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Near the end of each season, team members get together to vote for awards. These team awards reflect the diverse ways in which athletes make contributions. '07 saw our largest team in two decades, 84 girls in all.

As you can imagine, with only one winner in each category, this means a lot of deserving individuals won't receive recognition. I would like parents, friends and most importantly the athletes on the team to know that everyone's efforts this year were greatly appreciated by their teammates. This was reflected by the diversity of names that appeared on the ballots. Now to the winners.

Rookie of the Year

Part of our success this year was as a result of new contributors. Eight different athletes received mention – all good candidates. It was not by chance that the top four vote getters played critical roles all year, and that each qualified for state-level competition during their rookie season.

Top vote getters included:

• Nicole Matte who had the highest jump on the team this year at 5'1”, placed 5 th in the State Coaches Invitational, and scored over thirty points.
• Chelsea Ryan who not only excelled as an individual in the 800M, but was a critical element of our 4X800M team that placed second at the State Coaches Meet. She also ran an outstanding 4X400M leg against Mansfield when it was most needed.
• Lyndsey Rasicot who showed talent in a range of events from the 100M to 400M, all three jumping events and both the 4X100 and 4X400 relays.

This year's winner qualified for states in three events, the 100M, 100M hurdles and triple jump. She was third in the Hockomock League Championship 100M hurdles and 4 th in that event at the Class B Meet. In addition, she anchored the 4X100M relay team that placed 4 th in the State Finals, thus as a freshman she competed this past weekend at the New England Championships. Finally, she was our 5 th leading scorer with 77 points. In the long history of our program, only 6 freshmen have ever scored more points in their first year. They all went on to score over 500 points in their careers. No pressure Christy!

This winner is Christy Deininger

Most Improved

Another key element of our success was the great improvement shown by athletes. Twenty different names were mentioned, nine receiving multiple votes. Among that group were:

• Stephanie Moses who did not score a point last year but this year lettered, and was our go-to girl in the two-mile most meets.
• Julianne Cappadona who scored 4.5 points last year and this year became our third leading scorer with 82.25 points. Julianne also had the team's top performances in both the 100M dash and triple jump.

This year's winner spent a large part of last year injured, and scored a grand total of three points. This year she caught fire. When she wasn't walking around with a stiff neck, or recuperating from a spike wound, she was sprinting or leaping past the best in the league. Only a sophomore, at the League Meet she placed third in the 200M, third in long jump and was part of the second place 4X400M team – thus contributing 14 points to the championship effort.

This year's winner, the ever-smiling Carolyn Udall

Unsung Hero

For this award 24 names were mentioned. Among the top vote getters were Marrah Fry, Katy Flannery, Chelsea Ryan, Ashley Plante, Sadhana Yoder, DJ, Lauren Goldberg and Carolyn Udall.

They talk about the loneliness of the long distance runner. That really isn't true. A distance team is usually a very close-knit group. But when you watch the two-mile go off at the end of the meet and I've only put one runner into the race, that's a lot of pressure on one person.

Stephanie doesn't get a lot of publicity. But at least her teammates recognize that she deserves recognition.

This year's winner - Steph Moses.

Most Valuable Thrower

The category was the most valuable field event athlete. But after Liz totally dominated the Hockomock League in this event, she also dominated the voting for this award. She garnered 53 votes. No other athlete had more than three. She also won Most Amazing Performance

The voting in this one was a little closer. Let me recount some of the greatest performances of the season as mentioned by the team.

• Sara Krasney's 800M race at Franklin where she battled Lindsay Booth and Leah Godfrey, coming up with her season PR.
• Julianne Cappadona's great triple jump at Mansfield, placing second with a team leading 33'4” and stopping what looked like a Mansfield sweep.
• The 4X800M team at the State Coach's Invitational in a great battle with Feehan, Attleboro and Franklin, eventually finishing second - running sub-10.
• Nicole Matte's huge 5'1” jump, sending the message that their was a new sheriff in town.
• Kristen McLoughlin jumping close to 17' in the long jump.
• Chelsea Ryan staying up with Sara Krasney during the Attleboro meet, breaking through to get her state qualifying time and gaining a key point in a close Meet with Attleboro.
• In that same meet, Lyndsey Rasicot running her state qualifier.
• Also in that meet, Stephanie McNamara's battle with Emily Fournier in the mile and two-mile. The mile race was the third fastest time in NA history.

But most mentioned were two of Liz's classic performances. The drama of the Attleboro Meet couldn't be matched, the meet coming down to discus. With the whole team watching, her first throw was typical Malone. Everyone else was trying to hit 80', Liz stepped up and threw mid 90's, effectively telling Attleboro that the meet was now officially over!

