Youth Sports Heroes of the Month: Ethan McConnell and Davan Overton (Oregon); Jonathon Montanez and Mitchell Marcus (Texas)

Submitted by Douglas E. Abrams, J.D. on Wed, 05/01/2013 - 12:49. | 0 comments

This month’s spotlight shines on a quartet of high school basketball players who, in two games more than 1,200 miles apart this season, figured in last-second shots that made no difference in the outcome of either game. With the scores already lopsided, nothing suggested that the few hundred fans or anyone else would remember anything about the games for very long. After the buzzer, however, both shots quickly became YouTube sensations.

This month’s spotlight shines on a quartet of high school basketball players who, in two games more than 1,200 miles apart this season, figured in last-second shots that made no difference in the outcome of either game. After the buzzer, however, both shots quickly became YouTube sensations.

Douglas E. Abrams, J.D.

Youth Sports Heroes of the Month: Ben Baltz (Valparaiso, Fla.) and Pfc. Matthew Morgan (San Diego, Calif.)

Submitted by Douglas E. Abrams, J.D. on Fri, 03/01/2013 - 14:34. | 0 comments

Eleven-year-old Ben Baltz was halfway through the one-mile run, the final event in the Sea Turtle Kids Triathlon at Pensacola Beach, Florida on October 7, 2012. He had already completed the first two events, the 150-yard swim and the four-mile bicycle ride. Now he anticipated crossing the finish line without fanfare.

This was Ben’s third triathlon since early summer, but an unforeseen problem would make this one different. A bone cancer survivor, the sixth grader had had his right tibia and fibula amputated for osteosarcoma when he was six. Now, with about a half mile to go, he fell to the track because his prosthetic right leg wobbled and broke when its screws came undone.

When Ben Baltz' prosthetic right leg broke as he was competing in the Sea Turtle Kids Triathlon at Pensacola Beach, Florida, the eleven-year-old cancer survivor was down but not out: a new friend from the nearby Marine base was there to help him finish the race.

Youth Sports Heroes: 12 for 2012

Every month in 2012 MomsTEAM contributing expert Doug Abrams has highlighted a Youth Sports Hero. As he does in December each year, he listed his top five in an article for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Can you guess which ones Doug picked as the top five? Which ones would you pick?

Youth Sports Heroes of the Month: St. Clairsville (Ohio) High School Football Team

Early in the fourth quarter, senior running back Michael Ferns broke through the line near midfield, and nothing but daylight stood between the St. Clairsville High School star and his twelfth touchdown of the season. What happened next made the entire team this month's youth sports heroes.

Youth Sports Hero of the Month: Seth Goldstein (East Memphis, Tenn.)

At a the half-way point during a recent high school cross country meet, one of the runners maintaining a brisk pace with a solid chance to win or place high, suddenly stopped running. What happened next makes him our Youth Sports Hero for November.

Youth Sports Hero of the Month: Meghan Vogel (West Liberty, Ohio)

When Meghan Vogel helped a fellow athlete across the finish line at a state championship track meet in Ohio, she became an instant YouTube sensation precisely because everyone would not have done the same.

Youth Sports Hero of the Month: Rashawn King (Apex, North Carolina)

This month's hero had much to be thankful for, and many people to thank, but his gratitude had nothing to do with the school community's support for his exploits on the gridiron or the court and everything to do with the school community's support in his battle to live. (Photo credit: Takaaki Iwabu, News-Observer)

Youth Sports Hero of the Month: John Huether (West Roxbury, Mass.)

When a referee at a JV hockey game in Massachusetts suffered a serious concussion, a coach's act of exceptional sportsmanship set the kind of example for his players they will remember long after their playing days.

Youth Sports Heroes of the Month: Billerica (Mass.) Floggers U-15 Baseball Team

In this month's Heroes column, MomsTeam contributor Doug Abrams explains how a title-winning youth baseball team valued giving to a cause above personal recognition.

Youth Sports Heroes of the Month: Armando Galarraga (Cumana, Venezuela) and Jim Joyce (Beaverton, Oregon)

At Detroit's Comerica Park on the night of June 2, 2010, the nationally televised Detroit Tigers-Cleveland Indians game offered children - indeed, Americans of all ages - enduring lessons in compassion and personal responsibility. The teachers were a pitcher, Armando Galarraga, and an umpire, Jim Joyce, improbably thrust into the limelight after years in relative obscurity, and their dignity and grace created a "teaching opportunity" for parents, teachers and coaches who seek to shape children's values through sports.

Team of Experts

Sportsmanship