For Immediate Release – February 28, 2026 (Vancouver, BC)
BC Women & Sport is excited to recognize three deserving women who will be celebrated at the 58th Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Two women will be honoured with the prestigious In Her Footsteps . . . Celebrating BC Women in Sport recognition program and one recipient will receive the Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundation Award.
In Her Footsteps Honourees
The purpose of In Her Footsteps…Celebrating BC Women in Sport is to name and honour women who have made a significant contribution to sport in BC. The athletes, coaches, officials, builders, pioneers, teams, officials, and members of the media who have been selected for this honour have helped shape sport in BC. Their collective impact is felt across the BC sport sector and throughout the province. The honourees are celebrated at Sport BC’s Annual Athlete of the Year Awards and are featured at the In Her Footsteps . . . Celebrating BC Women In Sport Exhibit at the BC Sports Hall of Fame. The exhibit tells the stories of the honourees through interactive touch-screen components, artifacts, text, and photographs.
CATHY ASTOFOOROFF
Cathy Astofooroff is a foundational leader in British Columbia’s snowboarding community and a tireless champion for gender equity in sport. As Executive Director of BC Snowboard, Cathy has dedicated more than 30 years to shaping and strengthening the sport across the province and beyond.
Since the organization’s inception, Cathy has been a steady and visionary force behind the scenes, guiding its growth with integrity, humility, and purpose. Her leadership has helped build the structures, policies, and culture that support athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers at every level of the sport. Widely respected for her depth of knowledge and commitment, Cathy has played an instrumental role in the progression and sustainability of snowboarding in British Columbia.
A passionate advocate for women and girls in sport, Cathy has embedded equity, inclusion, and fairness into the very fabric of BC Snowboard’s operations. She has championed gender representation in leadership roles, strengthened inclusive programming, and helped remove barriers for female athletes and sport leaders. Her mentorship and community-building efforts have supported the growth of countless women in coaching, officiating, event management, and governance.
Though she has never sought the spotlight, Cathy’s influence is evident in the increased representation of women in leadership positions and in the inclusive culture that defines snowboarding in BC today. Her legacy is one of quiet impact, creating sustainable opportunities and pathways for the next generation.
SAVANNA SMITH
Savanna Smith fell in love with the Medicine Game at age five, often playing as the only girl alongside her three older brothers at a time when female teams did not exist. Facing barriers and discrimination, she used those challenges as motivation, and in 2008 became the first and only female to represent British Columbia on a men’s field lacrosse team at Nationals.
Determined to create better pathways for girls, Savanna launched camps and clinics that led to the creation of a female field lacrosse league where she coached, officiated, and played. She became the first athlete from that program to compete in NCAA Division I lacrosse, paving the way for more than 100 female athletes from B.C. to earn post-secondary opportunities in the sport.
With more than 22 years of coaching experience, Savanna has led athletes from grassroots to high performance. She has coached provincial championship teams, earned a bronze medal at the North American Indigenous Games, and was named Indigenous Female Coach of the Year by the Aboriginal Sport Circle in 2023. She also helped establish the Women’s Arena Lacrosse League to expand year-round opportunities for women in box lacrosse.
A passionate advocate for Indigenous participation and gender equity, Savanna serves as a Learning Facilitator and Master Coach Developer for the Aboriginal Coaching Module and contributes nationally through Lacrosse Canada’s Gender Equity Committee. Her lifelong commitment continues to strengthen opportunities for girls and Indigenous athletes across British Columbia and beyond.
Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundation Award Recipient
TEAGAN JOHNSTONE
Teagan Johnstone is an emerging leader dedicated to advancing gender equity and inclusion in sport. A former University of the Fraser Valley athlete and current volleyball coach, Teagan is in her fourth year of coaching, including her third season with Fraser Valley Volleyball Club. Her coaching philosophy centers on creating inclusive, empowering environments where girls and young women build confidence, resilience, and a lifelong connection to sport.
A proud member of the Leq’á:mel and Nooksack First Nations, Teagan brings a culturally grounded perspective to her leadership. As a Learning Facilitator with I·SPARC, she supports Indigenous communities across British Columbia in developing safe, inclusive, and culturally respectful sport systems that uplift Indigenous girls and women.
Teagan has also served as a Mental Health Ambassador with Volleyball BC, championing safe sport and athlete well-being. In 2025, she was selected for the REACH Youth Community Task Force through The Association for International Sport for All and currently works with PacificSport Fraser Valley to reduce barriers to sport participation for children and youth.
Through her leadership and advocacy, Teagan exemplifies the spirit of the Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundation, working to ensure girls and young women across B.C. feel seen, supported, and empowered in sport.
“The Athlete of the Year Awards is a celebration of sport in our province, and we are looking forward to showcasing a wide variety of stories during the event. Our In Her Footsteps Honourees and Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundation Award Recipient are exceptional choices to be recognized by BC Women & Sport,” shares Sport BC’s President and CEO, Rob Newman. “We look forward to learning more about their important gender equity work and celebrating their collective accomplishments at the 58th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards on March 5, 2026.”
