Semoball Awards keynote speaker set to be announced Wednesday

The last-minute shuffling of last year's Semoball Awards keynote speaker provided a valuable lesson for the organizers of this year's event.

Ozzie Smith was originally scheduled to provide the event's first-ever keynote speech, but Smith had to miss the event to attend the funeral of friend and fellow Hall of Fame baseball player Tony Gwynn.

Two-time ESPY award-winning athlete Kyle Maynard was selected as the replacement speaker, and his message didn't disappoint.

"We really realized that when we select the speaker, we want to select the speaker not solely because of name but really look at the type of speaker and how they can be an inspiration," Semoball Awards event manager Lucas Presson said. "The athletes, parents and coaches are all there to be recognized for the awards, but Kyle just gave a fantastic talk last year. Ozzie would have also given an awesome talk, but Kyle was someone at the last minute that we didn't have as much background on. But he just gave a great message.

"This is about recognizing the athletes and the coaches and just making it a fun event, but we know that if you've got 900 people in a room, we don't take it lightly. It's an opportunity to inspire them so that they leave thinking not just about the awards but how that was a really meaningful speech and someone that connected."

The keynote speaker for the second annual Semoball Awards will be announced 9 a.m. Wednesday at HealthPoint Fitness in Cape Girardeau. The announcement will be streamed live at semoball.com and will be heard live on SEMO ESPN's (92.9 FM, 1220 AM) morning sports show, The Sports Huddle.

"We encourage fans, athletes and coaches if available to listen or watch live through one of those two venues. If they can't see the announcement live but want to see how we make the announcement, the video will be up later on semoball.com as well," Presson said. "We're really excited about it, and we appreciate SoutheastHEALTH for hosting this."

Presson said balancing name recognition and the content of a message is a point of emphasis in determining the keynote speaker.

"We like to make a big deal out of it because it's a big deal for these athletes. They remember these speakers," Presson said. "Last year, when we had the event for the first time, a lot of different folks said, 'Boy, I wish this was around when I was a high school athlete.' There are a lot of events where you go to a gym or a cafeteria and hand out plaques, and those are great. But we wanted this to be something that had never been done before in this area, and the speaker is a big part of that."

The Semoball Awards presented by SoutheastHEALTH will take place July 11 at the Southeast Missouri State River Campus. The winter selection show is scheduled for April 11 at Harry Blackwell Dodge in Dexter, while spring sports finalists will be presented June 13 at First Midwest Bank in Dexter.

"We're excited to partner with the Rust Communications family of newspapers to recognize the best of Southeast Missouri's student athletes who excel in their sport, in the classroom and in their communities," SoutheastHEALTH president and CEO Ken Bateman said. "This partnership aligns with our presence as a regional healthcare system and our commitment to supporting young lives in the communities we serve."

Title sponsors for the Semoball Awards are First Midwest Bank (Official Bank Sponsor), Harry Blackwell Family of Dealerships, Athlon Sports snd SEMO ESPN Radio.

In addition to last year's awards, a male and female scholar athlete will be recognized, along with a lifetime achievement award.

Presson said fans can visit awards.semoball.com to submit nominations. For more information or to sponsor a sport award, call Presson at 573-388-3649.