Clinton High School graduates and siblings Summer and Sky Davidson have something else in common: They were each named Athlete of the Year.
“They led not only on the field but off the field, and that’s how they were picked,” said Phillip Jones, president of the Clinton High School Athletic Booster Club. “I think it’s the first time for CHS to have a brother and sister [win the honors] the same year.”
The two, who graduated Friday, were presented the awards at a sports banquet May 7. Summer was salutatorian of her senior class; Sky was an honor graduate.
Both have won multiple sports honors in their school career.
Summer was this year’s 3A Conference tennis champion, played basketball for four years as a guard, ran track for two years and added softball to the list this year “for fun,” she said. “It was a little rough because I hadn’t played in like seven years.”
Sky, who turned 19 in April, threw the shot in track for three years, but he excelled in football, where he was all-state the past two years. He is headed to Harding University in Searcy on an academic scholarship to play for the Bisons. (He repeated kindergarten because of hearing problems.)
“They’re outstanding kids; their parents have done a wonderful job raising both of them. They’re good Christian kids,” Jones said.
Clinton High School Athletic Director Chris Dufrene said Summer and Sky are “absolutely good choices” for the honors.
“Sky Davidson played football for me from seventh through 12th grade; he’s a super-tough kid,” Dufrene said. “I had both of them in youth group at [First Baptist] Church. I was a leader in it … a helper.”
The award was a surprise to the siblings, though.
“I had no idea that was coming until the sports banquet,” Summer said. “It meant a lot to me. … I just really love sports, so being named Athlete of the Year — that meant a lot.”
Sky said getting the award was “a major privilege.”
“I know that I played football, and I play it hard, but there are other athletes at Clinton that deserve it just as much as I do, if not more,” he said. “Just having the honor of being named and being on the plaque and going down in Clinton history is very touching.”
His favorite memory was a team that came to Clinton for the playoffs who were “not really respecting us as a team at all.”
“We just wiped the floor with them, 48-0,” he said.
It isn’t just the game of football he enjoyed, he said.
“The most I got out of it were the people, not really the sport. It’s the people that really made it special — the coaches, the community and the students,” he said.
One of the memories that stands out for Summer is when she won the conference championship in tennis.
“I had just got done winning the first game, and then I’m pretty sure she (her opponent) won the second, and we were tied one to one. I was feeling extremely drained, but coach Tammy [Johnson] was there, and she was encouraging me the whole time. I think I even got a cramp during the game.”
But Summer won the third game and the championship.
With their high school life behind them now, the siblings have plans.
Sky said he wants to major in political science or history at Harding University.
“I’m also planning on joining the military, either the Navy or Air Force. I’m wanting to fly for them,” he said.
He is a pilot like his father, Doug Davidson.
“It’s really something. It’s just a blessing in disguise, really,” Sky said of flying. He said he enjoys flying his Cessna 172 and “looking out over nature.”
Summer is headed to the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton to get her basics and explore her interests before transferring to another school.
She said that with all the practices and games, it was a challenge to also be this year’s salutatorian.
“It’s always been really important to my parents that I kept my grades up, just getting an education,” she said. “It definitely was not easy; there were a lot of late nights and stressful days. Honestly, if I can do it, it’s possible. It required a lot of hard work.”
Bev Davidson said her husband played football in high school, but she didn’t participate in athletics.
The couple have two other children: Lake, a 2009 graduate of Clinton High School, and Leif, a 2010 graduate. Lake played golf and baseball in high school, and Leif played football.
“We have people, they’d say, ‘Your parents must be hippies,’ because we named them nature names,” Bev said, laughing. “We’re outdoorsy. My husband came up with Lake and Leif. It just seemed to fit all their personalities.”
Just like Male Athlete of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year fit Summer and Sky’s personalities.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.