Nominees | Past Winners

The third leg in the BPA Triple Crown of year end honors is the Sportsmanship Award. Coupled with Caesar honors 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 annual 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 we limit the nominees to those endorsed by WBC GMs or other observers for outstanding sportsmanship and further reduce their number by selecting only the most fervent endorsements.

While some admittedly 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 bearable for our GMs and attractive to our members by contributeing most to the friendly atmosphere of the conference. Their shining examples contribute 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 2015—and as 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 fervency of their sponsors in relating it to BPA. As is our practice, all BPA members are urged to vote for one of the following when submitting their 2016 membership form and voting for Continuing Trial games before Jan. 1, 2016. Those who have already joined for the 2016 season are encouraged to submit their votes separately. Reward a good sport with our biggest prize…free lodging at the next WBC.

2015 Nominees

ACQUIRE: Dan Farrow - A semifinal alternate, he was seated after the mandatory 5-minute wait for qualifiers, only to have the tardy qualifier appear. Dan volunteered to give up the seat cheerfully although by rule it was his.

AUTOMOBILE: Gregory Schmittgens - For generally being WBC's most consistent smile machine, win or lose AND helping others learn games AND being a buttons and jerky dispenser.

BREAKOUT NORMANDY: Kevin Hannond - The defending champ served as an eliminator at the cost of playing in another event.

EVOLUTION: Josh Tempkin - Always came early with a copy of the game and helped with event setup and teaching new players.

HERE I STAND: Justin Rice - Justin who was first alternate for the Final, was offered a seat by first-time qualifiers Ed and Matt Beach. At least one of the Beaches was needed to GM their Junior event that conflicted with the Final. Justin, however, insisted thatthey both play and instead volunteered to run the Junior event himself. The event went off without a hitch and with a record number of junior participants.

OVERALL: Gordon Stewart- For maintaining good cheer and a positive attitude despite enduring the daily challenges of navigating the Host's archaic handicap accessability isses for a decade and coming back for more each year.

KAISER'S PIRATES: Dan Lawall - When an opponent spotted a misplay one turn later in a semifinal, Dan was willing to back up and readjust the game to his detriment even though the GM ruled it was past the point of commission.

KREMLIN/KANBAN: Peter Staab - Always helpful. On several occasions he corrected misplaced markers to his own detriment in Kremlin. At the Kanban event. he dropped out of the Final so that a late arriving winner could claim the last seat

LIAR'S DICE: Mark Love - For being his useful thoughtful and considerate self and bringing extra copies of the game to accommodate others.

ROLL FOR THE GALAXY: Andy Lewis- Volunteered to run a teaching game for new players and did such a good job he lost the game by a point.

SQUAD LEADER: Chuck Leonard - Always assists new players in learning the game.

THROUGH THE AGES: Richard Boyes - When counting up the score at the end of his semifinal it was discovered that his opponent had failed to notice that he had a "happiness problem" and needed to disband a worker or he would not have produced any culture. Richard granted the takeback, stating that he wouldn't want to win like that.

VICTORY IN EUROPE: Fred Bauer- Coached less experienced opponents throughout the event with patience despite the longer durations that ensued.

WAR AT SEA: Greg D. Smith - Volunteered to be the odd man out in all five rounds to accomodate an odd number of players.

WIN, PLACE & SHOW: Craig Fox - Always brings at least one copy of the game to heats and helps new players - often to his own detriment.

HONORABLE MENTION: Others recommended include: Emily Allbert, Anthony Bosca, Peter Brickwood, Doug Bryant, Carolyn Caton, Gus Collars, Henry Dove, Roberto Fournier, Joshua Githens, RJ Gleaton, Chris Godfrey, Lisa Gutermuth, Joe Kelleher, Andy Latto, Steve Lewinter, Rich Meyer, Mark Mihm, Norm Newton, Ed O'Connor, Michael Sana, William Watkins, Kevin Wojtaszcyk, Eric Wrobel, Nicole Yuhase.

Honorable mentions are eligible for the vote on a write-in only basis due to the nature of their nominations usually being short of details or having more to do with simply being courteous or helpful as opposed to conduct more often associated with great sportsmanship.

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	Larry Lingle 2011 - PA	Peter Eldridge 2012 - uk	Emily Wu 2013 - NY
Tom Gregorio 2014 - PA