Abigail (#24) with her team after their tournament win
American musician Marty Robbins once said, “Every day is a good day to be alive, whether the sun’s shining or not.” While that may be true, Westlake’s own Abigail Gordon could have no doubt that Saturday, September 24th was her day in the sun. Dressed in her best and ready to impress, Abigail started her Saturday morning with a lengthy drive to Northbrook to audition for the Junior High selection of the Illinois Music Educator’s Association District 7 Junior All-District Festival Band! This elite group of musicians features the top instrumentalists in Lake and Cook County. About four hundred students audition, and out of those, only one hundred and thirty are chosen. Statistically, that means Abigail played within the top thirty-three percent of those musicians to be chosen AGAIN, as she had been selected in a previous competition.
While Miss Abigail was certainly flying on a high note, she didn’t have time to bask in the golden glory just yet, because that afternoon, the Westlake Junior High School volleyball players had a major tournament (the Northland Royals 14U) to compete in. Not only did Mrs. Blair’s team win, setting their bump, set, spiking hearts soaring … but Abigail was then named tournament MVP! Talk about an all-out high-flying emotional rollercoaster of success!
This young lady definitely had her day in the sun. When asked about her achievement, she simply referenced her team time and time again. “My team is there when one of us gets hurt or injured, or is just feeling down about mistakes they made, but we always shake it off. My team has a family-like bond. I don’t think we would have won the tournament without the strong bond we have.” Abigail went on to say, “It was also a great honor to receive All-Around MVP of the tournament. I still can’t believe I got it, because I wasn’t aiming to get any awards, I was just playing the game with friends I love.” Whether music or movement, it cannot be denied that this day was a pure blessing for Abigail and a “win” for all of us here at Westlake Christian Academy who love her. Carry on sunshine … carry on.
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