An award-winning athlete doesn’t believe she has a disability. She believes those were the cards she was dealt with when she was born.
“I just say I was born with one hand,” said Foothills Falcon Annaliese Curtis. “I don’t say disability because it hasn’t really stopped me from doing anything.”
It hasn’t stopped her on the field or on the court.
Curtis was selected the Foothills Composite High School’s Grade 12 Female Athlete of the Year at the school’s annual awards banquet on June 1.
She was a member of the Falcons senior girls volleyball, basketball, rugby and track teams.
At times, her toughest opponent is herself.
“I do get down on myself because sometimes I feel I have to work twice as hard as everyone else because I have one hand,” Curtis said. “I have to figure out a new way to do things at times.”
She said volleyball was the toughest sport for her.
“Volleyball was the most frustrating because it is such a hand sport and then basketball and I would think ‘why am I still doing this?’” Curtis said. “I would trust my coaches that they knew what they were doing when they put me on the team and they had a plan for me — that everything would work out in the end if I just put my heart in everything.”
She did more than earn her coaches’ trust. Curtis got their utmost respect.
Her basketball coach, Foothills principal Vince Hunter, publicly called Curtis his idol at both the school’s graduation ceremony and the awards banquet.
“It is so humbling when you ask a kid to do things that aren’t always the fun part of the game — and they have a smile on their faces when they do it,” Hunter said. “Annaliese never asks for extra playing time, never complains about anything. She just wanted the opportunity to compete.”
Never complaining, means not ever asking for a break in the routine.
“We tell the girls ‘always use your left on the left hand side and use your right on the right-hand side,” Hunter said with a chuckle. “She would look at me and say: ‘Is it okay if I use my other hand,’ and we would laugh.
“The expectation was when we coached her, we would never treat her any different and it was never a factor.”
She can dribble with both hands including crossovers.
Curtis was willing to do the not-so-glamourous work.
“She would set the picks for us and she was covering kids who were taller than her,” Hunter said. “She is the type of kid who jumps in the ditch and starts digging holes. Annaliese inspires me daily.”
She’s also an inspiration in the classroom. Curtis is on course to graduate with honours with distinction with an average of more than 90 per cent.
“Athletics helps put a goal in your mind and what you can achieve and how to work towards that,” said Curtis, who can also play the piano. “It also teaches you how to work with your team. You also learn a lot about yourself along the way.”
It was the first time Curtis was named her school’s athlete of the year. She missed out from Grade 7 to 11 to her classmate, Chayle Clark at Okotoks Junior High School and the Comp, respectively.
“If Chayle would have got it again, that would have been great too,” Curtis said with a laugh. “I love Chayle, she’s a great athlete.”
She plans to do volunteer work in Mexico after graduation.
FCHS Falcons Athletics Awards 2016-17
Varsity Football Recipient
Special Teams Player Seth Nelson
Lineman McKay Mullen
Jayden Leahy
Offensive Player Payton Price
Tyson Pitcher
Defensive Player Ben Tighe
Tyler Going
Offensive Rookie Payton Burbank
Defensive Rookie Jake Tighe
Glenn Doroshenko
Player of the Year Keaton Goossen
Varsity Cheer Recipient
Rookie Telia Bearchief
Most Improved Paige Marshall
Sportsmanship Teighla Cooper
Leadership Hailee Turner
Most Valuable Megan Jensen
Cross Country Recipient
Outstanding Female Rosie Bouchard
Outstanding Male Pedro Pardo
JV Girls Volleyball Recipient
Most Improved Emily Froese
Most Inspirational Brooklynn Baker
MVP Jaz Kellogg
JV Boys Volleyball Recipient
Most Improved Player Dylan McGeoch
Most Inspirational Kyle Michelson
Coaches Award Jaxen Perrett
MVP Brendan Logan
Varsity Girls Volleyball Recipient
Rookie Jenna Romaniuk
Emileigh Inglis
Most Inspirational Jessa Meyer
Most Improved Alli Taylor
Most Valuable Chayle Clark
Varsity Boys Volleyball Recipient
Rookie Matt Greenshields
Most Inspirational Scott Chizen
Nick Waldner
Most Improved David Kent-Canalejo
Most Valuable Tate Morrell
JV Girls Basketball Recipient
Most Improved Alexi Oborne
Coaches Award Jaz Kellogg
Most Valuable Jess McDaniel
JV Boys Basketball Recipient
Rookie Logan Richards
Coaches’ Award Matt Walker
Most Valuable Jaxen Perrett
Varsity Girls Basketball Recipient
Most Valuable Hannah Helton
Rookie Alli Taylor
Coaches Award Annaliese Curtis
Most Improved Brooklynn Baker
Varsity Boys Basketball Recipient
Most Inspirational Tyler Ziehl
Most Improved Peter Baker
Rookie David Kent-Canalejo
Most Valuable Adam Pahl
Badminton Recipient
Top Male David Kent-Canalejo
Top Female Alli Staite
Kylie Welsh
Golf Recipient
Outstanding Female Amlika Nair
Outstanding Male Chris Allan
Track and Field Recipient
Top Junior Male Payton Burbank
Top Junior Female Rosie Bouchard
Top Senior Male Jake Siewert
Top Senior Female Jaiden Hansen
Varsity Girls Rugby Recipient
Rookie Mackenzie Sutton
Most Improved Keelin Fenske
Most Valuable Forward Rylee Krauss
Most Valuable Back Olivia Glabus
Coaches Award Tara Fenner
Most Valuable Player Annaliese Curtis
JV Girls Rugby Recipient
Most Improved Laurel Stephan
Most Valuable Forward Tatum Wilson
Most Valuable Back Lauren Waldner
Coaches Award Reilly Carlson
Most Valuable Player Becca Uhlenberg
Varsity Boys Rugby Recipient
Coaches Award Aden Ellis
Most Improved Wyatt Williams
Rookie Cooper Callister
Most Valuable Forward Tyler Going
Most Valuable Back Thomas Isherwood
Varsity Girls Soccer Recipient
Rookie Award Mackenzie Brewin
Coaches Award Nicole Fields
Most Improved Shelby Gosling
Most Valuable Shelby Butler
Varsity Boys Soccer Recipient
Rookie of the Year Doug Diebert
Coaches’ Award Pedro Pardo
Most improved Jake Stokes
Most Valuable JD Douglas
David Kent-Canalejo
Athlete of the Year
