At the Skate Canada Newfoundland & Labrador Awards banquet, Betty Brett was named to the Volunteer award of Excellence. The Skate Canada President’s CanSkate Challenge award for the greatest increase in CanSkate numbers in the province this year went to CBN SC. [Awards Photos]
Doug Leigh and Joey Russell led a successful Canada Games training camp in Gander in conjunction with the AGM [Photos]
Sectionals will be in Bay Roberts, hosted by CBN, on the weekend of November 7. The Lamnotagne Provincial Championships will be held Feb 12-14, venue to be determined. The provincial synchronized skating championships will be hosted by Mount Pearl SC, February 20, and the Junor Provincial Championships will be hosted by Flying blades in Clarenville, February 27.
At the Skate Canada Newfoundland & Labrador Annual General Meeting new members were elected to the board. Juliet O’Brien is the new Section Chair, and Karen Hillyard re-elected as Vice President. Sherri Mercer and Karen Benson were elected as directors at large.
The 2008-09 Skate Canada Achievement Awards were announced at the Banquet. The winners were:-
Volunteer Awards
Skate Canada Volunteer Award of Excellence: Betty Brett
The criteria requires that the winner demonstrates a long-term commitment to skating for more that 10 year. The winners’ contributions must reflect a passion for the sport and its participants, and they have produced specific and positive results both within and outside his/her section. This year’s winner has been on of the most significant volunteers in the section for at least the past 10 years. She is devoted to skater development, cares deeply about all the skaters, operated in a fair and open manner and is respected by a wide spectrum of the skating community both provincially and nationally. There is little doubt in our minds that the national success of Newfoundland and Labrador skaters over the last few years are in part due to the programs she has put in place and administered. Her Quote: ” This is something I love to do, if I didn’t enjoy it I wouldn’t do it.” I want to see our skaters compete and perform on the same level as those from the rest of the country. I work hard with the rest of our section volunteers to provide quality training at home and to give our skaters the same opportunities regardless of where they live. There has been a lot of hard work but every little success story makes everything worth the effort.”
Skate Canada Section Volunteer Award: Christine Morgan
The Skate Canada Section Volunteer Award is presented to an active adult volunteer Who has been involve in the Sport of Figure skating for a minimum of 5 Years and whose efforts have produced specific, positive results in His/her section. The winner reflects Passion for the sport and its participants – an individual who is an exemplary role mode for other volunteers and who leads by example. This year’s award winner has made a significant contribution with the Newfoundland and Labrador section by her leadership in the growth of her club doubling its membership in the last 5 years. Her leadership has directly resulted in new CanSKaters entering skating at the grass roots level in the Province. This very busy lady, while very busy with her full time job and the clubs business, finds the time to skate on the Adult masters Team and PA’s every week in addition to replacing PA’s who are not able to make their session. She is a terrific role model. Through her thoughtfulness, our section directly contributed to a wish of a very sick child in Saskatchewan.
Elizabeth Swann Memorial Award (service to synchronised skating): Brenda Viscount (PARC)
Brenda has been involved with skating for 11 years; She has been team manager for her club’s syncro team for the past 5 years. She organize the purchases of dresses, suits, tights etc., books hotel rooms and transportation for competitions, books the ice time and the coaches, Sets up the budget for the team and organized and implements fundraising activities. She has been an outstanding volunteer in Synchronized skating. She is dedicated to the sport of skating and even with all the obstacles and challenges presented to her club in the past two year, she has been committed and determined that the club succeed in order to give the children of the area the enjoyment of participating in the sport of Figure Skating. In the face of difficulties and challenges, she is unwavering in her desire to do whatever she can to make things right. Quoting her ” We’ll do what we can”
Skate Canada Program Assistant Award: Allie Winter – Prince of Wales SC
This dedicated and enthusiastic and reliable Program Assistant has been assisting with her Club for 11 years. This season, she PAed 4 sessions per week, despite a busy university schedule, working two part time jobs and skating on a high-level synchro team and other volunteer Activities. She has a great report with the children, mixing fun and instruction; She is always cheerful even early mornings. Her long-term commitment to skating is shown by the fact that she’s still skating and PAing in 4th year university, while gaining considerable respect as a judge. She says “I just can’t say no when asked to help! I have got a lot out of skating and I like to give the kids the same opportunities I had”
Skate Canada Section Officials Award: Tracy Hillyard – Mount Pearl
The Skate Canada Section Officials Award is awarded to a volunteer in an official capacity such as evaluators, judges, referees, and data specialists, and must be active for a least five seasons. Three nominations came in for this years’ winner, from two regions located far apart geographically. This Judge/evaluator has worked had to achieve her Novice Judging promotion and her high evaluating levels, while attending University and working a part time job. She has confidence in her ability to judge fairly and to accurately assess a skater’s performance. She always puts the skaters’ interests first. One coach expressed their appreciation of her dependability and how she has accommodated requests to do some students during her lunch break on a weekday! Her Words – “As a volunteer, I wish to give back the opportunities and privileges I had, so that others can experience the fun and development of life skills that I was able to experience as a skater, student and volunteer.”
