The 62nd annual St. Joseph’s Sports Night was held on Wednesday night, March 28th at the Claremont Senior Center and more than 110 people were in the audience. At this special event, four graduating seniors from Stevens High School were honored for their athletic achievements.
Kelsey Belisle (Unsung Female Student-Athlete) was a member of girls basketball, unified basketball, girls soccer, and unified track. She was also a member of the key club, the national honors society, and student council. Belisle was also a volunteer youth soccer coach. Mitchell Paquette (Unsung Male Student-Athlete) was a member of boys soccer, boys basketball, and track and field. He was a member of the key club and the national honors society, and was also a volunteer youth soccer coach. Elyse Scott (Top Female Student-Athlete) played field hockey, unified track, and was a member of the swim team. She is a licensed lifeguard and has participated in triathlons and cyclecross races. She was a member of the key club, the national honors society, and student council. Drew Grenier (Top Male Student-Athlete) played boys soccer, boys basketball, track and field, and baseball. He was a member of both the national honors society and the key club. Grenier also attended St. Paul’s Engineering program.
All four student-athletes had remarkable speeches that made their family members, coaches, and friends proud of what the athletes have accomplished in their young lives. Audience members laughed at parts, cried at others, and ultimately came away reflecting on what bright young kids that these four are.
Kelsey Belisle spoke first out of the four. She said, “There are not enough words to describe the honor it is to be accepting the Unsung Female Athlete award alongside Elyse, Mitchell, and Drew. Being the recipient of the Unsung award has really made me reflect on the person I have grown into, not only as an athlete, but as an individual. I know there will be a time when athletics will no longer have a spot in my life, but I know that I will be able to handle this adversity thanks to my time at Stevens.”
“Throughout my time at Stevens, I have discovered what it means to be both a leader and a supporter. Anyone who has seen me on the soccer field or the basketball court knows that I have had many roles to fill. I was a teammate, a friend, and a supporter. On the basketball court… my team’s success was more important to me than my personal growth. On the soccer field, I was in a totally different role. I was a leader, shaping the overall dynamic of the team with almost every move. I wanted to be the best possible version of myself, not for me but for those around me.”
Belisle credited her time helping the unified basketball team for her unselfishness. She said, “Unified taught me how to help others, how to work with many different personalities towards a shared goal. Their success was my success. The pure joy that filled them whenever they made a basket was pure joy that filled me too.”
Mitchell Paquette was next to speak: “Thank you to all my teammates that made the sports I played so enjoyable and made me want to play continuously. I want to thank my dad, who did not know much about soccer, but learned the game just because I wanted to play it, and coached me all the way up through high school. So thank you for all you have done, not just for me, but for that whole group. One of the biggest ways [soccer] has helped me is to get out of my comfort zone. My parents always got comments from other parents and coaches about how shy and quiet I was. Eventually, [through soccer] I began to talk a bit more and become friends with the other players. My coaches wanted me to become more of a vocal leader and this paid off when I was named captain of the Varsity team when I was a sophomore.”
Soccer both helped Mitchell develop people skills as well as pave the way for his future: “Soccer played a major role in me choosing my major for college. I have coached two summer soccer rec teams and I am currently coaching a futsal team. I volunteered to coach these teams because I enjoy teaching kids my favorite sport. I have chosen to go with sports management in college due to all of these factors having to do with soccer. I hope to become a soccer club manager or a soccer coach.”
Elyse Scott took the podium next, saying, “It’s an honor to be up here [accepting this award] especially because my mom received it and my sister received it two years ago.” Elyse then took a moment to list off some lessons that she has learned from playing field hockey, unified track, and swimming. Here are some of the valuable lessons that she shared to the audience:
“It’s only you out there in the pool. You only have yourself to blame for your mistakes… mental barriers are so much more difficult to surpass than any physical barrier… teammates are the only ones who understand what you’re feeling… your team will be your family for life… always dress in layers… be prepared to get knocked down, but always be ready to get back up… be grateful for the things that you have… no matter how insignificant you think you are, you are making an impact on someone… take it one step at a time, you’ll get there eventually.”
Scott wrapped up her insightful words by thanking her family: “You are the reason I am standing here today. You have taught me everything there is to know. I don’t tell you enough how much I value my family. You are the main reason I want to do well in school and sports. I want to grow up to be just like you.”
Drew Grenier was last to speak. He started with an interesting thought: “There have been times where I ask myself, what is the point? Why do I spend the majority of my time playing games? Kicking a ball into a net… putting a ball into a hoop… running around a 400 meter oval… hitting a ball with a bat. I could be spending my time doing literally anything else. But the truth of the matter is, devotion for the game is repaid and made worthwhile by valuable memories, friendships, and successes that come with competition.”
Grenier went on to say, “I’d like to give a shout-out to both my parents for sticking with me all these years, through spectacular wins and devastating defeats, both my grandparents for being my number one fans… my grandfather even has a shirt to prove it, all my cousins for helping me instill my competitive mindset, my aunts and uncles for their loving support on my athletic journey, and my sister for having to sit through all of my games over the years.”
These special young athletes captivated the crowd with their mindfulness and humility, and wowed everyone by describing how these simple “games”, as Grenier put it, both taught them discipline and made them realize what to strive for going forward in life.
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