Colin Hood Award – Jillian Vandervelde
The Dedication of Student-Athletes
Sports are a lot of fun to play and entertaining to watch. But student-athletes know that it takes a lot of dedication and hard work to be successful. It takes time, practice, and sacrifices.
Coaches also talk about the importance of skill development outside of practice time, so athletes may spend time in the driveway perfecting a drop step in basketball, or shooting hundreds of wrist shots until they can pick the top corner of the net. After this, their homework still needs to be done, along with other activities and part-time jobs they may have. When athletes miss days of school for tournaments, they must spend extra time at night or on weekends to catch up on missed work. Time management soon becomes an important skill that athletes develop during sports seasons.
Being part of a team means athletes can find unity in one common goal and purpose and it means putting the team’s needs first – whether it is pushing yourself to be better, encouraging your teammates or even cheering from the bench. The exhilarating feeling of celebrating success after a long road of hard work is truly a great reason to make the sacrifices during the season.
Athletes learn perseverance, humility, grace, and patience. They learn how to cope with pressure and gain an understanding of respect and cooperation as the keys to success. Athletes cultivate their character and are better able take on the challenges of daily life.
At Hamilton District High School, it is more than just a love for the game or the learning and growth in character. Our athletes have the privilege of working for the Lord, as serving God through athletics is a real honor. Our student-athletes compete because they love the game, they love the Lord, and they work at something worthy of God.
The hard work and practices are also about worshipping the God who has created them and showing thanks for the talents and opportunities He has provided for them. Playing with humility, kindness, and honor allows them to enjoy every moment and every facet of the game.
The Colin Hood Award is given out annually by OFSAA to an athlete, that throughout their high school career, have been committed to the success of school sport. Jillian Vandervelde stands out as offering a tremendous year of commitment, and we are pleased to offer this award to her.
In the 2016/2017 school year, Jillian dedicated herself to the Senior Girls Basketball, Senior Girls Volleyball, Snowboarding and Girls Soccer teams meaning that Jillian was on a team from the first day of class in September to when classes ended in June. Labouring through injury in the spring, Jillian worked very hard to be her best, and it is evident through her time spent in the gym and on the field that Jillian loves to be actively involved in athletics.
As a tribute to her hard work and dedication, Jillian competed at OFSAA, the provincial championships, for every team she played on. Four OFSAAs in one year was an incredible accomplishment for her and her teammates.
Jillian is our first Colin Hood Award recipient at HDCH, and we are very proud to offer her this award. Congratulations Jillian! And thanks for all you have done for HDCH athletics.
Brad Heidbuurt, Athletic Director
Hamilton District Christian High