Skate Canada Section Volunteer Coach Award: Lisa Young – Silver Blades
The 2009 winner for section began coaching about 27 years ago. Along with coaching CanSkate, Junior, Preliminary, intermediate and seniors, as well as national level skaters she finds the time to help organize fundraising events, The annual ice show and is there to answer any question about the sport of skating to parents and skaters. She is also a full time Physical Education teacher, and coaches intramural teams outside of the school team. Some comments given about our winner – She is a friend and coach to our skaters and many of the Parents. She is authoritative and caring, two very important qualities in a coach.
BMO Financial Group CanSkater of the Year Award: Sarah Dawson – CBN
The BMO Financial Group CanSkater of the Year award winner must be 8 years or under and currently enrolled in a CanSkate Program. The nominees are evaluated on talent and skill achievement coupled with a passion for skating. Our winner this year is an energetic and enthusiastic 5 year old who is presently at the Stage Seven level and has been a member of the PEP Team for the two years she has been skating and participates in every aspect of the CanSkate Program – CanSkate Sessions, Accelerated CanSkate, CanSkate Synchro, Off Season Schools and Competitions. Her mother has shared with us that the only issue when it is time for skating is what to wear, and Her coach tells us “she wants to be a skater for her job when she gets big. This Skater really loves to skate.”
Skate Canada STARSkate Athlete Award: Olvia Drover-Martin – Prince of Wales SC
In only 5 years this skater has obtained her Junior Silver Free Skate, Elements & Program, all dances including her Senior Bronze Level, her Juvenile competitive Test, and her Bronze Interpretive test. Her first goal this season was to pass her PreNovice Competitive test – but she was unable to achieve this. Through her disappointment, another door opened for her and her goal was renewed to compete in the Bronze Triathlon Event at Provincials. While balancing her Jazz, Ballet & Cheerleading, this skater had to pass a least two of the three tests needed to qualify for the Triathlon event. Some of the comments we received about this skater were that she is a very dedicated, hard working skater. When given such a big Challenge as she was given, she worked hard to put together a longer freeskate program, an artistic program and a skills program. She not only won the Provincial Bronze tiathlon championship but went on to win a silver medal at the National Starskate Bronze Triathlon.
Skate Canada Competitive Skate Athlete Award: Emily Benson – Wabush
She started skating when she was only 2 years old and would skate every day if she could. She is the first one on the ice and last one off. Even though there is no off-ice program where she lives, she joined gymnastics to supplement her on ice training and has developed into a competitive gymnast. She also plays minor soccer and if that isn’t enough, she is a member of the alpine skiing team, snowboards and studies dance tap and jazz. She competed at the 2009 BMO Junior Nationals with a top half finish,
In addition the following nominations were made for national awards:-
- 2009 Skate Canada Club and Recreation Coach Award of Excellence Nominations: Carol Foote, Sparkling Blades Figure Skating Club, Karen Jones, Ice Crystals Skating Club
- 2009 Skate Canada Competitive Coach Award of Excellence Nomination: Joanne Milner, Sparkling Blades Figure Skating Club
The following skaters were recipients of Skate Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Athlete Trust Fund Bursaries at the 2009 Awards Banquet:- Alexandra Young, Matthew Young, Joey Russell, Matthew Power, Francine Harris, Olivia Drover-Martin, Stephanie Nevin, Emily Benson