Editor’s note: This issue of the newspaper was written prior to The Sharky’s.
The Sharky’s are an annual awards show that consists of commemorating and celebrating Nova Southeastern University’s student athletes. During this year, athletic teams have worked hard and shown their efforts throughout their sporting events. They all have reached incredible milestones, which brought out memorable school spirit and passionate viewers.
The Sharky’s took place on April 24 at 4 p.m. in the Miniaci Theater. All sports teams were recognized during this event, such as men and women’s basketball, soccer, track, cross country, golf, swimming, volleyball and the Sharkettes. The only team that was not in attendance was the women’s tennis team because the Conference Championships took place at the same time.
Jameson Carter, manager of athletic communications, stated the differences this year’s show has to offer.
“This will be the first live Sharky’s we have done in three years, the last two years because of [COVID-19] we had gone to an online format where everything was prerecorded. It is a better experience for the student-athletes. It is a lot more fun; everyone dresses up and it is more of an overall great celebration to recognize the entire year,” said Carter.
The award show consisted of pre-show interviews that were live streamed, and there were emcees from the Student Athlete Advisory Committee that were the directors and voices of the show. There will be many awards presented to signify the attributes that all these athletes have achieved.
“There’s a number of different awards, but pretty much the big ones you’ll see are called ‘Rookie of the Year,’ which will be the best seasons freshman student-athlete and ‘Male/Female Rising Star,’ which is sophomores or juniors that have shown that they have potential or had good years that are ready to take the next step of being the stars of their respective teams,” said Carter.
Other awards like the ‘Golden Shark,’ which is the best student athlete from each team, were given, as well as the ‘Ultimate Shark,’ an award judging who is the singular best athlete. Awards for things like strength and conditioning, plus nutrition were highlighted as well. Finally, there were also academic awards for those inducted into a prestigious group of individuals who have maintained strong academic standing while being athletes.
This is an enjoyable and memorable experience for all athletes to take in to realize the amount of effort, dedication and passion they have given not only themselves but their teammates during their seasons.
“It’s more of an enjoyable and appreciative feeling for all the hard work that everyone has put in. Whether it’s the coaches, student-athletes, or the staff, it feels much more meaningful to have it in-person and I think the student athletes reflect upon that,” said Carter.
