The annual Cotter Junior High School Olympics have been a tradition for close to twenty years. Typically, one of the eighth grade teams (Blue/Black) have snatched the gold medal.

2016 marked a change.

The seventh grade White team placed first overall, outlasting a tough Black team in competitions that went down to the wire. The Blue team also performed well at the Olympics, placing third but only by a small margin. The second seventh grade team, Red, struggled, but gave great effort.

Entering the final dodgeball game in a tie for first, the White team obliterated their opponents.

“The Olympics are always a great event that we have during Catholic Schools Week,” commissioner and Physical Education teacher Nick Whaley said. “It’s great to see how much fun the kids have, how creative they can get.”

“What was really cool about this year was that there was genuine sportsmanship. The kids were trying to win, but there was also a great respect for the opponent,” Whaley added.

“It was really a lot of fun. Everyone was really appreciative what each other in our efforts. We didn’t win, but it was still a great time,” eighth grader Sam Wantock of the Black Bums said.