Nominees | Past Winners

The third leg in the BPA Triple Crown is its Sportsmanship Award. Coupled with the Caesar Award for prowess on the gameboard and our GM of the Year Award which honors those who sacrifice their time to make WBC the memorable event that it is, the Sportsmanship winner completes our virtual Hall of Fame by reminding us that there is no fun to be had with these games without an affable and enjoyable opponent with which to cross vicarious swords.

Doubtless there are many more good sports at WBC than those we acknowledge here. But since we do not want to duplicate the cavalry charge of a California Gubernatorial recall election with a thousand candidates, we limit the nominees to those endorsed by WBC GMs for outstanding sportsmanship and further reduce their number by selecting only the most fervent endorsements. These are supplemented occasionally by the Board of Directors and/or Convention Director for meritorious service when any member brings a worthwhile act of sportsmanship to his attention.

While lots of people get caught up in the quest for “wood,” the folks listed below subscribe to a higher standard. These are the sportsmen and women of the WBC…the shining example of sportsmanship that we should all aspire to. These folks are the ones that make it all bearable for our GMs and contribute most to the friendly atmosphere of the convention. Their shining example contributes to the remarkable esprit de corps and camaraderie for which the WBC has always been noted by those in the know.

Nominations are not accepted for individuals who conceded a victory to allow a beaten opponent to continue in an event in their place. While a player who allows another to play on in "his" place may well have good intentions, doing so is contrary to the purpose of a tournament. A player who concedes a won game is circumventing the rules of the event by dispensing byes in a non-random, unearned manner and is actually committing an unsportsmanlike act in the eyes of some. Such a kindness bestowed upon one player is actually grossly unfair to the other participants who had to win their right to advance and tarnishes the event as a true test of skill.

So without any further ado, let's present the class of 2011—and like always, it is a deserving group. The following individuals were just some of many nominated for the reasons indicated below and owe their appearance here to both their own actions and the fervancy of their sponsors in relating it to BPA. When more than one event is mentioned with a nomination it is because that individual was nominated multiple times.

As is our practice, all prospective BPA members are urged to vote for one of following sportsmanship nominees when submitting their 2012 membership form and voting for Continuing Trial games. All ballots are due by Jan. 1, 2012. Reward a good sport with our biggest prize…free lodging at the next WBC.

2011 Nominees

AUTOMOBILE: Matt Calkins dominated play in the heats but failed badly in the semi-finals. Yet his demeanor did not change, remaining a true gentleman in both the best and worst of times.

B-17: Steve Munchak, a veteran of many flights, failed miserably in his first two missions—being shot down before reaching target on both occasions. Nevertheless, he remained upbeat and continued helping his squadron of less experienced fliers to and from the target.

DOMINANT SPECIES & KAISER'S PIRATES: Tim Rogers played with a group of four newcomers to the game, coaching them and advising their best options much to his own detriment. His coaching must have been good because he finished fourth and lost a golden opportunity to advance. He was similarly cited for his tutoring of new players in both events.

DOMINION: Courtney Arndt was the first alternate for the semi-finals and had been granted entrance when a qualifier arrived belatedly. She was gracious in courteously surrendering her seat to the late arrival.

GETTYSBURG: Kevin McCarthy stands out in a field of gentlemen. He'll gladly play inexperienced players to help them learn the game, or someone needing a game to qualify, or anyone who simply can't find an opponent - and always with a friendly demeanor.

KING PHILIP'S WAR: Tom Drueding was one of three surviving players in the single elimination event. With no Eliminator option available, they simply rolled a die to see who would be odd man out and settle for third. Tom was the gracious loser as the other two got to play in the Final.

LOST CITIES: Michael Zupcsan had won his heat or so he thought. While turning in the scoresheet he noticed a math error by his opponent that changed the result from a win to a loss and dutifully reported the corrected score.

MEMOIR '44: Defending champion John Skiba was eliminated in Round 2. However, he remained to play as an Eliminator in the next three rounds to help square an uneven field.

MONSTERS RAVAGE AMERICA: Alex Bell created a mega-board, four times the size of the original complete with dozens of miniature pieces. He brought it to all four heats, long after he'd qualified himself, to give others a chance to play on it.

NAPOLEONIC WARS: To no one's surprise, our reigning Sportsman of the Year has been nominated again. This time John Emery stood in as an alternate when a qualifier had to leave the convention for a family emergency. With the game underway, the qualifier returned. John did not hesitate in turning over his command to the original qualifier to complete the game.

RA; THE DICE GAME: Chris Entwistle volunteered to wait for a late arriving player even though it meant he missed the start of his next event.

SQUAD LEADER: Scott Bramley coached less experienced players and played many games with novices that did not help him advance.

STAR WARS; QUEEN'S GAMBIT: Three-time champion Larry Lingle had his elimination round game all but won by merely playing out his hand normally, but he didn't want to win by time limits so he passed his own moves, allowing his opponent to beat the clock and win the game as Anakin brought down the death star - knocking Larry out of the tournament.

TICKET TO RIDE: Eric Monte was listed as a winner of his heat, and thereby a qualifier to advance. However, he sought out the GM and questioned the result. Consequently, a math error was found and another winner declared whom he sought out to notify of the changed result.

WASHINGTON'S WAR: Nick Avtges voluntarily dropped out of the event to facilitate an even number of players for the next round.

WELLINGTON: Melvin Casselberry is always helpful with new players and will rearrange his own schedule to accommodate another foursome - even after already qualifying to advance.

WORLD AT WAR: Ken Cruz again volunteered to join a different team in order to help unmatched players enjoy their week. In a game that lats a full week, this is no small sacrifice.

HONORABLE MENTION: Others nominated without sufficient background include David Deitch, Richard Borg, Volkho Ruhnke, Rick Bynaker, Ray Clark, Robert Drozd, Will Kenyon, Issac Clizbe, Deb Yaure, Tim Packwood, Stefany Speck, Robert Flowers, Josh Githens.

Chuck Stapp 1992 - NJ	Tiger Von Pagel 1993 - FL	Rob Kilroy 1994 - PA	Ian Lange 1995 - AE	Jim Matt 1996 - MI
Ed Connery 1997 - NJ	Frank Sinigaglio 1999- NJ	Robert Sacks 2000- NY	Bret Hildebran 2001 - OH	Kaarin Engelmann 2002, 2008 - VA
James Jordan 2003 - MD	Steve Okonski 2004 - MD	Bruno Sinigaglio 2005 - AK	Phil Barcafer 2006 - PA	Rebecca Hebner 2007- CO
Mark Yoshikawa 2009 - CA	John Emery 2010 - SC