WESTFIELD – “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” is a well-known phrase that harkens back decades. But sometimes that isn’t always true.
This past season, the Westfield High School girls’ soccer team struggled to get a “W” in the win column. The Bombers did manage four ties as it went 0-12-4, but, more importantly, the local community won because of them.
“Nobody wants to win more than I do,” Westfield coach Keith Saltmarsh said. “I want our players to feel the joy and success of winning … but it’s about doing everything right and developing our players. We know the wins will come.”
2016 Westfield Bombers girls’ soccer team
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association recently presented the Westfield girls’ soccer team with the organization’s Educational Athletics Achievement Award.
More specifically, Westfield was honored for its leadership and community service efforts. This past season, the Bombers participated in the Buddy Walk of the Berkshires, alongside the Wahconah girls’ soccer team. Together, the two teams joined up in an effort to support and promote awareness for Down syndrome by walking and eating lunch together before playing battling on the soccer field.
The day hit home especially for the Bombers, who have a player with Down Syndrome on their team. The two schools were later recognized for their efforts.
West“The girls learned a lot about supporting not only themselves, but supporting others,” coach Saltmarsh said.
Westfield High School boys’ cross country runner Jimmy Knapik displays a sportsmanship award recently presented by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. (Photo by Marc St. Onge)
The MIAA Educational Athletics Achievement Award allows coaches, athletic directors, other school staff and game officials to recognize student-athletes, coaches, or teams for outstanding acts in relation to one or more of the five pillars of educational athletics – coaches’ education, community service, leadership, sportsmanship, and wellness.
In a related story, Westfield High student-athlete Jimmy Knapik was also honored for demonstrating sportsmanship during a regular season cross country meet against Monson and Holyoke at Monson High School. Knapik, and Monson’s Alex Lima passed up individual accolades to carry an injured runner, Holyoke’s Richard Son, 1.5 miles to the finish line.
It is acts like these that truly define an athlete’s character, and something to be mightily proud of.
