Honorary Chairperson
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HONORARY CHAIRPERSON The Loyola-Ed Meagher Sports Tournament Committee is honoured to introduce Wes Sanders as Honou- rary Chairman for this year’s 49th annual tournament. Wes arrived at Loyola in the wake of a tragedy. On June 23,1985, the day after Loyola’s convocation ceremo- ny, Loyola lost its beloved chemistry and physics teacher Nish Mukerji in the terrorist bombing of Air India Flight 182. Dr. Mukerji, along with his wife Shefali, were returning to their native India to visit friends and family. All 329 people on board the flight were killed when the plane exploded off the coast of Ireland. While the impact of Dr. Mukerji’s loss on the Loyola community was immeasurable, Loyola was fortunate that a young and talented Wesley Sanders was hired to address the massive void left in the school’s senior science department. Now, thirty-four years later, Wes himself has assumed the role as “senior statesman” and is currently the school’s longest serving faculty member. He has been, and continues to be, an integral part of Loyola High School, having served admirably as both educator and coach. Wes has used his engineering background to become a master teacher. While he continues to teach phys- ics to Loyola’s aspiring scientists, as well as the school’s demanding honours level mathematics courses, he broadened his teaching repertoire a number of years ago by offering to teach a Secondary Five option course, Culinary Arts. Wes now shares his talents and passion for cooking with a group of aspiring student chefs. With a teaching style that can best be described as professional and fair, Wes also has the unique ability to bring humour into his classes. His students leave his classroom both enlightened and amused, an amazing combination that demonstrates the talents of an educator beloved by his students. Wes’s teaching skills in the classroom carry over to his coaching skills in the gym. He has coached basketball in all thirty-four years that he has been at Loyola. He coached the Bantam Braves for close to twenty-five years, and while not a keeper of statistics, his teams won “about a dozen” GMAA city championships. In 1995, his Bantams captured the first provincial basketball cham- pionship in Loyola’s history. In 2008, Wes took on the role as coach of the Midget Warriors basketball team, a team that is the reigning city champions with their vic- tory in 2018. His coaching style can best be described as “low key”, as he is one who rarely shows emotion during the course of a game. In fact, Kelly Burke, a long time colleague of Wes, likened Wes’ tapping of his knee in times of stress during a tight game to Indi- ana Hoosiers coach Bobby Knight tossing chairs! Wes Sanders, a gifted teacher and coach, combines the best qualities of his two idols: the analytical mind of Mr. Spock with the playfulness of Winnie the Pooh. Whether in the classroom or on the court, Wes teaches life lessons and imparts them with dignity and kind- ness. Congratulations Wes, but more importantly, on behalf of all of your current and former Loyola stu- dents and athletes, thank you “Mr. Sanders”! PAST CHAIRPERSONS 1977 - Ed Meagher 2006 - Fr. Eric Maclean, S.J. 1978 - Ron Fairholm 2007 - Robert Shaughnessy 1979 - Dan Fournier 2008 - Ed Dorozowsky 1980 - Red Fisher 2009 - Nazareno Ruscito 1981 - Fr. Frank O’Brien, S.J. 2010 - Richard Meagher 1982 - Robin Burns 2011 - Robert Scanlan 1983 - Bob Brodrick 2012 - Kelly Burke 1984 - Connie Broden 2013 - Bill Hague 1985 - Jack McMullan 2014 - Paul Marceau 1986 - Brian O’Neill 2015 - Peter Arzenshek 1987 - Fr. Len Altilia, S.J. 2016 - Marco Santillo 1988 - Ray Prévost 2017- Phil Lafave 1989 - Bob Boire 2018 - Rita Apa 1990 - Ed Meagher 1991 - Dick Renaud 1992 - Fr. Gerry Mathieu, S.J. & Bob Yee 1993 - Bob Lafave 1994 - Fr. Winston Rye, S.J. 1995 - Len Davis 1996 - Doug Hudson 1997 - Jim Newman 1998 - Jim Ruddy 1999 - Bruce Garland 2000 - Louise & Carmine Apa 2001 - Bernie Lennon 2002 - Eric Brown 2003 - Ruth and Brian McGrath 2004 - Al McKinney 2005 - Ron Aldred 2 COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Carmine Apa PAST CHAIRMAN: Bob Lafave TREASURER: Bruce Garland CANTEEN: Ron Aldred, Mike Apa, Peter Arzenshek, Roy Baird, Peter Cigos, Loriann Daigle, Denis Giangi, Bill Hague, Deborah King, Bernie Lennon, Ray Spruzenieks and Bob Yee PUBLICITY: Eric Vani PROGRAM: Cindy Collin and Neil Houston PROGRAM ADS: Robin Burns HOSPITALITY: Rita Apa, Eric Cook, Kelly Crowdis and Tristan MacKenzie AWARDS: Corry Kelahear, Matthew Lawton, Richard Leschiutta, Paul Marceau, Rich Meagher, Carmine Rienzo, Dante Rienzo, Angelo Ruffalo and Bob Scanlan TICKETS, MUSIC & SCOREKEEPER: Mike Elie RAFFLE: Natasha Lam MINOR OFFICIALS: Phil Lafave SCHOOL REPS: Fr. Rob Brennan, S.J., Kelly Burke, Randy Burns, Alain Clout- ier, Eric Cook, Bruno Cyr, Marc de Verteuil, Paul Donovan, Nicolas Duchesne, John Geraghty, Ryan Hurst, Tom Malone, Amanda Mongeon, John Patrick