SUBMITTED PHOTO
Cameron Rittinger, a physical education teacher at Medicine Hat High School and coach of the Medicine Hat Monarchs and Hat High baseball teams poses with the Certificate of Commendation Award from the Health and Physical Education Council he was awarded earlier this month.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Cameron Rittinger, a physical education teacher at Medicine Hat High School, has been recognized with a provincial award for outstanding achievements.
Rittinger received the Certificate of Commendation Award at the Health and Physical Education Council annual conference earlier this month. The HPEC, which runs through the Alberta Teachers’ Association, recognizes individuals who show “outstanding contributions to health and or physical education.”
Rittinger runs Hat High’s baseball academy and coaches the high school baseball teams. He’s also the coach of the American Legion Medicine Hat Monarchs.
The award recognition isn’t something Rittinger aims for but he says it means a lot to him.
“They could give it to a lot of different people, a lot of deserving people in our field teaching in phys-ed,” Rittinger said. “There’s lots of guys all over the place putting in hard work and not just putting in hard work at the school but after hours coaching multiple teams. So for me to get that award was a real pat on the back.”
Only two teachers in Alberta are recipients of the award. Rittinger has taught at Hat High for two years but has been a phys-ed and other class teacher in the district for 15 years. He’s been coaching for 17 years and his involvement has gone beyond the baseball diamond as he’s coached basketball, wrestling, volleyball, badminton and other sports.
Rittinger says he enjoys seeing his athletes and students get better both physically and mentally through sport and activity.
“It’s about getting better for one thing but just even the physical fitness is one aspect of it, mental health is another side of it,” Rittinger said. “That’s really important. That expenditure of energy and all of that is good for the kids to get it out.”
He says the team aspect of sports is why he gives up so much of his time to coach.
“I’ve always played sports my whole life, so anytime I can involve myself at work as a team, working with other teachers, working with students, working with parents, it doesn’t really matter,” Rittinger said. “That team atmosphere, everyone rooting for everyone else, it just attracts me to it.”
