Martin Methodist (Tenn.) Character Awards

Sykes, Howard and Women's Basketball Team Earn Character Honors

Submitted by Brynn Wade, Director of Marketing and Promotions, Martin Methodist College

Two athletes with Giles County High School connections were honored as Martin Methodist (Tenn.) College’s Male and Female Champions of Character Athletes of the Year for the 2007-08 academic year.

Eric Howard, a senior at Martin Methodist who graduated from Giles County High School in 2003, and Clare Sykes, who earned her degree in May and served as the head coach of the GCHS girls’ soccer team this fall, were presented awards, along with Coach Dee Bell and the RedHawk women’s basketball team, which was named the Character Team of the Year.

“These honors are for the previous school year,” said Jeff Bain, director of athletics. “We wait and present them in the fall so that we can keep the core character values in front of our student-athletes as a new academic year is under way.”

The annual Champions of Character Awards are part of Martin Methodist’s participation in the NAIA’s Champions of Character initiative, which stresses to student-athletes the values of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship.

Team always came first

Howard, who completed his athletic eligibility last season and is currently completing courses for his academic degree, started as the RedHawks’ point guard for two years and was recognized for his character on the court and his focus on team goals. “Eric always put team first,” Bain said. “His effort in practice was as great as his effort in games. He never complained during the tough times and always celebrated with his teammates when they were successful. As a point guard, you get yourself in a lot of traffic, and never did I see him raise an eyebrow to an official when a call went against him. He just played his game, day in and day out, in practice and in games. He was respected tremendously by his teammates, his opponents, even the officials, who often complimented his play after games.” Bain then described a memorable moment after Howard led the Giles County High School Bobcats to the 2003 state championship.  "As the all-state tournament team was announced, Eric was just about the only starter on the Giles County team who did not make the all-tournament team,” Bain recalled. “The crowd began wondering how Eric Howard could have been left off the all-tournament team; he had only been the backbone of the team for three or four years, and he had only scored the winning basket with no time on the clock in the state championship game. Suddenly, all the other teammates who had made all-tournament took their medallions and placed them around his neck – probably one of the greatest shows of sportsmanship and respect for a teammate that I have ever seen.”

Leadership and loyalty

Sykes, a native of England, was a member of the RedHawk women’s soccer teams that won NAIA national championships in 2005 and 2007. Bain pointed to the changing roles that she played during her time at Martin Methodist College as demonstrative of her leadership skills.  "Clare was the ultimate team player,” he said. “When you think of her, you think of leadership and loyalty. In 2005 the women’s soccer team won a national championship, and Claire was named the national player of the year – pretty high honors, especially coming from a small school in Tennessee.“ In 2007, the women’s soccer team again won a national championship, but this time she was not the national player of the year; another team member was the national player of the year,” Bain said. “For someone to go from the leadership of a first national championship at a institution and being the national player of the year to allowing her role to change as another teammate became the national player of the year is a significant honor and a tribute to her and the respect she has for her role and her teammates.”  Bain also mentioned that Sykes has spent this fall busy with two coaching jobs – as an assistant coach of the RedHawks and as head coach of the GCHS girls’ team, leading that squad to an all-new level of success.  “Not only did her leadership skills help a very young group of ladies mature quickly, but that team won the regular season district championship, the region championship, and only got knocked out of the state tournament by a team that went on to play in the state championship game,” Bain said.

A new tradition

The 2007-08 women’s basketball team was honored for what Bain described as its creativity and loyalty in Bell’s inaugural season as head coach.  “They did something that I don’t think I’ve ever seen on a college level anywhere,” Bain explained. “At the end of each of their games, whether it was a victory or a loss, they went into the stands to thank the fans for coming to their game. That’s hard to do after you’ve just lost a one-point game, and it wasn’t just to their family and friends; they went to people they didn’t know, introduced themselves, and thanked them for coming. We now have many fans that come back to their games for that very reason.”

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