The Connection

The Fairfax County Women in Sports Awards ceremony was held at Oakton High School on Sunday, May 31.

Four awards were given out. Bonnie Schipper, of Hayfield High School, won Journalist of the Year; Dena McGrath, of West Potomac High School, won Coach of the Year; Jayne Orleans, of West Potomac High School, won the Donna de Varona Spirit of Sport; and Nicie Jenell Grier-Spratley, of Thomas Edison High School, nabbed Sportswoman of the Year.

The awards committee presented a certificate and a T-shirt to all the honorees, and the winners received flowers and a glass plaque.

Claire “Chewy” Laubach gave the keynote address, sharing her story about making the 2012 U.S. Olympic Field Hockey Team after failing to make the 2008 team.

A graduate of Centreville High School, Laubach was not heavily recruited. “It was not their job to notice me. It was my job to get noticed,” she said.

She played at Wake Forest University and joined the national team in 2005. She admitted that she took for granted her place in the team and would spend her time after practice at the beach. Not making the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team was “the day I became an athlete,” she said.

Laubach worked her way back, perfecting the drag flick maneuver that made her a valuable asset.

“Stick to the plan of earning your way,” she urged the audience. “Don’t get lazy. Don’t be average,” she finished.

The Fairfax County Women in Sports Awards Committee was designed to acknowledge and encourage promotion of girls and women in the areas of sportsmanship, spirit, journalism and coaching. Committee member and Oakton High school basketball coach Fred Priester said that the awards are one way to advocate for Title IX issues, which continue to this day.

FCPS 2015 Women in Sports Profiles

Nicie Jenell Grier-Spratley, Sportswoman of the Year Winner

High School: Thomas Edison

Sport: Track and field

College: Brown University

Memorable sport moment: “My sister is a freshman and she does track with me. Anytime I get to watch her compete in the same events we do. For states this year we both competed in high jump. She placed sixth and I got first. It’s so awesome to see the Grier-Spratley sisters up there.”

Valuable lesson learned from sports: “I’ve definitely learned leadership skills. I played volleyball junior and senior year and I was actually captain. To be able to lead was definitely a good life skill I learned and I had a lot of fun doing it.”

Jayne Orleans, Donna de Varona Spirit of Sport Winner

High School: West Potomac

Sport: Softball, swimming.

College: Miami University in Ohio

Memorable sport moment: “Being able to have the captains’ meetings every time for swimming and for softball this year. All the captains on both of my teams were close to me for practically my entire life. So having those moments with them before every single event was just fantastic.”

Valuable lesson learned from sports: “You can’t emphasize sportsmanship enough. You can’t emphasize being reliant on your team enough because you can’t excel individually without those people behind you every step of the way.”

Alana Boyd, Donna de Varona Spirit of Sport Honoree

High School: Thomas Edison

Sport: Field hockey, track, softball

College: Washington and Jefferson College

Memorable sports moment: Winning conference championship for indoor track. “We all just came together, we won, we beat everybody by a lot for a small team.”

Valuable lesson learned from sports: “You can’t just say I’m going to do a sport and do a sport. You really have to put all of your time into it. You’re making a commitment. You can’t just put 100 percent this day but not the next day. It’s an everyday commitment for the season.”