By Lauren Reho
Each year at the All Sports Association FCA Breakfast, The Taylor Haugen Foundation presents a trophy to an area athlete who best demonstrates a balance between academics, athleticism, leadership, community service and faith. The winner receives a $1,000 scholarship, a $1,000 donation to the athletic department of his or her school and a bronze trophy with an eagle taking flight to symbolize Isaiah 40: 30-32.
The Foundation has awarded trophies since 2009 to well-rounded student athletes in the area. In this series, we’re tracking the past winners from 2009 to 2021 to see where they are now in their journeys.
We continue our Taylor Haugen Trophy Winner series with the 2021 winner—Tinsley Abbott.
Tinsley is studying health science at the College of Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Florida and plans to graduate in 2024. She is excited to begin shadowing a pediatric orthopedic doctor at Shands Hospital and hopes that it will help with her dreams of becoming a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. She loves attending all Gator sporting events and being a part of the student section, especially being a member of the Men’s Basketball Rowdy Reptiles.
“Winning the Taylor Haugen Trophy is the accomplishment I am most grateful for because it means my Taylor Haugen family saw me exactly for who I was and loved and accepted me for it,” Abbott said. “This foundation represents so much more than what the surface shows; it represents hope, light and peace in a world that is lacking all these things.”
The quote, “Don’t Quit. Never Give Up!” has been a part of her life since birth, but developed with age when becoming a part of the Foundation. In the world we live in today, it is more common to quit than to persevere. She commented, “being associated with T is the greatest honor, and I hope to display even part of his mentality through all the work I put in academically, so that I can change lives in all the ways I can.”
She went on to say that all of the memories being a part of this family she holds very close to heart, especially the time when Mr. Brian Haugen poked fun at her for toting around the 20-pound trophy at the FCA Breakfast and barely being able to lift it by the end of the day.
Abbott continues to share the light of Christ, just as T did in his everyday life, and lives out her favorite Bible verse Colossians 3:2: “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are upon the earth.”. She remembers every day that Heaven is the ultimate end goal and that her journey in life is not about figuring out her future on her own through daily college obstacles but to follow God’s plan for her future instead.
The 2022 Taylor Haugen Trophy winner is Eric Trapp, a senior at Niceville High School. Eric’s primary sport is football — he played all four years of high school and was team captain his senior year. Eric grew up in Niceville. He started playing football at age seven in the Panhandle Youth Football Association.
Eric serves his community in a variety of ways. He served as a student ministry assistant at Crosspoint Church in Niceville, working primarily with 5th grade boys. In his junior year of high school, he worked with Hope Squad, an organization striving to help those who struggle with anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts.
Eric serves this school year as Student Government President at Niceville High School. He works with the Principal and student leaders to provide the best possible learning environment for all students.
Eric says the primary lesson he learned from Taylor Haugen’s inspiring life is to never give up. Eric applied that lesson to his own life in his freshman year when he developed anxiety. He changed from a cheerful, outgoing young man to a quiet and sullen individual. His internal battle with anxiety made academics and sports difficult.
Eric overcame his anxiety through changes to his diet, counseling, and prayer. Today, Eric is fully recovered from the anxiety that made his early years of high school so difficult. Eric wants to use his story to educate others and to inspire hope for those who have lost sight of the future. As for his own future, Eric hopes to attend Vanderbilt University or the University of Florida. He plans to study biology with the goal of becoming a physician. All Sports proudly recognizes Eric Trapp as this year’s Taylor Haugen Trophy winner.
