by KELLY FRIESEN
Journal editor
The Humboldt Collegiate Institute paid tribute to their athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers at their second annual Athletics Awards Night on June 4.
Among the 23 awards handed out, the individual Athlete of the Year trophies stood out as the most notable. Aiden Wickenhauser took the Sr. Male Athlete of the Year while Angela Baran was named the Sr. Female Athlete of the Year. Erik Gardiner captured the Jr. Male Athlete of the Year while Elish McAnnally won the Jr. Female Athlete of the Year.
"The highlight of the evening is probably the individual awards for all of the sports," said Shaun Gardiner, athletic director at HCI. "They are impressive awards to win because they were top athletes of their age groups."
Giving gratitude to Jim Moore for the countless hours he has dedicated to officiating basketball was another standout recognition.
"We did a very special presentation to Jim Moore as an official; he's been involved in basketball for probably 30-plus years," said Gardiner. "We recognized him for all of the time and work he has put in. The school greatly appreciates his contributions."
The province recognized HCI with two team awards in 2013. They won bronze medals in boys' golf and 2A-boys' soccer.
The golf program's accolade ultimately put them in the conversation of HCI athletic programs that have taken notable steps forward in the past couple of years.
"I believe our golf program is moving forward under Cam Koski and Kerri Archibald. It's improved because now the season is longer and they have a spring season that rolls into the fall," said Gardiner. "I also think our boys basketball is on the upswing because we have kids that want to play and good coaches."
All in all, Gardiner believes Humboldt had a successful year of high school sports.
"I would say we've had a good year, although we haven't won a number of medals," he said. "We are happy with the number of kids participating and that we have a very stable coaching staff. As we move forward we feel every year we'll be able maintain our consistency or even improve it depending on the quality of athletes."
The main concern for athletics at HCI is some students are having trouble finding the time for sports because they have employment commitments.
"One concern we do have as a coaching staff is the number of kids that are working," said Gardiner. "It seems like it's more and more every year. It's hard to pull kids away from a decent job, but we think it's important for kids to get into athletic programs while they're in school."
