2016 | New York | BOYS

clarkstown central school district | | BOYS

Determined, hard working, committed and  sportsmanship are just a few words I would use to  describe Dylan. Dylan started playing hockey at the  late age of 11, finding him self way behind the other players. Not making travel teams or any school teams, Dylan with his determination and perseverance spending countless hours attending clinics and practices final paid off. In his junior year he made the High School Varsity Team.  Being so committed in being the best he could be he continued his hard work and found him self as a first line player in his senior year.

Dylan while fulfilling his athletic dreams stayed focused on his academic responsibilities taking AP classes through his middle school and high school years. He has earned honors in Astronomy, Forensics, Calculus and Physics and has also earned over 15 collage credits maintaining a 3.6+ GPA.
Juggling all of this Dylan maintains his strong community commitment as a member of the “RCERT” (Rockland Community Emergency Response Team) getting certified and proficient in
Disaster preparedness
Disaster Psychology
Fire suppression & utility controls
Disaster medical /CPR/AED
Disaster medical II/First Aid
Light search and rescue
Intro to incident command

It doesn’t stop there, Dylan’s strong family and religious values drive him to keep time aside to fulfill his obligation to his faith volunteering countless hours to the church and outreach programs.
Dylan’s sportsmanship on and off the ice and selflessness towards others is second to none.  It is my honor to put a young man like Dylan up for the “Hobey Baker Character Award”
Below is part of a bio Dylan submitted to Penn State University where He will be attending in the fall.
Everyone thought I wouldn’t go through with it, even that, I couldn’t do it. I myself, questioned the validity of my decision. Despite the doubts, obstacles and discouragement, I decided to play competitive ice hockey at the ripe age of 11. So, “big deal,” right? Well, players, coaches, and even parents, have high expectations of performance and don’t take kindly to the weak link on the team, which was me. As an accomplished baseball player, I knew first-hand how serious people are about their sports. My decision was a big one, requiring a new level of discipline, responsibility and maturity that I had yet to achieve.
All my life, I loved hockey and wanted to play. So when a friend invited me to practice with his hockey team, I went. However, after my first step onto the ice, I realized how far behind I was. Most of these players started skating by the time they were 5 years old. While they skated skillfully across the ice, I struggled just to make an unbalanced turn. I could barely skate and needed help getting over the boards. It was embarrassing, and often humiliating, to hear people talk about how bad I was. So, I laughed along while they joked about me. I realized the amount of work I needed to do was almost an impossible endeavor. Take note, “almost” meant there was still a chance.
All of the doubt actually fueled my motivation. So I continued to practice with the team, with the purpose to play one day soon. Most felt that I lacked the talent and determination to make up for the years lost. Intent to prove them wrong and overcome grim odds, I followed a rigorous path in a short period of time.
For the next year, I spent time on the ice almost daily, attended clinics, and focused intense effort on improving my skills. All the while, I still needed to manage my school and baseball commitments. There was a constant mixture of embarrassment, determination, pride, and feelings of wanting to give up. The hard work ultimately started to pay off. The following year, I tried out for a travel hockey club and got rostered with a “C” team. Despite that accomplishment, I still endured the jokes, as most of my hockey friends were rostered with an “A” team or better. Shrugging off the discouragement, I committed myself to continuous improvement.
I am now rostered with an “A” club team and play alongside many of those who doubted and discouraged me years before. I earned my school varsity letter in hockey last year, and am one of the starting defenseman on my varsity team.
My hard work and perseverance helped me to succeed in an unlikely circumstance. The experience was humbling, but meaningful and helped me to mature. I took ownership of my choices and saw my commitment through to the end. I am proud of that and continue to work hard towards what I aspire to achieve next.