It was a night filled with laughter, love and tears and not only for the mothers in the audience at the Sun Valley Nordic Ski Team's annual awards banquet Saturday night.
Staged at Wood River High School's commons area, the room was packed with team members and their families and friend, capping the 2004-05 season.
SVSEF Nordic Director and three-time NARDO recipient Rick Kapala opened the evening's remarks.
"By all measures it was a great season," Kapala said. "We had 16 skiers at Junior Nationals, the second most ever and two national junior champions, racers at the Scando Cup, and the most ever kids in the program. I will never forget walking into the Lake Creek Hut and seeing 45 Devo kids all looking for their boots, all the boots looking the same with no names on them."
Kapala also ran down a list of memories that stood out for him, including Luke Pletcher winning the 10k classic at the U.S. National Championships, five-hour King of the Hill games at Bruneau Sand Dunes and "striving, failing, but not being defeated."
Before the eight senior class members made their farewell speeches, Kim Nalen announced two new tuition scholarships in memory of her late brother, David Nalen, who passed away nine years ago.
The two scholarships will be given to members of the Devo and Prep teams who best exemplify Nalen's traits of leadership, sportsmanship, perseverance and integrity.
"Integrity is being true to yourself when no one is watching," Nalen remarked.
In the tradition of the team, the eight graduating seniors made farewell speeches that alternately moved both the speaker and the audience from tears to laughter and back again.
Brad Bradford started the pendulum swinging.
"10 years ago I made a choice that had one of the biggest impacts on my life. (Joining the team) was the right choice. It gave me the opportunity for travel and friendships, and gave me motivation, experience and discipline.
"It will be the small things I remember, the "your mom" jokes and how I was duct taped.
"When I started the team it was just an activity I did every day after school, but it came to be much more. It came to be a family."
Lexie Praggastis, who battled through several injuries throughout her career, but never gave up, remarked, "I would not have stayed with it without the people in this room."
Dawson Paschall recounted that he had been on the team "longer than I know" and "can't imagine life without it."
Newcomer Ruth Anderson had the audience in stitches while recalling her first impression of the team members.
"The girls were beautiful and the boys mildly handsome. Little did I know I would be provided with an opportunity much bigger than I imagined," she said.
Delamon Rego compared his time on the ski team with the book "The Long Walk" about escaping a Soviet Gulag.
"The ski team taught me if I want to get what I wish for I have to put in all the work to get it," he remarked.
Longtime member Erin McQueen talked about going from hating cross country skiing to "absolutely loving it," and said she "couldn't think of a better family to have."
Luke Pletcher remarked that he "had the privilege of doing things that some people only dream about.
"It taught me to have fun even if it's dangerous," Pletcher said.
Despite being given only 20 minutes notice that she had to speak (another notch in the Nardo column for Kapala), rookie Rachael Richards was candidly funny when she remarked, "I am starting the same way I started the season, nervous and unprepared." Nonetheless, Richards went on giving a thoughtful and heartfelt speech.
Competition team awards were given to Luke Pletcher and Alexa Turzian for Most Outstanding Skier. Mike Matteson and Mali Noyes were named Most Improved.
Noyes and Delamon Rego were voted Most Inspirational by their teammates. Rookie of the Year went to Taylor Sundali, Hannah and Rachael Richards.
The Sigi and Peggy Engl award for significant achievement in athletics, academics and leadership was given to Erin McQueen and Delamon Rego.
Lexie Praggastis was the Coach's Award recipient and Morgan Arritola was given the Outstanding Achievement award.
"The list did not stop with her results," Kapala said.
Among Arritola's accomplishments were three gold medals at the Junior National Championships, a second-place finish in the 2005 Boulder Mountain Tour and a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Cross Country Championships.
Prep team coach Abi Holt displayed her very dry wit while handing out the awards to her team members.
"Masochists are drawn to the sport and sadists are drawn to coaching the sport," Holt remarked, and, "What makes the prep team unique is we cry the least."
Outstanding Skier went to Travis Job and Bronwen Raff, and both were named Most Inspirational Skier as well.
Keller Gibson collected the Coach's Award. Most Improved recipients were Andrew Pfeiffer and Courtney Hamilton. Nina Hirner and John William Leavell were voted Rookie of the Year.
Devo team head coach Dave Bingham saluted all his team members.
"We had a lot of fun. All these kids were great and deserve and big hand and an award."
For Lake Creek, Maggie Williams and Zachary Lindahl were named Most Outstanding. Williams and Fran Magee were voted Most Inspirational. Most Improved went to Angelica Black and Jack Seiller. Miranda Stopol and Ty Reinemann were given the Coach's Award.
Quigley's Kaitlin Landis and Danny Graves were named Most Outstanding. Courtney Ballard and Joel Rinckwald were Most Improved. Most Inspirational winners were Logan Johnston and Shyla Jones. Brooke Lawrence was the Coach's Award honoree.
All award recipients received hand-painted plates from Local Color.
Sun Valley Nordic Ski Team director Rick Kapala presents senior Brad Bradford with his certificate of participation and congratulates him after a moving senior speech. Photo by Chris Pilaro
