TFS en Fête! — this year’s aptly named Welcome Back Barbecue – was held on Friday, September 25 after the Terry Fox Spirit Day activities. Clearly, this autumn get-together has become a much-anticipated annual tradition. With the RSVPs topping 1,000, and with more senior students in attendance this year than ever before, you could say it has become a signature hit for all ages.

The festivities started a little earlier this year, at 3:45 p.m., so that our youngest TFS students could really enjoy their time, which included plenty of fun in the large inflatable caterpillar. For the older students, their families and the staff, the Spirit Tent was the place to be. Face painting and tattooing were available for the diehard Cougar fans, as well as a selection of Cougar gear for purchase. Go, Cougars!

For the fans who came with an appetite, complimentary food and refreshments were served prior to the soccer games. In addition to a delicious barbecue menu, fans were also able to enjoy an event favourite, the ice cream truck, as well as a crêpe truck selling sweet and savoury crêpes to those who still had room for more.

With the bleachers packed full of enthusiastically cheering students, staff and families, the official opening ceremonies of the Home Opener kicked off with the co-ed Grade 3 soccer teams who regaled the crowd with a rousing rendition of the school song with the newly formed TFS Cougars Athletic Band providing musical interludes throughout the afternoon.

The Chair of the TFS Board of Directors, Mitch Frazer, had the happy task of introducing our new Head of School, Dr. Josep González, to one and all. Dr. González gave a heartfelt expression of thanks to the Terry Fox Committee Co-Chairs, Linda Jespersen and Charmaine Bellefleur, for their hard work to make the Terry Fox Spirit Run, held earlier that day, a success.

The Home Opener began with our co-ed Grade 3 soccer teams who played some terrific soccer before ceding the field to the senior boys’ team. Much to the delight of the crowd, the senior boys were escorted onto the field by the Grade 3 soccer teams, who proudly held the hands of our senior players. The TFS senior boys were noticeably not wearing their school colours, though. Instead, they had decided as a team to wear pink, as a way to express their support for the need to find a cure for cancer.

After a warm welcome to the visitors, the Greenwood Grizzlies and their fans, Dr. González opened the game with a ceremonial kick-off, and the rest, as they say, is history — with our Cougars clinching a home opener victory with a winning score 5 to 1, cheered on by Tuffs, our TFS Cougar mascot, and the fans, who were already armed with TFS clappers as well as handmade signs.

Although the shadows had lengthened across the playing field, people were still lingering on the grounds long after the games were over, chatting and socializing, seemingly reluctant to see such an enjoyable evening come to an end. Heureusement - there is always next September!  Let the tradition continue — Allez TFS!

A special thank-you to everyone who made TFS en Fête a huge success!

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