Athletes who competed in several sports that were new to Queen Margaret’s School in 2021-22 were among those who were recognized at the school’s Athletics Banquet on Wednesday, June 22.
Among the new sports at QMS this past year were senior boys basketball and soccer, girls and boys wrestling, boys rugby sevens, all-gender badminton, Grade 8 and junior track and field, and mountain biking.
“We’re building a culture of sports,” head of school David Robertson said. “Meaningful sports experiences have always played a part in a complete education and I’m so pleased for our students and their coaches.”
QMS senior athletics director Marlene Donaldson was also excited to see the growth in sports at the school.
“Our Sports Captains themselves decided the theme for this year’s banquet should be ‘The Future is Bright,’” she related. “Buy-in from the students is huge and when they start believing in themselves, anything is truly possible. We are all excited about the progress we are making in our athletics programming, and we look forward to ongoing developments next year both on and off the courts and fields.”
The Senior Athletes of the Year were Yichen Gao on the boys side and Phoenix Skailes on the girls side. Gao was also named MVP in both cross-country and badminton, and Skailes was named girls wrestling MVP after winning gold in the 90kg class at the provincial championships.
The Junior Athletes of the Year were Isaac Morgan, who was also the junior MVP in boys soccer, and Maggie Mycroft, who was MVP of girls rugby and co-MVP in junior A volleyball.
The Grade 8 Athletes of the Year were Ethan Chen and Layla Walker. Chen was also named MVP for Grade 8 track and field and received the Spirit Award for senior boys soccer.
Grade 12 student Charlie Roberts received the Leadership Award, which goes to “a student who has exemplified excellent leadership skills and abilities and has supported and enhanced the school’s athletic community through their efforts.”
Grade 10 student Ethan Picard was presented with the Coaches Award, which goes to an athlete who is passionate and respectful, leads by example and always attends practices and games.
Another Grade 12, Tim Nian, capped off his senior year as MVP of senior boys basketball and soccer and took home the Spirit of the Royals Award which is awarded to an athlete who embodies the core values of QMS: personal excellence, character and service.