BSSG ANNOUNCES ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

The Big Sky State Games 2009 Athletes of the Year are Kirsten Holland of Bozeman and Lorn Welch of Billings. The award is designed to recognize individuals who best personify the ideals of the State Games movement: participation, sportsmanship, effort, and positive attitude. This special distinction is awarded to a male and female athlete in each of the forty recognized State Games programs in the United States.

The Big Sky State Games Team of the Year is “GDR Janitorial” who participated in the Upper Level Flag Football competition.

KRISTEN HOLLAND competes in both fencing and the 5K road race at the State Games. During the seven years she has participated in the State Games, she has won six Gold medals, three Silver medals and five Bronze. This year Holland won Bronze in the Epee Female Fencing Competition, Silver in the Foil Female Fencing Competition and Bronze in the 5k road race 25-29 age group.

Holland has been fencing for 20 years. She began fencing with her siblings in elementary school in Redmond, Washington after some strong encouragement from her parents. Holland took a break from fencing, but got back into the sport at Washington State University in Pulman, WA while participating in the fencing club.

Attack, parry, respond, defeat, retreat, timing, distance, are elements of fencing and skills that Holland embraces in her life. In 2007, she developed repetitive motion injury in her right hand and doctors encouraged her to quit fencing. Quitting fencing was not an option for her, so she began training herself to fence with her left hand and she is again having competitive successes.

The sport of fencing has not only brought joy to her life but also love as she met her husband Michael, a Billings native, at a Divisional Fencing Championship in 2001 where they were both competitors. She moved to Bozeman in 2002 and has lived there ever since. Her accomplishments in the sport of fencing include qualifying and competing in the summer Nationals. Holland also competes in USFA Divisional Sectional competitions.

Holland is not one to sit still. Along with fencing and running, she enjoys soccer, mountain biking, and kayaking. Last year she started volunteering at the Gallatin Valley Food Bank Huffing for Stuffing Run. Kirsten is a contract medical transcriptionist and also does administrative work for a physical therapy clinic in Bozeman

LORN WELCH has been participating in the Ballroom Dance competition at the Big Sky State Games for five years. He is a true showman, competitor, and dance instructor. In this years competition at the age of 68, he competed in 14 different events and took home 10 Gold and 4 Silver.

Welch touches many lives by inspiring and building confidence in his students. Diane Hutzinbiler, a member of this year’s team formation routine stated, “Preparing and practicing for the Big Sky State Games made me feel so good about myself and alive again.” Another student, Mary Gaddy said “Mr. Welch has been exacting my technique as per my request which has allowed me to dance with a national instructor and perform locally, regionally and nationally in Ballroom sports.”

Welch began his career in dance in the early 1960’s and has never stopped instructing, competing or performing. A lifetime of dancing has kept him fit and he can dance effortlessly all day. When the BSSG added dance to the list of sporting events, Welch immediately became its biggest supporter. He tirelessly recruited dancers, trained his students and entered 16 individual events the first year of competition.

During the spring of 2005, Welch was involved in an auto accident which left him with a broken back. His injury prevented him from competing in the 2005 Games; however, not to be left out, he volunteered for the Ballroom competition instead. The 2006 State Games was his “comeback’ and at the age of 65, he and his students competed in a total of 21 individual events. Welch’s medal count for his 5 years of competing in the State Games totals 88 medals, consisting of 54 Gold, 26 Silver and 8 Bronze. “Following his lead” many of his students have brought home many Big Sky State Games medals. He always makes sure all his students that want to be in the Games are included in a dance routine during the competition.

His desire to keep Dance Sport in the State Games is evident by the promotion he does during the year. He not only promotes ballroom dancing in his studio, but also with the Latin Group, Get up and Dance Group, and Yellowstone Ballroom Dance Club. In addition Welch brings national champions to Billings for teaching seminars, volunteers with the February Heart Month by teaching dance steps to many people and promoting the healthy lifestyle of dancing. His love of dance keeps him young, his determination enabled him to overcome his injuries and his perseverance allows him to remain a competitor.

GDR JANITORIAL has competed together in the Big Sky State Games flag football since the sport was added to the State Games four years ago. In total they have two Silver medals, one Gold medal and won the Platinum Round once. In the competition this past year they won Silver and were a contender for the Platinum Round.

Even though GDR Janitorial is one of the youngest teams in the league the team has matured and become one of the best. GDR Janitorial is comprised of players from all over the city of Billings. They began playing together and against each other in Little Guy Football. The team members played football for West, Senior and Skyveiw High Schools. Some of the players went on to play college football for Rocky Mountain College, University of Montana Western and Bemidji State.

During the State Games competition on Sunday the team played four games back-to-back during the hottest part of the day. They engaged in friendly, humorous banter with their opponents and displayed excellent sportsmanship. “Although they are extremely competitive, they know how to have a good time and just play ball,” said Flag Football Commissioner, Dwite Johnson.

Team members include: Chad Geering, Cody DeDe, Josh Morris, Mike Hitt, Mike Ramirez, Mike Williams, Chris Mulen, Denis Nease, Sylviano Borgas, Shaun Hoover, Corey Richardson, Kyler Mahana, Joe Binkoski, Skyler Best, Zac Goesahead and Deriek Maciel.

Holland and Welch will be nominated for the National Congress of State Games (NCSG) Athlete of the Year Award. The national winners will be selected from a field of over 500,000 athletes of all ages and abilities. No team award is offered at the national level. The national individual winners will be announced at the NCSG Symposium Wednesday, October 7^th, in Ames, Iowa.

The Big Sky State Games is a multi-sport Olympic-style festival for Montana residents (and bordering States without State Games) of all ages and abilities. The 24th Annual event included 37 sports. Finals were held July 17, 18 and 19 in Billings. The 2010 Big Sky State Games Finals will be held July 16, 17 and 18 in Billings. Major sponsors of the Big Sky State Games are First Interstate Bank, Kampgrounds of America and Bresnan Communications. Wendy’s sponsors Opening Ceremonies.