(Sports Network) - USA water ski athlete Regina Jaquess epitomizes the concept of sportsmanship, and on Wednesday she was named the winner of the 2009 Jack Kelly Fair Play Award.

Named after the late United States Olympic Committee President and Olympic medalist, the award is given to an athlete, coach or official in recognition of an outstanding act of fair play and sportsmanship.

Last year, Jaquess, a former U.S. Elite Team water ski team member and world champion, was competing with Caroline Hensley for a spot on the Elite Team. Hensley, participating in the event for the first time in her career, arrived at the dock and opened her ski bag only to find someone else's ski and not her own.

Hensley didn't have time to look for her own equipment and had to be ready to ski when the boat returned from pulling the previous competitor. Because rules stipulate no changes in running order among skiers, Hensley was on the verge of disqualification. That's when Jaquess, who was the next skier scheduled after Hensley, made a huge gamble by donating her own ski. If Hensley would fall or didn't return to the dock with a ski, Jaquess would be disqualified for failure to be ready when her turn came up.

Jaquess insisted Hensley use the ski so that she would have the best chance to make the team.

"I am deeply honored to have been selected for this award," Jaquess said. "I have always tried to live by the USOC definition of fair play and uphold the spirit of competition, precepts that Mr. Kelly embodied both as an athlete and USOC president. I have witnessed exemplary displays of sportsmanship in many sports, but I can say with certainty that water ski athletes are more than willing to do what they can to help a fellow athlete in need. Whether it is helping repair damaged equipment on the starting dock, sharing practice time with others, or letting a fellow athlete borrow your ski, we are rather compassionate when it comes to helping others. In the end, it is not about who wins, but how you played the game."

Jaquess has dominated water skiing for the past 10 years with several accolades, including titles at World Championships, Pan American Games and several other prominent events.

Track and field star Jackie Joyner-Kersee and cyclist Lance Armstrong are among the past recipients of the Jack Kelly Fair Play Award.

Kelly, an eight-time U.S. national champion who passed away in 1985, was an Olympic bronze medalist in single scull rowing in 1956. Brother to Princess Grace Kelly, he also was the son of Olympic rowing triple gold medalist John B. Kelly.







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