Shs_08-24

Jeff Green | Jun 19, 2008

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Coach's Award winner Gavin Davis-Young is congratulated by team member Matt Fouzie who also won a Coach’s Award and Chris Shibley

Decked out in team colored red and yellow balloons, the nest of the Sydenham Golden Eagles was close to full as athletes, their families, supporters and staff filled the gym at Sydenham High School on Thursday night for the 33rd Annual Athletic Banquet.

The night concluded the year end of various team sports that have run throughout the school year and its purpose was to celebrate and pay tribute to the athletes, coaches and families and friends who support them.

Leslie Lawlor, coach of Track and Field, Cross Country and the Senior Boys Soccer teams at the school said, “This year was quite successful in that most of the teams were extremely competitive and generally reached their full potentials.” Four teams this year were KASSAA Champions: Senior Girls Volleyball, Boys Baseball, Senior Girls Soccer and the Track and Field team - quite an accomplishment; Coach Lawlor admitted it was “not an easy thing to do.”

The theme of the evening, “We Succeed Because of Who We Are” was reflected in the coaches’ video cameos, which opened the evening. Retired coach, Lynn Snider, stressed the importance of teams consisting of “good citizens, respectful people and hardworking and dedicated individuals.”

Coach Lawlor attributed the school’s long standing tradition of success to the community’s “rural routes…particularly the farming routes that have created individuals who don’t have to learn how to work hard.”

The evening was hosted by Jade Turner and Kieran Kusters, who did an outstanding job introducing presenters and the various winners of the awards. The power point presentation of each team in action was accompanied by a great selection of hip hop and rock favorites that kept everyone’s toes tapping.

Congratulations to all the winners, members and coaches on each team. Everyone knows that it takes a team of individuals to succeed. As one coach reminded the audience…it’s not really about winning but rather “the ability to look beyond yourself…it’s about supporting each other and physically and mentally doing your best every single time.”