McDonald’s renames Spirit of the Game Awards to honor 2009 recipients Josh Titus and Patrick Thibodeau who also helped present the 2010 awards.
Bangor, Maine (March 12, 2010) – The Maine McDonald's® Owner/Operator Association presented its second annual Maine McDonald’s Spirit of the Game Awards to Molly Mooney of Gray-New Gloucester High School and Carlos Baeza of Camden Hills Regional High School. Mooney and Baeza received their awards at the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches Awards Banquet on March 12 at Husson University in Bangor. In addition, Baeza and Mooney each received a $500 Spirit Scholarship to assist with their higher education needs.The inaugural Spirit of the Game Award recipients Josh Titus and Patrick Thibodeau were on stage to assist in presenting the awards. It was announced that the awards have been renamed to honor theses two athletes. The East Division Award is now the Joshua Titus Spirit of the Game Award and the West Division Award is the Patrick Thibodeau Spirit of the Game Award. Titus has overcome the challenges of autism and Thibodeau has Downs Syndrome.
Molly Mooney is a 3-year member of the girl’s varsity basketball program at Gray-New Gloucester High School, earning the Coach’s Award in 2009. She is also a member of the girl’s soccer program, the National Honor Society, Community Service Club and Student Council. In March 2009, Molly’s mother lost her 10-year battle with breast cancer. Molly chose to honor her mother by working to become a better basketball player and a person of tremendous courage and character.
Mooney was nominated for the Patrick Thibodeau Spirit of the Game award by her basketball coach Christopher Aube. “Molly’s selfless acts that have benefited our program more than she will ever realize,” stated Aube. “Her willingness to put her ego aside and play with the JV team (because they were short of players) as a Senior, is the proudest I have been of any player I have coached.”
Baeza is a 4-year Team Manager for the Camden Hills Regional High School Basketball Team and was selected as Team Captain this year. He is the only Team Manager in the school’s history to be named as a Team Captain. In 2006/2007, Baeza served as Class President and received the Principal’s Award. He was a member of the Debate Team and Amnesty International and was named Homecoming King in 2009. Baeza has overcome the challenges of Cerebral Palsy.
Baeza’s Coach, Jeff Hart, nominated him for the Joshua Titus Spirit of the Game Award. “For me to be able to put into words what I think of Carlos Baeza…to be able to describe what he means to me, and what he means to this entire school and community … is like asking me to sail around the world in a day,” stated Hart. “Carlos has been, and still is, one of the most influential people in my life.”
In addition to being honored at the All-Star Banquet, the Baeza and Mooney will serve as team managers for their respective divisions in the Games on All-Star Game Day, March 13.
Founded in 2009, the Spirit of the Game Award honors two high school seniors who embody the spirit of the sport, exemplify sportsmanship, support and inspire their teammates and coaching staff, and who show an ability to overcome obstacles and boundaries. Last year’s recipients Josh Titus and Patrick Thibodeau were high school varsity basketball team managers who made headlines when their coaches put them in to play in the last home game of the season. They made national news as the subject of a CBS Sports documentary broadcast during the NCAA Final Four® pre-game show. The 2010 Spirit of the Game Awards are presented by Green Mountain Coffee® and Newman’s Own® Organics.
All-Star Game Day tickets are available at the door and are good for all four Games. Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for students, children and senior citizens. Net proceeds from the Games benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) of Maine. More information is available at www.mainemcdonaldsbasketball.org and www.rmhcmaine.org