CUMMING -- The inaugural North Georgia Positive High School Athlete Awards were held on Monday at Mountain Lake Church in Cumming.
Student Athletes from Hall and Forsyth counties representing 24 different boys’ and girls’ high school sports and two coaches were honored by Positive Athlete Georgia, with 13 Hall County student-athletes winning awards, as well as Chestatee High girls soccer coach, Mark Dunn. Over 300 nominations from coaches, principals, athletic directors, teachers, and parents were submitted representing public and private schools in the two counties.
Former University of Georgia and Pittsburgh Steelers star, Hines Ward, and local Gainesville businessman, Scott Pederson, created Positive Athlete as a movement for more positivity in youth sports. In addition to excellence on the field, each nominated Positive Athlete was required to show characteristics such as an optimistic attitude, teammate encouragement, servant leadership, heart for others, ability to admit imperfections, giving 100 percent all the time, and realizing the team as more important than the individual.
“We did not put out a search for the best athletes in Georgia,” Ward said, “We put out a search for kids with positive attitudes whose efforts don’t necessarily show up on the stat sheets. These kids are also positive role models in their schools who get involved in charitable causes, have already learned the meaning of giving back at an early age, and many have overcome difficult circumstances and remained positive”.
Here is a list of the 2014-2015 North Georgia Region Award Winners from Hall County:
Football -- Jr. Tyquan Statham, West Hall
Cheerleading -- Jr. Morgan Burgess West Hall
Basketball (B) -- Sr. Hunter Konuszewski, Flowery Branch
Basketball (G) -- Sr. Sydney Cleveland, North Hall
Swimming (B) -- Jr. Roland Stanley, West Hall
Swimming (G) -- Jr. Michele Mix, Flowery Branch
Soccer (B) -- Sr. Andrew Jones, Johnson
Soccer (G) -- Sr. Reed McGuire, Flowery Branch
Tennis (B) -- Sr. Eduardo Figueroa, Johnson
Tennis (G) -- Sr. Hannah Gibson, North Hall
Track (G) -- Sr. Gabby Castillo, Chestatee
Golf (G) -- Jr. Breland Stevens, North Hall
Alternative -- Fr. Molly Hayes, Johnson
Girls Coach Mark Dunn Chestatee
“These young men and women deserve our highest praise for their accomplishments on as well as off the playing field,” said Lt. Governor and Gainesville native Casey Cagle. “Through these awards, I know that we can hold up these young adults as an example to others of the importance of hard work and civic engagement. These athletes have worked hard on the playing field and in their communities, and I could not be more proud of them.”
“The most successful business men and women are positive individuals, so we’re using sports to help instill those characteristics at a young age”, said Scott Pederson, President of Positive Athlete Georgia. ”Positivity is a life skill that will help any young person deal with relationships, obstacles and opportunities”.
Positive Athlete Georgia, a subsidiary of parent company Celebrate Positive, LLC, is a group of high-character professional athletes who have teamed up to promote the benefits of positivity to young athletes around the world. Winners of regional events will be eligible to win the title of “most positive” in the State of Georgia at the annual Georgia Positive High School Athlete Awards held at the new College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday, June 2, 2015.
Positive Athlete Georgia, designed to be the centerpiece of positive sports news in sports for the state of Georgia, mirrors the successful program put together in Pittsburgh by Pederson and Ward, Positive Athlete Pittsburgh.
