Wyatt Wilson Named Athlete of the Week for Athletics and Character

Printed in the May 16, 2024 edition of the Paso Robles Daily News

During the 2024 golf season, Wyatt secured his spot as one of the top golfers on the Templeton Eagle golf team. His hard work and dedication were without comparison as he arrived as much as an hour early to practice and often stayed well past the end of practice to hone his skills, often recognizing and working on the weaker aspects of his game. Wyatt’s hard work paid off throughout the year as he slowly lowered his tournament scoring average and was able to secure one of the top 25 individual qualifiers in the CIF Central Section. Wyatt’s solid play and steady demeanor helped his Eagles teammates secure a 2 nd  place finish in Division 2 at the Championship Tournament, losing by only 1 stroke to the Championship team. That one stroke is what makes this story!

What happened next is the reason Wyatt was recognized as Athlete of the Week… At the conclusion of the tournament, the entire CIF staff, the Tournament Director, other area coaches and his fellow competitors recognized Wyatt. This recognition was not for his playing ability or his qualifying for the next round, but for something far more important in both sports and life.

During the tournament, the official CIF scorer for his foursome had Wyatt for final score of 79. During theposting of the scores, the Eagle team total bested the eventual 1 st  place team by one stroke. However, when Wyatt saw the score posted on the board he quickly pointed out that his actual score was 2 strokes higher. Without hesitation, Wyatt approached the CIF officials and respectfully pointed out the error, which they verified and corrected, moving the Eagles into 2 nd  place instead of 1 st . While the loss was not the result the Eagles wanted, it was a proud moment for his coaching staff and the Templeton Athletics Department as Wyatt’s actions exemplified everything about Templeton Athletics and the Eagle way! CIF officials at the Sectional Championship were still discussing Wyatt’s actions the following week as he left a lasting impression on those in the sport.

In sports, as in life, honesty, integrity and respect will help guide one on the long and arduous road to
success. Enjoy the journey Wyatt, you’ve earned the respect of those around you.