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durhamregion.com 8 The Citizen October 23, 2014 Brooklin's Wyatt McKinnon wins inaugural Michael Calnan Award Whitby lacrosse award given for sportsmanship, passion and dedication Brian Mcnair bmcnair@durhamregion.com BROOKLIN -- Wyatt McKinnon has the heart of a warrior, of that there is no question. It is appropriate, then, that McKinnon, a 16-year-old Brooklin resident, has been chosen to receive Whitby minor lacrosse's inaugural Calnan Award, named in memory of former Warriors player Michael Calnan, who died in 2010. The award, which was presented recently at the Whitby Minor Lacrosse Association's annual general meeting, is aimed at a player who has shown the utmost in sportsmanship, passion for the game and dedication to his team and teammates. Wyatt has not only done that, but he has done so by overcoming several life-threatening operations over the past 10 years, stemming from a brain tumor. Through it all, Wyatt's infectious smile has remained intact. "I just have to look for the bright side in everything," explains Wyatt who still undergoes therapy with the hope of the tumor dissolving altogether. "I still have to get through it, so one way or another I'll always have a smile on my face." Wyatt has grown from a six-year-old boy who struggled to walk and even hold his hockey stick after his first operation to a strapping six-foot-one, 220-pound teenager who loves both lacrosse and hockey. He won a provincial gold medal with the Whitby Warriors midget 2 rep team this summer and looks forward to a European trip after Christmas with his Whitby midget AE team. Wyatt plays defence in hockey, but is an attacker in lacrosse, which is the sport he enjoys more and hopes to pursue at the post-secondary level. "I love them both, but I think I'd have to go with lacrosse just because I feel that I'm better and more passionate about it," says Wyatt. "It was the best year I've ever had playing lacrosse. The coach was great. The team was great and we managed to pull it out right at the end, right where it really counted." McKinnon, whose sister Rachael is on a lacrosse scholarship at the University of Denver, is a Grade 11 student at the Blythe Academy in Whitby. BROOKLIN -- Wyatt McKinnon is the first winner of a new Whitby lacrosse award, the Calnan Award, named after a WMLA player who died young. Wyatt has battled a brain tumour since he was six and has had numerous operations. Jason LieBregts / MetroLand Torchbearers wanted for Pan Am Games TORONTO -- Canadians from coast to coast are being invited to celebrate and share their Pan Am spirit by taking part in the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am torch relay. Presented by President's Choice and OLG, the national event will be fuelled by local hometown pride, with stops planned in five Canadian cities: Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, Halifax and the Greater Vancouver Area, as well as 130 communities in all corners of Ontario. "The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am torch relay is an invitation to the nation to join the journey, share the spirit and show community pride as we prepare to welcome the best to the biggest international multisport Games Canada has ever held," said Saad Rafi, chief executive officer of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games organizing committee (TO2015). Anyone aged 13 and up by May 30, 2015 can enter to be a torchbearer. "All they need is a sense of pride, an abundance of community spirit and an ability to inspire us with their joy," Mr. Rafi said Three-thousand torchbearers will proudly carry the flame and share the welcoming Pan Am spirit of the Games on its 41-day journey towards the lighting of the cauldron on July 10, 2015, in the conclusion of the opening ceremony in downtown Toronto. Torchbearers will be chosen by torch relay route communities. To help kick off the search for Pan Am Games torchbearers, TO2015 named famed Canadian astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield as it first honorary torchbearer. To enter to be a torchbearer visit TORONTO2015.org/torchrelay. The deadline to enter is Dec. 1. The relay begins in May 2015 with the traditional Aztec lighting ceremony at the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico. The flame represents the history and spirit of the Games and is a potent symbol that unites the 41 Pan American Sports Organization member nations. The Canadian journey for the flame starts with its arrival in Toronto on May 30, 2015. It will then travel to the five other Canadian cities and more than 130 Ontario communities. Torchbearers must be a Canadian citizen or legal resident of Canada. For a complete list of criteria, visit TORONTO2015.org/torchrelay. ' 'It was the best year I've ever had playing lacrosse. The coach was great. The team was great and we managed to pull it out right at the end.' Wyatt McKinnon