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25 · Thursday, November 3, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Sport Oakville honours town's top athletes, coaches, volunteers Sport Oakville recently held its fourth annual Sport Recognition Awards, honouring the town's top athletes, teams, coaches and volunteers. More than 30 awards were handed out during the ceremonies, which were held at OE Banquet Hall. Oakville Speed Skating Club athlete Erin Heidecker concluded the afternoon with a speech on behalf of all award recipients and athletes. In Heidecker's speech, she thanked the Town for providing facilities; coaches, parents and peers for developing athletes; and Sport Oakville for recognizing achievement in sport. The Sport Recognition Awards were sponsored by Tim Hortons, First Canadian Title, Monaghan's Sports Pub & Grill, Soccer World and Price Waterhouse Cooper. Following are brief bios of all the award recipients: STEVEN DER-GARABEDIAN / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Athletiques International · Athlete Award -- Rachel Bronzovich: The Holy Trinity student earned bronze at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) track-and-field championships earlier this year, posting a time of 2:18.20 in the junior girls' 800-metre race. Finals, posting a time of 13.47 seconds. Oakville Minor Baseball Association · Athlete Award ­ Blake Weston: Blake wasn't just valuable to the Oakville A's minor midget AAA A team this year, he was also selected to the U17 provincial team -- a major accomplishment, since he was the only 16-year-old on the team of 17-year-old. He helped Ontario win the national championship in PEI this year. · Coach Award ­ Richard Griffin: Richard has been coaching in the rep program for more than 10 years and has been a dedicated mentor, teacher and supporter of baseball players. He is recognized for his energy and ensuring his players play hard, fairly and with dignity. His midget AAA team won the Central Ontario Baseball Association title this year. · Volunteer Award ­ Sean and Pat Coleman: The brothers have been involved with the OMBA for more than six years as dedicated coaches and volunteers. Together, they coach two teams per season and have had a positive influence on hundreds of f children, teaching not only skills but also sportsmanship, fair play and hard work. Skate Oakville · Team Award ­ Oakville Edge Elementary Synchro Team: The elementary team is a group of f girls that enjoyed a very successful competitive season through hard work and dedication. Under the direction of Jayda Malcolm and Lori Monaghan, the girls earned first-place finishes at Synchro Capers and March Mania while posting a second straight second-place showing at regionals. · Coach Award ­ Marion Gowing: Marion has been coaching for more than 40 years, the past 30 with Skate Oakville. She has coached a range of f recreational, competitive and even synchro skaters during that time. Her love of the sport translates to her students and she encourages skaters to reach their potential while insisting on sportsmanlike behaviour and teaching by example. · Volunteer Award ­ Lorelei Jenkins: A volunteer at the club for many years, Lorelei has worked to support skaters and promote sportsmanship. She Lorelei Jenkins has served on the board of directors for the past four years, has been instrumental in organizing the club's end-of-year banquet and also volunteers her time to many other causes and events in town. AWARD RECIPIENTS: Denise Darragh (left, accepting on behalf of son Mack), Marni Oldershaw (second from left) and Annie Harrison (right) stand with Oakville Aquatic Club parent Karen Serles after receiving an award from Sport Oakville in recognition of their swimming achievements over the past year. positions on the board of directors as well as senior team travel manager and chief chaperone. Grant has also played an active role during ths time, serving on the board of directors as treasurer, president and even bingo manager. Grant is also credited with almost single-handedly creating the club's private dry-land training facility. Halton Cowboys Football Club · Athlete Award ­ Matthew Turner: Matthew has played with the club for five years and assisted with the younger kids while serving as a great motivator for his team and a positive role model within the organization. · Team Award ­ 2011 OMFL Atom Cowboys: It was the first year of football for many players but, despite facing much more experienced teams, the players all showed great spirit as they learned their new sport. · Coach Award ­ Steve Budaci: Steve has coached with the club for the past three seasons and recently completed his first coaching course. He is loved by all his players and is an asset to the organization. · Volunteer Award ­ Karen Watt: Karen has been with the organization for the past three years, donating hundreds of volunteer hours to the club during that time. She stepped up this year as a team manager and did an excellent job. Oakville Hornets Girls Hockey Association · Coach Award ­ Harry Clay: Harry has coached two teams in each season of the Hornets' 16-year history, even after his eldest daughter retired from hockey. He has also mentored high school-aged assistants during that time. He helped organize the first Hornets tournament in 1995 and was part of the coaching staff of the first Hornets select team, which eventually morphed into the club's rep system. · Team Award ­ Peewee White Senators: Not having a full-time goaltender didn't deter the Senators. One of their skaters stepped up to become the goalie, and the team soon won its first tournament of the year in December. The Senators were later house league finalists in the playoffs. · Volunteer Award ­ Philipa Babe and John Bellegham: The husband-and-wife team didn't put its feet up after sending its daughter off to university this fall. Instead, , they continued to serve as volunteers for the 11th straight year, John serving