Mingling with stars

On Thursday night, Fredonia High School seniors Kenny Betts and Carlene Sluberski saw their hard work on the wrestling mat continue to pay off, as both won awards at the FAN Awards show held at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo.

Betts was named Boys’ High School Athlete of the Year for small schools, as well as Wrestler of the Year for small schools, while Sluberski took home the Female Athlete of the Year Award.

“I know Carlene was pretty much in shock,” Fredonia wrestling coach Alex Conti said. “She didn’t think she had a shot at all and Kenny was very excited. But I don’t know if he was excited to win the award, or if he was excited to stand up there with all the good looking girls.”

Asked why he thought Sluberski was in shock, Conti noted that it’s just the kind of person she is.

“I don’t think she realizes how special an athlete she is and she probably didn’t think people understood the magnitude of what she accomplished,” Conti said. “Anybody that’s met her, sees what kind of person she is, and how gracious a winner she is. And people like rooting for that.”

Being in the same room with such local professional sports heroes as Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Rob Ray and Ryan Miller, could make most anyone feel nervous. Betts and Sluberski could have certainly been added to that list.

“They were both nervous,” Conti said.”Especially when they saw their awards were the first ones given. They weren’t sure what to expect and I tried to prepare them to say something if they won, but when you’re first like that, you don’t know what the organization is going to expect. It was a bit nerve wracking because Kenny isn’t a very experienced public speaker. Being up there with Jim Kelly – an experienced public speaker – I think made Kenny the most nervous.”

Despite their apparent nerves, Conti was proud of how Betts and Sluberski handled the big stage.

“It probably helped a little bit that they both received award at Ilio DiPaolo’s,” Conti noted, “so it probably helped that they had to speak to a crowd on Tuesday, even though this crowd was much bigger.”

“It was nice to see them thank, not only their coaches and their families, but the FAN Award Network and thanking them for bringing it to Buffalo. They’re both humble and that’s what makes me so proud and what I will miss about them. They were both great wrestlers, but you’d never know it by meeting them and that’s the way it should be.

Even though it was Betts and Sluberski who won the awards, Conti felt a sense of satisfaction himself, having coached the pair throughout their successful high school careers.

“It meant an awful lot to me just because I know what they put out there for me as a coach,” Conti said. “And to see that recognized in front of all walks of athletic life was very special and I know neither one of them are done and that’s nice too. I think that down the road either one of them might be in a position to be an award giver. I really believe that they are going to be the type of people that get called up to be an award giver.”

As far as how he thought the ceremony went off, Conti needed just one word.

“Fantastic,” he said of the ceremony. “I don’t know how they could have had the presentations go much better. It was just a first-rate, top-notch evening.

“I like guys like Rob Ray, who’s the same guy game night, as he is if you met him down at the bar shooting pool, Conti said. “Steve Tasker is the same way - he’s very approachable. I like the fact that they were willing to come down. It was nice to see guys in their positions come down and present awards to these athletes. Everyone of them started in this position and it was stated over and over by guys who were some of the best athletes Buffalo may ever see.”

As for Betts and Sluberski, their wrestling careers are by no means over. Betts will be attending the University of Buffalo net year while Sluberski has accepted a full scholarship to attend Northern Michigan, where she will continue wrestling and participate at the United States Olympic Educational Center.

“Winning that national tournament in Oklahoma last year and winning in Fargo, S. D., put her right on the track to be there,” Conti said. “She’s a little nervous, but that’s expected.”