2017 MCA President's Award Winners
/The Midwest Croquet Association announced the 2017 President's Awards at the AGM on January 27, 2018. The following awards were presented. Congratulations to all of the winners.
JUNIOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Gabe Airrington
Honorable Mention: Bryce Millican
Gabe Airrington won his third straight Junior Award as he posted an 8-1 record and claimed a tournament win at Lee's Summit in his first full year of Gold Division play. Bryce Millican earned an honorable mention by posting a winning 3-2 record in his gold debut season.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jim Ratzlaff
Ratzlaff got thrown into the deep end with a tough draw in the Kansas City Open KOM format. He wasn't able to get a win, but he played two competitive games against experienced player to claim the rookie award.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Steve Jackson
Honorable Mention: Deborah Millican, Justin Marciniak, Wanda Jackson, Ellie Griffith, Cade Millican
With a 15-1 record in Gold Division play, Jackson asserted himself in the Gold Division with three straight tourney wins and the Gold Series championship and now looks ready to move up to the Pro level. For honorable mention, Deborah Millican picked up her first Pro title with a win at Lee's Summit and also had a solid 5-6 record in the division. Justin Marciniak was competitive in his return to Gold Division play as he posted a winning 8-7 record on the season. Wanda Jackson was also impressive in her Gold debut as she also posted a winning 6-5 record. Ellie Griffith also moved to the top of the field in Gold play with 6-6 record and made an appearance in the Gold Championship final at Loch Lloyd. And after going 1-6 in Silver play in 2016, Cade Millican collected four wins across the Silver and Gold Divisions in 2016. That included a 2-3 record in Silver play.
RECRUITER OF THE YEAR: Matt Griffith
Griffith's Kactus Creek Croquet Club serves as the primary source for new players in the city and years of promotion and development have been a critical component to establishing the base of 30 plus MCA members.
GROUNDSKEEPER OF THE YEAR: Eagles' Landing Golf Course
Honorable Mention: Matt Griffith
Courts One and Two at Eagles' Landing were in the best condition for croquet since the Missouri Open first launched at the facility in 2015. Matt Griffith and Kactus Creek Croquet Club also earned an honorable mention as KCCC achieved it's fastest lawn speeds ever and sustained those speeds throughout the 2017 season.
MEDIA/MARKETING AWARD: Justin Marciniak
Marciniak earned his second MCA Media award for overall efforts along with working over the course of the season with Wicket & Peg whiskey and CharBar to put on a three-week promotional event at the Westport restaurant.
OFF-THE-COURT AWARD: Deborah and Ron Millican
Besides hosting the oldest running event on the MCA Nine Wicket Series, Deborah and Ron Millican are consistently on hand early for each event to help with set up. In addition, they’ve recruited and taught so many family members the sport of croquet. That family concept embraces the spirit of what croquet is about at any level. Ron has also spent plenty of time running around the city between events tracking down equipment and ensuring that everything is hand for each event.