One of the country's most inspirational athletes is set to receive yet another accolade this weekend. 'Superman' Leevan Sands, who finished fifth at the London Olympics despite crashing out of the men's triple jump competition on his fourth jump, will be honored by his American high school this Saturday. Florida Air Academy (FAA), a private co-ed institution in Melbourne, Florida, will be the venue for Sands honors ceremony this Saturday. The event will take place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. inside the school's gym. "It's a great feeling," said Sands yesterday.
"A lot of my classmates and teachers keep in contact with me through e-mails and on facebook, and during the Olympics, they were sending shout outs to me. It feels good to know that they have been following my progress. I haven't been back since so it will be kind of special to be down there this weekend. Being there really helped in my development, especially with discipline. At the time I was there, it was an all-boys military style school so there were a lot of strict rules and regulations. It groomed me a lot and prepared me for college. I'm just excited to be going back this weekend," he added.
Athletic Director at FAA, Aubin-Thierry Goporo, who himself is a former Olympic athlete, said that the honor is theirs, to show their appreciation to Sands this weekend. He said that it was only fitting given what Sands has accomplished since graduating from FAA. FAA President James White is also a former Olympic athlete. "We're very excited," said Goporo. "I know him very well from his time here and we couldn't think of a more deserving athlete at this time. He's a good kid and he carries himself very well. We're just honored to have been involved with his career.
The local newspaper will be coming in as well, so it is expected to be a grand time. We're just thrilled to honor him in this way," he added. Sands left The Bahamas in 1998 to attend Florida Air Academy for grades 11 and 12. Before graduating in 2000, he won just about every big meet he competed in for the FAA Falcons. In his senior year, he was a triple gold medalist at the Class 3A State Championships, winning the triple, long and high jump events. He was named as the Gatorade Athlete of the Year for Florida high schools that year, and still holds the state indoor high school record in the triple jump of 52' 8".
"It's going to be a huge weekend," said Goporo. "This weekend is our Fall Family Weekend. The school is mostly international, and a lot of the past and present students, their parents, and teachers will be here. For Leevan, we're just going to mention his many accomplishments and give him a plaque. He will be the first Olympian to be honored by this school. One of the things that I wanted to do when I came on as athletic director was to bring new ideas. We had a lot of athletes who went on to do very well in their collegiate and professional careers.
With Leevan, we just want to celebrate his overall success. He has won medals at the World Championships and the Olympics, and he deserves to be recognized for that." After leaving Florida Air Academy in 2000, Sands spent two years at Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kansas, before heading off to Auburn University for his final two years of college eligibility. He is a member of the Auburn Tigers Hall of Fame, having won numerous indoor and outdoor titles including two NCAA titles. Sands will be making the eight-hour drive from Auburn, Alabama down to Melbourne this weekend with his family. He is expected to stay in Florida through the weekend and return to Auburn next week Thursday.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
