Fort High caps off solid athletic season

As Fort High held its final recognition night at the J.A. Mathieu Auditorium on Monday evening, athletic director Rick Wiedenhoeft reflected on another fine year in sports and pondered what the future will be like in the new facility at Westfort.
Muskie teams captured eight NorWOSSA titles and three NWOSSAA crowns in 1998-99, which Wiedenhoeft said is on par with past years.
And he’s optimistic they will continue that trend down the road.
“I think what we accomplished this year [in championships] is the norm considering we have three schools in the league,” Wiedenhoeft noted yesterday morning.
“It was another good year in the number of championships, and we probably could have had another one in football,” he added.
Wiedenhoeft also envisions an even stronger program when they move into their new gymnasium this fall.
“[Without] a doubt, it will help our court sports because we’re forced to practice on a smaller facility and we don’t get the physical conditioning,” he reasoned.
Still, the senior boys’ and junior girls’ volleyball teams, along with the junior girls’ basketball team, all won NorWOSSA gold this past year while playing in the old gym.
The Muskies also earned NorWOSSA titles in hockey, mixed curling, girls’ soccer, junior boys’ singles badminton (Adrian Bondett), and senior girls’ singles badminton (Katie Vittie).
Vittie, the hockey team, and senior boys’ volleyball team went on to capture NWOSSAA crowns.
Athletic award winners Monday night included:
•Athletes of the Year–Laureen Cousineau (Female) and Terry LaBelle (Male);
•Rookie of the Year–Jamie Whitecrow (Female) and Patrick Fleming (Male);
•President’s award–Karen Harris (for sportsmanship);
•Football awards–Terry LaBelle (Paul Renaud Trophy as MVP), Chris Matheson, Tim Chabot, and Dana Preston (Marc Degagne Award for outstanding contribution), Chad Canfield and Pete Moen (Reese Scofield Memorial Plaque), and Jock Gemmel (Muskie ‘B’ MVP);
•Volleyball MVP awards–Jason Jones (senior boys), Karen Harris (senior girls), Benj DeGroot (junior boys), and Kelly Crawford (junior girls);
•Basketball MVP awards–Chad Avis (senior boys), Laureen Cousineau (senior girls), Roy Tighe (junior boys), and Sarah Noonan (junior girls);
•Hockey awards–Brad Gushulak (MVP) and Ryan Armstrong (outstanding contribution);
•Curling MVP awards–Matt Gushulak (boys), Laura McTaggart (girls), and Scott Gosman (mixed);
•Badminton MVP awards–James Booth/Jason Brant (senior boys), Katie Vittie (senior girls), Adrian Bondett (junior boys), and Chantel Shine (junior girls);
•Soccer awards–Adam McTavish (boys’ MVP), Karma Chudobiak (girls’ MVP), Colin Wielinga and Jordan Roy (Jim Curr Senior Memorial Trophy for outstanding contribution), and Tanya Hughes (girls’ outstanding contribution); and
•Swimming awards (Most dedicated)–Jeff Plumridge (male) and Sarah McTavish (female).