2001 John Block - JGA Scholarship Winners Announced

ECKERT, SPYKER ARE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
-John Block, Kalamazoo Gazette

A few years ago, Jim Roschek "honored" me by naming the Junior Golf Association Scholarship after me.  It's truly an honor:  but it also was a way for him to get out from under the onus of picking the winners.

Roschek, who oversees golf operations at Milham Park, Eastern Hills and Red Arrow, and I review the application and discuss them, eventually settling on the winners.

It's not always an easy choice, but after giving me his input, Roschek passes the buck, saying, "It's your name on the scholarship."

We had only five applications this year and I thought it would be a relatively simple task to pick two winners.

Think again.

All were outstanding candidates, and zeroing in on two was about as painful as having your fingernails pulled out.

After a great deal of soul searching and poring over the records several times, the recipients of teh $1,500 awards are Ryan Eckert of Portage Northern and Justin Spyker of Portage Central.

The scholarships are based on academic achievement, participation in the JGA and good citizenship on and off the golf course.

In making the final decisions, it came down to a lot of nitpicking because all five candidates were that good.  It's always wonderful to find two such outstanding young people.  To find five was simply incredible.

Spyker's golf credentials are impeccable.  He's won numerous junior events, has been an all-league performer in high school for four years and this summer has won two city tournaments against all comers.

Even more impressive is his 3.9-plus grade-point average.  He was a member of the National Honor Society and was on the student council.

Spyker plans to attend Eastern Michigan University and will continue his golf career there.

Eckert has been a JGA participant for nine years and is a four-year member of the Northern varsity squad.  He's also participated in track and hockey. 

Like Spyker, Eckert never received less than a "B" in any subject as he finished high school with a 3.5-plus GPA.  A member of the National Honor Society and extremely active in school, he found time to volunteer for Ministry for Community and Habitat for Humanity, as well as working a part-time job.

Eckert plans to attend the University of Michigan.

Tip your hat to two outstanding young men.

(article reprinted by permission)

Previous winners include:

2000 - Kevin Kremer & Meghan Henning

1999 - Mike Katz & Matt Dudek

1998 - Matthew Johnson & Justin Voshel.

1997 - Brian Rosenbaum & Sheri Hoover.

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