On Monday,  January 10th, Ascension took the night to honor its athletes, specifically the fall sports: football, cheerleading, dance, cross country, swimming and volleyball. Every person attending can testify that the gym was filled with excitement and success. The athletes closed their seasons, some of them for the last time, on a positive note. The hardworking students sighed with relief and contentment over their past season. Most students can advocate that balancing school and sports and sleep is a challenge. Many of them are glad to have additional free time in place of practice.

Booster Club worked hard to organize the specifics of the event.  Just as they did through the sports season, these parents spend time providing and supporting their teams. Acting as fan squads in the stands and team managers, the parents are the foundation for the successful teams. Ascension’s parents have a special talent for keeping hearts and stomachs full. The decorations set the professional mood for the special night.

Each coach elaborated and expanded on their team’s achievements, boasting about how proud they are. For every team, coaches and sponsors nominated Coaches and Outstanding Player awards. Coach McCullough was our inside source for the process of nomination. He warned that he would be lying if he told details, but Coach said, “different coaches have different methods for nominating awards.” In his time as a coach of both baseball and football, he has seen “some are voted on by players and some handpicked by coaching staff.” The program also honored the individual accomplishments throughout the season such as All-District and records set.

The banquet was strategically scheduled on one of the only nights that does not have school sports games. This night happened to also be the same night as the National Championship game. Due to this overlap of interests, the banquet was straight to the point and relatively shorter than previous years. Many coaches voiced their loyalties for that championship football game within their speeches, without drawing away from their focus of the players.

Overall, it was an emotional conclusion to the winter season. For the seniors, it was their final celebration of their high school accomplishments in that sport. The school is thankful to all of the parents who contributed to the planning and production. The success of the night mirrored the success of the fall sports. Clearly, the night was meaningful to athletes and their parents alike.