I'm extremely honored and humbled to receive the Gary Lewis Award. In the spirit of keeping things quick on Saturday, I would like to post my long winded speech here and on Facebook. I will of course have a shortened version for the event:
First off, congratulations to my fellow recipient Dave Kociuba! I feel it's a great thing that there was two of us receiving this award. It shows how much the local community is growing and giving back.
I would like to thank Gary Lewis for not only having this award but for everything he does and has done to promote this sport. There would not be a strong community of disc golfers in this area if not for him. His endless hours of dedication has provided us all courses that we will enjoy for years to come.
The previous winners of this award have continued to remain great ambassadors to the sport in their own ways. But more then that they have inspired those around them, myself being one such person.
Frank Grimes got me into doing course work. From the first time we worked together there was a synergy between us that made the hard work fun. Thanks for being a great role-model.
Jesse and Darrin ran some of the first events I attended. The fun laid back atmosphere of their tourneys kept me coming back. This year I was asked to help with ILL State and had a blast. Thanks for all you guys do, behind the scenes, week after week, year after year for us to have a great time.
Mr. Poole. Prob the most active behind the scenes guy in the Joliet area, maybe the State? He runs bag tags during the winter, handicap during the summer. Helps with course work, is a J-town board member, helps with tournaments and the list goes on and on. I'm very lucky to have him to learn from. Thank you for being awesome.
Sean Callahan, I appreciate you being the first to nominate me this year. Your work at Dellwood is very impressive and I look forward to what you have in-store for the future. Your a passionate person that pushes the sport and the players forward.
I would like to thank my wife Kristi and brother Brad. I love you and thanks for putting up with me.
I would also like to thank Mike Flynn, his help with the Highland wood chip project was crucial.
Finally I would like to thank all of you, the Disc Golfing community. From the Pro to the Am, I have meet all types of players the past couple of years. The thing that always impresses me across the board is the generosity. Donations of cash, time and plastic are given out with almost no thought when a cause comes up. I'm proud to call myself a disc golfer.