as an assistant coach and Phlipa as a team mom. Phlipa has also taken on the role of procuring house league sponsorships that pay for jerseys each year. Oakville Crusaders Rugby Club · Team Award ­ Crusaders U14 Lancers: From the beginning of the season, the Lancers dedicated themselves to the values of respect, skill development, sportmanship and the commitment to excellence. Forty-one players contributed to a stellar season that saw the team go undefeated, outscoring its opponents by an average of 44-8, and win the provincial championship. · Coach Award ­ Kim Hunter: A long-time member of the Crusaders women's team, Kim has coached the U15 girls' rugby team since its inception four years ago. Her passion for Kim Hunter the game, enthusiasm and ability to develop skll is reflected not only in the U15 team, but also in the U18 team as players have moved on to the next level. · Volunteer Award ­ Keith Daniels: Keith is the registrar for the largest rugby club in North America. He has painstakingly manually entered each player with the rugby club and the provincial union, reconciled funds and followed every detail to ensure the club was held in good standing. Minor Oaks Hockey Association · Volunteer Award ­ Gary Staats: Gary has coached at the house league level for 15 years and at the AAA level for five years, all without ever having a child on one of those teams. He enjoys working with all the players and demonstrates his passion for the game, making it all about the kids and treating all players with respect, kindness and honesty. Oakville Speed Skating Club · Athlete Award ­ Ryan McAnuff: One of the fastest 16-year-old skaters to come out of the club, Ryan's 500m time is currently within 10 per cent of f the world record and also improving. Ryan has consistently placed at the top of his age class for the past five years, and he won his first North American championships medal at the age of 12. Ryan also leads by example with his hard work and positive attitude. · Athlete Award ­ Erin Heidecker: One of the best female skaters in the club, Erin has consistently qualified for Ontario Cups and provincials. Last year, in her first season as a midget, Erin placed third overall in the Ontario Cup circuit and was second overall at provincial championships. Her most memorable performance at provincials was her 3,000m race, when she lapped all but one girl on the way to a second-place finish against older competitors. · Volunteer Award ­ Larry Masaro: Larry has successfully obtained the Level 1 Officials Course for speed skating and has learned and mastered the electronic lap counter used for competitions. He has performed many roles at practices to assist skaters, and he has also obtained sponsorship funding for the club. · Coach Award ­ Andrew Dempsey: A volunteer coach for the past six years, Andrew coaches members in the Oakville short-track development program. Many of the athletes he coaches go on to compete at Ontario Cups, provincials and Canadian championships. He devotes countless hours preparing for practices and also makes every effort to assist other coaches with effective teaching strategies. Oakville Lady Hawks Field Lacrosse · Coach Award ­ Jackie Noble: Jackie has devoted countless hours to development of the club. She recruited players in order to field the club's inaugural U19 rep team and led a preseason skill development program for U15/U19 players both new and returning to the sport. She coached the U19 team and was convener, head coach and mentor for the Mini Hawk house league division, all while playing in the OWL senior women's league. · Volunteer Award ­ Danny Campbell: Danny has been an asset to the club with his countless hours of work registering players. He assisted coaches at all preseason clinics at all division levels, was the head coach of a U11 house league team and assisted the rep U19 coach at practices. Oakville Aquatic Club · Athlete Awards ­ Annie Harrison, Marnie Oldershaw and Mack Darragh: These three swimmers were named to Canada's junior world team that competed in Lima, Peru this summer. Mack earned a bronze in the 200-metre butterfly and set a Canadian record for 17-year-old boys; Marnie was ninth in the 400m individual medley; y and Annie posted two 13thplace finishes in freestyle events. · Coach Award ­ Sean Baker: Sean led the club to its most-ever swimmers qualifying for each competitive level, including senior nationals, age group nationals, provincials and regionals. He coached Sean Baker three swimmers to Canada's junior world team and one to Canada's universal team. · Volunteer Award ­ Fawna and Grant Assman: Fawna has been a volunteer with the club throughout her daughters' swimming careers, filling many Oakville Gymnastics Club · Athlete Award ­ Bianca Jordaan: Bianca finished ninth overall at the Canadian senior championships after earning gold on vault, bronze on balance beam and fifth in floor exercise. A member of Team Canada, Bianca was a candidate for the 2011 world championships before injuring her knee this summer. · Athlete Award ­ Silvia Colussi-Palaez: Silvia tied for all-around gold at this year's Canada Winter Games, leading Team Ontario to a first-place finish. She also recently returned from Japan, where she represented Spain at the world championships and 2012 Olympic Trials. · Volunteer Award ­ Cathy Brasil: The longest current-serving member of the OGC, Cathy has served as treasurer for many of those years and is also the club's senior meet director, hosting numerous high-profile competitions in Oakville. Oakville Legion Track and Field · Athlete Award ­ Ibrahim Ayorinde: Ibrahim had a stellar year competing in the Ontario Minor Track Association's tyke division. He posted two second-place finish at the Ibrahim Ayorinde MTA indoor championships, then was undefeated in the outdoor season in both the 100m and 200m distances. He later set a North American record for 10-year-olds in the 100m at the Hershey Track and Field North American