Larry Lynch honored for lengthy, passionate commitment to fastball By John Thompson, May 2011
Larry Lynch of Kitchener, Ontario receives the prestigious 'Award of Excellence' from Jean Howitt, chair of the program, for his distinguished and lengthy service to the local sporting communityAt the recent 13th annual Kitchener-Waterloo & Area Athlete of the Year Awards Ceremony hosted in Elmira, Ontario, ten gifted athletes were recognized for their outstanding performances in the year 2010.
In addition, “Awards of Excellence” were presented in three categories
Fastball’s Larry Lynch was cited with “The Award of Excellence” for an individual in Kitchener- Waterloo and the townships of Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich who has been a significant contributor in fostering sports within the community.
Larry was recognized for his participation and influence spanning five decades in fastball and was presented with a plaque with the following wording:
“For more than 34 years, Larry has been a fixture in local fastball, as a player, manager/coach, supporter and advocate. Larry has led teams to local, provincial, national and international championships, emphasizes the benefits of team sport, and has been and continues to be a significant contributor to the sporting fabric of our community.”
Larry has been a key volunteer in the evolution and sustainability of senior men’s fastball in Ontario. His personal growth from a player, to a coach, to a field manager and general manager of a club team, has had a significant and on-going positive impact on the sport.
In brief comments when accepting the award, Larry stated “My success in fastball is the result of the influence of my parents who instilled in me and my siblings the values of honesty, integrity, and hard work. The game of fastball has provided me with opportunities to travel and an abundance of memories. More than that, fastball has given me the opportunity to share a lifetime passion with winners in life. I have always tried to impact upon my team-mates the adage, ‘Love the game like a little boy, and play it like a man’.”
Lynch was inducted as a team manager into the International Softball Congress (ISC) Hall of Fame in 2007.
