Celebrating BMU Athletes
Gabby Houghton and Kason Blood receive the Outstanding Sportsman Award at BMU’s sports banquet on Tuesday May 30th, 2023.
June 2, 2023
WELLS RIVER – On Tuesday May 30th, 2023 Blue Mountain Union high school athletes along with their family and friends gathered in the school cafeteria to celebrate this year’s sports season and its participating athletes. The banquet included a spread of Italian cuisine and desserts for the guests to enjoy before the celebration began.
Todd Powers, BMU’s 7-12 athletic director, started off the night by introducing the Athletic Leadership Council. This group of students attended the Vermont Athletic Leadership Conference in November of 2022, returning to BMU with new ideas to help improve their school’s athletic program. Each of the six members — Ricky Fennimore, Jordan Alley, Karli Blood, Kason Blood, Tom Huang, and Kaydence McKean — as well as Powers, wrote speeches about the important life lessons that athletes can take away from sports and carry into the real world. The audience listened to the wise words spoken about integrity, academic responsibility, confidence, accountability, mental resilience, leadership, and selflessness.
As the speeches concluded, the high school coaches were invited up on the stage where Powers announced each participating athlete along with their accomplishments for each sport. The student athletes collected their certificates and shook hands with the coaches on the way back to their seat.
The honor of Outstanding Sportsperson of the year was awarded to two athletes, chosen for their fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect, and responsibility. Gabby Houghton and Kason Blood earned the title this year. Houghton was described by one of her coaches as “quite simply an incredible human being.” Blood’s coach explained, “Kason represents all of the ideals of sportsmanship and leads by example on a consistent basis.”
To end the night, Powers expressed his gratitude for each of the Blue Mountain Union high school student athletes. He challenged the audience to recognize and celebrate the life lessons demonstrated by coaches, teammates, and community, reminding listeners that athletics create memories and experiences that athletes will carry with them wherever their lives brings them.
