Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) presented the 2017 Winter Youth Sportsmanship Awards to four neighborhood park sports coaches and their teams and to 10 individual youth at the Board of Commissioners meeting on May 3.
Teams were recognized for their players’ outstanding display of positive attitudes, commitment, dedication, persistence and overcoming adversity. Coaches were recognized for being positive role models, loyal to the program, emphasizing team work, demonstrating strong work ethic and passion, and engaging players and parents to have fun.
The awarded teams were chosen among 200 MPRB basketball, wrestling and hockey youth sports teams for demonstrating exemplary sportsmanship throughout the winter season. The awarded individual athletes were chosen among 2,151 youth athletes who participated in one of the three winter sports in 2017. A total of 395 coaches dedicated over 28,500 hours to their teams.
Congratulations to the following Northside players and their coaches:
Folwell Lions open basketball, 12U Folwell Lions (open basketball). Kevin Coleman Sr., Coach Mike Benham, Travis Heglund, Elias Harris, Kevin Coleman Jr., Jeron Janke and Malik Din-Fisher.
13U North Commons (open hockey). Dan Grabow, Shavale Hickman, Jakari Walker, Silas Pilon, Andy Zadlo, Chad Collins and Coach Martin Loso.
The following athletes received Most Improved Hockey Player awards: Xereyna Larson of Squirts-Linden Hills Ice Cold Chili Peppers, Emma Puszcykowski of Polar Bears-Pearl, Nico Schaust of 13U Open-Pearl Blue, Shavale Hickman of 11U Open-North Commons Bulldogs, and Jakari Walker of 15U Open-North Commons Bulldogs.