Sportsmanship is defined as ethical, appropriate, polite, and fair behavior while participating in a game or athletic event. The ability to be gracious in victory and defeat is the mark of a true competitor.
Kevin Paulus was a founding Board member of the FFCC and the trademark of all his teams at Lemon Bay High School was their competitive drive. They were always a crowd favorite and in the heat of battle for top honors. What made Kevin’s teams stand out on and off the floor was their respect for their competitors. Whether his teams were first or last, they were always the first to congratulate the other teams and quick to offer help when needed. They also felt that part of being a good sportsman was being prepared and ready to compete. In Kevin’s honor, we created the Kevin Paulus Sportsmanship Award to recognize deserving teams.
Certainly there are many teams that have some of these great qualities but the Kevin Paulus Award should be reserved for those special teams that have them all. The FFCC depends on Team Directors to make nominations each year based on their personal experiences with their peers. This year we are making the nomination form available all year in an effort to make it easy for Directors to nominate teams during the season. When you experience those “outstanding moments of sportsmanship”, Directors may find the criteria for nomination and information on the award HERE to recognize and nominate those deserving teams.
