Athletics Banquet Celebrates the Present while Honoring the Past

by Amanda Panaro
edited by Casey Williams

The 2009-2010 Franklin Pierce Athletics Banquet sent out a message of pride, passion, and success on Sunday night in the Fieldhouse for its seventeen varsity teams.

The evening began in the bubble, where student athletes joined their coaches among others involved in the programs, for buffet style dining. Sodexho served a variety of Chinese, Italian, and American foods, including a dessert table.

Just after 5 p.m. everyone gathered in the Fieldhouse where Bruce Kirsh, Vice President and Director of Athletics, began his opening remarks. The ceremony was a combination of “Celebrating the present and honoring the past,” as it consisted of various scholarship awards, the sports montage, and five Hall of Fame inductees.

Student-athletes in the bubble prior to the event.

Among the award winners was sophomore Tim Quinn, of the baseball team, who received the Don and Judy Schriefer Scholarship. Days prior, Coach King approached him and practice and according to Quinn, said, “You’ve been doing a great job and I want to help you by giving you this scholarship.”

Quinn said it was an honor to be selected, and that the money donated will help him finance his remaining college years.

The sports montage, co-produced by Ashley Owen and Meghan Masterson, took the audience through each of the seventeen teams’ seasons, as they occurred sequentially throughout the year.

“Our biggest goal was to highlight every sport equally, and I think we did that,” said Owen. “It was a successful, year-long project.”

Some Hall of Fame inductees chose to keep their speeches to a minimum, as was the situation with Pauliina Auveri, a 1999 women’s soccer graduate, who said in entirety, “I am not sure what to say, but thank you.”

In contrast, Justin Blood, 2005 baseball alum, took time to thank those who supported him throughout his baseball career, while also sending a message to the student-athletes in attendance. The basis of his advice was centered on the idea that there are three aspects of life that you can control, both on and off the field, which consist of attitude, effort, and concentration.

The evening also honored Juanita Brown, of the 1999 women’s basketball team, Michael Johnson of the 1989 men’s soccer team, and Philip Crystal, a 1975 graduate and generous contributor, by inducting them into the Hall of Fame.

President James Birge closed the evening, sharing that throughout his first year at Franklin Pierce, it has been a joy to be part of the Athletics Program.

The 2009-2010 athletic year has now concluded, with the exception of the baseball team, which hosts the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament later this week.