Mitch Calvert
The next course of action for Muskie graduate Taylor Meyers should include buying a bigger trophy case.
The multi-sport athlete hauled in an unprecedented number of awards at the Muskie athletic awards banquet last Tuesday night at the Ukrainian Hall—but the most impressive honour bestowed upon her came in the form of a Hall of Fame induction.
Much like the Hall of Fame in major professional sports, the Muskies only induct those athletes who have truly stood above the rest, excelling in the sports arenas as well as the classrooms.
Natalie Desjardins was the last to be inducted in 2006.
“This is a distinction given to an athlete who demonstrates mastery in all sports that they were involved with,” Muskie girls’ hockey coach Chris Hill said when presenting the award to Meyers.
“She’s what we envision as a Muskie athlete,” he added. “A great student-athlete who is respected by all her teammates, classmates, and teachers, and I truly believe she is the complete package.”
Excelling in basketball, hockey, and soccer, Meyers also was recognized with the female athlete of the year and MVP honours in both girls’ soccer and hockey.
“She is an overpowering athlete that combined size, conditioning, speed, game sense, and co-ordination to dominate for the basketball, hockey, and soccer teams she played for,” Fort High vice-principal Ian Simpson said.
“She’s shown great leadership as a captain and as a player,” he added. “She led by example through hard work and dedication for each team she played for.
“She has stepped up and been a clutch performer when the situation called for her to do so, [and] we have watched this young lady represent her school with class,” Simpson lauded.
Meyers was humbled to receive so many accolades—choosing instead to recognize the fellow Muskie athletes who pushed her to be her best.
“There’s so many talented girls who are at my age. There are lots of girls in all the sports who could’ve got this,” she stressed.
“I’ve always played sports since I was young and I’ve just been naturally good at them, so it was a natural thing [to play in high school],” she reasoned.
Simpson, who coached Meyers with the basketball team, said she was able to balance a fiery competitiveness while maintaining respect for her opponents.
“She is a fierce competitor, but has shown she can handle success and adversity with good sportsmanship,” he remarked. “She maintains good marks and takes pride in her academic accomplishments.
“She has a presence in all aspects of school life, not just athletics,” Simpson said.
Meyers pointed to the Muskie girls’ 2-0 win over the Kenora Broncos in the NorWOSSA final last year, when she was in Grade 11, as the highlight of her sports career at Fort High.
“Probably the best feeling ever was winning NorWOSSA last year,” Meyers said. “We got two goals at the very end of the game and it was tight all the way before that.
“Going to OFSAA in soccer [this year] was awesome, but it was a little more expected than last year,” she noted.
Meyers will be attending the University of Waterloo this fall, enrolled in kinesiology.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to play any sports [at university],” she admitted. “The soccer coach [there] has talked about having me play soccer, but I don’t know if I plan to yet or not.”
Meanwhile, another big winner on the night was Justin Bujold, who took home male athlete of the year honours as well as the Douglas Morrow Memorial for male academic and athletic achievement.
“Over his Muskie career, he has received nothing but accolades for his athletic ability and his leadership by example,” boys’ soccer coach Shane Beckett said.
“After breaking his tibia last year early in the basketball season, he rehabbed it over the winter and was able to compete during the soccer season,” Beckett noted. “This type of injury would’ve not only ended some players’ years, but also their careers.
“It is his dedication to Muskie sports that helped him excel on the volleyball court, basketball court, and on the soccer field,” Beckett stressed.
“It wasn’t expected at all,” Bujold admitted. “There are a lot of talented athletes who could’ve got this award.
“I feel lucky and it’s a really great honour.”
Bujold, who plans to attend Lakehead University in Thunder Bay for mechanical engineering in the fall, played three different sports all the while maintaining an grade point average north of 93 percent in his best six classes.
“It takes lots of organization and just having to get really on top of your studies when you get home after the game,” Bujold reasoned. “[Sports] take away from your education a bit but in the end it’s always worth it.”
Bujold pointed to the improbable 1-0 overtime victory over the Kenora Broncos in the NorWOSSA soccer final this year as a particular moment that stood out.
“It’d have to be our final match against the Kenora Broncos when Mitch Cain scored that goal. I’m going to remember that day for the rest of my life,” Bujold enthused.
“I was in the background [in the Times’ photo] screaming, kind of embarrassing, but it was a great feeling.”
Other multi-award winners last Tuesday night included Matt DePiero (outstanding contribution to boys’ soccer and sportsmanship and perseverance), Lauren Gurski and Kayla Windigo (co-MVPs in both senior girls’ basketball and volleyball), and Brandon Sinclair (junior boys’ volleyball MVP and male rookie of the year).
“He’s extremely talented and I know he will continue to develop his skills,” junior boys’ basketball coach Greg Ste. Croix said of Sinclair, who also played volleyball and soccer this past school year.
“He has a quiet confidence that makes him a natural leader and a coach’s dream,” Ste. Croix added.
For video, check out www.fortfrances.tv
