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Hulett earns USAV’s highest honor in Salt Lake
ike Hulett was honored by his award, but the USA Volleyball membership was humbled by his gracious acceptance. Hulett (Des Plaines, Ill./Great Lakes Region) received the 2012 Harold T. Friermood “Frier” Award recipient, the organization’s most presti- gious honor, at the 67th Annual Dorothy Boyce Awards and Recognition Banquet May 23rd at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center.
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“I never really expected such an honor, especially not the Frier award as the top honor for USA Volleyball, but maybe something for our Paralympic achievements,” Hulett said. “I am honored by USA Volleyball and the Great Lakes Region. As this banquet is themed Team Behind The Team, I believe this honor really is all about that. I have great support from the Great Lakes Region and my family. I have so many people in the room to thank, and it couldn’t happen without them. As Paul Sunderland has said before, it is not all about the wins, but the journey on how you get there.”
Hulett has a long history within the USA Volleyball leadership, along with serving as a pioneer coach for the U.S. Sitting Volleyball programs. He began his Paralympic coaching career as head coach of the U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team in the 1996 Atlanta Paralym- pics. He repeated this task as head coach for the U.S. Men’s Sitting Team in the Sydney Paralympics in 2000. In 2003, Hulett helped start the U.S. Women’s
USAV Boyce Banquet Award Presentations Harold T. Friermood “Frier” Award — Mike Hulett All-Time Great Players – Miles Pabst, Dick Hammer All-Time Great Coach (Donald S. Shondell Contempary Division) – Jim Stone All-Time Great Coach (Bertha Lucas Pioneer Division) – Bill Neville Wilbur H. Peck Referee Emeritus Award– Gary James Colberg William G. Morgan Founders Award — David J. Schreff George J. Fisher Leader in Volleyball – Donna Friesen Wigton, Mary Holly Blalock, Elroy T.L. Osorio
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Other 2012 USA Volleyball Awards not presented at the Boyce Banquet James E. Coleman USA National Team Award – Adelaide Packwood, Ruth “Ma” Becker Glen G. Davies Referee Service Award – Steven K. Thorpe Gold Whistle – Julie Voeck • Silver Whistle – Greg Krueger Gold Pen – Kim Williams • Silver Pen – Nathaniel Wagner, Victoria Hinkle Joseph B. Sharpless Arbitrator Award – Karen Gee Edward P. Lauten Scorekeeper Service Award - Dixie Collins Rebecca Howard Star Award – Deitre Collins-Parker Junior Outstanding Program Director – Anne Slattery Junior Outstanding Male Coach – Stephen Halberg Junior Outstanding Female Coach – Patricia Meinert Junior Outstanding Parent Service Award – Diane Amdor Junior Outstanding Clinician – Tina Spann
led to a life-long passion for the sport. One could fi nd him playing four nights during the week and all day Sunday. While he could answer how many
CLICK FOR VIDEO: Hulett receives the Harold T. Freiermood “Frier” Award.
LIFETIME OF SERVICE: Mike Hulett has been active in USA Volleyball programs for almost 40 years. (Photo: Texas Star)
Sitting Volleyball Team. After some early strug- gles in international competition, he developed his players in a team of medal winners. Hulett guided the squad to the bronze medal at the 2004 Para-
lympic Games in Athens, which led to him being selected the 2004 U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympic Coach of the Year. Hulett was born in 1955 in California and grew up in the Chicago suburbs after his family relocated there when he was six years old. At age 13, he was di- agnosed with juvenile diabetes, but it did not keep him down. And it was that attitude that has
placed him where he is today.
After playing prep football at Elk Grove High School, Mike went on to earn a degree in econom- ics at Northwestern University in 1978. Around this time he played indoor and outdoor volleyball in the Great Lakes Region, catching the bug that
brands of Tylenol exist as a 36-year employee of Walgreens, Mike retired from the company to devote his time and energy to volleyball.
Mike now owns and operates his own junior volleyball club named Adversity VBC, a club he founded in 1997. Adversity is the perfect name for his club as it tells his life story in a nutshell. Mike has endured so much in his own life and still continues to be a mentor, leader and example to all of overcoming adversity. In 1989, he endured his fi rst amputa- tion – his right arm below the elbow – after an infection ran through his body. Within the fol- lowing seven years, three more amputations were performed leaving him without all four limbs due to complications from diabetes. Seven years after overcoming this adversity, he suffered a major heart attack.
Through it all, it is said Mike cried just once: when he realized that he would never play volley- ball again. He is quoted as saying “I didn’t want to waste my energy on something I couldn’t control. I had a choice. I could hide or I could move on.”
Video: USAV leaders discuss team behind the team
CLICK FOR VIDEO: USA Volleyball is proud to be part of the Olympic movement and thanks its teams, coaches, staff, fans and all those people that make the sport something of hope and inspiration.
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