A first, second or third placing is what most athletes aim to achieve during a tournament or competition, but there is a higher award that is handed out by the Alberta Schools' Athletic Association, and three Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School teams have received that honour.
The school's Boy's Senior Volleyball Team, the Boy's Senior Curling Team, and the Boy's Senior Handball Team each won the Sportsmanship Award at their respective ASAA tournaments during the 2023/2024 school year.
"To win three Sportsmanship Awards in one year is really amazing for our school. It speaks to the culture we are trying to build within our athletic program," said Chris Good, Principal at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School. "The Sportsmanship Award is the highest honour that ASAA gives out. When you qualify for the provincial championships the host committee meets and discusses which teams are exhibiting sportsmanship during the tournament. It's judged over the entire tournament and at the end, the most deserving team is awarded the honour."
He added at Lindsay Thurber, students learn school values including Respect, Empathy, Achievement, Courage and Honour, as well as Division Values for Learning and Life of Respectful, Collaborative, Responsible, Curious, Resilient and Healthy.
"Our athletic program really tries to instill all of these values and that is what we expect to see when there are practices and games," said Chris. "It shows that our athletics program has done a great job of building that culture - our teachers, our coaches and our student athletes. The parents of these boys also deserve credit. It really shows the families that we have at the school who are so supportive of our athletics program and they are instilling those values in their kids too. These kids are such a great reflection of their families, their school and of our city."
Owen House, a Grade 12 student at Lindsay Thurber who was on all three teams that won the Sportsmanship Award, said it feels great to have been part of each team.
"It means that we did our best and respected everyone in the venues that we were at no matter what the outcome was," he said. "These awards are important to me because it shows that we work really hard on our teams, and even though the goal is winning, we can still be respectful, have good work ethic and make sure that others are also achieving their own success."
Chris said as a Principal, he couldn't be more proud of the recognition for the three sports teams.
"I am so fortunate to have the job that I have, to get to work with the staff that I do and be part of the high school and athletic experience of the kids in our school," he said. "Whether they are winning or not, we know they are going to show up, they are going to work hard and they are going to play with class. To win three Sportsmanship Awards in one year recognizes that."
