46th Athlete of the Year Finalists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Finalists announced for Sport BC’s 46th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards presented by TELUS
Winners for performances in 2011 to be honoured at ceremony on March 8, 2012
Richmond, BC (January 10, 2012) – Sport BC announced today the outstanding amateur athletes, coaches and officials named as finalists for 14 of the 17 award categories to be presented at the upcoming Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards, presented by TELUS.
The awards ceremony and gala dinner, set for March 8, 2012 at the River Rock Show Theatre in Richmond BC, recognizes BC’s best amateur athletes, coaches, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport over the 2011 season. Each finalist was nominated by their Provincial Sport Organization, high school or university, and voted for by a selection committee of BC sportswriters, broadcasters, athletes and amateur sport experts.
“We received a number of very strong nominations this year from our Provincial Sport Organizations,” said Sport BC’s Event Manager, Carey Summerfelt. “Sport BC’s Athlete of the Year Awards provides a great opportunity to give these talented athletes, coaches and officials the recognition they deserve.”
Other awards presented at the ceremony include Best of BC, a people’s choice award presented to an outstanding professional or amateur BC athlete. Submit your vote starting January 23 for the Best of BC award winner and reserve tickets for the dinner and award ceremony at SportBC.com.
Sport BC’s 46th Annual Athlete of the Year Award Finalists:
Athlete with a Disability, presented by the Province of British Columbia
Braedon Dolfo (Langley, BC) – BC Blind Sports Athletics
David Scott Patterson (Vancouver, BC) – Swimming
Michelle Stilwell (Nanoose, BC) – Wheelchair Athletics
Coach of the Year, presented by Canadian Sport Centre Pacific
Anatoliy Bondarchuk (Kamloops, BC) – Athletics
Peter Lawless (Victoria, BC) – Wheelchair Athletics/ Handcycling
Bruce Wilson (Victoria, BC) – Soccer
College Athlete of the Year, presented by KidSport BC
Li (Melody) Liang (Burnaby, BC) – Badminton, Douglas College
William Quiring (Abbotsford, BC) – Volleyball, Columbia Bible College
Preston Tucker (Vernon, BC) – Volleyball, UBC Okanagan
Community Champion Award, presented by Tourism Richmond
Daryl Thompson Award, presented by The Beedie Group
Harry Jerome Comeback Award, presented by Canadian Direct Insurance
High School Female Athlete of the Year, presented by Scotiabank
Georgia Ellenwood (Langley, BC) – Athletics, Langley Secondary School
Alexandra McCawley (North Vancouver, BC) – Field Hockey/Basketball/Rugby, Carson Graham Secondary
Emily Oxland (North Vancouver, BC) – Volleyball, Handsworth Secondary
High School Male Athlete of the Year, presented by The Province
Sunny Dhinsa (Abbotsford, BC) – Wrestling, WJ Mouat Secondary
Adam Keenan (Victoria, BC) – Athletics, Lambrick Park Secondary
Reiner Theil (West Vancouver, BC) – Basketball/Football, Vancouver College
Junior Female Athlete of the Year
Shirley Fu (Burnaby, BC) – Table Tennis
Jisoo Keel (Coquitlam, BC) – Golf
Emily Schmidt (Victoria, BC) – Diving
Junior Male Athlete of the Year, presented by Triple O’s
Curtis Lazar (Vernon, BC) – Hockey
Kevin Kwon (Pitt Meadows, BC) – Golf
Filip Peliwo (North Vancouver, BC) – Tennis
Master Athlete of the Year
Christa Bortignon (West Vancouver, BC) – Athletics
Margaret Hudson (Port Alberni, BC) – Badminton
Stephanie Keifer (Vancouver, BC) – Triathlon
Official of the Year, presented by MyBackCheck.com
Jim Mitchell (Abbotsford, BC) – Wrestling
Terry Mosdell (Surrey, BC) – Lacrosse
Wayne Van Osterhout (Victoria, BC) – Rowing
Senior Female Athlete of the Year
Paula Findlay (Victoria, BC) – Triathlon
Amanda Gerhart (Vancouver, BC) – Wrestling
Rebecca Marino (Vancouver, BC) – Tennis
Senior Male Athlete of the Year, presented by TELUS
Dylan Armstrong (Kamloops, BC) – Athletics – Shot Put
Ryan Cochrane (Victoria, BC) – Swimming
Vasek Pospisil (Vancouver, BC) – Tennis
Team of the Year, presented by the TEAM 1040
Surrey United (Surrey, BC) – Soccer
TWU Men’s Volleyball (Langley, BC) – Volleyball
UBC Women’s Volleyball (Vancouver, BC) – Volleyball
University Athlete of the Year, presented by the Vancouver Sun
Helen Crofts (West Vancouver, BC) – Athletics, Simon Fraser University
Jacob Doerksen (Langley, BC) – Basketball, Trinity Western University
Shanice Marcelle (Vancouver, BC) – Volleyball, University of British Columbia
About Sport BC’s Athlete of the Year Awards:
Sport BC’s Athlete of the Year Awards is the longest standing sport recognition event in the country. Awards in 17 different categories are given each year to athletes, coaches, and officials on their performance and contribution to sport in the province. The awards play a valuable role in nurturing athletic success and recognizing some of BC’s growing talents. For a list of previous award winners and additional information on the 46th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards presented by TELUS, please visit SportBC.com.
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For more information, please contact:
Jessica Doherty
Manager, Communications
Sport BC
E: jessica.doherty@sportbc.com
T: 604.333.3422
