American Association of Adapted Sports Announces 2022 Aspire Awards

The American Association of Adapted Sports Programs, Inc. (AAASP) will honor 47 key people and organizations on October 23rd for their outstanding contributions to support student athletes with physical disabilities to get “off the sidelines and into the game.” The Fourth Annual ASPIRE Awards Celebration, emceed by radio personality and program director Dennis Winslow with special guest speaker, 2-time Paralympian Karin Korb, will be held Sunday, October 23rd at Maggiano’s Little Italy, 3368 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, Georgia. Adapted Sports Programs in Recreation and Education (ASPIRE) Award recognizes the significant contributions of these individuals and organizations that have been central to the mission of making adapted sports programming available nationwide. Through these programs, student athletes with physical disabilities across the country reap the physical, social, emotional, and academic benefits of competitive athletics resulting in personal and social empowerment. Nominees for this years’

ASPIRE Awards are listed below:

Jeff Battles, Advocacy Award, Muscogee Lions
Janice Brackett, Advocacy Award, Clayton County Schools
Mike Emery, Advocacy Award, Gwinnett Heat
Nicholas Griffin, Advocacy Award, Troup County Schools
Senator Kim Jackson, Advocacy Award, State of GA
Mary Beth Pelt, Advocacy Award, Troup County Schools
Richard Tillman, Advocacy Award, Atlanta Wolfpack
Len Boudreaux, Coach of the Year Award, Gwinnett Heat
John Bolles, Coach of The Year Award, Muscogee Lions
Melissa Ring-Hartman, Coach of The Year Award, Houston County Sharks
Anna Henry, Coach of The Year Award, Houston County Sharks
Jacob Roche, Coach of The Year Award, Troup County /West GA Wolverines
Delton Schoates, Coach of The Year Award, DeKalb Silver Streaks
Kids Mobility Network, Community-Based Program Award, Colorado
Marlana Butler, Gail Hendrick Volunteerism Award, Gwinnett Heat
Michael Davis, Gail Hendrick Volunteerism Award, Clayton Eagles
Nicholas Griffin, Gail Hendrick Volunteerism Award, West GA Wolverines
Christa Hartman, Gail Hendrick Volunteerism Award, Houston County Sharks
Harlon Matthews, Gail Hendrick Volunteerism Award, Henry Hurricanes
Brother Jerry Walls, Gail Hendrick Volunteerism Award, Houston County Sharks
Zoey Schied, High School Senior Athlete Award, Muscogee Lions
Abby Simmons, High School Senior Athlete Award, West GA Wolverines
Corey Swain, High School Senior Athlete Award, DeKalb Silver Streaks
Langley Yoh, High School Senior Athlete Award, Houston County Sharks
Everette Schoates, Leadership Award
Steven Lewis, Leslie Sweatman Official of The Year Award, Clayton Eagles
Leon Porter*, Leslie Sweatman Official of The Year Award (*posthumously), All teams
Mark Brock, Media "Hero" Award, DeKalb
Marvin James, Media "Hero" Award, WMAZ Channel 13
Jasmine Boyce, Outstanding Female Athlete of The Year Award, Clayton Eagles
Bailey McCartney, Outstanding Female Athlete of The Year Award, West Georgia Wolverines
Abby Simmons, Outstanding Female Athlete of The Year Award, West GA Wolverines
Elianna Stevens, Outstanding Female Athlete of The Year Award, Houston County Sharks
Juanito Canuto, Outstanding Male Athlete of The Year Award, Clayton Eagles
Najee Smothers, Outstanding Male Athlete of The Year Award, DeKalb Silver Streaks
Dylan Thompson, Outstanding Male Athlete of The Year Award, Houston County Sharks
Clayton County Eagles, School-Based Program Award
DeKalb County Silver Streaks, School-Based Program Award
Henry County Hurricanes, School-Based Program Award
Jennifer Spiegel, Crimson Pride/Hillgrove High School, School-Based Program Award
West Georgia Wolverines, School-Based Program Award

AAASP will honor (6) special people with the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs’ Founders Awards as well to be announced at the event in October. Thank you to the following 2022 AAASP ASPIRE Awards Sponsors: the Georgia Department of Education, FlagHouse, the Georgia High School Association, MLT Creative and the AAASP Board of Directors.

Plan to join us for the event at Maggiano’s Little Italy – at 5:30 pm – to celebrate the nominees and winners with us! Tickets are only $20 and includes an amazing, family-style dinner at the event! Learn more at: https://www.facebook.com/Adapt... and RSVP for the event at:
https://adaptedsports.org/aaas... .

The American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP), headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a not-for-profit association dedicated to developing interscholastic adapted sports programs in partnership with national, state, and local educational agencies. It represents a standardized approach to extracurricular adapted team sports and has developed one of the nation's most comprehensive school-based athletic programs for students with physical disabilities attending elementary, middle, and high school. For more information, please visit our website at http://adaptedsports.org or join our conversations on Twitter at: @AdaptedSports.