Going out with a bang

Junior Girls Athlete of the Year Hannah Walker (left), Senior Boy’s Athlete of the Year Dyllen Bieker (centre-left), Senior Girls Athlete of the Year Katrina Bear (centre-right) and Junior Boy’s Athlete of the Year Ben Grassick (right) pose for a photo following the Carlton Crusader Sports Banquet on Monday. -- Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

Dyllen Bieker and Katrina Bear took slightly different paths to being honoured for their athletic achievements, but their reactions were almost identical.

On Monday, Bieker and Bear were named Carlton Comprehensive Public High School’s Male and Female Athlete’s of the Year, respectively. Although both athletes have a history of championship wins behind them, this final award still came as a surprise.

“I thought a football player or something would get it,” Bieker chuckled. “I was very shocked and very excited when I was walking up to that stage.”

“I was really shocked,” Bear added. “It didn’t really hit me (at first). I thought, ‘wow, I have that title,’ but it’s not just a title. It’s something much more than that.”

While both students excelled on the basketball court, their passions extended beyond the hardwood. Bieker was a fixture on Carlton’s Sr. Boys volleyball team, while Bear represented the Crusaders in badminton, volleyball and Track and Field.

As graduating students, they’re going to miss the camaraderie that comes with playing high school sports.

“It’s just the family atmosphere that I get here,” Bear said. “It’s phenomenal. I couldn’t have asked for a better.”

“It just brings back too many good memories to put in one picture,” Bieker added. “It was such a fantastic time.”

For the rest of this story, please see the June 14 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

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