The Athabasca Pacers football team celebrated a fun season last week.
After losing out in the playoffs, the team met one last time last Thursday for a fun game of touch football which included parents and Grade 8’s. After that they enjoyed a potluck dinner, during which head coach Pete Burden had (mostly) nice things to say about every member of the team.
“We like to end the year on a high note,” explained Burden, who teased each member of the team before detailing all of their accomplishments this season. “When you end the season with a loss, it can be tough to handle. We end the year on a fun note and remember the fun times throughout the season.”
There were plenty of those, and the coach gave all of his players credit for their success this season. He also thanked members of the school community (and the local community) for their help and support of the program. From the Grade 8 students who help set up for games and do stats, to the teacher ambassadors that represent the team in the school, to the volunteers who run the concessions during games, a lot of work goes into the Pacers football program.
Equipment manager Jeff Busby was one of those to receive the sincere thanks of the players and the coaches. The players combined their efforts and purchased a team jacket for Jeff.
“He’s the heart and soul of our team,” said one player, Mitchell Snow.
Assistant coach Terry Smith agreed that Jeff was deserving of thanks and was pleased to see his players take the initiative in doing something for him.
“Team spirit doesn’t get any better than that. That’s what football camaraderie is all about.”
The team also said goodbye to two graduating players, Scott Taylor and Adam Koop-Blouin, both of whom will be missed, according to Burden.
“Scott has all the tools to go to the next level if he wants. Adam, for never playing before, picked it up very fast and did a great job for us.”
The team will probably host a skills clinic in February so the players can keep sharp and so newcomers can give the sport a try.
