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Coach Marvella Harberts, left, and Mallory Boor, admire the Character Counts! In Action Award presented to Boor earlier this fall.
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On May 17, Boor disqualified herself from the district golf tournament after signing an incorrect scorecard. Because of her actions, Sibley-Ocheyedan was eliminated from the regional tournament field but this fall Boor was one of the recipients of the Character Counts! In Action Award.
"I'm very surprised by all the attention. It was just something that needed to be done," Boor said.
What "had to be done", from Boor's perspective, was double check on her score.
"There was an adult scorer accompanying each group. I added it up in my head and thought I had a 52-49 but she had me with a 47," Boor recalled.
As a result of her total, the Generals finished second in the team standings with a score of 391, one stroke in front of Akron-Westfield.
"I told Marvella (Coach Harberts) I wanted to see the scoresheets because I didn't want to go on if Akron-Westfield was the winner," Boor related.
Although the scorer had made five hash marks for one of the holes, she wrote either a "3" or misformed "5" that was read as a "3" on the card.
Initially, Harberts and Boor were told that the scores stood once awards were distributed. A call to the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union initially upheld that decision; however, IGHSAU officials called the U. S. Golf Association and learned there are four exceptions to the final standings and one is signing an incorrect scorecard.
Akron-Westfield officials were impressed when notified of the change in standings. A-W athletic director Todd Colt sent Henry Eekhoff, S-O's AD, an email, "I think this group of gals who ended up in third place are really the champions of the day. This is one story that will always be talked about at AW."
While Boor and her teammates appreciated the kind words, the accolades were just beginning. The story made its way into several area newspapers as well as one in Texas.
Scott Raecker, head of Regency Homes, one of the award's sponsors, called Boor in August to tell her she had been selected for the Character Counts! In Action Award. On September 11, Gary Dolphin, the voice of the Iowa Hawkeyes, read her story and interviewed her during the pre-game show over the Iowa Sports Radio Network. Boor, her father and step-mother, attended a banquet at the University of Iowa Hall of Fame prior to the Iowa-Wisconsin football game. She was one of five student-athletes to be recognized. Among the celebrities at the banquet were former Governor Robert Ray, Marv Cook, a former tight end at Iowa, Dolphin, other former Iowa athletes and Raecker.
Boor said that prior to receiving her award, organizers explained to those present that they knew they wanted to honor exemplary student-athletes but they weren't sure on the criteria.
"They said they were trying to decide the day they received the letter nominating me. After reading the letter, they said it described exactly the kind of thing they were looking for," she related.
Six months after the tournament, Boor remains surprised at the attention.
"I'm honored to have won (the award) but I'm surprised. I didn't consider it an act to be praised, just something that had to be done," she stated.
She will admit, however shyly, that there remains one aspect of the incident that bothers her.
"I sometimes get upset with myself because I didn't look at the scoresheet. I'm disappointed in myself because I was disqualified and it was after my best round of the season," she admitted, "but I've definitely never had a second thought about what I did."
Her reasons for the decision remain just as straightforward.
"Marvella stresses that we should be honest and not cheat. We've had problems in conference play with people cheating and I didn't want people to think that my teammates and I cheated," she declared.
Harberts said she was not surprised by Boor's actions.
"She's a good person who knows right from wrong. Sometimes I think it's too much about winning and not character building. Mallory took advantage of a chance to be a good example for the Siouxland Conference and our school," the coach observed.
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