SNOHOMISH – Kaija D’aigle beamed as the gold medal was placed around her neck.
The 14-year-old, still sweaty from a hard-played basketball game, smiled and laughed as her teammates looked at the award.
Her mom gave her a hug.
“I didn’t know they did this,” the girl said.
D’aigle was among the last players of the season to receive one of Centennial Middle School’s surprise sportsmanship awards, given to members of opposing teams at home games.
The seventh- and eighth-grade teams finished their last home games this week against Hidden River Middle School, where D’aigle attends, in the Monroe School District.
During the last part of the fourth quarter, the girls chatted among themselves, scanning the opposing side’s green jerseys before settling on No. 15.
“We decide who tries their best and hustles,” said Samantha Irwin, 14, a player on Centennial’s eighth-grade team. “Sportsmanship is a lot. It just shows who you really are. … You won’t be respected if you don’t have it.”
Centennial coaches John Bonner and Larry Taylor have long stressed good sportsmanship – both on the court and in the stands.
They hold a parent meeting at the start of each basketball season to stress how parents should model good attitudes.
Players used to hand their opponents cans of pop at the end of each game in the same spirit – that is, until soda was pulled from the school as part of new nutrition guidelines.
The coaches said a parent, Sarah Gravelle, came up with the idea for the award as a replacement.
Gravelle credits the coaches for instilling what she calls an “often forgotten skill.”
“Good athletes are not born overnight; they are developed. These two develop the whole package,” she said.
Taylor, the eighth-grade coach, said sportsmanship is a key lesson. “We try to teach more than just basketball. We want them to be better people.”
Bonner, the seventh-grade coach, said colleagues from other teams have said they appreciate the award. “It’s gone over really well, and it’s such a simple thing,” he said.
John Lande’s daughter, Mackenzie, plays on Bonner’s team. The father said the award appears unique and fits the sports ethic.
“Sports teaches a lot of life lessons. Winning and losing graciously is certainly one of those virtues,” he said.
Hidden River’s eighth-grade team lost to Centennial by a fairly wide margin.
But Kaija’s smile didn’t diminish.
She thinks sportsmanship is important, too.
“It’s good to be aggressive, because you have to be,” she said. “But you have to be fair.”
Reporter Melissa Slager: 425-339-3465 or mslager@heraldnet.com.
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