FHS Student-Athletes Participate in CIAC Sportsmanship Event

SOUTHINGTON – Four Farmington High student-athletes participated with representatives from high schools across the state Thursday in the annual Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Sportsmanship Conference held at the Aqua Turf Banquet Facility.

Ben Pollack, Jen Whaley, Jamie Bartucca and Thomas Stevens were chosen to attend the event, which began at 7:45 a.m. and ran through a luncheon, Michaels Achievement Cup presentations by CIAC executive director Karissa Niehoff and addresses by keynote speaker Harvey Alston and CIAC assistant directors David Maloney and Paul Hoey.

Pollack is a senior on the basketball team. Whaley is one of the state’s top golfers in her age group. Bartucca stars on the field hockey team and Stevens is a lineman on the football squad.

The Farmington student-athletes also participated in breakout sessions where they interacted with peers from other schools on problem solving in regard to issues such as sportsmanship, respect, teamwork, healthy lifestyles and community service.

Pollack found it stimulating to hear Alston’s messages and work together with student-athletes from rival schools.

“He was really dynamic and really got into your head,” said Pollack, a 6-foot-7 center who lists Yale, Farifield, Tufts, Amherst and Johns Hopkins among the colleges he’s interested in attending.

“It was cool to go into a conference and see your rivals, talk, and find out what you have in common. Rivalry is part of sports and people you may have considered enemies can be friends.”

The students were accompanied by FHS boys basketball coach Duane Witter and athletic director Jack Phelan.

They attended a seminar conducted by students who attended the New England Student Leadership Conference, followed by a dissertation from Niehoff explaining the CIAC’s sportsmanship standards, expectations and ratings used to generate data that gauges the effectiveness of the sportsmanship program.

Alston, an educator, former high school football coach and author of the book, “Be the Best,” spoke of individual responsibility, integrity and dignity and how they relate to the development of leadership skills.

“What stuck with me [from Alston’s speech] was what Coach Witter always says – ‘Be the best you can be and do everything the best possible way so you never have any regrets,’” Pollack said.

Following the luncheon, Niehoff made the presentations of the Michaels Achievement Cup, an award that recognizes the state’s best athletic programs as judged by a committee of representatives from CIAC, Connecticut Association of Athletic Directors and the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance using criteria that evaluate sportsmanship and participation along with five other categories.

Farmington was one of three recipients among Class L schools.

“Farmington is proud to be a Michaels Cup winner and obviously sportsmanship matters,” said Witter, Farmington’s boys basketball coach since the 1998-99 season.

“Jack Phelan deserves a lot of credit for creating a positive climate at our athletic events. He’s worked hard to make these events positive for parents, our student-athletes and the visiting student-athletes. It’s important because he provides leadership for coaches and subsequently for athletes.”

Glastonbury High School was named the overall winner. Fifteen other schools were also cited.

Fred Balsamo, the CIAC’s Michaels Achievement Cup program director, said, “The program has always emphasized far more than just winning. Schools are places of learning. Sports provide a forum for children to learn about the principles of participation, which provide life lessons learned early for the future – sportsmanship, fair play, integrity, teamwork, graciousness and humility.”

The Michaels Achievement Cup was the brainstorm of Roy Michaels, owner of Michaels Jewelers, in 1979. Financing is sustained under a perpetual grant from the Michaels Jewelers Foundation.

“For 135 years Michaels has benefited from our endeavors in the jewelry business,” semi-retired CEO John Michaels said.

“We are honored to be able to give back, and what better way than to recognize excellence in our youth and their participation in athletics, emphasizing sportsmanship and participation. It’s our privilege to be able to join CAS-CIAC in motivating and rewarding excellence in athletics thru the CIAC recognition program.”