MARSHFIELD – Teamwork. Integrity. Grit. Excellence. Respect.
That’s what the Stratford athletic department embodies every time they step into action to perform – and on Sept. 22, at their area district meeting, it became recognized.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association recognized the program for its excellence in sportsmanship, and honored the Tiger program with the 2024-25 WIAA Award of Excellence.
A distinction the program has chased for many years.
“It was satisfying because we’ve been working at that for a while,” Stratford dean of students and athletic director, Craig Martens said. “We’ve missed a couple criteria in the last couple years and we’ve addressed those things and built better systems.
“So it was satisfying to see this as kind of that culminating event that we’re taking steps in the right direction.”
The WIAA Award of excellence requires schools to meet ‘20 specific criteria’ in order to earn the prestigious accolade, which requires a commitment to community service, undergoing sportsmanship education programs, and receiving zero coach ejections from games across all sports programs.
“That’s one of our criteria that we’re probably the most proud of, that that’s not the one that we’re the most worried about,” Martens said about the zero ejection stipulation. “We have excellent coaches. They do a phenomenal job of making sure that we’re emphasizing it’s more than just about wins and losses. That’s still our goal. Our goal is still winning games, but the purpose of sports is much bigger than that.”
One of just a handful of schools state-wide to earn the accolade, Stratford’s athletic department will be recognized on the WIAA website, on in-state tournament programs, and at the 2026 annual meeting.
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Reporter Alfred Smith III at alfred.smith@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AlfredS_III.
This article originally appeared on Marshfield News-Herald: ‘We’ve been working at that for a while’: Stratford earns 2024-25 WIAA excellence award
Reporting by Alfred Smith III, Marshfield News-Herald / Marshfield News-Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
