Background:

In 1987, Nor-Gwyn Baseball & Softball instituted a Courageous Athlete Award program in memory of Nicholas Lesser, a former Nor-Gwyn Little League player who lost a courageous battle with cancer. Each year, a Courageous Athlete Award Committee is appointed to evaluate all candidates for this award and, if appropriate, to select a most courageous athlete. The award is made only with the parents' permission.

Award Criteria:

The Courageous Athlete Award is reserved for players who have demonstrated extraordinary courageousness in overcoming a significant health, handicap, family, or similar hardship. The award is made infrequently. In fact, only 4 awards have been made in its history.

Any current Nor-Gwyn baseball or softball player, in any program and any age, is eligible for this award.

Nomination Process:

Nominations are submit­ted to the award committee in the form of a written letter. Letters must be either typed or neatly written, and must contain the following information:

• Full name of the candidate
• Name of the team he or she played on in the current year (i.e., sponsor name)
• Reasons or circumstances that justify why the player should be considered for the award (e.g., a serious illness, injury, accident, handicap, family event, etc.)
• A brief explanation of how the player demonstrated courageousness in dealing with the circumstances
• Name, signature, address, and telephone number of the person submitting the nomination

Letters must be dated and addressed to the award committee and mailed to the following address by no later than July 31 of the year of submission:

Nor-Gwyn Baseball & Softball

Courageous Athlete Award Committee

P.O. Box 1476

North Wales, PA 19454

Under no circumstances should a nomination ever be discussed or even mentioned to the subject player, the parents, or anyone else! It is the responsibility of the award committee to contact the parents of any player selected to receive the award to seek their permission.

Past Award Recipients: