Film, broadcast students team up with athletics for virtual ceremony
Knights won’t be sitting at the roundtable — nor any table, for that matter — when Niagara College hosts its 51st annual athletic ceremony this week.
Instead of postponing the gala until COVID-19 crowd restrictions are lifted and then holding it in a banquet hall, the region’s community college will recognize athletic achievement in an online event.
An awards show will be livestreamed on the college’s Facebook page Thursday, beginning at 10 a.m. Recipients of school and team awards will also be recognized through the college’s Instagram and Twitter accounts.
Michele O’Keefe, associate director of athletics, described the online ceremony as the latest example of co-operation between the athletic and recreation department and the college’s broadcasting, radio, television and film (BRTF) program.
Besides producing gameday broadcasts of the Knights varsity teams, program co-ordinator Peter (Dutch) VandenBerg and his students worked with the athletic department on high-profile projects during the past year.
“We have always enjoyed collaborating with Dutch VandenBerg and the BRTF crew to present our regular-season games and various projects, such as our new Knights logo launch,” O’Keefe said. “To work on this virtual athletic banquet with them has been tremendous.
“To be able to deliver an event to celebrate our varsity teams, athletes, coaches, staff, as well as our recreation activities, is a wonderful gift and is a demonstration of our NC DNA,” she said.
Producing the livestream gives VandenBerg’s students a chance to finish what they started when the 2019-20 athletic season got underway last fall.
“BRTF spends a lot of time working with the Knights throughout the season, and we believe it’s important to recognize the accomplishments of our athletes and coaches,” he said. “Moving this banquet online made sense since we have the technology, the talent and the time. It’s a win-win. More than ever, we need to embrace a sense of community and rally together to celebrate. Even if it’s from our own homes.” More than 70 individual awards will be presented in the online ceremony, including athletes of the year, rookies of the year and coach of the year.
Thirty Ontario Colleges Athletic Association all-academic award recipients will be invited to take a virtual bow, as will five Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association academic all-Canadians.
Niagara’s “big four” teams — men’s and women’s basketball plus men’s and women’s volleyball — all made the playoffs in 2019-20, two under new coaches, as did the Knights in men’s and women’s soccer.
Benjamin Jones teamed with McKenna McGovern and went 7-0 to capture Niagara’s first provincial gold medal in mixed curling.
Niagara College will be the second post-secondary institution in the region to recognize athletic achievement in a virtual ceremony.
Brock University’s athletic awards gala was livestreamed March 25.