The 2023 Sports Awards, hosted by the Olympia & Beyond Sports Commission, was held at South Puget Sound Community College on November 9 to honor the outstanding achievements of local athletes with seven community sports awards.
The awarding ceremony was attended by 150 guests consisting of the nominees, their families, coaches, sports enthusiasts, and friends who witnessed the celebration of local men and across the field of sports.
According to Jeff Bowe, Vice President of Sales and Development for the Olympia & Beyond Sports Commission, leaders who advocate good mental and physical health through sports activity make a healthy sports community.
“ Sports Awards is a celebration of those accomplishments – from those who organize sports events to the athletes who participate in them,” Bowe said in a press release.
The late Bob Grisham, retired Athletic Director for Saint Martin’s University, was awarded the Thurston County Sports Legend, with his daughter accepting the award on his behalf.
Saint Martin’s University saw remarkable success on and off the court, the field, and the classroom during Grisham’s 37 years in charge.
Serving as the head coach of the men’s basketball team for 17 years and the women’s golf team for 20 years, he supervised the growth of the university’s athletic programs from two to the present fifteen sports with over 250 student-athletes.
Alexis Meyer, who plays volleyball, basketball, and track and field at North Thurston High School, is the recipient of the Sports Star of the Year – Girl’s Sports award.
Serving as team captain for volleyball, basketball, and track and field, Meyer is an exceptional athlete on three state-qualifying teams and a Unified program partner in basketball and soccer.
Meyer works as a peer tutor for special education students and has a 4.0 GPA, making her an All-State Academic in all three sports.
Parker Gerrits, who plays basketball at Olympia High School, won the Sports Star of the Year – Boys’ Sports.
For Olympia High School Bears, Gerrits holds the record for most basketball field goals, made three-point field goals and steals.
The Bears became South Puget Sound League Champions in 2021, third at state in 2022, second at state earlier this year, and fourth at state in 2020 during his tenure. Gerrits is a basketball player at Washington State University and officiated games for the Unified program.
The awardee for Sports Star of the Year – Women’s Sports is Corona Parker, a heptathlete for Evergreen State College track and field.
In her first heptathlon, she qualified for the NAIA national championship.
Parker twice broke her school record in the high jump during her second season and is qualified for three events in the Cascade Collegiate Conference meet: the 100-meter hurdles, the long jump, and the high jump.
Yuta Shimazu, who is a South Puget Sound Community College alumnus and a Clippers Men's Soccer team member, was honored as the Men's Collegiate Sports Star of the Year.
Not only was Shimazu named to the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) West Region All-Star Soccer Team for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but Yuta also actively contributed to the campus community as the Senator of Communications in the Student Senate.
Shimazu now plays with the Oly Town Artesians.
Mike Reid, the Sports Contributor of the Year awardee, is the basketball coach for North Thurston High School, where he also played football, basketball and baseball when he was a student.
Reid was the C team coach for the 1985-86 season, then promoted to JV coach the next year until currently.
Reid was inducted into the Washington State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2016.
The Sports Moment of the Year goes out to Kyler Ronquillo and the Yelm High School Football team.
Yelm High School won their first football state championship, sealed by a last-minute touchdown catch from Kyler Ronquillo.
This winning moment etched Yelm High School's name in the championship record books, amassing over one million online views and securing a spot in the prestigious highlights of ESPN.
This year’s list of nominees are all outstanding athletes who have made their mark in their fields, not only in Thurston County, but also in other regions.
Below is the complete list of awards, qualifications and nominees:
The nominees must be athletes, either male or female, enrolled full-time in a high school program in Thurston County. Candidates must have played a minimum of one season in a high school sport, shown excellent leadership, commitment, and sportsmanship, and maintain outstanding behavior in the classroom.
The nominees, either male or female, had to be Thurston County natives or athletes that are enrolled full-time in a Thurston County college. In addition, nominees must have played at least one collegiate sport for a minimum of a year and shown excellent leadership, commitment, sportsmanship, and good behavior in the classroom.
Candidates must strongly commit to Thurston County sports' development and prosperity. Coaches, people connected to charitable organizations, individuals, or significant financial contributors to sports-related projects that enhance or expand Thurston County's access to sports are examples of potential nominees. The nominees needed to show that they were dedicated to the growth of sports.
Nominees can be a team or individual that has achieved national or local recognition for a sports moment. Nominations should highlight an inspiring story, outstanding sportsmanship during a single event (match, game or championship) by a team or individual.
Nominees must be an individual (five years removed from high school) who resided in Thurston County for a minimum of five years and is passionate about the growth and success of sports in Thurston County. The nominee must have maintained and continue to maintain ties to Thurston County through philanthropic events and/or financial donations to support sports in the community. Nominees will have significantly impacted the Thurston County sports community (prior or current collegiate or professional sports players may be included.)
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