OCEAN CITY- Two members of the Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department family were honored last week at a special ceremony in Annapolis with 2013 Dennis Callahan Good Sports Awards by the Mid-Atlantic Recreation and Parks Sports Alliance (MARPSA).
MARPSA each year recognizes youth players, coaches and administrators from across Maryland with a variety of awards including the Dennis Callahan Good Sports Awards. The awards provide an opportunity for member jurisdictions to recognize young athletes, coaches and administrators who have modeled good sports actions and behaviors in their local programs. The Good Sports Award is named for Dennis Callahan, co-founder of MARPSA and former director of the Anne Arundel County Parks and Recreation Department.
Ocean City’s representatives honored this year included young athlete Kealey Allison of Selbyville and Bob Frick of Bishopville. Allison was selected as the student-athlete who best represents sportsmanlike conduct in the local recreation community, while Frick was recognized for the same attributes as a coach in Ocean City’s Recreation and Parks Department.
Both of Ocean City’s recipients have been members of the Recreation and Parks Department family for years. Allison has participated in the OCRP’s girls’ basketball and indoor soccer programs for the last nine years. She has also been active in the field hockey program for the last three years. During the same time period, Allison has served as a volunteer for the department in many capacities. Outside of the recreation department, Allison volunteers at the Freeman Stage at Bayside and is an active volunteer at St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Ocean City.
Allison is an eighth-grader at Most Blessed Sacrament where she plays on the basketball, soccer, softball and lacrosse teams. She is also an excellent student and serves on the student council. Outside of school, Allison plays for the Fast Breakers travel basketball team, the Coastal Lacrosse Program and the Delmarva Dolphins travel lacrosse team. She is also a member of the Fenwick Island Junior Beach Patrol.
Frick has been coaching for the Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department since 1987 when his daughter participated in programs. In addition to coaching indoor soccer, Frick has also spent several years coaching softball and baseball. He has also sponsored teams for more than 20 years. He is a certified youth sports coach through the National Alliance for Youth Sports. As a coach and sponsor, Frick has always promoted teamwork and good sportsmanship, making him the perfect recipient for the 2013 MARPSA Good Sports Award.