Gilmer Track Celebrates Season at End of the Year Banquet

The Gilmer High School track team celebrated their 2013 season with a banquet on Tuesday, May 7th, which gave the team a final opportunity to come together and share their thoughts and experiences from the season.Following the team dinner came the presentation of awards. First up to hand out the plaques and trophies was Coach Barnes, the head coach of the girls’ team.

Coach Barnes highly praised each and every one of the girls on the team, and even went as far as to say that Jadie Green’s efforts as an anchor runner in one of the season’s last events was “the most inspirational things I have ever seen” in over twenty-five years of coaching. He also took the time to congratulate Rebecca Riddle, who had signed a scholarship with Brenau University the previous week.

Award winners from the girls’ team include Hope White (Coach’s Award), Emiline Stewart (Most Improved Running Event), and Jadie Green (Running Event MVP).

Coach Barnes ended his talk by thanking the girls and reminding them that

“If you don’t turn your uniforms in, you won’t get your report card!”

After Coach Barnes finished congratulating his players on a job well done, boys’ head coach Josh Ward stood up in front of the audience and let all in attendance know how proud he was of all of their efforts.

Coach Ward was especially proud of his sophomore vaulters, who he hilariously claimed had changed their vaulting movements “from horizontal to vertical” in close to a year’s time. He also made a point of emphasis in bragging on his group of six seniors (Shannon Burgess, Grant Matta, Nate Jones, Kyle Mise, and Jay Shockey), who he called a

“cohesive unit and great leaders”.

Award winners from the boys’ team include Jacob McBay (Most Improved Field Event), Austin Chastain (Most Improved Running Event), Bryson Mulkey (Field Event MVP), Ian Ray (Running Event MVP), and Tom Mise (Coach’s Award).