Pontiac High School (PHS) hosted its annual athletic banquet on Thursday celebrating all things sport. Gym teacher and emcee Darcy Findlay kept things rolling quickly and smoothly, ensuring all 96 awards were handed out in a timely fashion while still allowing moments for the spotlight to shine.
When the curtains were pulled back, they revealed a stage complete with a collection of jerseys, pennants and trophies all while affording space for the signature banner with text ‘Spirit, Study and Sport’ scrawled across it.
There was not an open seat to be found in the school’s auditorium half an hour before the event was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., indicating this was clearly the event of the evening. Perhaps, even, the season.
The coaches of the individual sports were invited to name their own . . .
awards and recipients. Therefore, some of the newer sports like boxing featured awards for spirit and effort, while some of the longer-standing ones offered best offensive and best defensive certificates.
Wave after wave of athletes rose in the audience and made their way to stage. Most improved player. Most valuable player. Panther spirit player. Best attitude. Comeback player. Most consistent. Best this and most that. Descriptors, including “the backbone”, “the heart and soul”, “hard-working”, “team player”, “strong ethic” and “natural leader”, were deliberately offered to athletes extending understanding and background to the certificates being awarded. The overwhelming feeling was that Pontiac High School makes space and opportunity for students, sports and distinction.
Once the athletes from various individual sports had been heralded, the banquet segued into a series of individual stand-out awards for male and female athletes of the year, for each grade at the high school.
Following that, five awards were given out that gave the event an air worthy of the Juno Awards as anticipation and speeches were both brought to new levels. The award given to the student who made outstanding contributions to athletics was awarded to Hannah Twolan, the junior male athlete of the year was awarded to Warren Sally and the junior female athlete of the year was handed to Iyla Smith.
And finally, the biggest awards were saved for last. Honoured with the senior male athlete of the year award was Cade Kuehl and honoured with the senior female athlete of the year award was Paige Dubeau, both of whom had made previous trips to the stage throughout the ceremony.
The collective nature of the evening was akin to that of bearing witness to students, coaches and staff alike who have just stepped together onto stage while affirming, “We are a team.”
Panther Pride.
