News : Cedar-Mt. Auburn FD wins IFA Sportsmanship Trophy

The Cedar-Mount Auburn FD won the Sportsmanship Trophy at the 2012 IFA Convention.

The Vinton FD was one of the previous winners of the trophy.

The Sportsmanship Trophy is about as tall as the fire trucks.

A replica of the traveling trophy will be kept permanently at the Cedar-Mt. Auburn fire station.

The Cedar-Mount Auburn Fire Department came home with one of the most coveted trophies of the 2011 Iowa Firefighters Association Convention: The Sportsmanship Trophy.

This trophy honors a department for its sportsmanship in the contests of the IFA convention, as well as its willingness to help other departments throughout the event.
The award honors both the firemen and their guests, which in Mt Auburn means the wives of the firefighters who participated. The Sportsmanship trophy began in 1999, when the Albion Fire Department presented the honor to the Guthrie Center Department. The department who receives the honor one year is responsible for judging the sportsmanship contest the next year.

Last year's winner, Williamson, chose the Cedar-Mt. Auburn FD for several reasons, said Stacie Henry. They provided space in their camp site for another department. One of them, a welder, repaired a golf cart for a firefighter from another department. They even often roadside assistance on one occasion. And when it was time for the contests, the Cedar-Mt. Auburn team was often seen cheering on other departments.

Henry said the Williamson members told her that their decision was also based on what they had seen from the Cedar-Mt. Auburn group in previous years.

The award is special, she said, because it honors the thing that are most important for firefighters: Working together and helping each other.

"It was a pretty emotional night for us," said Stacie Henry. "This award is truly about total sportsmanship."

In 2012, the Cedar-Mt. Auburn firefighters will select the winner from the other participating fire departments at the convention. The trophy is a traveling trophy that will go from Mt. Auburn to another city in 2012. But like the other earlier recipients, the Mt. Auburn group will order a replica trophy to keep in their permanent display.

(Pictured with the trophy are, front row, from left: Jessie Tharp, Stacie Henry, Michelle Oldfather. Back row: Jeff Whitson, Rob Tharp, Jared Helms, Steve Henry, Bill Oldfather. Not pictured: Dan and Kristi Lutz, Justin and Beth Hendryx, and Mark and Colleen Dickerson.)