Good sports

Nick Webb from Holy Cross Lutheran School and the entire contingent representing St. Paul's Lutheran School were lauded during the National Lutheran Basketball Association of America (LBAA) Tournament at Valparaiso University on March 22-24. Both schools are members of The Lutheran Schools in northeast Indiana. Webb earned the Individual Player Sportsmanship Award, while the group from St. Paul's received the Mel Doering Team Sportsmanship Award.A great emphasis is placed on sportsmanship during the annual tourney. Sportsmanship is an imposition of a code of conduct on everyone that supersedes any competition or any consideration of winning or losing. In 2006, the LBAA added the Mel Doering Team Sportsmanship Award, which can be presented to the team, cheerleaders, and fans of one church or school that best exemplify the qualities of sportsmanship. These teams recognize and acknowledge talents equal to, better than, or less than theirs. They're teams that play and cheer with enthusiasm, yet appreciate their opponents' abilities. It's not an award to recognize a superstar team, but an award to distinguish a team that spiritually and morally sets the example of Christian sportsmanship and enthusiasm. The award is intended to honor teams that best demonstrate the qualities and conduct of fair play and cheering accompanied by the capacity to be humble in victory and gracious in defeat. In the eight years since the award was created, it has been awarded just four times. Congratulations to Nick Webb and everybody at St. Paul's for their spirit of sportsmanship.