As an unwritten rule, journalists don’t usually showcase a friend or relative of a staff member in the pages of the newspaper. But in the case of St. Timothy High School senior Madison Cruickshank, the teen’s impressive athletic achievements over the last four years have simply made her impossible to ignore.
“You could describe Maddy in a lot of different ways – she’s relentless in everything she does. Everything she’s going to do, she’s going to do it the best she can,” said St. Tim’s athletic director Kevin MacLellan. “She’s got a lot of things going for her that you can’t teach … you’ve got teamwork, camaraderie, collaboration, you’ve got to manage your time. When you’re up, you’ve got to be able to channel that, and when you’re down, you’ve got to channel that, too … She’s all those things – and she’s only 17.
“She’s certainly a gem.”
At the school’s annual awards banquet last week, Cruickshank – the daughter of longtime Cochrane Eagle advertising representative Kim Cruickshank – was named Offensive Player of the Year in both senior girls basketball and field hockey, Most Improved Senior Girls Volleyball Player, and she received the 2017 Thunder Award for senior high girls soccer.
Finally, the Grade 12 student was honoured as Senior Female Thunder Athlete of the Year.
“It was really emotional for me,” said Cruickshank. “When (MacLellan) called my name, I just bawled.”
It’s been a long road to the top for the teenager, who wondered whether she would be able to continue with sports at all after breaking her collarbone in a wrestling match while on the St. Tim’s team in Grade 9.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to play sports anymore,” Cruickshank recalled, adding she credits MacLellan with encouraging her to regain her strength and passion for athletics. “(He said), ‘You push, you do what needs to be done.’ … He had a very big impact.”
Once Cruickshank got back in the saddle, MacLellan said there was no stopping her, and she has since has been a steady contributor on many teams, including soccer: “she worked her butt off since Grade 10 and has excelled in her role.” Basketball: “She was consistent all the way through; a big force.” Volleyball: “she really took a passion to that in Grade 10.” And, field hockey: “her number one sport … she’s done great things.”
Athletic abilities aside, MacLellan said it was Cruickshank’s natural mentoring style and the relationships she formed with her teammates that truly put her over the top.
“(She’s) a leader among all her peers,” he said.
Cruickshank will begin her Bachelor of Science / Bachelor of Education degree at University of Lethbridge in the fall, and said she hopes to either follow in the footsteps of her mentor, Coach MacLellan, or become a chemistry teacher.
MacLellan said no matter what path Cruickshank decides to take, he has no doubt she will succeed.
“She’s got a bright future ahead of her,” he said, “and if she can take a few things she learned … under the Thunder umbrella, then we’ve done our job.”
