Patch April 18, 2019 BY: Florida Orthopaedic Institute
Hillsborough and TBT Students Awarded ‘Athlete of the Week’ Awards by Florida Orthopaedic Institute
Tampa, Fl. – April 18, 2019 – Florida Orthopaedic Institute (FOI) is pleased to announce Nailah Nelson and Andrew Tidd, from C. Leon King High School and Bloomingdale High School respectively, as the ‘Athletes of the Week’ for the week ending April 19th, 2019.
Nelson, a senior soccer player, was nominated by the Girls’ Varsity Soccer head coach, Baylee Dozark, for being a leader to her peers, a reliable teammate and a highly involved student.
“Nailah is a senior captain who leads by example.” Dozark said. “Nailah is always putting forth 100% effort in every game and practice. Her work ethic and positive energy is contagious. She holds each girl on the team accountable for their actions on and off the field. She is the type of player that every coach wants to have on their team.”
Teamwork was one of the things that Nelson wanted to improve upon from the start of the season as her team strove for a shot at Districts.
“I would like to improve upon my team’s ability to work together as a unit,” Nelson said. “The only way for my team and I to achieve this is to practice our game and learn to win as a team. During games, we must work as hard as possible and leave everything on the field. I remind all the girls that you do not need skill to win games, all you need is effort.”
A junior tennis and soccer player at Bloomingdale High School, Tidd, was nominated by the Tennis head coach, Eva Applebee, for putting in the work and being a reliable source of support for his teammates.
“Andrew is an athlete who leads by example,” Applebee said. “He works hard at practice, studies his strengths and weaknesses and then applies this to improving his game. Andrew helps the members of the team with positive input and encouragement. He is always willing to go the extra mile to see his team succeed.”
For the past three years, Tidd and his youth soccer team have been aspiring to take a place in the Gothia Cup, an international youth soccer tournament that culminates in Sweden.
“In order to reach my goal of helping my team place at the Gothia Cup,” Tidd said. “I must maintain my technical skills, stay dedicated and always think about what’s best for the team and not just best for myself. The main hurdles that I must continue to overcome are maintaining my dedication and staying team oriented. Whenever I am feeling too tired or think that I am too busy for practice, I take a second and reflect on how much this team has done for me.”
Both Nelson and Tidd believe in setting personal goals, no matter how big, in order to visualize future success.
“Never give up.” Nelson said. “No matter how hard or impossible your goal feels, you cannot quit. Reevaluate, break up into smaller pieces or change your approach. Just don’t give up.”
Tidd finished with, “Set goals that are not only easily achievable, but also ones that may not seem achievable at the time. Set them higher than you think is possible in order to always challenge yourself to improve and grow.”
Florida Orthopaedic Institute’s Athlete of the Week campaign is designed to focus on student-athletes, recognizing them for their hard work and dedication both on and off the field. The Athlete of the Week award can be earned by displaying one of the following characteristics:
Team Player: Athletes who are nominated for excellence in team play are chosen by a coach who feels the athlete does his or her best to put direction into action, makes a significant contribution to the team and continuously works to improve his or her skills, attitude and training.
Leadership: Athletes who earn the award in recognition of excellent leadership must exemplify strong relationship building skills, show excellent initiative and serve as role models for his or her peers.
To view last week’s award winners, please follow this link.
Florida Orthopaedic Institute
Founded in 1989, Florida Orthopaedic Institute is Florida’s largest orthopedic group and provides expertise and treatment of orthopedic-related injuries and conditions, including adult reconstruction and arthritis, chiropractic services, foot and ankle, general orthopedics, hand and wrist, interventional spine, musculoskeletal oncology, orthopedic trauma, physical medicine and rehabilitation, physical and occupational therapy, sports medicine, shoulder and elbow, spine and chiropractic services, among others. The organization treats patients throughout its surgery centers in North Tampa and Citrus Park, two orthopaedic urgent care centers in South Tampa and Brandon, and 9 office locations in Bloomingdale, Brandon, Citrus Park, North Tampa, Northdale, Palm Harbor, South Tampa, Sun City Center and Wesley Chapel. For more information, please visit: FloridaOrtho.com and ‘like’ us on Facebook: facebook.com/Florida.Orthopaedic.Institute.
