Hundreds gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of athletes throughout the region last week at the South Central Missouri Fellowship of Christian Athletes Awards Banquet.
Fellowship of Christian Athletes is an international, non-denominational Sports Ministry. The banquet, held at Big Cedar Lodge, celebrated the successes of southern Missouri's FCA members.
Austin Riggs, a teacher and coach from West Plains was named FCA Coach of the Year. Riggs leads the FCA Chapter in that community.
Mallory Melton of Ava was selected as FCA Female Player of the Year, and Aiden Estes of Blue Eye was named the Male Player of the Year for the South Central FCA.
Olympian Lolo Jones, a three-time Olympic athlete, addressed the crowd of more than 400 people. Jones competed in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic games in Beijing and London, respectively, where she ran track. In 2014, Jones was a member of the U.S. Bobsled team, competing in Sochi, Russia’s Winter Olympics.
Jones shared how her faith has carried her through her career and the highs and lows that often come with it. She encouraged those in attendance to use both successes and setbacks to honor God.
In part, Jones said, "The spiritual side is what gave me the energy to have the successes. And, to get over every obstacle in my life."