Micheal and Colette Georget present Kira Comfort with the first Rebecca Georget Outstanding Player Memorial Award. Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff

By Jeff D'Andrea

Remembering Georget

Remembering Rebecca; Comfort wins first-ever Rebecca Georget Memorial Volleyball Award

Jun 19, 2020 | 2:36 PM

Past and current members of the Prince Albert Optimist Topper Volleyball Club tested the maximum gathering guidelines for an important cause on Thursday night, remembering one of their own who’s life was cut much too short.

The Toppers presented the first Rebecca Georget Outstanding Player Memorial Award in front of the Carlton Physical Activity Complex, exactly seven months after Georget tragically died in a car accident in November.

Just about everybody that spoke either shed a tear or was trying their best to avoid it. Rebecca’s parents Colette and Michael were there to present the first award in their late daughters’ honour, a ceremony that touched them.

“It’s seven months today that she passed,” said Colette following the ceremony. “It’s quite emotional and it’s an honour as well to have your daughter recognized in this way.”

“She was definitely special to us, but we’re finding out that she was special to a lot of other people,” Micheal said. “We’re so proud of her. In her short life, she accomplished so much and touched so many lives—all people.

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“I haven’t heard someone say something not good about her,” Micheal added. “Right from her EMT schooling, to her job, to her profs at [Saskatchewan] Polytech, they all thought she was an amazing young girl with lots of potential.”

The first name that will forever be carved on Rebecca’s plaque will be Kira Comfort’s. Comfort was a standout on the 18U En Fuego side this year.

Like most of the small crowd that gathered in front of the Carlton Physical Activity Complex on Thursday evening, Comfort was fighting tears while accepting the award and talking about it afterwards.

“It means so much, coming from so many important people,” Comfort said. “I’m very honoured to be compared to someone as amazing as her.”

The award’s description is written right on the plaque and will be presented annually to “a graduating Toppers athlete who exemplifies leadership, coachability, good work ethic and a positive attitude.”

Toppers coach Rob Tomyn said that Comfort couldn’t fit that description any better.

“I think Kira is one of those kids that has a high level of intensity and a high standard for herself to perform well and bring out the best in her teammates, too—that would be Rebecca,” Tomyn said. “[Rebecca] brought out the best in her teammates. Kira’s a gamer, and so was Rebecca.”

Nancy Wagar was another one of Georget’s coaches and shared a story that managed to get a bunch of chuckles during what was otherwise an emotional ceremony.

During the 2016 provincial semifinals in Saskatoon, Wagar recalled Rebecca getting so anxious watching the game from the sidelines that she ran behind the bench to vomit.

But in the finals, Rebecca transformed herself from the worried watcher to the Toppers’ provincial hero.

Wagar substituted Rebecca into the finals match during the second set and saw Rebecca come up big with the game on the line.

“I think she got the last two kills of the game, so we won provincials—I don’t know how she did it,” Wagar said.

The award would have been presented at the club’s annual gala, but that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW