House Concurrent Resolution 102

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING LAUREN O. PICKETT FOR BEING NAMED THE 2014 STATE GAMES OF MISSISSIPPI "FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR."

WHEREAS, each year, the State Games of Mississippi nominates an outstanding male and female athlete from each of the 34 individual sports based on their merit and sportsmanship, but only two athletes are chosen to receive the elite honor of "Athlete of the Year"; and

WHEREAS, personifying the ideals of the State Games movement, including participation, sportsmanship, special attributes, achievements, efforts and positive attitude, the 2014 "Female Athlete of the Year" is Lauren Pickett, a 12-year-old softball prodigy from Southeast Lauderdale Middle School in Meridian, Mississippi, who has accomplished more in her 12 years than most athletes do in a lifetime; and

WHEREAS, encouraged by her older sister, Bailey, and the love she had for softball, Lauren swung her first bat and fielded her first grounder at the age of seven, and since that time, she has pursued her passion for softball on the red, dusty diamond and as a participant in the State Games, winning the State Games Gold Medal in both 2013 and 2014; and

WHEREAS, five weeks before her scheduled birth, a very tiny Lauren entered the world at four pounds, nine ounces and 16 and one-half inches, requiring her to remain in the neonatal intensive care unit for two weeks before her parents could take her home; and

WHEREAS, in addition to her premature birth, Lauren was born with a heart murmur, and in December 2002, at eight months old, she had her first open heart surgery, a vascular septal defect repair, at Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, and despite the doctor's prediction of a 21-day hospital recuperation period, Lauren recovered from the surgery and returned home after just 14 days as she was born with a copious amount of fight and resilience in her small frame; and

WHEREAS, unfortunately, her visits to the operating room were not finished, and at two years of age, Lauren had kidney reflux and underwent a bilateral reimplantation of her kidney, and at the age of nine, she endured a second open heart surgery to remove a growth on her subaortic membrane and to repair a leak from the previous heart surgery; and

WHEREAS, by the grace of God and Lauren's unwavering strength of spirit and determination, her medical condition is currently limited to check-up status with regard to her heart murmur; and

WHEREAS, regardless of the many obstacles that she has faced in her 12 years of life and may face in her future, Lauren refuses to let the fear of striking out keep her from playing the game she loves so much, as evidenced by her incredible courage and spunk with Kreative Air during the 2014 State Games; and

WHEREAS, the championship ballgame was on the line and tied 8-8 when Lauren, exhausted from pitching, exited the dugout, took a few practice swings and walked into the batter's box; and

WHEREAS, after receiving the signal from her coach, Lauren stepped up to the plate to patiently wait for her first pitch, and when the perfect ball glided towards her, she never took her eyes off of it, but lowered her head and swung through with all of her might, and as soon as her bat made contact with the ball, the members of the Kreative Air softball team became champions, as Lauren's powerful swing drove in the winning run and solidified Kreative Air's rise to championship status and receipt of the coveted gold medal; and

WHEREAS, unlike other gold medal winners in softball, Lauren has received no formal training, yet in her five years of home run hits, stolen bases, and late practices under the stadium's twinkling lights, she has won 17 medals total, and this year, she made the Southeast Softball Team; and

WHEREAS, Lauren has the athletic prowess to play any position, but she enjoys playing the positions of 1st base, 3rd base and pitcher the most, excelling in any positions that she plays; and

WHEREAS, when she is not running bases, catching pop fly balls, or chanting from the dugout, she sings in the choir and is a member of Hawkins Memorial United Methodist Church in Meridian; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to recognize outstanding young Mississippi athletes such as Lauren O. Pickett, who has brought honor to the City of Meridian and to the great Magnolia State:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Lauren O. Pickett for being named the 2014 State Games of Mississippi "Female Athlete of the Year" and express best wishes for continued success in all of her athletic and future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Lauren O. Pickett and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.