Three Austin youth softball teams recently were recognized for their sportsmanship on the field of play.

The Austin 12U Red, Austin 14U Red and Austin 16U white were all recipients of a Youth 1st team award for outstanding sportsmanship during the 2017 Twister tournament.

The Youth 1st team Award recognizes positive behavior from players, coaches and everyone associated with the team.

“We are placing the emphasis on how you play the game, which is ultimately more important than if you win or lose.” said Mark Arjes, Founder/Director of Youth 1st. “It has become increasingly difficult to get coaches and officials for youth sports because of the abuse that they take during games. We believe it is time to model and encourage values-based actions, creating what we call a Conduct first environment where the focus is on the kids, competitive energies are kept in check and officials and opponents are respected.”