On Saturday, Jan. 18, North inducted two former coaches and five student athletes to the brand-new Athletics Hall of Fame. Coaches Mark Gould and Ruth Poulin Vostal and student athletes Patrick Brown, Laura Fehrman-Hoye, Zack Hirsch, Chris Peterson and Sabrina Rabin spoke and received awards for their achievement and contribution to North athletics at the ceremony.
The inductees spoke of their time at North and emphasized the importance of character, relationships and dedication that coincide with athletics.
“It’s never about the sport itself if you’re doing it correctly. It’s about guiding student athletes to become the best versions of themselves. It doesn’t matter the color of the jersey or the final score. It’s always been about creating and building relationships with each community, player and family,” said former head girls soccer coach Poulin Vostal in her speech. “What a gift I have: the opportunity to spread the passion, dedication and resiliency that all started with a small group of girls from St. Charles.”
Many of the speakers also shared advice on the vital combination of integrity and athleticism with the current student athletes and coaches that were in attendance.
“A lot of you are going to play in high school, some of you get to play in college, and a few will get to play professionally, but ultimately there’s going to be a day where it is going to end,” Hirsch said to the audience. “People will start to forget about the accolades and some you know how talented you were, but they’re not going to forget the type of person you are and how you treated others. So my advice to you guys is to work hard, focus on school, strive to be the best you can be, but most importantly, think about how you can be the best teammate and person you can possibly be.”
The decision to establish a Hall of Fame to commemorate North’s athletes and coaches came about before 2020. Though the idea initially had to be put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the athletic department was determined to get it started.
“We’re really looking to develop, recognize and honor the past and how that shaped who we are today. And so we decided that it being the 25th year of our high school, it would be a great time to officially establish our Hall of Fame,” said athletic director Joe Benoit.
The department formed a committee consisting of 15 coaches, teachers, community members and assistant athletic directors to collaborate on the process for establishing the Hall of Fame. The committee gathered nominations and voted on them in early November, which led to the inaugural class of inductees. Student athlete inductees must have graduated at least seven years prior, and coaches or supporters of North athletics must be retired or out of North for three years.
“We were able to unveil our inaugural class on Jan. 18, which obviously was a highlight for us and our community,” said Benoit. “The opportunity to welcome back the seven individuals, two coaches and five former student athletes was outstanding.”
The next batch of inductees is to be announced in the fall of this year. As for future classes of Hall of Fame members, Benoit looks forward to watching more former Stars be celebrated for their accomplishments.
“We’ve had a lot of success just in the past seven or eight years at [North], from 2000 to 2018 we have some phenomenal people that are going to continue to be nominated and probably inducted in the future,” said Benoit. “But then once we get even further out, this past decade alone has been really special here. [I’m] super excited to see it continue to grow and to develop that legacy and start to invite people back more often.”
