Derrick Lin, an eighth grader at Gallatin Junior High School, is a runner-up for the 2008-09 MSHSAA Junior High Sportsmanship Essay Contest.
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Derrick and contest winner, Bridget Beck of Clarkton, will be recognized on the field at a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game this season and enjoy suite accommodations for the game with their families, courtesy of FSN Midwest and the MSHSAA. Derrick is the son of Rick and Lesli Lin of Gallatin. He participates in football, basketball and track. He also enjoys math and science in school.
All of the state finalists received prize packets from the MSHSAA which included tickets, memorabilia and gift certificates donated by the MSHSAA, sports teams and tourist attractions from around the state.
More than 400 junior high schools in the state began the contest with local-level judging in November. Individual school winners advanced to district-level judging, and the top finishers in each district qualified for the state-level competition.
The essay is printed below:
"How can good sportsmanship in all school activities
impact positive citizenship in everything that we do?"
by Derrick Lin
Good sportsmanship relates to everyday positive citizenship. Citizenship is like playing a sport in everyday life. You can be the player who plays by the rules and passes to his open teammates, or you can be the trash talker who tries to pad his stats every chance he gets What you do in a sport can lead to what you do outside the bright lights and the screaming fans.
Good citizenship requires you to follow the rules and instructions just like in sports. You have to listen to your boss or coach. If your coach tells you to run a post, you can’t break off your route to go deep. The same goes for your boss. If you have to draw blueprints for a building that’s 20 feet tall, you can’t draw blueprints for a house that’s 12 feet tall. Following instructions may grant you more freedom later. Your coach may see that you run good routes and catch the ball well, so he will reward you by letting you run more option routes. Your boss may let you design more of the buildings if he sees that your blueprints are very accurate. Following instructions is a large part of being a good citizen.
Working together well in a group is valuable in sports and society. Working together on a basketball team can get you easy shots. A business can be very successful if its employees work together. Trying to score 50 points or taking all the credit for yourself can cut down on your teamwork and cause you be unsuccessful. Teamwork pools together a group’s ideas and uses the best ones to improve the team or business.
Sportsmanship is citizenship in a jersey. Follow the rules and you have fun playing. Work together and you will be successful. The out-of-bounds line is just a limit to the game, not a limit to what you can do outside of it.