Philip K. Klabunde
DSO Ray Wrede Lifetime Achievement Award
Phil has been involved with Delaware Senior Olympics, since its inception in 1991, having first served on the New Castle County Organizing Committee and then joining the DSO Board of Directors. He is currently the Board member with the longest tenure. In 1992 when sports coordinators were introduced Phil became the coordinator for Men’s Volleyball and has served in that capacity ever since for over 23 years. In 2006 he took over the position of DSO Treasurer and continues to serve in that position instituting many cost saving actions for DSO. In the early years when DSO needed money to operate but had no credit to obtain a loan Phil, knowing the importance of DSO to our senior athletes, was willing to take the risk of obtaining a second mortgage on his home to help DSO survive.
Phil has competed in the DSO Volleyball competition every year since it began. He has not only run the DSO competition but also runs a year round program at Mote School for community senior play. Phil also helped the women’s competitions get started.
Phil has competed in every National Senior Games since 1992 winning gold medals in the last three competitions. He has also competed in the USA National Volleyball Tournament every year except for Kansas City in ’97 and in the Huntsman Games for 18 years, winning two golds, a silver and a bronze. Phil is the team captain who selects the players and organizes the team for each of these competitions.
Phil has represented Delaware at several national meetings of the Senior Olympics and was instrumental in changing the volleyball competition at the National from single elimination to the pool play followed by a double elimination format which is currently used and which revived the volleyball tournament. Phil has also been a proponent of open states for senior competition which allows players from several states to get together and form a team for the National competition. This allow teams who lack enough players to bring in players from another state to fill their rosters.
For all his hard work in establishing the Senior Olympics, creating opportunities for volleyball players to compete and helping DSO to remain financially sound, Delaware Senior Olympics honors Phil Klabunde a 2015 Ray Wrede Lifetime Achievement Award.
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