LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION congratulating student-athlete Derek Bard on
winning the 2012 New York State Public High School Athletic Association
Golf Championship

WHEREAS, Excellence and success in competitive sports can be achieved
only through strenuous practice, team play and team spirit, nurtured by
dedicated coaching and strategic planning; and
WHEREAS, Athletic competition enhances the moral and physical develop-
ment of the young people of this State, preparing them for the future by
instilling in them the value of teamwork, encouraging a standard of
healthy living, imparting a desire for success and developing a sense of
fair play and competition; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and pay
tribute to the young people of the State of New York who, by achieving
outstanding success in athletic competition, have inspired and brought
pride to their school and community; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to congratu-
late Derek Bard on winning the 2012 New York State Public High School
Athletic Association Golf Championship; and
WHEREAS, A New Hartford High School junior, Derek Bard returned to
Cornell University's Robert Trent Jones Golf Course on a wet and windy
day to shoot the low round of the tournament, a 3-under-par 69, and
claim his first state title by five strokes; he is the first Section III
golfer to win a boys state championship in 20 years, and the first state
champ from the Utica-Rome area since New Hartford's Mark Jorgensen, the
former pro at the Yahundasis Golf Club, won a state title in 1979; and
WHEREAS, Derek Bard, a three-time Section III champion, was playing in
his fourth consecutive state tournament; he is being recruited by a
number of Division I colleges, he advanced to the New York State Feder-
ation Championships on Sunday, June 10, 2012, at Bethpage State Park's
Black Course placing third in last year's Federation tournament New York
State Boys Golf Championships; and
WHEREAS, Derek Bard has brought honor to himself and to his family,
school, and community and may stand with pride in his achievements,
experiencing the satisfaction of his labors and the joy of his accom-
plishments, eager to face the challenge of new experiences as he contin-
ues his education and athletic career; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Derek Bard upon the occasion of winning the 2012 New York State
Public High School Athletic Association Golf Championship, to congratu-
late him on his many accomplishments, and to wish him well in all his
future endeavors; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Derek Bard.