JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West
John Abbott College will mark a significant milestone this coming weekend – a half-century of sporting history – and is inviting all former Islander athletes to celebrate.
“We want to celebrate the past and the current student athletes,” said Patrice Lemieux, the CEGEP’s sports and recreation manager, adding that the event set for Friday, May 2, will be a special edition of the college’s annual sports awards ceremony.
It will serve to connect the school’s alumni with the “new era of student athletes at John Abbott,” Lemieux said, adding to the college’s 50-year “rich history of Islanders success.”
The event will look back at the school’s many sports triumphs since 1975. Photographs from past teams will be featured, commemorating moments of sports glory.
Among John Abbott’s many historic athletic achievements include: the women’s basketball program winning the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association championship 10 times in 20 years in the 1970s and ’80s; the men’s rugby program winning 14 consecutive championships in the late ’90s and early 2000s; the women’s hockey team winning the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) championship in 2022 and 2023; and the men’s football team winning the Bol d’Or in 2019 and 2021, to name a few of the school’s numerous sporting accolades.
While John Abbott has seen “a tonne of amazing accomplishments” on the ice, court and field, Lemieux pointed out that the school places equal emphasis on the achievements of student athletes in their academics.
“We’ve had a number of student athletes that were high achievers in the classroom that have gone (on) to amazing careers,” he said, adding that he looks forward to seeing many of them at the event.
The 50th anniversary celebration is open to all current and former Islanders athletes and coaches. All attendees must register for the event, which can be done online via the school’s website or through its social media pages.
The celebration will take place Friday, May 2, starting at 7 p.m.