But her best performance came at Hock's. Liz came in second ranked, and with the type of weather that confounds most discus throwers. To add another level of difficulty, just before her second throw and only a few feet away, the grounds crew started to blow dry the high jump area with the loudest leaf blower they could find. That throw went 102” and would not be beaten. On throw #6 Liz stepped back into the circle and put a punctuation mark on her second consecutive league championship with a winning toss of 103'9”

Most Valuable Runner

Among the contenders for this award were:

• Sarah Krasney for her contributions to the 400M, 800M, as well as the 4X400 and 4X800M relays.
• Kristen McLoughlin who placed 2 nd at the league meet in the 200M, and whose running exploits were a large part of her team leading total of over 100 points.
• Julianne Cappadona who placed 2 nd in the 100M at the league championship meet and whose running was a large part of her team third place point total.
• Kathleen Hennesey whose name has been synonymous with both the 100M and New England Championship 4X100M for the last three years.

Stephanie McNamara

Stephanie's contributions go much further than the times she has run, the records set, or the points scored. Having started as a sprinter, she has shown that sometimes you have to be willing to try new things, to truly find that at which you are good. Her excellence did not come easy, this year's amazing times a product of a summer dedicated to running, fueled by an inner drive to be the best.

But perhaps her greatest contribution was a willingness to put team goals above her own. That does not always come easy, or naturally to someone whose life has been marked by the individual goal of trying to be the best at everything she does.

Stephanie stated in her salutatory address, “I have to admit that it took me almost four years to realize the significance and importance of self-sacrifice. To sacrifice something for another person is no easy task.”

No it isn't. Especially when it requires putting on hold some personal goals, the end result in this case was that doubling mile and two mile in a stretch of difficult meets including the league championship kept her from attaining personal goals that were so clearly within her reach.

Explanation. Entering the league meet, I had decided not to double Stephanie. Her realization that doing so could greatly benefit the team led her to send me a flurry of e-mails. This was despite the fact it would clearly keep her from going after the mile school record. Her efforts accounted for a thirteen-point swing in the two-mile.

Having discovered after the league meet that she was running on a stress fracture, Stephanie's career ended early. She would not break the mile record nor reach the New England Championship. But after the initial disappointment wore off, Stephanie has come to realize that she was able to contribute significantly to something greater than one person alone can attain – an undefeated season and league championship. Her only expressed regret - that she was unable to help her 4 X 800 relay team in state competition.

Most Contributing Athlete

Kathleen Hennessey

This contest was no contest.

In track and field, for the last three years Kathleen Hennessey has been the athlete who gets things started. She's optimistic, focused and dedicated. The team picks up those vibrations. In effect, she infuses the team with her spirit.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the 4X100M Relay. For the last three years she has been the lead-off runner. During that time North has had the most consistently successful 4X100M team in the state.

It's Kathleen – better known as Tooti – who gets it started. Meet after meet she's the first out of the blocks, and nobody in the state runs a better relay corner. The past three years she's taken that success beyond state boundaries, placing third in the New England Championship 4X100M in both '06 and '07. She's also led the team to meet records at both the Hockomock League Championship and the MIAA State Division II Championship meets.

This year she made the most of being captain – once again leading things off. Before every meet she addresses the team, lending inspiration to not only her 4X100M group, but to the other 80-plus girls. It isn't by chance that her team went undefeated.

To the casual observer, it might appear that it is Kathleen's prowess in the jumps and sprints that makes her an incomparable athlete. Her teammates and coaches know better. It is her ability to bring out the best in those around her that has proven even more valuable.

Perhaps an E.F. Foster quote can put it into perspective. He said, “One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.” With Tooti on our side, we had everybody else outnumbered.

Grampa Estey Award

This is an award not chosen by the team, but by the coach. As you might guess, I find special significance in it, thus countless hours considering possible candidates.

I called him dad. But in 1994 North Attleboro athletes started calling him Grampa Estey. To them, he was Ethan and Emily's grandfather.

Grampa Estey never missed a meet, game or any other type of student event. He encouraged and consoled both athletes and parents. But, most of all, whenever he saw that something needed to be done Grampa Estey would step up and do it. In return he asked nothing. The enjoyment of helping others was enough.

Such was his popularity, that when he passed away parents and athletes banded together to create an area of benches and picnic tables at the far end of the track. A simple plaque in that area reads, “Ervin ‘Grampa” Estey    . . . whose friendly smile and words of encouragement have inspired countless athletes. His spirit is alive in those who run this track.”

His spirit is also alive in this award. It recognizes someone who holds those same special qualities.

There is a saying, “Life is what happens when you're making plans.” To me that means so often are we looking forward that we forget to enjoy the moment. Life is really what is happening now.

Much like Grampa Estey, this person lives in the moment. She is always up beat, always helping out behind the scenes, and enjoys every minute she is around the track. The last few years would not have gone so smoothly, had she not been around.

If I were to begin to tell you all the things this person does without recognition, we would be here a very long time, and I'm not sure I could get the words out anyway.

The 2007 recipient of the Grampa Estey Award is:

Becky Hennessey