Ogwumike's National Player of The Year Award

We here at C and R always love when we get contacted by legit agencies thinking we are big time. This time it is Gatorade, which is reaching out to us. C got her master’s degree at the University of Florida and she knew someone whose mom worked with Dr. Robert Cade, the inventor of Gatorade. It was a re-hydration drink made especially for the Florida Gators Football team, because they worked out in such heat and humidity, hence the name (the more trivia you know, the more you become unpopular at parties).

Anyhoo, Gatorade contacted us to tell us all about Stanford Recruit Chiney Ogwumike receiving the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year Award at an assembly, with big sister Nneka Ogwumike and the Stanford team beaming in from outer space to surprise her.

The National Gatorade Player of the Year award is presented to high school student-athletes who have achieved athletic excellence in conjunction with high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character. Nneka won it in 2007-2008. Chiney won it in 2009-2010.

Seems these two sisters are the only sister or brother act to both win the National Player of the Year award in the same sport. Pretty Cool!

We all know about Chiney’s basketball stats. Here is what helped her win the National Gatorade Player of the Year award. A standout volleyball player, Ogwumike has maintained an A average in the classroom, ranks No. 3 in her class and serves as student body president. A member of the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Superintendent Student Leadership Committee, she co-founded the “Step Up 2 A Reason” fundraising event to benefit local underprivileged families. Also the vice president of her school’s civil rights club, she has volunteered more than 200 community-service hours on behalf of her church.

Wow.

So we were curious about Nneka’s achievements when she won the award. Here is her stuff. Also a volleyball standout for a state semifinalist squad, Ogwumike has maintained a 3.86 GPA in the classroom. A passionate artist and pianist, Ogwumike is the Senior Class President as well as her school's 2007 Homecoming Queen, and has fundraised to assist children of the Darfur crisis. She also organized a charity drive for the family of a Texas high school coach who lost a battle with leukemia. Ogwumike volunteers at Hamilton Middle School as an office aide and remains an active member of her church.

Double Wow.

And, when do these two sleep?

Oh, Q McCall of Swish Appeal got a one-on-one interview with Nneka right before presenting Chiney’s award, and some cool pictures of the event. Check it out.

You can read more from Gatorade below. Gatorade also wants you to help celebrate their 25 years of this award by voting for some notable athletes in their respective sports. Humor them and give the site a visit. Tell ‘em C and R sent you. Maybe they will send us some free Gatorade!

This from Gatorade:
Chiney Ogwumike of Cy-Fair High School in Houston, Texas is the 2009-10 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. The Gatorade Player of the Year program is celebrating its 25th year in recognizing elite high school athletes throughout the nation.

Chiney was surprised with the news during an assembly by her sister Nneka Ogwumike, who earned Gatorade National Girls Basketball POY honors herself in 2007-08, and currently plays for the Stanford women’s basketball team. Nneka and the team surprised Chiney live via Skype, as the team is traveling for the NCAA tournament.

Since the Gatorade Player of the Year program began 25 years ago, no siblings have ever won national honors. Chiney joins her sister Nneka as the only sibling duo to ever win the national title in the history of the program for any sport.

In celebration of the larger 25th anniversary of the program, Gatorade will host 10 polls online that will allow consumers to decide who is the greatest all-time Gatorade Player of the Year in boys football, girls volleyball, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, boys baseball, girls softball, and boys and girls track & field.
You can cast your vote for your favorite athlete of all-time once per sport, per day.
Former notable Gatorade Players of the Year include:

- Peyton Manning, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
- Lisa Leslie, WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder
- Alan Webb, Reigning American record-holder in the mile
- Emmitt Smith, NFL all-time leading rusher
- Cat Osterman, Softball Olympic gold medalist
- Kerri Walsh, Pride of Mitty, Beach Volleyball Olympic gold medalist

In addition, make sure to enter the Gatorade Player of the Year sweepstakes where you could win a trip to the 2010 Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Awards ceremony and the ESPY Awards.
For more information about The Gatorade Player of the Year program and its 25th anniversary celebration, please visit us on the web at this address kindly provided by C and R (okay, I made up the last half of that sentence). Gatorade Press release done.

You rock, Ogwumikes!!