SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — The days of school are winding down to a precious few and now the athletic fields stand silent, bereft of the legions of young men and women who worked assiduously on them this spring. Now in the afterglow of this glorious season, comes the time for awards, as each school lauds its special athletes and teams. And of course, for this writer, who has focused this year on Sullivan West and Tri-Valley, those awards-night recipients will find their names and pictures emblazoned in my column as I am about to do for the T-V Bears, who held their spring awards night on June 4. Similarly, following Sullivan West’s awards night on June 18, I will do the same for the Bulldogs.

But first let me say that the quote (shown at the bottom) speaks volumes about the value of hard work, which in this case, is done in the pursuit of one’s best in the glorious milieu of sports. Plaques, medals and trophies are wonderful to acquire, but more important are the great rewards accrued by dint of doing one’s best, regardless of how that compares to another’s efforts. As such, perseverance and dedication yield the greatest rewards of all: a sense of satisfaction and pride in having come so far. Thus while only a handful of young athletes will be called forth to receive awards, the entire cast of the spring sports pantheon, who gave their all, will come away with rewards everlasting and with those, they will be able to marshal their acquired strength of character for the coming races, duels and rigors of life. At the Tri-Valley spring awards the following young men and women were acknowledged as standouts in their particular bailiwicks: Varsity Golf: MVP, Dion Lynch; Most Improved Golfer, Mark Garigliano and Coaches Award, Lane Mitchell. Varsity Baseball: MVP, Alex Brown; Outstandig Offensive Player, Justin Swarthout; Outstanding Defensive Player, Josh Borozny. Varsity Softball: MVPs Mikayla Clearwater and Kacie Allison; Coaches Award, Ashton Krumack. Girls Varsity Track and Field: MVPs Colleen Jones, Sabrena Smith and Alex Brooks. Boys Varsity Track and Field: MVPs, Aidan Woolsey, Tyler Greffrath and Ian Kurzrock. At the NYSPHSAA Track and Field Championshps held at Cicero North High School in Syracuse on June 6-7, Sullivan West’s Mitch Paciga took sixth in Div. II and 11th in the state with his high jump mark of 6-4. Fallsburg’s Candhace Forrest was fourth in the Div. II 100 (12:45). Tri-Valley’s Colleen Jones garnered 10th in the Div. II discus (107-01), while teammate Katlynn Greffrath finished 17th in the Div. II high jump (4-9). In Div. I, Monticello’s Terry Duncan was 16th in the preliminaries of the 200 (23:05). Teammate Trevon Rainey grabbed 15th place in the Div. I shot put (48-02.25).

Congratulations to these outstanding athletes, and as noted, to the entourage of spring sports participants who gave their all and have been duly accorded the greatest rewards for their efforts. For ongoing stories visit: www.sportsinsightsny.com. For photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com.