The purpose of the OISRA Sportsmanship program is clear: To promote and acknowledge acts of good sportsmanship among our athletes and coaches. We feel strongly that good sportsmanship is a societal virtue that needs to be supported - not just in snow sports, but in all sports. Now we have an established program to promote it.
Here's how it works. Coaches and race officials all carry "Appreciation Cards" on race days. When examples of enthusiastic, supportive, helpful care are spotted, the card gets marked and at day's end, the tally is noted. This process repeats at all our competitions throughout the season with racers who go the extra mile, accumulating a noteworthy number of points.
Awards are made within each league, honoring the top group of exceptional sportspersons, with special acknowledgement going to the top boy and top girl in the league.
It's important to note that exceptional sportsmanship has been integral in OISRA since its inception. There's some kind of magic when you blend our high school athletes, our coaches, and our history of promoting fairness and inclusiveness on a ski mountain. We're all about sportsmanship. Now, with our Sportsmanship Program, we have a program to celebrate it.
Henry Bendinelli skied Timberline for 68 years.
Henry Bendinelli first witnessed the exemplary sportsmanship while watching his grandchildren race for The Dalles in about 2008. At that time, an idea struck him... Racing winners receive lots of accolades, yet those exhibiting exceptional sportsmanship go unrecognized. That just didn't seem right. You see, Henry hails from an era when skiing was a courteous and civil, even dignified, sport. Many things about our sport have changed since Henry started skiing in 1938 - more crowded, more pressurized, less personable.
Henry came to the OISRA in 2010 with a proposal that we implement a Sportsmanship Program. (His vision actually includes promoting civility and graciousness throughout skiing, but we at OISRA are limited to a small, but wonderful, niche.)
