Kelly continues to be humbled by award named in her honor
Mrs. Kelly scored 1,000 points at Claysburg Kimmel and has an award named in her honor by the Altoona Mirror.
May 8, 2018
Myers elementary fourth grade teacher Erin Kelly doesn’t think she’s anything special.
The Erin (Johnson) Kelly Award tells a different story.
Kelly was born without half of her arm, but didn’t let that stop her. She scored 1,000 points at Claysburg Kimmel High School and played college basketball at Penn State Altoona. In recognition of her achievements, the Altoona Mirror annually presents an award in her name at its annual sports achievement banquet.
“It’s wonderful to have an award in my name. It’s something that feels kind of surreal at the time because I go to this banquet every year and the Altoona Mirror makes a pretty big deal about this award,” Kelly stated.
The award is given to students who overcome a hard challenge, yet still excel in their sport.
“The award is given to student athletes who not only excelled at their sport, but have been able to overcome something in their life that could have destroyed their career,” Mrs. Kelly said.
Mrs. Kelly said some of the award winners in the past have included students who came back from an injury, deatl with a medical condition, pr overcome the death of a close one; one winner was a diabetic. On another occasion it was given to a legally blind wrestler.
It’s a humbling experience for Mrs. Kelly, who graduated high school in 1999.
“For me, to have it named after me, is this odd feeling because I don’t look at myself being that important or that amazing, so it’s a great honor,” Kelly stated.
The award will be presented on Monday, May 21 at the 13th annual Athlete of the Year banquet.
