Fort Frances High School held its athletic awards banquet Thursday night at the Ukrainian Hall and a number of graduating students will have some hardware to remember their Muskie years by.
Steve Boileau was the athlete with the big total, taking home male Athlete of the Year honours, as well as a Letterman award, Outstanding Defensive Player (football), and Outstanding Contribution (soccer).
“It’s just overwhelming,” he admitted. “Just a feeling you won’t be able to get out of your system for a while.”
Presenter Shane Beckett said the Athlete of the Year award was well-deserved—going to someone who played soccer, badminton, basketball, and hockey in his high school career, as well as being a force in football for the black-and-gold.
“I will truly miss him on and off the field,” Beckett said.
Boileau didn’t linger on stage, humbly accepting the award.
“It’s nice to have Mr. Beckett there,” he said afterwards. “You really get to know someone when they coach you that long.”
Boileau added it was “surprising” to receive so many awards because he felt the 2006-07 school year, hampered by injury, was less impressive than his accomplishments last season.
Female Athlete of the Year honours, meanwhile, went to Alyssa Holliday, who also netted a Letterman award for competing in basketball, volleyball, and soccer.
Holliday was equally ecstatic about the award.
“I really wanted this award throughout high school. It’s a good feeling to win it,” she said. “It was exciting to get it just because I know how much it means and how prestigious an award it is.
“I think it’s a huge accomplishment just to be recognized through all three of my sports through high school,” Holliday added.
Other major award winners were Boyd Badiuk (including Grade 12 Boy for Academic and Athletic Achievement, as well as MVP for the senior boys’ volleyball team and a Letterman award) and swimmer Alex Parent (Sportsmanship and Perseverance).
Presenter John Dutton insisted Parent was “a humble and likeable guy,” and very much deserving of the honour.
“He’s a class act,” Dutton added.
Muskie soccer, basketball and volleyball’s Nicole Mueller, who played Muskie soccer, basketball, and volleyball, took home female Rookie of the Year while Joe Basaraba was named male Rookie of the Year for his strong effort on the hockey team, as well as contributions to volleyball and soccer.
Presenter Shane Bliss joked that Basaraba “kind of reminded me of a young Shane Bliss,” drawing laughs from the crowd.
The surprises of the night weren’t all necessarily happy ones – Beckett announced early on that he would be resigning as coach of the football team. MVP running back Terry Carmody thanked him for his years when he accepted his award, admitting that without his coaching, “I would not be the player I am today.”
Jordan York, president of the athletic council at Fort High, said the event “went pretty good.”
When asked if any moment of the night was particularly poignant for him, he thought of his friend Boileau’s awards, especially male Athlete of the Year.
“He deserves them. He’s an exceptional athlete,” York said.
As for Boileau, he took the end of the night as an early chance to look back at his Muskie career.
“What I’ll remember most about being in high school is sports [are] the memories, the friends you make, the stupid things, the championships, even the losses,” he remarked.
Here is the complete list of award winners:
•Letterman Awards—Boyd Badiuk, Steven Boileau, Natalie Cain, Kristina Caul, Michelle Cournoyer, Sandi Elliott, and Alyssa Holliday
•MVP Football—Terry Carmody
•Outstanding Contribution (football)—Allen Hunsperger
•Outstanding Defensive Player (football)—Steven Boileau
•MVP Jr. Girls’ Volleyball—Alex Crichton
•MVP Jr. Boys’ Volleyball—Steve Romaniuk
•MVP Sr. Girls’ Volleyball—Kristina Caul
•MVP Sr. Boys’ Volleyball—Boyd Badiuk
•MVP Jr. Girls’ Basketball—Kayla Windigo
•MVP Jr. Boys’ Basketball—Kurtis Hill
•MVP Sr. Girls’ Basketball—Emily Haggberg
•Most Improved (sr. girls’ basketball)—Blaire Harnett
•MVP Sr. Boys’ Basketball—Morgan Anderson
•Most Dedicated Male (swimming)—Alex Parent
•Most Dedicated Female (swimming)—Nichole Lowey
•MVP Jr. Badminton—Shawnee Morriseau
•MVP Sr. Badminton—Tim Desjardins/Jamie Jensen
•MVP Cheerleading—Jill Howarth
•Rookie of the Year (cheerleading)—Jennifer Spence
•MVP Girls’ Curling—Jenna Enge/Megan Moate
•MVP Boys’ Curling—David Kaun
•MVP Girls’ Hockey—Carly Holt
•Rookie of the Year (girls’ hockey)—Erika Anderson
•MVP Boys’ Hockey—Kyle Turgeon
•Rookie of the Year (boys’ hockey)—Joe Basaraba
•MVP Girls’ Soccer—Natalie Cain
•Outstanding Contribution (girls’ soccer)—Blaire Harnett/Claire Crichton
•MVP Boys’ Soccer—Chad Faragher
•Outstanding Contribution (boys’ soccer)—Steven Boileau
•Grade 12 Male for Academic and Athletic Achievement—Boyd Badiuk
•Sportsmanship and Perseverance—Alex Parent
•Female Rookie of the Year—Nicole Mueller
•Male Rookie of the Year—Joe Basaraba
•Female Athlete of the Year—Alyssa Holliday
•Male Athlete of the Year—Steven Boileau
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
