The Live Oak High School Athletic Department was presented the 2011-2012 Sportsmanship Award at the 11th annual Blossom Valley Athletic League Honor the Game Sportsmanship Conference last Wednesday.
The Acorns garnered this recognition as a result of having no student-athlete ejected from any contest during the 2011-2012 school year.
“We are very proud of the way our student-athletes and coaching staff pursue victory with honor,” Live Oak athletic director Mark Cummins said. “Our coaches do a tremendous job of making sure our student-athletes’ priorities are in the right place.”
For their accomplishment, the Acorns received a banner from the BVAL – which will be displayed in the school gymnasium. Live Oak was the only school of the 24 school BVAL to have no ejections in any sport all year.
”Every year before the season starts, we emphasize to our team to respect the game, the opponent and the officials. And it has paid off,” Live Oak boys basketball coach Brett Paolucci said. “We want them to play the game the right way and not let officials’ calls affect their performance.”
Live Oak has a total of 34 teams in 21 different sports. This is the first time that Live Oak has earned this award in its six years in the BVAL.
“The six pillars of sportsmanship are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship,” Cummins continued. “Our student-athletes will take these values with them long after their playing days are over.”
Head girls basketball coach Mike Kiefer added, “We continually stress to our athletes the importance of getting good grades and displaying good sportsmanship, so this accomplishment is very gratifying for our school.”
