According to track coach Chris Nordstrom, the Minneapolis Athena Award banquet May 4 2018 was an inspiring event.

“The experience was great,” Nordstrom said. “It’s a really inspiring thing to be at an event with so many amazing young women who excel both in the classroom and in athletics. These really are the women that will lead us forward into the future.”

Nordstrom said the Athena Award banquet was held at the Doubletree Hotel in Bloomington.

“I thought the venue was perfect for the event and a really nice place in general,” Nordstrom said.

According to Nordstrom, this banquet proved different than past years.

“The Athena winner for Park from last year was also a track athlete, so I attended last year as well,” Nordstrom said. “I definitely enjoyed them both but I think this year’s venue and program was a little more formal, and I liked that better.

Senior Athena Award winner Katie Fredrickson said she brought a poster to the banquet displaying her achievements.

“Part of the banquet involves making a board for yourself to showcase the things that helped you win the award,” Fredrickson said.

Fredrickson said looking at the boards of all of the athletes was one of the highlights of the program for her.

“One of my favorite parts of the Athena banquet was getting to walk around and look at the tri-fold posters that all of the school winners made about themselves,” Fredrickson said. “There are so many impressive achievements featured on these boards, and it is a really cool way to display individual achievements.”

According to Nordstrom, the Athena Award is a great way to recognize females achieving excellence.

“To do what these girls have been able to do is incredibly hard and takes huge sacrifice,” Nordstrom said. “I think it really is important that we recognize their achievements in the form of the Athena award, and just make sure we keep pushing them to strive for excellence.”

Nordstrom said he hopes to attend the Athena Award banquet again in the future.

“It really is an honor to be invited, and it shows the strength of the Park track program to an extent,” said Nordstrom. “I would be really excited if I got the chance to return to the banquet in the fu

ture.”