On January 12, The Westside Recreation and Parks District held their annual Star Banquet, which, “celebrates our athletes who strive to be a star.” The guest of honor for the 2019 Star Banquet was Macayla Wells. They also recognized a few other Taft Union High athletes like: Bryce Veach and Brock Mizener for their participation in recreational sports.

The ceremony started off with Les Clark giving a speech on what it means to be an athlete and what some of the sport leagues were up to.

Billy Nelson also congratulated Wells for being the STAR Banquet Honoree and spoke about what it meant to him when he, “was a star player.” Before the video ended, Nelson said, “It’s nice to see a Wildcat track athlete making some headlines again.”

Melanie Parrent, a Taft High graduate, earned a softball scholarship to Fresno State and played professionally in Italy. She congratulated Macayla Wells for, “being named a 2018 Shining Star. I’ve heard amazing things about you. You’re representing Taft in a very positive way.”

Ryan Beckwith was the guest speaker for the event. He is the owner of A3 Sports & Wellness where Wells trains with him for an hour-and-a-half, practicing cross-fit, pole vaulting, and body mechanics. Wells has been training with him since September of 2018.

Shannon Grove, a California State Senator, awarded Wells with a certificate from the state. She congratulated Wells for her dedication to academics and athletics.  

Ray Wooldridge shared stories about coaching Wells throughout the years. Wooldridge also talked about how he met Wells and when she finally decided to participate in track full time. Before she was committed to track, she also played softball. 

Wells then thanked all of her coaches that have helped her throughout her athletic career.

Wells’s biggest supporters are her family, coaches, and her friends. She was also presented with a banner listing all of her awards and achievements that will be hung in the West Side Recreation Gymnasium.