ball Park, site of the 2015 MLB All-Star Game. (Photo: shan213/Flickr)
So far in 2015, he is 1-1 with a 1.47 ERA and also has 29 saves. Last season, Melancon had a career-high 33 saves, to go along with a 1.90 ERA.
At Golden, Melancon was a two-sport star in baseball and football. He helped the Demons win the 2003 baseball title in Class 4A. Out of high school, he was picked in the 30th round of the MLB Draft by the Dodgers.
But Melancon opted instead to play college baseball, and he went on to star at Arizona, where he set the school’s single-season record for saves.
He spent three seasons with the Wildcats, and the Yankees then drafted him in the ninth round of the 2006 MLB Draft. He debuted in New York during the 2009 season.
Melancon was traded to Houston during the 2010 season, and was an Astro through 2011, when he had 20 saves. He was traded to the Red Sox after 2011, and only saw five chances to save games in 2012.
The Red Sox traded Melancon to the Pirates prior to the 2013 season, where he has since flourished. Through two-and-a-half seasons in Pittsburgh, Melancon has 78 saves, and a 1.61 ERA in 185 innings pitched. He’s also struck out 172 batters to just 27 walks.
In seven MLB seasons, the 30-year-old Melancon has 99 saves with a 2.74 ERA. He has 311 career strikeouts to 83 walks, and is 17-15.
DENVER – It’s a big week for the Denver-based non-profit You Can Play Project with the sports-focused anti-homophobia campaign attending the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles to receive the first Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award from ESPN and, separately, being recognized by the National Education Association for “creative leadership in human rights.”
The Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award, given as part of ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards program, pays tribute to the late sportscaster and his “indomitable spirit, celebrating those who use the power of sport by taking risk and using an innovative approach to aid the disadvantaged, save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain and protect human dignity,” according to ESPN.
“Through their selflessness and compassion, the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award honorees are improving lives of many around the world,” ESPN president John Skipper said. “The awards pay tribute to some incredible individuals and organizations and the extraordinary impact of their efforts on society.”
“Stuart Scott’s legacy is one of courage and honesty,” said You Can Play president Patrick Burke. “It’s an honor to even be mentioned alongside Stuart and a greater honor to carry on his legacy of respect for sports.”
In addition to the ESPN award, You Can Play has become the first non-profit organization to win the National Education Association’s Virginia Uribe Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights. Immediate past award winners include philanthropist Tim Gill and entertainer Cyndi Lauper.
You Can Play and co-founder Brian Kitts also have received the 2015 Colorado Education Association’s Coloradan Award – the highest award for a non-member – for You Can Play’s work fighting homophobia in partnership with the Colorado High School Activities Association. CHSAA and You Can Play were joined in the inclusion and diversity campaign by the Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth, Denver Nuggets, Denver Outlaws and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.
“Creativity, leadership and human rights are the core values of You Can Play and we’re happy that so many in Colorado’s sports community have sent an inclusive message to athletes and fans – especially our youth,” Kitts said. “Any volunteer working in non-profit advocacy simply wants to make our part of the world better so, the recognition from those who see the results of our efforts, in both sports and education, is tremendously humbling.”
You Can Play was founded in 2012 to challenge a sometimes homophobic culture in locker rooms and sports venues. The You Can Play Project asks athletes and fans to acknowledge an athlete’s skill, commitment and contribution to his or her game, rather than sexual orientation. You Can Play was founded after a talk on homophobia at the University of Denver by then-Philadelphia Flyers scout Patrick Burke, Denver sports marketing executive Brian Kitts and Denver real estate developer Glenn Witman. Last year, Kitts and You Can Play became the first LGBT sports advocates to address the United Nations.
Laila Ali will host the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards in Los Angeles. You Can Play will be honored along with Major League Baseball Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig and his wife Suzanne (Sue), Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, and the “Like a Girl” Campaign. Humanitarian of the Year Awards will be announced from finalists in the individual category (Anquan Boldin – San Francisco 49ers, Tamika Catchings – Indiana Fever, John Cena – WWE, Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers) and team of the year category (Chicago Bulls, Portland Timbers, San Francisco 49ers, WWE Community Relations).
A special featuring award-winners will air on ESPN on July 23.
Moore, a shortstop, helped Chaparral reach the Class 5A state tournament last season by hitting .500 with 17 RBIs.
Off the field, she started a major movement in the softball community with her Diamond Project, which donated softball equipment to youth athletes in the Dominican Republic. The project culminated at the state tournament.
Austin Peay, a Division I school in Tennessee, plays in the Ohio Valley Conference. Cherry Creek graduate Mel Pavel, a catcher, will be a senior with the Governors next season.
Moore becomes the latest softball player from the Class of 2016 to make her college choice.
