True Sportsmanship Recognition

 

Take a look at this picture.  Note the players on the sides, Lauryn Nash and Jillian Maul. We see the 1st place winners in purple (Vang/Ellis) and the 2nd place winners (Kelso/Nash) in pink who both played hard and earned their medals honorably, but we would like to call attention to the other two players in grey.  

 

Lauryn and Jillian are the younger sister team to our 2nd place winners, Hannah Kelso and Mariel Nash. Lauryn and Jillian did not make it to bracket play but they did participate by supporting all of the teams competing. These two girls also stepped in and requested to officiate the last 4 matches of the day. This was not out of obligation to the tournament, nor to their sister team. They knew that they did not HAVE to officiate those matches, but they decided to take over these responsibilities. These girls are from the Charlotte area, and when our own club teams finished 3rd and 4rth within this age group, Lauryn and jillian asked to take over the home teams officiating schedules so that the others could return home!

 

***Note: These teams that Lauryn and Jillian took over for lived in the nearby town of Greensboro 

 

 

Now, excluding the generousity to officiate the matches, lets address how well these young ladies carried out their new responsibility. It was one of the best we've been able to ever experience.  Lauryn would call out the scores at every down ball, which initially some teams thought that it was silly but eventually every team recognized how valuable such a simple act could be. Jillian did a great job holding up the scores at the same time Lauryn called out the scores.  Also, during great plays by players on either side of the courts you could hear Lauryn and Jillian giving positive feedback to both teams and NOT just their sister team.  

As a Club, many of our Coaches, Tournment Directors and Club Directors  have always advised our players to do the right thing. This includes participating in good sportsmanship habits with their opponents, teammates and any where they are representing our club, school, coaches and parents.  Never have we had the opportunity to experience  young players demonstrate this with such heart, passion and energy as Lauryn Nash and Jillian Maul. 

 

Thank you Lauryn and Jillian for this and we sincerely hope and pray that as you both continue your careers as promising young atheletes, students and ladies, you inspire many others to coordinate themeselves as well as you two have. You will always be an encouraging story that we will share and impress upon our own incoming players, both young and older, to present an example for them to follow. Your core values of passion for the game, and positive attitude will now and forever serve to influence all that look up to you.

 

Thank you sincerely,

 

From

NC Sand VBC Coaches and Staff