With Fort High’s graduation ceremony set for tonight, the book on the 2001-02 Muskie season is officially closed.
However, a handful of student athletes will continue to ply their trade at the college/university level next season.
But before I start (cue “Pomp and Circumstance”), I’d just like to say while high school graduation is a special day to look back fondly on the years of our youth, it’s also a chance to look ahead with wide-eyed optimism.
After all, are these years merely a sliding door in that subway car called . . . life?
(cut music)
Sorry, that was a sampling from my prepared speech as high school valedictorian which, sadly, was never used. Apparently some higher-ups from my high school, Port Arthur Collegiate in Thunder Bay, didn’t give that honour to guys who barely scraped by with a B+ average (and yes, I’m rounding up here).
Where was I? Oh yeah, don’t drink your tuition money away.
The End.
Seriously, here’s what graduating Muskies will be up to this fall.
Jock Gemmell will be attending Mount Allison University (in New Brunswick) with their computer science program and will try out for outside linebacker on the football team.
The Mounties, coached by former black-and-gold coach Scott Fawcett, also announced the signing of two more ex-Muskies—Gary Wager, who started at quarterback two years ago, and Chad Canfield, who graduated two years ago.
Wager attended the University of Ottawa last year while Canfield is transferring from the University of Manitoba.
Meanwhile, Adam McTavish won a spot on the U of M Bison football team.
But he’s decided to play a year with the Winnipeg Rifles of the Canadian Senior Football League to save eligibility while he takes general studies courses in hopes of enrolling in the physiotherapy program.
Christin Thomson will be going to St. John’s University in Long Island, N.Y. on a partial golf scholarship. She’ll be enrolling at that school’s sports management program.
Entering her first year with amateur status, Thomson said she’ll play a few more out-of-town tournaments this summer as well as some local ones, including the annual Ladies Open in August, before heading to New York.
And Sarah Barton and Kristin Roehrig of the Muskie girls’ hockey team, while not graduating this year, qualified for the Northern Hawks regional team set to play in tournaments this summer.
In other news, Denis Barnard was the highest local finisher at last weekend’s Dryden Walleye Masters tournament. Fishing with Orest Kocuiba of Dryden, they reeled in 13.88 pounds to finish in 54th place at the two-day derby.
Dryden’s Brian Olinik and Howard Guy topped the 113 boat field with 24.22 pounds.
Rick Socholotuk and Tracy Gibson of here were 88th overall with 10 pounds while Emo Walleye Classic co-champion Harvey Cochrane, fishing with Ed Morrison, finished 107th with just 4.78 pounds.
Tourney organizer John Butts said the turnout was about average—which was good considering so many area highways were closed last week due to the flooding.
