Winter sports come to a close

Multiple first place titles, a couple division champs and a handful of national qualifiers later, the Winter sports season officially came to a close with the annual Winter Sports Banquet. Student athletes participating in indoor track, poms, cheerleading, wrestling, bocce ball and boys or girls basketball, joined together in the auditorium on March 12 for a night full of celebration and congratulations.

The 2011-2012 Winter sports season was marked by accomplishments on and off the field. Out of the 290 students who participated in a sport this winter, 72% were student athletes receiving a 2nd quarter grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher. In addition, 34 athletes received a perfect 4.0 report card.

The Winter Sports Banquet marks the second of these celebrations under new athletic director Rita Boule. Boule, who has transformed the ceremony to increase efficiency, is very pleased with the work of Blazer athletes who dedicated much of their time outside of school to representing their school in a positive light. "I'm really impressed with the Blair community and I'm really very proud to be a part of it," Boule said.

Bocce Ball
The unified bocce team, coached by John Haigh and Chris Brown, went 7-1 in the regular season and won both region and county championships. The most valuable player award was given to Johnny Scott, the team's clutch competitor in tight games. "Johnny Scott is the best player in the county, State and probably the country," Brown said.

Poms
The Poms squad had a successful winter season performing at many basketball games as well as at a competition of their own in which they placed third. Coach Monique Williams credits the team's camaraderie to their success in competition. "We've laughed together, been down together but most importantly we've grown together," Williams said.

Cheerleading
Cheerleading had a triumphant season cheering in everything from swim meets to "It's Academic." For the first time in Blair cheerleading history, five boys were on the squad. The cheerleaders won first place in a competition at Paint Branch and received top awards for spirit.

Indoor Track
Under new coach Brenna Matthews, indoor track had a rewarding season. Several runners placed in region and county competitions, and the 4 x 100 meter relay team as well as Urgy Eado running the 500 meter dash went to the State Finals in Landover, Maryland.

Wrestling
Despite four team members being hospitalized throughout the season, the wrestling team had many accomplishments. Senior captain Chris Wells advanced from the regional, to the county and finally to the State Championship where he placed sixth.

Boys' Basketball
Under the instruction of former Blake and Bethesda-Chevy Chase (B-CC) coach Damon Pigrom, the boys' basketball team completed a season full of ups and downs. Despite a disappointing first round playoff loss, the Blazers were 4-1 among Down County Consortium schools. Co-captains Tucker Canary and Rick Narcisse will participate in the Montgomery County Senior All-Star Game to be played on March 14 at Einstein.

Girls' Basketball
The girls' basketball team advanced to the county semi-finals for the first time since 1997, also winning their division. With a 20-5 record, the team will be graduating eight seniors, including Johanna Lopez who led the county in points per game.

Swim and Dive
The Swim and Dive team became 4A Regional Champions this season. In addition to their success as a team, 19 swimmers went to States and 11 of these athletes placed in the top 10 at the competition. Four Blair swimmers have qualified for the Junior National Championship next week in Florida.