Madison Spencer, recipient of the 2016 Grace Rogato Award, is pictured
with her proud family, including her parents (back left) Stephen Spencer and Laurie Spencer; her grandparents, Dianna Barrett (front, left) and Buddy Barrett (back, right); and her sister, Amelia Spencer (front, right).
Madison Spencer of Pine Hill Little League received Lynn youth sports’ most prestigious individual award – the Grace Rogato Award – at the first-ever banquet attended exclusively by the nominees and their families.
Peter Noyes, chair of the selection committee, presented the award to Spencer, a seventh grader at the Pickering School, at the dinner held Sunday at Old Tyme Italian Cuisine. The award recognizes a graduating softball player’s sportsmanship, commitment to community service, academic excellence, and leadership on and off the field.
Madison has been carrying on the Spencer family’s tradition of athletic and academic excellence. Her parents, Stephen and Laurie Spencer, were outstanding, multi-sport athletes at St. Mary’s High School. Madison’s grandfather, Buddy Barrett, competed in sports at Lynn Classical High School and was inducted in to the school’s Hall of Fame in 2013.
Maureen Mannion-Collins has been Madison’s coach for the past three years on the ELWLPH Major League Outlaws. The former high school softball assistant coach praised Madison in an interview following the award ceremony.
“Madison is the most positive, upbeat young lady that I have ever managed,” said Mannion-Collins. “She just brings incredible, positive energy to everything she touches. Her smile is infectious and she is forever cheering on her teammates, no matter what, winning or losing, she’s always positive. She’s one of the most outstanding personalities I’ve ever seen in my years of coaching softball.”
Madison is an honor roll student and a recipient of the President’s Academic Excellence Award. She currently volunteers at the Lynn Public Library.
A versatile player who has been a pitcher and played wherever her team needed her in the field, Madison began her softball career at the age of seven.
She developed in to an All-Star softball player, participates on the Pickering basketball, softball, and track teams and in the Lynn Youth Soccer program. She is grateful to coach Mannion-Collins for advancing her softball skills and bringing out the best in all her players.
“She is very uplifting when you need her most,” said Madison. “I’m friends with her daughter, Mary, and coach [Mannion-Collins] gives great advice.”
Madison learned about Grace Rogato, an accomplished athlete and Lynn Classical Hall of Fame inductee, prior to the award selection process.
“I’ve always seen her name in the city and one day I looked up all her achievements,” said Madison. “She’s a very impressive person and it’s an honor to receive an award named for such a great all-around person.”
Madison, whose sister, Amelia, also attended the banquet, thanked her parents for their support and encouragement. “My mom is very uplifting and my dad is really inspirational. I try to be a role model for my sister.”
“We’re so proud of her,” said Steve Spencer, a former basketball star at St. Mary’s.
Madison is graduating from Little League and will be continuing her softball career in the Wyoma Little League Senior Softball League.
Mannion-Collins, who hatched the idea to hold a Grace Rogato awards banquet, was pleased with the universally favorable response from the parents and families, who enjoyed a buffet dinner and dessert.
“This is something we wanted to get going and we finally did it,” said Mannion-Collins. “In past years the Rogato Award has been presented at the ELWLPH softball banquet. We wanted to hold a separate banquet and we absolutely hope to continue this tradition. The girls deserve their own spotlight.”
And on this night, Madison Spencer and her fellow nominees, Molly Alcock of Wyoma, Brooke Warren of East Lynn, and Kayla MacDonald of West Lynn, truly earned the spotlight in recognition of their all-around excellence.