The Georgia Lacrosse Officials Association (GLOA) is proud to announce the 2013 Ron Mallonee Scholarship winners. The Ron Mallonee Scholarship is awarded each May to a select group of deserving Georgia high school boys. These scholarships allow these young men to attend the Georgia Tech Lacrosse summer camp where they can continue to learn and improve their skills.

A veteran lacrosse official in Georgia, Ron was a Charter Member of the association who passed away in 2004 after a brief battle with cancer. Long-time Atlanta lacrosse fans who met Ron undoubtedly remember his unique passion for the sport of lacrosse. His presence was welcomed on the field by coaches, officials, and players due to his outgoing nature, his enthusiasm, and his friendly demeanor.

Veteran Club Player Jon Ochsner recalled how unique Ron was. “Ron officiated our men’s club games by himself, which is unheard of today. He understood the flow of the game very well and always called a safe and fair club game. He always made a point to get to know all of us club players off the field.”

In his memory, GLOA created the Ron Mallonee Fund which annually awards camp scholarships to deserving high school boys who have a passion for the sport of lacrosse and a desire to improve. Since the Ron Mallonee Fund’s inception in 2005, GLOA has been able to provide scholarships to over fifty players from the state of Georgia to attend lacrosse camp.

The eleven Ron Mallonee Scholarship winners for 2013 are as follows:

Ishmael Bethal (Lakeside Evans High School)
Zach Cao (Collins Hill High School)
Juan Espinosa (Collins Hill High School)
Charles Ficklin III (Southwest Dekalb High School)
Russell Gardner (Collins Hill High School)
Will Hutto (Lakeside Evans High School)
Matthew Kelly (Kell High School)
Iain Robins (Grady High School)
Tyler Stridiron (Southwest Dekalb High School)
Roman Tavani (Collins Hill High School)
Tre Tice (Decatur High School)

These eleven players were all nominated by their high school coaches and will receive their award at halftime of one of the two GHSA Lacrosse State Championship Games played this weekend.

If you would like to learn more about the Ron Mallonee Fund, please visit the GLOA web site online at GALAXREF.com and click MEMORIAL on the top right tab. Tax deducible donations to the Ron Mallonee Fund can be made through the Georgia Chapter of US Lacrosse.