Current CSSC players, former CSSC superstars and celebrity fans ran the gauntlet of paparazzi to walk the red carpet into the 2016 CSSC awards gala at the stately home of Andrew, Jess and Ella Woolford. This season's mid table mediocrity was a considerable improvement over last year's debacle, allowing CSSC to revel in a glass half full kind of way.
Fan of the Year: It was a close run thing this year as CSSC attracted a new fan base thanks to its creative marketing strategy aimed at inner city youth and the fact that a few players got new partners. Runners up in the balloting were injured superstar Mark Hudson and perennial touch line bombast Pete Hudson. The winner for the second time running was Eddie's Dad Fernando. Due to a trip out west, he couldn't attend the ceremony so the prize of a novelty beer went to the first runner up Kelsey, who invented bringing a little tin of something to the stands to make the game a little more enjoyable. How did no one think of this before? It's a mystery.
Fan of the Year: It was a close run thing this year as CSSC attracted a new fan base thanks to its creative marketing strategy aimed at inner city youth and the fact that a few players got new partners. Runners up in the balloting were injured superstar Mark Hudson and perennial touch line bombast Pete Hudson. The winner for the second time running was Eddie's Dad Fernando. Due to a trip out west, he couldn't attend the ceremony so the prize of a novelty beer went to the first runner up Kelsey, who invented bringing a little tin of something to the stands to make the game a little more enjoyable. How did no one think of this before? It's a mystery.
Hard Man: No one has really stepped up to replace Mark Hudson's eye of the tiger ability to intimidate the opposition but at least CSSC will avoid the fair play award this year thanks to a couple of red card merchants. Sean Brown took home the prize for his uncompromising tackling at sweeper but he couldn't make the awards due to a big night of high intensity martial arts training. So the prize went to runner up Kamal Chioua for his forceful play up front and his love of a violent retaliatory tackle. There's no justice like vigilante justice says Kamal. Now if we could just get him to go in with a little less arm and a little more shoulder, those cards might not pile up quite as quickly.
Efficiency Expert for the most impact in the fewest minutes: This prize is a bit of a back handed compliment. On one hand, it's an acknowledgement of quality play. On the other, it's a request to get on the field a little more often. Runners up: Matt Loxley, who readers of the match reports will recognize as a very frequent man of the match winner. But there's also those frequent conflicts with ultimate. Colin Kinsella, who is a rock at either mid field or center back when he's not off exploring the wilds of Manitoba by canoe. Adam Wazny, who didn't so much miss many games as selflessly limit his minutes on the field. His goals to minutes on the field was second only to the winner of the award. Winner: Emilio Garrido is an offensive dynamo but team management is going to appoint him a minder next year to ensure that he manages to make it to a few more games and show up on time for the awards.
Ever Present Most Dedicated Award: As one would expect from a rec team in the 6th division with a 25 person roster, CSSC expects a few absences. However, we do like it in general when people turn up on a regular basis. It was an indictment on the attendance (although a tip of the hat to self awareness) of the team in general that there were a number of ballots cast for "no one." Runners Up: Andrew Woolford would have won were it not for a couple of poorly timed trips to visit relatives and save the world from genocide. Dylan an Devon Doerksen were also solid attenders until they ran off to revel in the bloodshed of UFC Vancouver. Special mention should also go to Mark Meuwese, who showed up to as many games as most other CSSC players despite being out of town for massive periods of the season and often only getting last minute call ups to play. However, the winner had to be Bruce Sewart who drove in from his cottage in Matlock for pretty much every game in a car that could only be optimistically rated as road worthy.
