WILKIE ‑ McLurg athletics have been recognized by the Saskatchewan High School Athletics Association.
SHSAA representatives were on hand April 5 to present both the McLurg boys' and girls' volleyball teams with the SHSAA provincial sportsmanship award.
The Broncs boys' team won provincial gold at the event held in November of 2021, while the girls' team competed at provincials but were unable to advance to championship rounds.
Dave Sandomirsky, the executive director of SHSAA, tells the Press-Herald / SASKTODAY.ca, "I was privileged to present these awards at McLurg and it shows that students are doing the right things, making actions like this a positive part of my job."
"From the provincial competitions, the officials, the host committee, the SHSAA reps in attendance and teams competing, all provide feedback as to who should win this award," he said.
He added, “It is very rare we present two banners to the same school.”
Some of the comments Sandomirsky shared from the nominations included that the McLurg boys went undefeated and even as a strong team, they never acted that way. McLurg boys chose to lift other teams up and were very sportsmanlike throughout the event, he said.
He also said McLurg did an exceptional job of hosting conferences safely amid COVID-19 protocols and teams all said they felt welcome and that McLurg ran a great conference playoff event.
On the girls' side, Sandomirsky said the McLurg girls' team received recognition in a number of aspects. Teams reported both coaches were courteous on and off the court, and that they were professional and positive even when the team was struggling. Both team and coaches were courteous with officials and opposing teams.
It was also noted that coaches corrected a call by linesperson to have a reversed call to benefit the other team and called their own touches on the net even at critical points in the game, showcasing they always put the integrity of the game first.
Acknowledgement was also given to the McLurg fans for being courteous and friendly in both provincial events, cheering at appropriate times.
“It is obvious the culture of the school is such that students are very sportsmanlike in all athletics and obviously take pride in representing their school. Maintaining a high level of conduct to be recognized by your peers is remarkable,” said Sandomirsky.
