Saturday December 10, 2011 is a day that should be remembered around the Cleveland area for a long time to come.
Its not because it was the 24 year anniversary of my ACL knee surgery
Its not because it was the first loss for the Ohio State men's basketball team
Its not even because it was the day the Cavs decided they were going to tank another season
Its a day a Heisman trophy came back to the Cleveland area
What is that you say? Robert Griffin III is from Cleveland? Well, no he isn't, but Brunswick's Selena Pasadyn is, and her accomplishments are just as impressive as RGIII's are:
What is the Wendy's High School Heisman?... The Wendy's High School Heisman was established in 1994, and celebrates the true meaning of "student-athlete". It is given annually to the top male and female student athlete, and is based on three factors: Athletic acheivement, academic acheivement, and community involvement.
Meet Selena Pasadyn.... What did Miss Pasadyn do win this prestigious award? Lets take a look at each part of the criteria, and you will see why:
Athletic Acheivement- Selena has had quite an athletic career at Brunswick. In the fall, she is the captain of the cross country team. The same cross country team that won the Division I state championship. She holds the school record (18:15), and it is a record she has broken many times, the first being when she was a freshman. In the winter, Selena turns her attention to swimming, where again, she is the captain of the team. She holds school records in the 500 freestyle and 200 individual medley. Come spring, it is time for her to captain her third team, this time the track team, where she holds school records in the mile and two mile.
Academic Acheivement- The classroom is where Selena may shine the most. She has never received a B!! Her courseload would be the normal teenager's worst nightmare. Her current GPA is 4.74 out of a possible 4.0. AP Chemistry, AP Literature, AP European History, AP Environmental Science, and Honors Physics round out that classes Selena has each day. She has scored a 33 out of a possible 36 on her ACT test, and is weighing college offers from Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell and Case Western Reserve, among others. I almost forgot, there is one thing i am leaving out...
Selena is only 16!! She started high school at the age of 12!!
That was no misprint. Selena started kindergarten at 4, and skipped two grades. Her freshman year of cross country, at the age of 12, she broke school records as the youngest high school athlete in Ohio history.
Community Involvement- As if Selena didn't have enough on her plate already, she fills up what spare time she has through her community service. She volunteers at median Hospital. She is an altar server at her church, and she teaches vacation bible school in the summer.
Selena wins a trip to New York... If you were watching very carefully on Saturday night as they announced college football's Heisman Trophy winner, you may have caught a glance of Selena in the crowd. Chris Fowler of ESPN singled out Selena as the female winner, she was told to stand, and was given a standing ovation by everyone in attendance. You can catch the full High School Heisman ceremony on ESPN2 on December 18th at 2pm.
So, Cleveland area, be proud.....Selena Pasadyn should be the model we have all of our kids shoot for. She has taken the term "student-athlete" to a whole new level.
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