Roslyn High School
Senior Awards Night
On Monday, June 12, 2023, the Roslyn Physical Education and Athletics Department held its annual High School Senior Awards Night. For Varsity Tennis, Ethan received the “Rookie of the Year” award as an 8th grader who started every high school tennis match for his team and left it all on the court.
Two additional awards were given in Ethan’s Honor that night:
(1) The Roslyn Tennis Ethan Falkowitz Memorial Award; and,
(2) The Roslyn Booster Basketball Club Ethan Falkowitz Award.
Roslyn Tennis Ethan Falkowitz Memorial Award
Below is a copy of the speech Ethan's dad, Gary, gave during the presentation of this tennis award:
When Coach Hinckley asked us whether we would like to attend and present this award, we felt honored to Time stopped for us almost six weeks ago when Ethan was prematurely taken from us and this world. The opportunities that would have awaited him are endless. To say that Ethan was an extraordinary young man doesn’t truly capture how special he was.Ethan understood, better than anyone we’ve ever met, how to live life to the fullest. He was selfless, interested in helping, wanted to be involved, knew what it meant to work hard in order to chase your dreams and never settled for good enough. Ethan understood what it meant to earn things and was always up for the challenge. The word “can’t” wasn’t in his vocabulary. But most importantly, Ethan was a happy young man. We’ve heard countless stories of how Ethan‘s inner confidence allowed him to effortlessly build others up. It was important to him not only to find happiness, but also, create it for those around him. That’s not something you learn in a book. That’s just who Ethan was.Yes, Ethan was an awesome tennis player. And this is coming from someone who played college tennis. I would never let my kids beat me. They had to earn it. And that’s exactly what he did. But as good as Ethan may have been at tennis, he was an even more impressive teammate. He made sure he was never late, tried to be the last one off the courts, and constantly sought advice on what he could do to help the team win.
Even though he wasn’t in high school yet, and didn’t need community service credits, after waking up for 8:30 AM practices on Saturday mornings, he would ride his bike back to the high school courts, tennis bag on his shoulders, to help volunteer at Coach Hinckley‘s afternoon tennis clinics. That’s the type of person Ethan was. He absolutely loved playing for Coach Hinckley and the Varsity tennis team. He was so psyched about where the team was going, how they planned to go back to States and treasured the friendships he had made.This award is for someone who, like Ethan:
Not only excels on the court but also in the classroom and, specifically, in life;Leads through his or her actions but is secure enough to know that there are always ways to improve; Appreciates being around his or her teammates, making people feel welcome, and lives by a team-first mentality; Has a fiercely competitive spirit, but also lives a life filled with kindheartedness and sacrifice; and Embraces new experiences and never backs down from a challenge.Ethan never worried about the ability of his opponent. He only cared about what he could control, which was doing his best, for his team and himself.We know that the recipient of this award will honor Ethan with a life filled with determination, selflessness, and an outlook that will find the positive in any situation, even when it feels near impossible to find.
Roslyn Booster Basketball Club Ethan Falkowitz Award
Below is a copy of the speech Ethan’s dad, Gary, gave during the presentation of this booster basketball award:
Ethan was a member of Roslyn Booster Basketball since he was 7 years old. I was one of his coaches for almost every season. And what a privilege it was. When it came to basketball, he thrived as a team-first player who every coach loved to have on his team. With Ethan, there was no talking back. No requests to shoot more. No complaints to the ref. No issues with playing time. And no talking smack to the other players. He understood what it meant to be a team-player, picking up players that fell, thanking coaches for their time, what to say to encourage his teammates, how to bring morale up, all with a smile on his face and sweat pouring down his neck. Whether it meant defending the best player on the other team, taking a charge,His aptitude from an early age was evident. And his hand-eye coordination was impressive. If Ethan wanted something, nothing stopped him from achieving it. He didn’t believe in excuses. And he didn’t believe that he had any limits in his abilities. He was not only a coach’s dream but he was also a father’s dream. I will forever be in awe of the type of young man and young athlete Ethan became. We use the term “all-around athlete” pretty often and for that reason, it can sound general or generic at times.
setting a screen or drawing a foul. Ethan had the outlook that he could be counted on, that nothing was impossible and that he would do whatever was asked of him. Every. Single. Time. Without hesitation. The truth is: Ethan had a unique love of life. Whether it was playing booster basketball, tennis, skiing, learning every word to a song, excelling in the classroom, helping his friends with homework, caring for those around him or teaching his siblings, he was ALL-IN. I remember him learning the left-handled layup at an early age and wondering how he figured that out so quickly. Or how proficient he was at shooting an open shot at the elbow. Or, more recently, how he was practicing his pump reverse layup. Ethan was the type of person that believed anything was possible with hard work and determination.But when it comes to Ethan, I like to think of him as “all- around”, period. Frankly, he can’t be lauded enough for what he did and how he comported himself on any of the courts he played. He was a remarkably skilled athlete and was a tremendous team-player, who anyone would be damn lucky to have on their team.The recipient of this award should be extremely proud of themselves and we are honored to present this award on behalf of our exceptional and role-model son.
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