SNOHOMISH — There were many things that Tuck Gionet valued more than athletic skill.
Ideals such as citizenship, academics, helping the community and being respectful and courteous to others were all more important to the longtime Snohomish teacher and track and field coach, who passed away last summer after a battle with cancer.
Now, those values will be honored with an award named after the beloved Panthers coach.
Looking for a way to honor Gionet, Snohomish’s new head track and field coach, Paul Nicoletti, helped create the Tuck Gionet Citizenship Award.
The award seeks to honor one male and one female athlete who have 3.5 or higher grade-point averages and demonstrate outstanding community service and leadership. The inaugural awards will be presented Saturday at the Eason Invitational — one of the largest track and field events of the year which Gionet helped create.
“It means the world to be able to honor Tuck,” Nicoletti said. “He was my mentor. He was my coach, he was my teacher at one point and one of my best friends. It means everything in the world to me that we’re able to honor him and give out an award in his name.”
Working with Snohomish athletic director Mark Perry, Nicoletti and the Panthers track and field coaches came up with a universally applauded idea to create an award honoring Gionet, who passed away Aug. 8.
“The track coaches decided that that’s something they wanted to do to honor Tuck given his involvement in the community and his involvement beyond track itself,” Perry said. “They looked at all the components and the things he did, citizenship, track involvement, academics. It’s a great honor, a way for us to honor Tuck at the Eason and encompass all the pieces that he was involved in beyond just being our head track coach.”
At past Eason Invites, several awards had been given out, including athlete of the meet, runner of the meet and an academic award.
The Snohomish track coach is thrilled to add an award honoring his predecessor to the list.
“It didn’t seem right that we didn’t do one for Tuck in his honor in this first year we’re doing it without him,” Nicoletti said. “He always embodies being a good person first, above athletics. … Everybody is looking for something to do to honor Tuck. He was such a big part of our track and field world.”
David LeWarne, an assistant track and field coach at Snohomish, said Gionet touched the lives of everyone he came in contact with.
“I think that we are all looking for ways to honor him because he meant so much to so many different people,” LeWarne said. “He’s one of those people that, when you’re talking to him, you’re the only person in the world. He’s focused in on what you’re saying. You were the only person in the world to him.
“If there’s one thing I could talk about forever, it’s Tuck Gionet.”
The Snohomish coaches asked for nominees for the award from coaches whose teams are participating in the Eason Invite. They were due by Wednesday and Nicoletti said the selection committee, comprised of himself, the other Snohomish coaches and possibly Perry and the Gionet family, would go through the applications and select the winners.
“We’re just going to pick the one we think Tuck would pick,” Nicoletti said.
Gionet was inducted into the Washington State Track and Field Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame in 2015. He was a past president of the Washington State Track and Field Coaches’ Association, the state of Washington’s “Civic Teacher of the Year” in 2014 and led the Snohomish girls team to Class 4A state titles in 2001 and 2002.
Gionet also helped create the Eason Invitational, which began in 1989 with 321 athletes from 26 schools coming to Snohomish. Gionet, along with fellow Snohomish coaches Dan Parker and Lorna Martinson, started the event to honor longtime Panthers coach Larry Eason. This year, the Eason’s 28th, 53 teams and more than 1,200 athletes will attend the event, which begins at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The men’s and women’s hammer throw took place Friday afternoon
In a story for The Herald in 2014, Gionet said the Eason Invite is special, not just for the Panthers’ track and field teams, but for the entire Snohomish community.
“It’s not really just a Snohomish High School event. It’s a great community event,” he said. “There’s no way we could pull it off without the support we get from the parents of our athletes, businesses, alumni from the program and the community members. Obviously we’re biased, but we think we’re the best large meet you can go to in the state of Washington. And it’s because of the community more than anything else.”
Nicoletti, who took over the Snohomish track program following Gionet’s death, said he hopes to continue to grow the event. But that won’t be easy.
“It’s tough because the one person we always looked to is no longer there,” Nicoletti said. “You can’t bounce your questions off him, you can’t bounce your ideas off him. I had the last nine years coaching by his side and following along to see what he was doing. But it’s still a huge void for sure.”
LeWarne, Nicoletti and Perry said Gionet is missed everyday. His absence has especially been felt this week as Snohomish prepares for the Eason Invitational.
“There’s so many different things that he did at our high school at Snohomish that there isn’t a week that goes by that you don’t say, ‘Shoot, that’s something Tuck took care of,’” Perry said. “As we prepare for the Eason, that was something that took place in his head. There’s no manual. He just did it. There have been quite a few times where it’s been like, ‘If only I could talk to Tuck right now.’”
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