Finishing the year strong
Despite the ongoing difficulties of the year, the last few months at First Tee have been filled with many joys.
Our first-ever parent-junior class was a huge hit, filling up across all locations. We were excited about this class but the positive response was even more than we anticipated! We’re definitely looking at building this format into our regular rotation.
In a small gathering, we gave out our awards for the year. These are given to participants who exemplify the First Tee core values, as voted on by their coaches. Please join us in congratulating our winners:
Target Award: Kruz Dilosa
Respect Award: Sophie Crisler
Confidence Award: Ariana Blagrove
Judgment Award: Brandon Fuselier
Responsibility Award: Landon O’Neal
Sportsmanship Award: Gavin McDermott
Courtesy Award: Presleigh Stewart
Honesty Award: Gabrielle Guient
Integrity Award: Claudia Guenther
Perseverance Award: Piper Hall
For the first time ever, we had two soon-to-graduate students who were both so strong in their participation that we named them each Participant of the Year: Matthew Bui and Mallory Noble. These two have both contributed so much to the program and their fellow participants in the years that they’ve been involved.
Kyle Albright was named Coach of the Year, a much-deserved award one of our longest-serving coaches. He’s taught so many of New Orleans’ young people how to succeed on and off the course and we’re all lucky to have him. Mike Garin was named Volunteer of the Year, for always being there to lend a hand. Thank you, Mike!
And we finished off the year with a tournament! This year we launched, together with our friends at First Tee East Baton Rouge Parish, a new annual tradition: the Gumbo Cup. Each of our two chapters selects a team to compete and the winner brings home the glory.
We’re so proud of our team this year:
Ariana Blagrove
Matthew Bui
Daniel Galindo
Sweden Ledet
Gavin McDermott
Hunter McDermott
Kobe Narcisse
Vicky Stephens
The two-day event was full of suspense, finishing evenly matched and going to a putt-off to break the tie. Baton Rouge pulled off a win at the last moment!
…and looking ahead.
As this very difficult year comes to a close, we are looking forward to days where we can safely have full classes and events. But in the meantime, we are grateful that this year we were able to provide a place for kids to be kids and get some fresh air… and that we’ll still be here in the coming year. We’re grateful that we had saved for a rainy day, so unlike many other non-profits we didn’t have to shut our doors. We’re thankful to every donor, sponsor, and parent who has helped keep this program available for everyone.
May you have a joyful 2021, and may it bring all of us more health and peace than the year before!
Warm wishes,
The First Tee Greater New Orleans Team
*Photos from the Parent-Junior session by New Orleans Snapshots by Andrew J. Cohoon