Mancini, Fr. Gerry Mathieu, S.J., Pavel Morawski, S.J., Matt O’Neil, Denburk Reid, Tom Reynolds, Naz Ruscito, Wes Sanders, Marco Santillo, Bob Shaughnessy, Kevin Thiruchelvam and Brian Traynor A sincere THANK YOU to the following for their generous contribution to our 48th Annu- al Tournament. • PDI - Publisher of the souvenir program; • Concordia University Department of Recreation and Athletics for their ongoing support of our annual tournament; • Tom Reynolds and Jarrett Ketterling for the photos; • Cindy Collin - Layout editor of the program; • The Loyola High School Mothers’ Guild and Loyola Teams’ Parents for their generous help with the coaches’ reception and canteen; and • Our program advertisers and sponsors whose generosity allow us to continue running this popular high school sporting event. 3 ED MEAGHER SCOLARSHIP Each year the Tournament Committee donates a $1000 scholarship to a graduating student in the name of Ed Meagher. Ed was a teacher, coach, administrator and alumni director at Loyola for half a century. The recipient of the scholarship through his years at Loyola must have been involved in athletics either as a player, manager, organizer or volunteer worker. Through his participation, the recipient must have demonstrated those ideals and values espoused by Ed Meagher – namely integrity, com- mitment, responsibility, fairness and good sports- manship. Edmund R. Meagher 1926-1995 PREVIOUS SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS 1996 - Terrence David 2010 - Mark-Yves Zwanenburg 1997 - Anthony Young-Brault 2011 - Erik Samuel 1998 - Chris Hein 2012 - Angus Cowell 1999 - Greg Stephens 2013 - Brian Foster 2000 - Jeffrey Dulay 2014 - Matthew Lapointe 2001 - Ronald James 2015 - Joseph Tutino 2002 - Laurence Paek 2016 - Matthew Racanelli 2003 - Jonathan Geller 2017 - Matthew Brues 2004 - David Tontini 2005 - Richard Leschiutta 2006 - Ryan Smith 2007 - Matthew Lawton 2008 - Sean Coleman 2009 - Jonathan Pendenza 4 SCOLARSHIP RECIPIENT Anthony Soles is a very deserving recipient of this year’s Ed Meagher Scholar- ship. Anthony was very active in the athletics program and particularly excelled in football and rugby. Anthony presently attends Trinity College in Ontario and continues to play varsity football. Anthony’s two most admirable qualities are his commitment to his teammates and the passion he demonstrates in every sport he plays. These qualities are ones that Ed would have admired and did encourage in all his student athletes. Anthony is a good role model because he always worked to better himself, whether it be in the classroom, and on the playing field. He is truly a remarkable young man. Con- gratulations Anthony! Anthony Soles - 2018 5 TOURNAMENT HISTORY In 1971, Ed Meagher and Jim Ruddy, the coaches of Loyola’s Se- nior Hockey Team, were inspired to host a hockey tournament that would showcase the talents and spirit of high-school student-ath- letes. They felt that there was something special that happened when a high school student put on his team jersey and proudly rep- resented his high school in front of his peers, teachers and family. The inaugural “Invitational Winter Sports Tournament”, which featured four Senior level hockey teams, was not very success- ful. As a result of a massive snowstorm that weekend, one of the teams could not make it, and the four-team tournament turned out to be even smaller. On the ice, Michael Power High School, the ON Provincial Champions, defeated Loyola 4-3 in overtime in the gold-medal game. Off the ice, the money-losing tournament was a financial strain on Loyola, but Fr. Ken Casey S.J., the school princi- pal at the time, was determined not to let a great idea die and kept the tournament flame alive with his foresight and financial gener- osity. The tournament has come a long way since 1971. Over the years, it has grown into one of the highlights of the Montreal winter sports-scene. In 1974, Senior basketball, today called Juvenile basketball, was added to the tourna- ment, followed by Bantam hockey in 1981 and Midget basketball in 1982. The tournament remained a four-division, hockey/basketball tournament for the next thirteen years, when the sport of wres- tling was added in 1995. Subsequent growth has included Bantam basketball in 1998, Pee-Wee hock- ey in 2003 and Pee-Wee basketball in 2006. In 1975, Ed Meagher decided that the only way in which the tournament could and would succeed, would be if Loyola parents became involved in it. That year, a “Tournament Committee” was struck, consisting of parents, former parents, alumni and Loyola staff members. The tournament is now a school-wide event, and the weekend that Ed Meagher looked forward to most, is enjoyed annually by hundreds of students, athletes and volunteers. In 1996, the tournament was renamed the “Ed Meagher Sports Tournament”. Incredibly, it took a Loyola Senior/Juvenile hockey team twenty-six years to win its own tournament, only two and a half months after Ed Meagher had passed away.