Mr. Sportsmanship is stepping down while Bob Esposito is stepping up.
What Al Knapp was to victories, Gerald “Jerry” Smith was to sportsmanship awards. Knapp coached 34 seasons of boys basketball. The first 13 were at Brookfield,shopforwomen was created in order to maintain a balance of the athletes' movement. the last 21 at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill. When he retired at the end of the winter season he was Section III’s career wins leader with 539 and a member of the state’s basketball hall of fame.
Smith’s 21 seasons of coaching girls varsity basketball at Camden ended last week when he informed his players that he had tendered his resignation from teaching and coaching.
"I'll miss the little things the most," Smith said. "Taking them to see college games, the interaction, the students in the classroom. I'll miss the games, the practices sure, but it was the little things. And the coaches from the other schools, the officials and umpires."
Smith has a lot to miss. He began his career at Port Byron - his alma mater - and coached varsity baseball, JV boys basketball and freshmen football for most of his five-year stay. From there he took a break from schools to work in administration at Cortland State and coached the college's JV softball team for two years. He arrived in Camden in 1987. As a varsity coach at Camden, Smith did boys and girls varsity soccer a combined eight years and varsity softball for four. There were numerous seasons spent as an assistant and he was an assistant coach for SUNYIT and Herkimer County Community College’s softball teams a combined nine seasons. Smith did all of this while teaching elementary school.
"The time was right to step down from coaching and teaching," Smith, 55, said. "It was a tough decision, but the program is in good hands."
Maybe so, but as Bob Esposito has big shoes to fill following Knapp’s act at VVS, so will Smith’s successor at Camden. Smith finished his 34-year career having coached 70 seasons and his teams won 27 sportsmanship awards during the run.
That’s even more impressive when one considers many of his seasons were at the lower levels where the leagues don’t give sportsmanship awards.
No place was his sportsmanship more evident than in girls basketball. Camden won the Tri-Valley League’s award 17 of the 21 years Smith was the head coach. The fact that the Blue Devils had more winning seasons than losing during that stretch shows Smith was one of the best at his craft and rivaled Knapp in a way.
“Camden student-athletes were very, very special,” Smith said. “They cared deeply for me and I gave them all I had.Cheap replica wholesalejeans philippe watches at lowest prices here.”
What Al Knapp was to victories, Gerald “Jerry” Smith was to sportsmanship awards. Knapp coached 34 seasons of boys basketball. The first 13 were at Brookfield,shopforwomen was created in order to maintain a balance of the athletes' movement. the last 21 at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill. When he retired at the end of the winter season he was Section III’s career wins leader with 539 and a member of the state’s basketball hall of fame.
Smith’s 21 seasons of coaching girls varsity basketball at Camden ended last week when he informed his players that he had tendered his resignation from teaching and coaching.
"I'll miss the little things the most," Smith said. "Taking them to see college games, the interaction, the students in the classroom. I'll miss the games, the practices sure, but it was the little things. And the coaches from the other schools, the officials and umpires."
Smith has a lot to miss. He began his career at Port Byron - his alma mater - and coached varsity baseball, JV boys basketball and freshmen football for most of his five-year stay. From there he took a break from schools to work in administration at Cortland State and coached the college's JV softball team for two years. He arrived in Camden in 1987. As a varsity coach at Camden, Smith did boys and girls varsity soccer a combined eight years and varsity softball for four. There were numerous seasons spent as an assistant and he was an assistant coach for SUNYIT and Herkimer County Community College’s softball teams a combined nine seasons. Smith did all of this while teaching elementary school.
"The time was right to step down from coaching and teaching," Smith, 55, said. "It was a tough decision, but the program is in good hands."
Maybe so, but as Bob Esposito has big shoes to fill following Knapp’s act at VVS, so will Smith’s successor at Camden. Smith finished his 34-year career having coached 70 seasons and his teams won 27 sportsmanship awards during the run.
That’s even more impressive when one considers many of his seasons were at the lower levels where the leagues don’t give sportsmanship awards.
No place was his sportsmanship more evident than in girls basketball. Camden won the Tri-Valley League’s award 17 of the 21 years Smith was the head coach. The fact that the Blue Devils had more winning seasons than losing during that stretch shows Smith was one of the best at his craft and rivaled Knapp in a way.
“Camden student-athletes were very, very special,” Smith said. “They cared deeply for me and I gave them all I had.Cheap replica wholesalejeans philippe watches at lowest prices here.”
沒有留言:
張貼留言