For years, the fall and winter sports award ceremonies have been a staple of Pelham Athletics. However, on November 27, the Pelham Athletic Department released an announcement that the sports awards will be discontinued primarily due to low attendance in the past few years. In fact, attendance had dropped to the point where some teams were not represented by any athletes at the ceremony. This is partly because many student athletes are so over-extended that they don’t have a common night where athletes from all the teams are available to attend the ceremony.

The sports awards, sponsored by the Pelham Booster Club,  recognized the hard work of student athletes during their respective seasons. Athletes received awards including varsity letters, as well as recognitions such as Athlete of the Week, All-League and All-Section nominees. The ceremony traditionally included a slideshow showing highlights from all of the teams’ seasons. Coaches also usually said a few words about their team’s accomplishments.

Instead of one unified sports awards ceremony, each team will now be granted a stipend to celebrate with their players in the manner that works best for athletes and coaches alike.

PMHS Athletic Director Mr. Luciana said, “As of now the fall and winter sports are canceled. In the future, the Pelham Booster Club directors might bring it back depending on circumstances.”

The news was greeted with mixed reactions.

Senior athlete Grace Miske said, “I really enjoyed the sports awards. I thought they were a great way to celebrate Pelham’s talented athletes. What I liked the most about watching the highlights from other sports teams during the award ceremony is that they brought all the athletes together and closed the season in a nice manner. I don’t think the new alternative brings everyone together to acknowledge what they have done for Pelham sports and value what it means to be a Pelham athlete.”

However, not all athletes feel that an Awards ceremony is necessary.

”I like that the awards ceremony was replaced. Hardly anyone went, and it didn’t feel like a special event,” senior Simon Keough said. “It was a good idea to give each team a stipend so they can celebrate their season however they want to.”

However, Mr. Luciana and the Co-Presidents of the Pelham Booster Club, all feel that the new format will allow coaches to come together at an agreed time and place to celebrate their achievements of the season separately in place of the old way of the Pelham fall and winter sports awards.