H*4659 Resolution, By Forrester, Alexander, Allison, Anderson, Anthony, 
Arrington, Atkinson, Atwater, Bales, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, 
Bedingfield, Bennett, Bernstein, Blackwell, Bowers, Bradley, Brawley, Brown, 
Bryant, Burns, Caskey, Chumley, Clary, Clemmons, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Cogswell, 
Cole, Collins, Crawford, Crosby, Daning, Davis, Delleney, Dillard, Douglas, 
Duckworth, Elliott, Erickson, Felder, Finlay, Forrest, Fry, Funderburk, Gagnon, 
Gilliard, Govan, Hamilton, Hardee, Hart, Hayes, Henderson, Henderson-Myers, 
Henegan, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hill, Hiott, Hixon, Hosey, Howard, Huggins, 
Jefferson, Johnson, Jordan, King, Kirby, Knight, Loftis, Long, Lowe, Lucas, 
Mace, Mack, Magnuson, Martin, McCoy, McCravy, McEachern, McGinnis, McKnight, 
D.C. Moss, V.S. Moss, Murphy, B. Newton, W. Newton, Norrell, Ott, Parks, 
Pendarvis, Pitts, Pope, Putnam, Ridgeway, M. Rivers, S. Rivers, 
Robinson-Simpson, Rutherford, Sandifer, Simrill, G.M. Smith, G.R. Smith, 
J.E. Smith, Sottile, Spires, Stavrinakis, Stringer, Tallon, Taylor, Thayer, 
Thigpen, Toole, Trantham, Weeks, West, Wheeler, White, Whitmire, Williams, 
Willis, Young and Yow
 A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE THAYER HALL OF SPARTANBURG COUNTY FOR HER
 PERSEVERANCE AND HARD WORK, AND TO COMMEND HER FOR EARNING THE PRESTIGIOUS
 HONOR OF GATORADE NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR.

   01/24/18  House  Introduced and adopted (House Journal-page 15)

TO RECOGNIZE THAYER HALL OF SPARTANBURG COUNTY FOR HER PERSEVERANCE AND HARD WORK, AND TO COMMEND HER FOR EARNING THE PRESTIGIOUS HONOR OF GATORADE NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR.

Whereas, the members of the House of Representatives deem it altogether fitting and proper to pause in their deliberations to congratulate and honor Thayer Hall of Spartanburg for earning the award of Gatorade National Player of the Year; and

Whereas, Thayer Hall has made a national name for herself for not only her exemplary athletic ability, but also for her academic performance and her involvement with charitable organizations; and

Whereas, the six-foot-four senior outside hitter from Dorman High School led her team to a 43-6-1 record and the Class AAAAA State championship this past season. She has recorded six hundred thirty-eight kills, three hundred sixty-one digs, forty-three service aces, and thirty-six blocks; and

Whereas, she is the only high school member of the U.S. Women's Junior National Team. Furthermore, she was the MVP of the U-20 Pan Am Cup and the East MVP at the 2017-18 Under Armour All-America game. Thayer is a three-time Class 5A Player of the Year, has earned All-American honors from MaxPreps and was named both the national ALL-USA Player of the Year and the FloVolleyball Player of the Year; and

Whereas, Thayer's name will now be forevermore immortalized alongside volleyball legends like April Ross and Kerri Walsh on the National Player of the Year Trophy, along with the names of other great athletes including LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Peyton Manning, and Cat Osterman; and

Whereas, the Gatorade National Player of the Year recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exceptional character demonstrated on and off the field, pitch, or court. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select her from four hundred forty thousand high school volleyball players nationwide. Thayer is now a finalist for the significant Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year award to be presented at a special ceremony prior to the ESPY Awards in July; and

Whereas, when describing how she felt upon being honored with the award Thayer said, "I think it's a feeling that can't be topped. To be placed in the same category as the top athletes across the world, they're the best of the best and my name is on the list. That's something I'll never forget and never take for granted. Not for the award or the honor itself, but to show that every rep that I've put in, every bit of hard work, every drop of sweat, that's where it gets you"; and

Whereas, Thayer is a talented artist, a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and a devoted member of her church community. She has volunteered locally on behalf of the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen, Samaritan's Feet, the Special Olympics, and the Carolina Miracle League; and

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are proud to be able to call Thayer Hall a daughter of the Palmetto State and wish her the greatest success in all her future endeavors. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the House of Representatives of South Carolina, by this resolution, recognize Thayer Hall of Spartanburg for her perseverance and hard work, and commend her for earning the prestigious honor of Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Thayer Hall.