June 25, 2010
Gold Winners Recognized in Person for Outstanding Community Programs
Gold award winning teachers, coaches and community leaders from USADA’s 2009-2010 True Sport Awards program gathered this week in Colorado Springs, CO, to be honored for their unique programs, and to participate in an education summit with USADA’s education team. The USADA True Sport Awards, developed in partnership with Discovery Education, incentivizes and rewards entrants who use the USADA 100% Me and That’s Dope curriculums and develop programs that influence youth around healthy lifestyles and important ethics and anti-doping lessons.
Ten entrants were recognized as Gold winners, all of whom submitted rigorous, meaningful programs aimed at empowering youth to seek positive life experiences through the powerful vehicle of sport. Gold winners hail from eight states and include:
Brian Bordainick– Carver High School – New Orleans, LA
Jeff Burke – Anderson-Shiro Jr. and Sr. High School – Anderson, TX
Damon Jones – Seacoast Christian Academy – Jacksonville, FL
Rosanne Keathley – Sam Houston State University – Huntsville, TX
Brian Keller – Mount Anthony Middle School – Bennington, VT
Helen Mcclain – Profast – El Centro, CA
Chuck Moses – Henley High School – Klamath Falls, OR
Melanie Martin – Humble High School – Humble, TX
Jose Cervantes – America Scores Chicago – Chicago, IL
Kim Seevers – The Adaptive Sports Foundation – Windham, NY
The summit brought nearly all of these leaders together, along with representation from Discovery Education, to share and discuss their school/community programs, evaluate and provide feedback on USADA’s education initiatives, and dialogue about encouraging and challenging other community leaders to get involved. Participants also had the opportunity to tour the United States Olympic Training Center and be honored at an informal awards ceremony.
“As a result of the USADA True Sport Awards program, I truly believe that I am now a part of a committed group of people who will undoubtedly be instrumental in not only strengthening the integrity of clean competition, but also reshaping the role of sports in education,” said participant Jeff Burke, Associate Principal, Anderson-Shiro Jr. and Sr. High School.
“It is our purpose to build character in our students that goes beyond the excitement of competition, and extends to the lives of the students, their families and the communities they come from,” added Jose Cervantes, America Scores Chicago.
Brian Keller, from Mount Anthony Middle School, Bennington, VT, said “Using the 100% Me curriculum and resources in my classroom cuts through the myths and delivers facts and current healthy alternatives, all focused on student success!”
In addition to participating in the summit, USADA True Sport Award Gold winners receive program support for their school or organization to implement their winning proposals. Additionally, USADA Athlete Ambassadors, including Olympians and Paralympians such as Erin Hamlin, Augusto “Goose” Perez, Dee Dee Trotter, and Lauryn Williams, also visit winners and share their personal stories and positive messages through live appearances with youth program participants. Gold medalists are also provided a pocket video camera, a commendation medal and a one-year subscription to Discovery Education Health, a comprehensive health and prevention digital classroom resource. Winners utilize the cameras to document and share their journeys as they implement their programs.
About USADA True Sport Awards
Created to encourage educators, coaches, and community leaders to integrate either the 100% Me (middle school) or That’s Dope (high school) curricula into enriched classroom and/or other instructional activities, the program recognizes outstanding individuals with implementation funding and other valuable support. Presented in an interactive online format at http://USADATrueSport.DiscoveryEducation.com, the awards program offers free downloads of USADA’s curriculums, and supporting resources for healthy lifestyle instruction.
20 Silver winners and 10 Bronze winners were also recognized for their submissions.
USADA True Sport Awards was honored with a 2010 Mom’s Choice Gold award for online resources. The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) is known for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An annual competition, it recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media products and services. The MCA Awards’ seal helps families and educators navigate the vast array of products and services so that they may make informed decisions.
About USADA
USADA is the non-profit, independent and non-governmental entity responsible for the testing and results management process in the U.S. for athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, upholding the Olympic ideal of fair play, and representing the interests of athletes. USADA is dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs. The agency manages a drug reference phone hotline as well as the Global Drug Reference Online at www.GlobalDRO.org, conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as curriculums, themed brochures and nutrition and dietary guides, easy-reference wallet cards for the prohibited substance list, periodic newsletters, and protocol and policy reference publications, all of which can be found at www.USADA.org.