Blue and Gold All Out Awards

The MHS track and field team sign the banner of yet another championship at the Blue and Gold All Out Awards last Thursday night inside the Tom Karren Gymnasium.

By Jonathan Guignard

Guij26@gmail.com

Blue, gold and a whole lot of smiles filled the Tom Karren Gymnasium in Magrath last Thursday night to honour the school’s best athletes of the season.

With the year coming to end, Darryl Christensen ,Vice principal and Athletic Director, believes the Blue and Gold 2016 All Out Awards is a great way to celebrate what has  been another great season of Magrath High School athletics.

“We try to celebrate excellence and teamwork. It’s the things Magrath High School hopes to be developing and something we become noted for,” said Christensen. The Westwind high schools generally have great success in athletics, so we like to find a way to celebrate our students.

There were many athletes who received awards, two notables were the athletes of the year. Cassidy Cook and Tyson Bourne brought home those honours.

“It’s a great experience and to know that I can be part of the legacy of the girls that have won before me, seeing their names on the plaque. It’s kind of cool,” said Cook.

“It feels good, it’s a huge honour sharing it with the all the people who have won it before,” said Bourne.

Christensen adds an event like this can benefit students going forward.

“We hope it encourages a sense of team work, we hope it encourages them to try their best so they can have an opportunity to be recognized maybe in a different way,” said Christensen. On the court people cheer and clap, maybe this is a way for them to be recognized for the culmination of a year.”

Magrath high school has a great history with sports and it’s something the school takes pride in .

“We are very proud of what we have been able to accomplish, we are still the smallest team to ever win a 4A boys basketball title, ( check in style guide) I think we are the smallest girls team to win a 3A basketball title,” said Christensen. In more recent years we’ve begun to develop our volleyball programs. Last year for example we won the boys and girls provincial titles . I would like think that we’re trying to build tradition of character and as well athletic success through winning.”

The fun didn’t stop there, the evening wrapped up with Magrath High School alumni Brad Karren being inducted into the MHS Hall of Fame. Karren is currently coaching the Lethbridge College womens’ basketball team. Some of his accolades include coaching a college national championship team, named college coach of the year for Alberta six times along with being named national coach of the year. He has also coached MHS baseball.