Acts of sportsmanship by the schools in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) do not go unrecognized.
Each year, since 1991, the FHSAA has awarded schools that display exemplary sportsmanship with the Fred E. Rozelle Sportsmanship Award.
The award is presented to one school in each section of the FHSAA’s eight classifications. Then from the section winners an overall classification winner is selected.
“It requires that you’re not on probation, have no ejections and are not under investigation,” said FHSAA Public Relations Specialist Corey Sobers.
Other criteria for the award include having programs and activities within the school and community to promote sportsmanship and the number and type of exceptional sportsmanship reports from that school.
There is a monetary award for the section and overall winners. The section winner receives $500 and a plaque, while the overall winners receive an additional $2,500 and a larger plaque.
The FHSAA has implemented an ejection process, similar to that of other state associations. They track ejections and has defined certain behaviors as unsportsmanlike, namely profanity, striking or threatening a contest official, physical contact with an opponent which is beyond the normal scope of competition and spitting on a contest official or opponent.
“It’s at the official’s discretion to eject,” Sobers said. “They are the representative of the association at the game.”
In 2014, the FHSAA implemented the “Sunshine State Spirit Showdown” modeled after the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s “Battle of the Fans.”
“It was a borrowed idea and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go the first year,” Sobers said. “It ended up being a pretty competitive process for the schools participating.”
In the end, the FHSAA had 16 schools compete and Sobers said that all participating schools displayed a unique and impressive school spirit through their video submissions. He also said that it appeared that schools that did not submit this year were engaged and displayed interest in participating in next year’s contest.
The winning school – Clay High School and their “Clay Crazies” – will be presented with a banner and trophy by the FHSAA at a pep rally before the school year’s end.
“It worked out well and is something that we will continue moving forward,” Sobers said.
The FHSAA hopes these programs shine a spotlight on acts of sportsmanship throughout the state. Shauni Lynch, a FHSAA communications intern, said there have been several situations in Florida where teammates have raised funds for cancer research. In addition, the Ponte Vedra (Florida) High School baseball team participated in Rising Stars, which gives girls and boys ages 8-15, who are unable to play in traditional Little League Baseball because of a disability, a chance to play baseball while building self-confidence, teamwork skills and making lasting memories and friendships.
Quinten Ershock, the FHSAA’s marketing specialist, shared the story of a cross country runner who, at last year’s state finals, won the event and then before getting her post-race water stood at the finish line to shake the hand of every competitor. “She stayed until the last competitor finished,” Ershock said.