Announcing the CanDo Sportsmanship Award Winners!

At CanDo we support local athletes who are making a difference in their communities. In the last year we have taken big steps into sponsoring the sport of Pickleball, which is the fastest growing sport in the United States.

To that end, we created the CanDo Sportsmanship award. An honor that will go to two athletes who have gone above and beyond their ordinary responsibilities to give back, make a difference, and build up the practice of Pickleball where they live.

This year, we are awarding North Carolina’s Brian Hickman and Utah’s Tammy Wursten with the CanDo Sportsmanship Award! They have both made an incredible difference in their communities.

CanDo’s Values: Gratitude, and What You Can Do

At CanDo, we believe it’s important to focus on what you can do, and to feel gratitude for that. Our founder, Adam Bremen, was born with Cerebral Palsy. He has had to use a wheelchair for mobility his entire life. But from an early age, his parents instilled in him the value that life is about what you can do, not what you can’t.

We believe it is important to appreciate all that life has to offer and to give back to your community. The winners of the CanDo Sportsmanship Award made massive contributions to their community by helping further the sport of Pickleball in their area.

Winner 1: Brian Hickman: Teaching Pickleball to Foster Teenagers

Brian Hickman, of Rowan County, NC, was nominated for spearheading a volunteer project teaching Pickleball to foster teenagers.

He partnered with Nazareth Children’s Home in Rockwell, NC, which hosts foster kids who are mostly high school age or older. Due to their older age and other issues, they have had little success in finding placement in foster homes.

Brian initiated a conversation with Nazareth about starting a Pickleball community at the foster home. He helped line their indoor gym with Pickleball lines, using a $250 grant from USA Pickleball that went towards a net, balls, tape, and a rule book.

Other sponsors helped as well. Paddletek donated a dozen paddles, and Engage sent a net, four paddles, and a dozen balls.

So far, Pickleball has helped give the foster kids something positive to learn and to look forward to. Local NC players like Jenny Butler, Shane Sexton, and Randy Watkins have come out to support the effort. Brian’s actions have ultimately been instrumental in creating a center of community for Rowan County’s foster teenagers.

Winner 2: Tammy Wursten: Building Courts in Northern Utah

Tammy Wursten almost single handedly built the sport of Pickleball in Northern Utah.

She raised money to build 11 courts with lights at a local park, gave her time and talents to offer free introductory lessons to new players, volunteered countless hours at local tournaments, and has been an outstanding ambassador for the sport of Pickleball in Davis County. She is the face of Pickleball in Northern Utah and deserves the award for positively contributing to the growth of Pickleball in the state.

Tammy has done everything from building courts to getting kids protective eye wear to protect their vision. She also organizes very competitive morning doubles with senior (over age 55) groups and with younger groups on Wednesday.

Making A Difference In Your Community

Tammy and Brian are the perfect examples of having a CanDo attitude. They have made outstanding contributions to the sport of Pickleball in their community. They have gone above and beyond ordinary responsibilities and have built whole Pickleball communities from scratch.

Their efforts are incredible, and we are so honored to present to them this award. Both recipients will receive $2,500 to continue to grow and develop the Pickleball scene in their community.

Remember: “life is about what you can do, not what you can’t.” And of course, we will keep producing great tasting, nutritious, keto-friendly snack bars. Because life’s too short to eat $h!##y tasting bars!