The First Ever Sunnycrest Award's

As I have just recently written, football has been an incredible impact on my son this year. Charlie came into 7th grade hopeful but anxious. He was excited as always but last year wasn't as good as we hoped. As we prepared for the year he decided that he wanted to play Football.

I was nerveous and optimistic. I thought back to my own experiences with sports, especially football. A lot of my adult identity was developed through the athletic program of the very school my son is now attending. Much of my love for teamwork, comradery and hard work started while down by 3 points on the 50 yard line, 3rd and long with only a minute left on the clock.

In that moment is where I found life. My heart would pound in my ears as the whole world ground to a stop. My team was around me, my fellow linemen ready to blow a hole big enough to drive a truck through. My quarterback calling for an adjustment. The recievers grinding their toes into the grass to gain a fraction of a second advantage. In those moments you can feel the hours of sweat, pain, hope and practice of every one of your allies coursing through your veins.

My son's experiences are his own. I can't feel what he feels or experience his own minds eye. However I know for a fact that this program changed him. He walks with more pride. He feels confident in his own skin. He know he has a team with him. And he knows how to work for what he wants. I learned that when you tackle, you lock in with 100% of your strength. You put it all in the moment and leave nothing to spare.

More than that, he is able to walk off the field with a new form of self-awareness. He knows he can get knocked flat on his back, pick himself up and try again. He knows he can fail a hundred times so long as he goes back for more. I don't know that he understood how important this grit and self-determination was until this year.

For the last week or so I have felt compelled to do more to show my love for his coaches. In years past I had created little trophies for the faculty that had a huge impact on Charlie's 5th grade year. I decided to repeat this for the 2019 season Football coaches.

This also spawned a name. The Sunnycrest Award is named for the title given our old house, an antique (for our region) home dating back to 1885. The awards reason for existence:

Recognizing exceptional community members in Steilacoom, Washington

These are peoples that either live, work, volunteer or otherwise participate in my wonderful little town and make an outsized impact and contribution to our community. While in my heart, the trophies awarded to the teachers and faculty at Salters Points Elementary are the progenitors, the first four recipients of The Sunnycrest Award are:

• Andy MacDonald
• Armand Ruffin
• Mike McJunkins
• Tom Bradbury

These four brought together a Football program that taught our students leadership, compassion, teamwork and integrity. They accepted the students based on who they  as individuals and helped each of them move towards a set of common values. They built more than a team, they built a family.

Their efforts build the very heart of our community and create the Steilacoom of tomorrow.