Winning not necessary for good sportsmanship

Just because a team or individual athlete wins at a particular sport does not necessarily make the team or athlete an automatic candidate for good sportsmanship. Sometimes, the way you handle losing is more important.

Pine Bluffs mat man, Colt Lewis, found this out at the recent Shane Shatto Memorial Tournament in Douglas.

Lewis was in the next to last match with his opponent, but it just wasn't his day because he lost. However, he did not let the loss dampen his sense of good sportsmanship, and gave the winner, his opponent, a helping hand up off the mat.

That simple gesture won Lewis the 2015 Sportmanship award at the end of the tournament, and served as an excellent example of good sportsmanship.