EVERETT — The latest winners of The Herald’s Man and Woman of the Year in Sports awards might not bring any immediate name recognition to the minds of most sports fans, but it’s a safe bet that they’ll be hearing them for years to come.
Quite possibly, every four years.
Brett McClure and Karen Foster, who were named the 2003 recipients of the award at a banquet Thursday night at the Everett Events Center, both have Olympic aspirations.
Based on their 2003 accomplishments, those Olympic dreams could be realized very soon.
McClure is pretty much a lock to make the U.S. men’s gymnastics team that will compete in Greece this summer, while Foster is looking toward the 2008 Olympics. Foster, an 18-year-old senior at Lake Stevens High School, is one of the top young rowers in the country — if not the world.
McClure is the closest to Olympic competition. The 23-year-old Mill Creek native is currently a member of the U.S. team that has competed all over the world. McClure and his teammates equaled its best-ever finish with a silver medal at the World Championships in August.
A gymnast since the age of 8, and a state champion at 10 years old, McClure solidified his place as one of the top gymnasts in the nation by helping the U.S. win the medal with his performances on the pommel horse, vault and high bars.
"To represent the U.S. at an event in the United States was such a great experience," McClure said last month. "It’s a great sense of pride, and we didn’t let our country down."
McClure is currently training with the national team in Colorado Springs, so he was unable to attend Thursday’s banquet. His brother, Dustin, accepted the award on the gymnast’s behalf.
"He’s been recognized all over the world for his accomplishments, but it’s extra special being recognized in his hometown," said Dustin McClure, a 25-year-old student-teacher at Everett High School.
Foster, who will attend Stanford in the fall, was on hand with several members of her family and friends Thursday. The Foster group, 30 people strong, let out a collective howl when her name was announced.
"It’s amazing," Foster said. "I wasn’t expecting it. This is awesome."
Foster is likely to follow in McClure’s Olympic footsteps, especially after the way she rowed in 2003. She set a national record for her age group on the ergo machine during a high-profile national event in February. Then Foster competed on junior national teams that won a silver medal in Germany and a gold in France.
She gave Lake Stevens High School its third winner in a row, following in the footsteps of wrestling coach Brent Barnes (2001) and his son, wrestler Burke Barnes (2002).
Other candidates for Woman of the Year in Sports were Marysville-Pilchuck volleyball coach Shelly Johnson, who led her team to a runner-up finish in the 4A state tournament; Oak Harbor swimmer Missy McIntyre, a two-event state champion; Snohomish cross-country runner Lucy Miller, the top finisher on the Panthers’ state championship team; and Joan Sperandio, co-owner of the AquaSox.
The men’s finalists included Jackson running back Johnie Kirton, who led the state in rushing; University of Washington baseball player Brent Lillibridge, an All-American; and Everett Silvertips coach Kevin Constantine, who led his team to the best expansion record in Western Hockey League history.
Constantine’s nomination was especially interesting because the Silvertips were playing Game 4 of the Western Conference finals in the same building. Understandably, Constantine skipped the banquet to coach his team.
The event was hosted by Seattle Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi, who drove up from Seattle after his team lost to the Oakland Athletics at Safeco Field in an afternoon game.
"We’re not playing as well as we should be," Bavasi said during his speech. "We’re a better team than we’re playing right now. At least we better be, or you’ll be listening to someone else up here next year."
Dan Parker, who coached the Snohomish girls’ cross country team to one of the most impressive state championship performances in history, was given the Outstanding Achievement Award.
Wes Fischer, the wrestling coach at Sultan High School and head coach of Snohomish County’s semi-pro football team, was the recipient of the Larry Hanson Award for Community Service.
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