Inspirational stories filled sports year

The end of the year is always a time for reflection.

As I have read — and voted — on the year's top stories, as well as the decade's best moments, I realized a lot of those athletes who inspired me won't make the lists. So here is my list of the Most Inspiring Sports Stories of 2009.

10. As much as I admire the athletic ability of people like Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, Kobe Bryant or Tim Tebow, my athlete of the year was a guy named Quinn Price.

I met Price a few years ago when I first covered a Goalball game. It's a game that was created for veterans who'd lost their sight in combat. It's become a way for visually impaired youths to fully understand the joy of competition and athletic activity.

When I met Price, my first impression was that he was shy, quiet — almost fragile. His blindness was apparent, but his courage was something I discovered once he donned those goggles and felt his way to the front of the goal.

He threw his skinny body in front of a weighted ball flung at him from across the gym. He earned a spot on the National Championship Team, the Utah Explosion, based almost completely on his ability to stop that ball.

Anyone who has tried Goalball understands how difficult it is to lay your body out there knowing something hard is going to hit it. To do it against the best in the world takes serious courage, and Quinn has plenty of that.

9. ALS might have stolen Mike Davis from his son, Westlake junior Dillon Davis. But before the disease began to ravage Davis' body, he gave his son the joy of running. Though the grief of losing his father sidelined him for a while, friends and coaches persuaded Davis to run again this year for the new high school. He did so and qualified for the state cross country meet where he said he would run for his father.

8. Jade Hafen epitomized what rodeo-lovers refer to as "try." The senior went from a three-time National Finals qualifier to being nearly paralyzed with a rare and baffling illness. The teen fought for his life and then fought to get back on a horse. He competed in roping events at this year's State Finals Rodeo after missing most of the season.

7. Watching West earn its first boys basketball championship in 34 years was an absolute thrill. Everyone thought the title was Provo's from the season's opening whistle. The Bulldogs had been so dominant, even the Panthers had their doubts. But, in the end, a good game plan and a lot of hard work helped them pull off the biggest upset of the season.