“”In its 32nd year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, recently announced Kobe King of La Crosse Central High School as its 2016-17 Gatorade Wisconsin Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
As a Gatorade Player of the Year, King was able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant as part of the Gatorade Play It Forward program. Every Gatorade Player of the Year state winner receives a $1,000 grant to donate and will have the opportunity to enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing a brief essay explaining why their selected organization deserves additional support.
King chose the Central High School Adapted Sports League to receive the $1,000 grant from the Gatorade Play It Forward program. The Adapted Sports League offers athletic and recreation opportunities to students with physical disabilities and/or visual impairments. The School District of La Crosse, Central High School, and the Central Athletic Department continue to recognize the Adapted Sports League athletes in many capacities and set a model for the state.
“I know some of the kids and I interact with them throughout the course of the school day, I see what excitement sports brings to them,” said King. “They’re always talking about their games that they had last night, or their upcoming games, or how they won conference. Any way to give back to them, I thought would be great.”
Players from the Central High School Adapted Sports League, joined by their families, accepted the donation before the team’s indoor softball game at Central High School against the Holmen Vikings.
“On behalf of the Central Adapted Sports League, we would like to thank Gatorade, Kobe King, and his family for their generous donation,” said Central Adapted Sports League Coach Matt Meyers. “While the monetary donation is significant and will be felt by many future athletes, the recognition of the Adapted Sports League with this gesture is equally important and deserves recognition. We thank Kobe for the many positive contributions to our school community and can’t wait to cheer for him as a Badger.”
The grant money will be used by the Central High School Adapted Sports League to help with the program’s expansion. In its first year, the team consisted of 11 players. There are now 21 players with the potential to grow to 29 players next year. The grant will help fund the purchase of additional jerseys, helmets, and equipment for all new players.””””[vc_gallery type=”flexslider_slide” interval=”0″ images=”11676,11683,11677,11674,11675,11679,11680,11681,11682,11678″ img_size=”625×417″]””
