SARASOTA
Competition. Character. The ability to finish strong. All topics former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow talked about Tuesday at the inaugural “Best of HT Preps” event at Robarts Arena.
Over 500 area athletes and coaches gathered to honor the top high school competitors from Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties from the 2015-16 season.
Sophia Falco, Lakewood Ranch, girls track and field; Female Athlete of the Year, poses with Tim Tebow, during the Best of HT Preps event at Robarts Arena in Sarasota. STAFF PHOTO / THOMAS BENDER
Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and former Florida Gator, fielded questions and talked about the value of competition, the specialization of youth sports and his new book, "Shaken," which talks about helping people find their identity and purpose.
Tebow was a successful high school athlete who led Nease High School in Jacksonville to a state championship during his senior season.
PHOTOS: Best of HT Preps 2016 with Tim Tebow
He is currently crossing the country encouraging young athletes to strive to find their identities, not just as athletes but as people. He talked Tuesday about the importance of using sports as a platform to do something that will impact others.
“I’ve been where they’re sitting right now,” Tebow said. “Hopefully I can be an encouragement to them, share something about what really matters. Hopefully they can just take on the next chapter of life with maybe a little more clarity.
“It’s so easy when you get to college that there’s things that get propped up like they’re everything, and they’re not,” he said. “So it’s to be able to go strive to be your best, to push it, to have an edge, to believe in yourself, but it’s also important to be able to be bigger than just your sport and focus on what really matters.”
But the event covered much more than the competitors’ accomplishments on the fields, courts and tracks. It also highlighted the all-area coaches and players of the year, as well as athletes who went above and beyond normal athletic challenges.
Three athletes who exemplify that ability to strive for the next level and keep improving their lives were recognized Tuesday: Terry Smith, Kyle Peters and Katie James received recognition awards for “Fortitude and Fearlessness,” “Heart and Soul” and “Determination and Courage,” respectively.
Smith plays competitive football with the use of a prosthetic leg. He plans on trying out for a high school football team and eventually playing at the college and professional levels.
Adam Bradtmueller, Sarasota, track and field and cross country; Male Athlete of the Year, poses with Tim Tebow, during the Best of HT Preps event at Robarts Arena in Sarasota. STAFF PHOTO / THOMAS BENDER
Peters overcame brain cancer that has affected his everyday life. James, a female wrestler, received a college scholarship for wrestling after her coach didn’t think she would make it past the first day of practice.
After Tebow’s Q&A session, the night culminated with the 2015-16 player of the year and coach of the year awards.
Braden River football coach Curt Bradley won the Coach of the Year award after leading his team to a 12-1 record in his fourth season as head coach. He guided the Pirates to the first regional football title in school history.
Bradley was named the Class 7A coach of the year by the Florida Dairy Farmers and is also a finalist for state coach of the year.
Bradley’s Pirates advanced to the Class 7A state semifinals, where they lost to eventual state champion Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas.
Sarasota High School two-sport athlete Adam Bradtmueller was named All Area Male Athlete of the Year.
Bradtmueller spent his senior year leading the Sailors cross country and track & field teams to the front of the pack. He won three awards at Tuesday’s event. He also won the boys cross country athlete of the year and boys track and field athlete of the year.
“I’m really glad they put this together, it’s the first time they’ve done something like this,” Bradtmueller said. “So it’s really exciting and when I got my first award, when I got to the back and saw Tim Tebow it was so intimidating.”
Bradtmueller usually filled the intimidater role while competing this season, claiming the individual cross country state championship, third place in the state 1600 meters, first in the Class 4A 3200 meters and running a leg of a 4x800 meter relay that solidified his team’s spot on the podium, finishing third.
Lakewood Ranch junior track and field athlete Sophia Falco was named All Area Female Athlete of the Year.
Falco and the Mustangs claimed their first-ever state track and field title. She said her whole team was at Tuesday’s event.
“We came into this and we just kind of wanted to have a good night, kind of celebrate what we’ve done throughout the season,” Falco said. “Being recognized as an individual is a big achievement for me, but mostly for my team.”
At the state competition, Falco jumped 20 feet 4.75 inches in the long jump, took second place in the 100 meter dash (12.09 seconds), jumped 40 feet 2.5 inches in the triple jump and placed fifth in the 200 meters with a time of 25.13 seconds.
Both Falco and Bradtmueller received their player of the year awards and a personalized Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey Tuesday in front of competitors, family and friends.
