22 October 2011 / Team DC Champions Award

2011 Champions Awards Reception

Saturday, October 22 - 6PM-8PM - Location: HRC Equality Forum Hall

Champions Awards recognize leaders in the LGBT Sports Community and include MVP Award, Trailblazer Award, and Community Support Award.

This will be the fourth annual event to recognize local leaders in and supporters of the region’s LGBT sports community. Three awards are given annually based on nominations submitted by local sport participants and chosen by the Awards Committee.

Our special guest at the Champions Reception will be Hudson Taylor, the 3 time All-American wrestler from the University of Maryland and the driving force behind the Athlete Ally organization which helps to address homophobia in sports. As a straight ally, Hudson has been a vocal supporter for greater inclusion of LGBT athletes at all levels. More about Hudson and his organization can be found at www.athleteally.com.

More info and tickets HERE.

The MVP Award recognizes individuals that have made a significant contribution to their sport club or tournament over the past year.

• Martin Espinoza (Stonewall Kickball) and
• Chris Cormier (DC Gay Flag Football League)

The Trailblazer Award recognizes individuals that have worked for many years to support and in some cases, establish their teams and tournaments.

• Brandon Waggoner (DC Gay Flag Football League) and
• Phil Piga & Tony Watkins (Anywhere Goes)

The Community Support Award recognizes individuals and organizations that have supported the teams and the entire LGBT sporting community.

• Town Danceboutique and
• Hudson Taylor (Athlete Ally)

Additional Recognition
In addition to honoring individuals with the Champions Awards, we also recognize the recipients of the Team DC College Scholarships. This year there were three Scholarships given to the following individuals:

• Jorge Acevedo is a graduating senior from Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. He was a member of the Swim Team and will be attending Northern Virginia Community College in the fall.
• Nate Eckland is a graduating senior from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland. Nate was a Captain of his Varsity Coed Volleyball team and will be attending Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
• Justin Kanga is a graduating senior from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland where he competed in Track and Field and Diving. Justin will be attending the University of Maryland, College Park this fall.