Stuyvesant Hosts Its First Stuyvesant Sports Banquet

Stuyvesant hosted the first Stuyvesant Sports Banquet on Friday, June 2, 2023, in the cafeteria for all Stuyvesant PSAL athletes in the 2022-2023 season. Athletes and coaches from 42 teams showed up to enjoy food and refreshments and celebrate the awards handed out. All teams handed out awards for Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and a special Coach’s Award. In all, 126 student-athletes were awarded trophies in the ceremony.

The Stuyvesant Athletic Association, led by co-presidents Ava Quarles and Kaeden Ruparel, had initially come up with the idea in the fall to host a banquet. While it had been done in the past, it had been years since one last took place, so the event provided an opportunity for the school to recognize student-athletes’ efforts.

For many, the experience of the banquet was extremely rewarding, and it was a nice token of recognition from the school and the Stuyvesant Athletic Association. Even though most students did not win an award, the atmosphere alone was enough. “It was great seeing how everyone who won an award had people cheering for them outside of their own teammates. I think my highlight [of the banquet] would be seeing my own teammates’ faces and how they reacted to their name being called to winning an award,” sophomore table tennis player Cindy Ye said.

The work that is cut out for student-athletes at Stuyvesant can often go unnoticed or unappreciated; while balancing equally challenging course loads as their peers, time is even more limited when considering after-school practices and games and commute times. “Being a student-athlete does make life a bit difficult sometimes. I don’t get home as early and have to spend more time [at] night studying or doing homework. However, I think it is rewarding because you get to be around your teammates every day,” sophomore track and cross country runner Geoffrey Huang said.

Other athletes shared the same sentiment, believing that a certain mental fortitude is also required due to the sheer exhaustion that comes from playing a sport. “As a student-athlete, the main problem was managing my homework with practice and games/meets. But once I got the hang of it, it all turned out fine. It was definitely worth it, as I made a lot of new friends,” freshman track runner and soccer player John Kennedy said.

While the experience was great, one surprise standout was the food. “[Though] I only ended up eating one sandwich, it seemed like there were many different kinds of sandwiches to choose from,” Kennedy said. “And my sandwich was actually really good.”

In the future, the Stuyvesant Athletic Association hopes to host more banquets to celebrate the accomplishments of all athletes in the year. “An awards dinner is a small way to bring our community together. I was very pleased with the turnout, and we plan on hosting the event again next year,” Assistant Principal of Safety, Security, and Physical Education Brian Moran said.