Hardest Working: Everyone on CSSC secretly wants to be a Matt LeTissier, effortlessly strolling around the field, producing a magic lollipop, lobbing the keeper and then taking a nap for 15 minutes before popping up with another flash of brilliance. However, a good hard look at ourselves reveals that outworking other teams might be a more realistic path to victory. Runners Up: Two forwards, Adam Wazny and Kamal Chioua worked their socks off all year. Wazny was the classic "defend from the front" forward. Never have defenders been so harried. Kamal did his own share of harassing and it often ended up with him stripping the ball and haring in on goal. The award went to Matt Brett whose lung bursting sprints foiled countless opposition attacks and left him gasping for air. Some might say that Eli Robinson and Matt Loxley ran as far and as fast without quite so much gasping for air. Hardest working or in need of a bit more conditioning? CSSC voters chose the former.
The Versatility Award: On a team with frequent no shows and a large number of players who can only really play one position, someone that can step into any slot on the field and excel is highly valued. Runners Up: Matt Loxley played four positions in one game and all excellently. Ali Chioua played goal and striker, where he set up a tying goal with an inch perfect cross. Winner: There could only really be one victor here. Bob Walden kept goal like a champion, scored two goals in two games up front, and kept a clean sheet behind a cobbled together back line as sweeper. And he used his big arms to muscle Woolford's giant armoire down a flight of stairs during the party. Success everywhere.
Comeback of the Year: Awarded to the CSSC player who had the best return from ill advised retirement, horrific injury or extended vacation. Runners Up: There were a number of big vacationers this year to choose from but CSSC voters granted Runners Up status to Niall Harney and Charaf Charaoui. Niall fled town in the middle of the night and texted team management about his upcoming five week absence from the plane. But his rigorous training regimen and timely return in the desperate days of mid summer absences did not go unnoticed. Charaf wanders off to Morocco for about four weeks every summer and yet it still comes as a surprise to CSSC management. This year was no exception but Charaoui returned from his vacation in fighting shape and put in some strong late season performances. The winner was Stef Fischer, who ticked all three boxes. He made a ludicrous decision to retire a couple of years ago, broke a rib in a horrible mid season accident and went on a lengthy trip to the fatherland in mid season. Fortunately for CSSC his European vacation featured a cycling trip to Denmark, leaving Fischer in such wonderful condition that he was Man of the Match in his first game back.
Youngest Gun: CSSC's future has rarely looked better. We picked up Van Penner, the Doerksen Brothers and Niall Harney to go along with rising star K. Chioua to make five under 25s in an effort to balance out the ageing veterans who refuse to retire. Instead of the impossible task of choosing rookie of the year, we just opted to give a celebratory beer to the player who could produce an ID with the youngest birthday. Step forward Dylan Doerksen, who is actually older than he looks, but not by much.
Mr CSSC: Awarded to the player who best exhibits the trinity of CSSC virtues (social drinking, nice person and improving the world). This season we had a number of very strong contenders but the Runner Up went to Mark Meuwese, who is universally liked and spends his work time chatting about genocides of the past and the evils of colonialism. The only strike against was his repeated refusal to join us in late night drinking in favor of preparing lectures or marking papers. Is that a real alibi? The Winner, birthday boy and evening's host was Andrew Woolford. Opposition forwards would be surprised to learn that the latest elbow was delivered by a super friendly man trying to right the wrongs of colonial genocide who has yet to miss a post game beer.
MVP: The voting instructions which claimed that this award was self explanatory may have been a little open ended. The MVP is supposed to go to the best player on the field but a number of votes appeared to go for the organizational efforts of purchasing a cell phone so that Chris Aiken could be texted before games to see if he was actually on his way to the correct field. In terms of actual playing performance four names stood out. Runners Up: Matt Loxley is pretty much the best player on the team every time he shows, but the numerous weekend fixtures conflicted with playing big time frizbee. Eli Robinson has been CSSC's go to striker for years now and this season was no exception. The big man continues to deliver. Ed Gonzalez combines a sweet touch with a tough tackle out on the wing. If only we could get him to slow down his pro speed rocket passes to a more 6th division speed. The Winner was super star keeper Ali Chioua. He started the year as back up but the absences of the first string thrust Ali between the pipes where not a game went by that he didn't make a show stopper save. He's like a cat hidden in a bear's body.