Steward Cink, former British Open Champion and five-time U.S. Ryder Cup team member, received the 15th Annual Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup along with collegiate and high school division athletes at a banquet ceremony in the Infiniti Club at SunTrust Park in Atlanta on April 25, 2019. Nathan Clayberg of Drake University was the collegiate recipient of the award. In partnership with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, the high school division recipients were Sarah Rauch of Grayslake North High School, Grayslake, Illinois, and Evan Gwozdz of Middleboro High School, Middleboro, Massachusetts. Bob Ryan, the famed sportswriter for the Boston Globe and analyst for ESPN, served as the Master of Ceremonies.
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Stewart Cink was an All-American on the Georgia Tech golf team from 1993-1995, was named ACC Player of the Year in 1995 and was on its academic honor roll from 1992-1993.  He was the recipient of the Fred Haskins Award in 1995, given to the most outstanding collegiate golfer in NCAA Division I, and the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year award.  He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

Cink has been a full-time player on the PGA TOUR since 1997, playing more than 500 PGA TOUR events with six PGA TOUR victories during that 22-year-span, including the 2009 British Open at Turnberry.  Cink’s first PGA TOUR victory came in 1997 at the Travelers Championship, with additional victories at the 2000 RBC Heritage, 2004 RBC Heritage, 2004 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, and 2008 Travelers Championship.  Cink’s British Open Championship win at Turnberry came in a playoff over five-time Open winner Tom Watson.  He’s also represented the United States on five Ryder Cup teams and four Presidents Cup teams.

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The scandal of the week has to do with wealthy parents paying large sums of money to a man who had various ways of being sure that their children would get into the college they wanted.  We’re not sure exactly what laws were broken, but those involved could end up spending time in jail.  There are many lessons that can be learned from this sad story, and we encourage you to discuss this with your team.  The Code says, “I will compete within the spirit and letter of the rules of my sport.”  There is always a temptation to break a rule, to try to get away with a “minor” violation of the rules.  Many times we can do it and get away with it.  But, at a critical time, the whistle may blow, and we are caught, and the consequences may be dire.  This can happen in a game, or it can happen in thousands of ways throughout our lives.  Learning to play by the rules is an important lesson to learn.  How can you pay more attention to the rules in your sport, in your school, classroom, and in the world?

ATLANTA, GA (March 19, 2019) – The 15th Annual Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, an award given to the most outstanding role models among athletes, has announced the professional, collegiate, and high school honorees for its 2019 award ceremony, to be held April 25 at SunTrust Park’s Infiniti Club in Atlanta.  Georgia Tech alumnus and pro golfer Stewart Cink will be the professional recipient.  Bob Ryan, the famed sportswriter for the Boston Globe and analyst for ESPN, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

Founded by Athletes for a Better World (ABW), a non-profit organization which celebrates the unselfish generosity of many participants in American sports, the Wooden Cup is unique in that it is open to all athletes in all high schools, college and professional sports. Annual nominations are open to every division and conference in college sports, and to athletes in public and private high schools across the country in partnership with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.  The Wooden Cup is becoming one of the most prestigious awards in all of sports. Previous professional recipients include Jack Nicklaus, Pat Summitt, Drew Brees, and Mia Hamm.
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We recently read an article in a local paper that talked about “more than the game” and we wondered if they knew about ABW.  The article listed all the ways in which local teams and schools were giving back to their communities.  The volleyball  team at one school was doing one thing, the lacrosse team at another was doing something else, and so on.  The Code says, “I will give of my time, skills and money as I am able for the betterment of my community and world.”  We think all teams should have at least one day of service each season – paint the bleachers, feed the homeless, do whatever the team would like to do.  It’s a great way to build team spirit, to get to know others, and to make a difference.  Even better are when more than one team joins together to make a difference.  Where is your team in all of this?  Is this a good time to start?  It’s all about “winning more than the game.”

Learning how to win, how to lose, and how to learn from both experiences is one of the most valuable things in sports.  On this subject the presentation of the Oscars on Sunday night provided some words to ponder.  Talk about each of the following four quotes: what do they mean to you?

“If you are you’re sitting on your couch, and you are watching this right now, all I have to say is that this is hard work,” Gaga admitted in the midst of tears.  “I’ve worked hard for a long time. It’s not about winning. What it’s about is not giving up. If you have a dream, fight for it … It’s not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or you’re beaten up, it’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going.”  Lady Gaga (in winning her first Oscar).

“I thought I was courtside at the [Madison Square] Garden. The ref made a bad call.”  Spike Lee (after losing for Best Picture.  He won another Oscar.).

“If I, in my heart and soul, feel that I’ve fulfilled the challenges of a certain character, that’s where I find my personal fulfillment. I don’t feel like I need to be validated by some award, even though in the nature of our business, it does mean something.”  Glenn Close (who has set the record for actresses for most nominations without a win – seven).

“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”  John Wooden (who never talked about winning, only about doing one’s best).

You can spend your life contemplating these four quotations – because most of us could say all of those things!  How do you relate them to the Code?

The students at the University of Indiana embarrassed themselves and their university by chanting  obscenities at the Purdue basketball team.  The Code is clear: “I will respect the dignity of every human being and will not be abusive or dehumanizing of anyone either as an athlete or as a fan.”  We all should learn as children not to call other people names – but some people never grow up.   Where did these students get the idea that their behavior was acceptable?  Was it because a friend was doing it?  Or was it because lots of others were doing it?  Did the person know what he or she was doing was inappropriate?  All of this is an example of “mob rule” – where people will act in a crowd differently than they would ever act alone.  When have you been in a similar situation when a person was being teased or taunted? The important question is whether you would participate, have the courage to be silent, or have the greater courage to try to silence those around you.  What would you do?

ATLANTA, GA (February 15, 2019) – The 15th Annual Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, an award given to the most outstanding role models among athletes, has announced collegiate honorees for its 2019 award ceremony to be held in Atlanta at a date this spring to be announced. Bob Ryan, the famed sportswriter for the Boston Globe and analyst for ESPN, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

Founded by Athletes for a Better World (ABW), a non-profit organization committed to changing the culture of American sports, the Wooden Cup is unique in that it is open to athletes in all high school, collegiate, Olympic, and professional sports. Annual nominations are open to every division and conference in college sports, and to athletes in public and private high schools across the country in partnership with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
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Last week several people wrote us about a story.  Here’s one of the emails:

I recommend you look at the piece on CBS Sunday Morning from this past Sunday about a young high school wrestler.  His opponent was seriously injured in the closing moments of his match.  He chose to remain motionless on the mat when the match was restarted-his opponent could not use one of his arms-all the young man had to do was stand up and he would have won the match…instead he stayed flat on the mat allowing his injured opponent to win.  When it became apparent what was happening the crowd began to applaud-then they stood and applauded-even the referee began to applaud.

After the match the loser (who really won in everyone’s minds) said “It just wouldn’t have been fair to take advantage of his injury-it wasn’t his fault).  That is the true definition of sportsmanship and adherence to “The Code”.

The only reason we compete is to try with all of our effort to win.  However, we like to remind our players that we “win” by

1. getting to play on a team
2. working hard and seeing improvement
3. making the team better by our efforts in practice
4. getting to be a part of a team and learning to work together
5. being a support in many ways to our teammates
6. competing in a way that brings respect and honor to our team

Winning is always the goal in any competition, but regardless of the score we can always win more than the game.