For the past 10 years at Foran, Athlete of the Week has been a weekly practice for giving recognition to athletes who have lived up to their best potential.
Mr. Anthony Vitelli has worked as Foran’s Athletic Director for 18 years and has continued to play a major role within the Foran community. Starting back in 2013, Vitelli teamed up with Foran’s Sports Booster Club to create Athlete of the Week. The Booster Club is a non-profit volunteer organization that began in 1989 to support the Foran High School athletics program.
Michelle Viesselman, head of the Booster Club, states, “We raise money from concession stands and merchandise sales, along with membership dues, and donations.”
Along with providing the All-State banners that are hung in the gymnasium, scholarships for graduating seniors, equipment for teams not covered in the athletic department’s budget and more, a portion of the funds go into the special tee-shirts that the athletes of the week are awarded with.
“The City Stitchers in Derby prints the shirts for us,” explains Viesselman.
These shirts are custom made with Foran’s colors and a design awarding them with the recognition.
For the past 11 years, Vitelli and The Booster Club have awarded students for their hard work and has been an ongoing tradition within the athletic department at Foran.
“Each week during the season from the first week to the end of the regular season the coaches send me nominations. I get all those nominations and from then I select the recipient usually on Tuesday,” states Vitelli.
Around five or six nominations are sent to Vitelli each week. The coaches get to decide who to nominate each week from their team.
Vitelli explains how someone gets nominated.
He says, “Something that’s really special. Breaking the school record, personal best record, points in a game, or goals.”
In order for an athlete to qualify for Athlete of the Week, they must be a varsity athlete.
Although one is able to receive the award in different sports seasons and in different school years, they are not allowed to receive it twice in the same season.
Junior Faith Doyle recently got awarded Athlete of the Week for her outstanding performance in basketball, where she scored 44 points, had seven steals, six assists and five blocks.
Doyle states, “I got called down to the office when I was Athlete of the Week. After I received the news, it pushed me to reach my 1000 points in basketball.”
The Athlete of the Week has persistently pushed various athletes to their best ability and acknowledged them for their hard work during the sports season.
Be sure to read the Foran High School Friday News or check outside of Vitelli’s office across from the gymnasium to see who earned the honor of Athlete of the Week each week.
