Ba’s Shauna Agard: athlete par excellence

In some cases, it might be the QB on the football team or the top scorer on the hockey team. At Beurling Academy, this is not the case.

Secondary 4 student Shauna Agard has become arguably, the top athlete in this year’s sports program. After being in the sports wilderness the last couple of years, Shauna has led three of the school’s teams to City Championships. We recently spoke to Shauna and talked about her recent successes, the difference between last year and this year, and her quick rise on the sports totem pole. “This year, I finally trained harder than last year, and I guess my confidence went up,” says Shauna. Last year, Shauna was riding the bench and readily admits that she looked up to last year’s team and to her friend, Tanee Worrell, who was the top player the last few years. Shauna states, “they were kinda my inspiration and I wanted to be like that, it took a lot of hard work, but I ended up doing it.”

Shauna started slowly the first couple of games with single digit point totals, but stepped it up with 6 double-digit games in the last 7. In one contest, she outscored the opponents. Shauna then led the team in the playoffs scoring 22 points in the semis and 10 in the final game and was named MVP.

Shauna mentioned a few people have been behind her success this year. “I would have to say my friend Tanee who was on the team last year, and because of the confidence my parents gave me,” says Shauna with certainty.

Track and field being the favorite sport, according to Shauna, she definitely has a special influence and favorite athlete in Donovan Bailey. “I would see him on TV when I was younger, and getting all those first place finishes, and said I wanna do that, and for that to be me someday, he was basically my inspiration,” says Shauna with a smile and a giggle, and that inspiration and the support of her parents also paid big dividends recently.

A week after leading the midget basketball team, Shauna Agard also led the girls’ indoor midget track team to another City Title at the Claude Robillard Centre. Shauna picked up 5 first place solo medals and a team medal in the 800-metre relay, and finished in the top 5 in two other events. On the day of our interview, Shauna had more medals around her neck than Ringo Starr has rings on his fingers.

Currently, in the spring season, Shauna, once again, led the girls’ outdoor midget track team to another City Championship this past Monday with four first place finishes and one second place. The flag football team at press time being at a 3-1 record, and Shauna, a wide receiver on that team, who knows, maybe another banner in the next few weeks.

Shauna, going to Secondary 5 next year, and along with longtime classmates and teammates, such as Kathleen Zuk and the colorful Susan Young, who also contributed to the various teams’ successes this year, one would like to think that more banners could hang in the school the next school season.

In closing, Shauna also wanted to thank especially one other person. LaSalle track coach, her first ever, Mike Strange, was the one that got her into track. “If it weren’t for him, I would have never even thought of even joining sports,” stated Shauna. Beurling Academy thanks you, Mike, as well.