More than 100 athletes, along with parents, family and friends gathered at the Royal Ontario Museum on Thursday night to receive their T-Holder Academic Excellence Awards.

The awards, which are pins ranging from enamel (First Year winners), to silver (Two Time winners), to gold (three time winners), to diamond (four time winners) were presented to athletes who had earned First Colour T Awards and had achieved a GPA of at least 3.5. There was even a three-diamond pin for an athlete who won the award seven times.

Also honoured at the ceremony were the Academic All Canadians, athletes who competed in a collegiate sport and achieved a GPA of at least 3.5. In addition, numerous performance awards and scholarships were also presented at the evening ceremony.

Despite a last-minute change in venue (the ceremony was originally supposed to be held in the George Ignatieff Theatre), and some of the usual delays that come with such an event, the awards presentation, co-hosted by former Olympic swimmer Jennifer Button and swim team coach Byron MacDonald, was seen as a success.

The event speakers, former and current Blues athletes, seemed to inspire the athletes in the audience. “Although I had already heard many of the things that the speakers said, I was encouraged by hearing them articulated so well,” said women’s water polo player and Science and Engineering, Suraya Figueiredo.

In his speech, Faculty of Physical Education and Health Dean Bruce Kidd commented on the hard work and skill that goes in to reaching the level of interuniversity athletic competition and honours academic standing. He spoke of the skills that the athletes learn as both scholars and athletes, and of how these skills will be useful in all avenues of life.

Other speakers spoke of the goal of balancing academics and athletics. The main message of the evening seemed to be a congratulatory one, aimed at demonstrating to the athletes that the skills learned in athletics and those required in academics and life actually complement each other well.

“It is great to have an event where this sort of achievement is acknowledged,” said Figuerido. “It takes a lot of hard work to be a successful student athlete and this sort of event recognizes that,” she said.