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Ballou Wide Receiver Grabs National Honor
Posted: Nov 18, 2008
An honor roll student since the ninth grade and a member of the national honor society at Ballou, Pickard was selected from more than 10,000 program participants nationally. Albert Munson and Sandra Vigil, the academic coaches at Ballou Senior High School, nominated him for the award based on his performance in the classroom, on the field and in the community. “He’s maintained excellent grades since his freshman year and has always been more confident about his academic ability than his athletic ability,” said Academic Coach Albert Munson. This season Pickard’s confidence on the field has shown dramatic improvement. The junior is currently ranked among the league leaders in Washington D.C. in both receptions and receiving yards. Pickard also leads the Ballou Knights in receptions and has caught touchdown passes in each of his last three games. “Larry’s growth on the field, combined with his academic abilities and dedication to his community will translate into many successes for him in life,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “We look forward to following his career on and off the field.” In addition to his accomplishments on the field, Pickard has maintained a 3.5 GPA or better for the last two years, and he has stepped forward to motivate his teammates to improve academically as well. “He’s not one to look down on others because he has a better GPA, instead he leads by example and remains humble in the midst of all the recognition for his achievements,” said Vigil. Pickard has been an active leader in numerous community service events, including 4th and Life, an interactive event with current Washington Redskins players who address different life skills topics, the Boy’s and Girl’s Club reading program, Thanksgiving Harvest and Christmas Helping. “Play It Smart has shown me how to be a leader and that I am capable of doing much more with my life,” said Pickard. “I’ve learned to work with others, communicate better, and feed off my teammates positive energy and they feed off mine as well.” During a recent visit to the University of North Carolina, Pickard and several of his teammates saw firsthand the benefits of the Play It Smart program at Ballou. Watching the North Carolina vs. Virginia football game, inspiration was the buzzword with their former Ballou teammates Lamar Milstead, an offensive tackle for the Cavaliers, and defensive starting Tarheel players Marvin Austin and LaCount Fountry, taking the field. Although high school graduation for Pickard is still more than a year away, he hopes to follow in their footsteps and attend either the University of Florida or the University of Maryland. “Each month the selection process for this award becomes more difficult, this month was no exception,” said Len Stachitas, NFF vice president and Play It Smart executive director. “We congratulate Larry on the honor and will watch his continued progress over the next several years with great pride.” Each month the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame honors one student-athlete as the Play It Smart Student-Athlete of the Month. Winners are selected from nominations received by academic coaches from the more than 160 schools in 33 states. At the end of the school year the “Student-Athlete of the Year” will be selected from the monthly winners to be honored at the annual Play It Smart National Conference.
With major financial support from a broad-coalition of school districts, corporations, individuals and organizations, including the NFL and the NFL Players Association, the Play It Smart program achieved dramatic results that include:
Launched in 1998 and proven as one of the most comprehensive and effective youth development programs in the nation, Play It Smart currently partners with more than 160 schools in 33 states throughout the country. The program has shown that sports, when coached in the proper environment, can be used as an effective tool for significantly enhancing the academic performance and goal-setting practices of its participants. Play It Smart fulfills its mission by facilitating the hiring and training of “Academic Coaches” who work at high schools in underserved communities during the entire school year. The year-round Academic Coaches teach participants how to transfer the life skills learned on the playing field and apply them in the classroom and the community for success throughout their lives. Academic Coaches build on the positive peer pressure of the team and a participant’s interest in football by utilizing a set of guiding principles and tactics, which are designed to make academic achievement the norm. Tactics include one-on-one goal setting meetings, career and life skills sessions, mandatory study halls, SAT/ACT prep classes, community service projects and other team building events. The success of the program requires the full support of a team’s head coach, who must lend his full authority with his players to the efforts of the Academic Coach, as well as the support of the school’s administration, especially the principal, the head of guidance, and the athletics director. |
