By Lori Leath Smith
Each February, many of the area’s top high school, collegiate, amateur, professional, Special Olympics athletes, and individuals who have fostered youth activities are honored during the annual All Sports Association’s (ASA) Awards Banquet.
The ASA is a Northwest Florida non-profit organization whose primary mission is to help raise money for local youth-oriented non-profit organizations with an emphasis on sports programs. The annual awards banquet is used to identify, then recognize and honor some of the finest athletes from Northwest Florida who are contributing to their sports and their community.
The recognized individuals not only excel in their sports, but also are at the top in academics and community involvement. For example, Adelle Strickland, the Taylor Haugen Award Winner from Freeport High School, says basketball has always been her game since age 6 when she began playing at her church. But she’s also a member of the National Honor Society, VP of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, senior class vice president and on student government. Adelle says one of her only challenges was Trigonometry as a pre-requisite Calculus. But with determination and hard work, she was successful in that, too.
She plans to attend Marion Military Institute and hopefully transfer to the Naval Academy. As a role model with a legacy to leave, Adelle says, “I would have others know if you always give your best, you’ll never regret it. And make sure to have integrity in everything you do—that means doing the right thing when no one is looking.”
This year’s additional award winners included Jon Wassink, Wuerffel Trophy Winner, Western Michigan University; Gabe Moore, Male Collegiate Winner, University of Arkansas (Read about Gabe in Bay Life, Jan. 2020); Cade Kootsouradis, Male Scholastic Winner, Crestview High School; Tori Orcutt: Female Scholastic Winner, Fort Walton Beach High School; Jordan Leggett, Professional Award Winner, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Patrick Rosser, Special Olympics Award Winner, tennis, pickleball, swimming, golf, basketball, bowling, and cheer captain; and Aaron Hale, Amateur Award Winner, marathon running.
Winning the 2020 Col. Al Byrne Award was Tom Brassell who has emceed every ASA event and is the only two-time ASA President’s Award recipient, all while serving as the voice of Choctaw basketball and football and Northwest Florida State basketball and serving as ASA president in 2003.
The ASA is synonymous for attracting the likes of NFL and MLB MVPs, Hall of Fame coaches, Super Bowl quarterbacks, award-winning journalists and LPGA major champions. And this year was no exception with Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson as the keynote speaker. Mike Martin, former head baseball coach of the Florida State Seminoles baseball team and all-time winningest coach in NCAA history, was the keynote speaker at the Fish Fry. He was emphatic that what’s most important for a player is academics. “Graduating from college and preparing yourself for the future is what this part of your life is,” he says. “Think right thoughts. Always believe in yourself. Say good words about your teammates. Take responsibility. Choose real friends—those who are team players. And never, never, never give up!”
In addition to supporting our local high school athletic programs, last year the ASA raised roughly $210,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, the Okaloosa County chapter of Special Olympics, the Eleanor J. Johnson Youth Center and the Okaloosa/Walton County Fellowship of Christian Athletes said Drew Espy, ASA president. For more information, visit allsportsassociation.org.
