School athletes honored at gala
The evening of Thursday, June 12, the Shelter Island School gymnasium, the site of so many thrilling contests though the years, hosted the annual Varsity and Junior Varsity Athletic Awards Celebration.
The gym was set up with tables decorated in white table clothes and balloons with the school colors of blue and grey. Drinks and dessert were served as athletes, coaches, family members and administrative staff enjoyed a celebration of the past year’s athletic achievements.
Rick Osmer, Shelter Island School’s athletic director, emceed the event, kicking off the program by recognizing how special it was that the school won two county championships in one year. Both the girls volleyball and boys basketball teams earned Class D Suffolk County and Long Island crowns, and advanced to the quarter finals of the state tournament in their respective sports.
The coach of each team recognized all the players and gave out awards. Many added special comments about their athletes, eliciting both laughter and a lump in the throat for a few.
Charlie Binder and Evan Thilberg were recognized for their dedication to the sport of soccer, traveling to Greenport each day in the last combined sport that the school offers. Katherine Garrison praised her cheerleaders for supporting the basketball teams during the year and throughout the boys playoff run.
Peter Needham acknowledged the outstanding support of the Shelter Island Yacht Club of the sailing program, while honoring seniors Drew Garrison and Macklin Lang who both have sailed with the team since 2008.
Dr. Michael Hynes did the honors of recognizing 26 scholar-athletes who successfully combine the demands of athletic competition with the rigors of academics. The varsity golf team earned team academic accolades, while the JV tennis and varsity volleyball squads were honored with Team Sportsmanship awards. Both teams had extremely successful seasons, disproving the belief by some that sportsmanship is a code word for “doesn’t win much.”
Coaches Mike Mundy and Karen Gibbs announced their intention to step down or take a hiatus from the coaching ranks. Mike has coached basketball since 1997, teaching skills to both girls and boys at the junior high, JV and varsity levels. Karen has coached volleyball to both girls and boys at the junior high level, as well as the girls’ JV team for the past 5 years. They will be missed for their dedication to their sports and building the love of the game in their athletes.
The evening ended with a slide show highlighting all the teams in action. Special thanks to Erin Colligan, Taylor Sherman and Peter Miedema for putting together the excellent photomontage.
It was a great night and all should be proud of the student athletes who represent the school and community, and the coaches and volunteer coaches who teach our students both skills of the games and enduring life lessons.
Shelter Island School Athletic Award Recipients 2013-2014
Scholar Athletes (average of 90 or above)
Caitlin Binder Elizabeth Larsen Jennilyn Case
Bianca Evangelista Kelly Colligan Erin Colligan
Francesca Frasco Elizabeth Dunning Matthew Dunning
Lindsey Gallagher Peter Kropf Drew Garrison
Madison Hallman Emily Hyatt Aterahme Lawrence
Sarah Lewis Kenna McCarthy Maksym Moroz
Melissa Frasco Richard Ruscica Sawyer Clark
Nicolette Frasco Olivia Garrison William Garrison
Matthew BeltCappellino Julia Labrozzi
Butch Dellacave Award, for athletes who also excel in academics: Matthew Dunning and Brianna Kimmelmann
Suffolk Zone Fitness Award, for superior participation in Physical Education classes: Drew Garrison and KeriAnn Mahoney
Army National Scholar Athlete Award. for outstanding academic and athletic achievement: Matthew BeltCappellino and Erin Colligan
Shelter Island Sportsman Award, for exemplifying the balance of friendliness and competitiveness in sports: Spencer Gibbs and KeriAnn Mahoney
Gold Key Award, Matthew BeltCappellino for exceptional participation in athletics throughout his high school career
Sport MVP Award Coaches Award
Varsity Golf Spencer Gibbs Matthew Dunning
Varsity Volleyball Erin Colligan Logan Pendergrass
JV Volleyball Taylor Rando Elizabeth Larsen
JV Tennis KeriAnn Mahoney Madison Hallman
V Boys Basketball Tristan Wissemann Riley Willumsen
JV Boys Basketball William Boeklen Henry Lang
JV Girls Basketball Aterahme Lawrence Serina Kaasik
JV Baseball Spencer Gibbs Matthew BeltCappellino
JV Softball Kenna McCarthy Emily Hyatt