Monday night, I had the pleasure of attending the Escambia Academy Athletic Banquet.

The banquet was held to honor all of the athletes who took part in winter and spring sports and to present them with awards for their various accomplishments.

I along with the “Atmore News’” Blake Bell were invited to the event as special guests where we could sit and enjoy the meal and not have to worry about working.

To say this was a change would be an understatement because as my counterpart, Blake, knows when we go to an event, it requires all of our attention.

It was a nice change though because sometimes being behind a camera can get in the way of knowing exactly what might be going on. I enjoyed seeing the coaches get to honor their players and you could tell by the way they spoke about them that they care about each and every one of them very much.

I also noticed how the coaches thanked headmaster Betty Warren as well as the parents for all of their help and support with their athletes and teams.

Two statements that stood out more than others came from Cougars head basketball coach Kevin Woods and athletic director Heath Gibson.

Woods during his presentation of awards to his players made sure to thank the parents of each one for how they raised their sons. He said that he has never experienced a problem out of any one of them. The way he made the statement showed a proud coach. Not just proud for his team’s 18-1 record during their season, but proud of how his players have grown up before his eyes.

It was a really nice sentiment to hear from Woods.

The statement from Gibson came during the varsity baseball presentation.

Gibson, who took the team over early in the season, stated that he was nervous the first time meeting with the team because he was unsure how they would accept him as their coach.

He said they took it all in stride and answered his call for “perfection” by going on a run of 16 wins and three losses.

His demeanor during his speech was one of gratitude and showed that he was happy with his decision to take on another sport after coaching more earlier in the school year.

Overall, it was a wonderful night that I’m glad I got to be a part of.

I’d like to extend a thank you to those at Escambia Academy for inviting me to the banquet and hope that I am lucky enough to get one next year.

Chandler Myers is sports editor of the Atmore Advance. He can be reached at 368-2123 or by e-mail at sports@atmoreadvance.com