Unsung Hero: Evans Schultes, Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — Today we inaugurate a new periodic series on Greenwich Patch, highlighting young student-athletes who are considered "unsung heroes." They are not necessarily the big star, but rather one who works hard, is a good student, is a positive influence and strives for the betterment of his or her school and/or community.

Name: Evans Schultes
School: Greenwich High School, grade 12
Sport: fencing
Nominated by: Hilary Gindi

"Evans is the boys foil captain on the GHS fencing team. Sure, his team is very successful (#1 in the state), and he is the #2 foilist in the state, but you will never meet a more humble student athlete than Evans. He puts his all into caring about his teammates. My daughter, who is on the girls foil team, speaks exceptionally highly of him and I have seen his work first hand. His dedication to his team knows no bounds. After spending an exhausting evening performing at a concert, he showed up in a tux to spend additional hours helping to set up the gym for the novice fencing tournament the next day - a tournament in which his newest teammates, but not he himself, would be fencing. When my daughter faced a particularly tough opponent during a meet, he was at the side of the fencing strip, calling out encouragement and advice. His presence and enthusiasm helped her perform at her best. At the recent individual states tournament (held at GHS), he was in a semifinal bout when the referee made a poor call. "That's not fair!" yelled his coach. Evans politely waved off his coach, as if to say, "I've got this. A bad call isn't going to keep me from doing my best." Indeed, he won that match and inspired everyone around him with his grace and excellent sportsmanship. Evans Schultes absolutely deserves the "unsung hero" student athlete recognition. He's a senior this year and fencing season just ended. I imagine that he has made a lasting impression on his underclass team mates and I am sure that Connecticut high school fencing as a whole is better for his having participated. Also, I'd like to add that Evans isn't a family friend or relative. He's just a young man that really impressed me as I observed his quiet leadership on the GHS fencing team. "

To nominate a deserving student-athlete, email a brief description of their sports and community endeavors and a non-copyrighted photo (horizontal preferred) to tim.jensen@patch.com.