Olympic medalists Tim Morehouse and Sarah Hughes will host AAU Sullivan Award presentation on April 14
New York Athletic Club
180 Central Park South, ninth floor
Wednesday, April 14, adults $80, eighteen and under $25
www.aausullivan.com
On April 14, the Amateur Athletic Union will name its amateur athlete of the year at the eightieth annual award reception and presentation, held at the New York Athletic Club. Hosted by 2008 Olympic fencing silver medalist Tim Morehouse and 2002 figure skating gold medalist Sarah Hughes, the event will also include an autograph and photo session with the nominees and a buffet dinner and dessert. “Winning an Olympic silver medal in Beijing was a dream come true,” Morehouse told us last week in an e-mail interview. “Just being able to represent the USA at the Olympics was amazing, but to also come home with one of the greatest symbols of hard-work achievement in our world was just unbelievably special.”
Among the previous award winners are such big names as Wilma Rudolph, Mark Spitz, Greg Louganis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Peyton Manning, Michelle Kwan, and Michael Phelps. This year’s finalists are Clint Moore (baseball), Amy Pamiero-Winters (ultra marathoning), Megan Hodge (volleyball), Erin Hamlin (luge), Angela Blizzari (cross country), and Zak Boggs (soccer).
Morehouse, who is a sought-after motivational speaker, offered some professional advice for all amateur athletes: “The one thing I always tell people is you have to set big goals and go for it! When I first set the goal to make the [2004] Athens Olympics, I was ranked eighteenth in the country, and there were more talented and experienced fencers ahead of me but more than half quit or didn’t try because they thought they couldn’t do it. You’d be surprised how few people actually go to the top. Morale of the story, go for it with all you have, work hard, and make no excuses.”