SASKATOON (Jan. 11, 2023) – A group of 26 outstanding athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and teams are finalists and recipients for the nine different categories at the 2022 Saskatchewan Sport Awards.
The annual program celebrates the success and dedication of those in the province’s amateur sport community through two categories – Excellence Awards and Recognition Awards. The Excellence
Awards celebrate outstanding event performances or a series of performances by a Saskatchewan athlete, coach or team within a given calendar year, while the Recognition Awards include the Volunteer and Coach Dedication Awards which honour individuals who have devoted their time and effort to the growth of sport in Saskatchewan. Paralympic swimmer Nikita Ens and adaptive waterski world-record holder Nolan Barnes are recipients of the Inspire Through Sport awards, while long-serving biathlon coach Doug Sylvester and volleyball coach Tracy Hazen were handed the Coach Dedication awards.
For work in broomball, football, wheelchair rugby and Special Olympics, Leslie Bilodeau, Michelle Duchene, Ryan Gaudet and Tony Caissie were honoured with Volunteer Dedication awards.
The 18 finalists across the six Excellence categories includes Olympian and Paralympians, as well as national and international medallists.
“Saskatchewan is home to many outstanding and devoted individuals and teams who go to great lengths to excel at all levels of competition in amateur sport,” said Michael Rogers, Sask Sport Board of Directors Chair.
“Last year featured remarkable performances and contributions and those achievements deserve to be recognized. Without many of these devoted individuals, sport couldn’t happen in communities across the province. These individuals and teams continue to show that sport is truly more than a game.”
The 2022 Saskatchewan Sport Awards will be celebrated gala on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at TCU Place in Saskatoon. The gala will honour the eight Recognition Awards recipients, as well as announce the recipients of the six Excellence Awards and celebrate those named as finalists.
Tickets are available for purchase on the Sask Sport website.
The Saskatchewan Sport Awards will also be available for viewing live on Sask Sport’s YouTube and on SaskTel maxTV Local on Demand at a later date.
Excellence Awards
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Athlete Community Sport Nominated by
| Emily Clark |
Saskatoon | Hockey | Saskatoon U18 AAA Stars and supported by Hockey Saskatchewan |
| Margo Erlam |
Saskatoon | Diving | Saskatoon Diving Club and Dive Sask |
| Brittany Hudak |
Prince Albert |
Para Nordic |
Cross Country Saskatchewan and SASKI Skiing for Disabled |
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
| Mark McMorris | Regina | Snowboarding | Sask Snowboard and national team coach |
| Ben Coakwell | Moose Jaw | Bobsleigh | Huskie Football Alumni and supported by the Canadian Sport Centre Saskatchewan |
| Rylan Wiens | Pike Lake | Diving | Saskatoon Diving Club and Dive Sask |
COACH OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
| Mary Carroll | Saskatoon | Diving | Dive Sask |
| Maureen Johnson | Regina | Baton Twirling | Saskatchewan Baton Twirling Association |
| Jason Reindl | Saskatoon | Athletics | Saskatchewan Athletics |
YOUTH FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
| Teah Chavez | Regina | Tennis | Tennis Saskatchewan |
| Presley Deck | Regina | Diving | Saskatoon Diving Club and Dive Sask |
| Shelaine Pritchard | Prince Albert | Athletics | Saskatchewan Athletics |
YOUTH MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
| Lucas Musschoot | Grenfell | Volleyball | Family and Sask Volleyball |
| Keegan Rice |
Regina | Tennis | Tennis Saskatchewan |
| Kash Tarasoff | Saskatoon | Diving | Saskatoon Diving Club and Dive Sask |
TEAM OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
| Rebels Cheerleading Athletics – Team Smoke | Regina | Cheerleading | Saskatchewan Cheerleading Association |
| Team Sask Men’s Volleyball Team | Provincial | Volleyball | Sask Volleyball |
| Regina Thunder | Regina | Football | Football supporter and supported by Football Saskatchewan |
Recognition
Awards
INSPIRE THROUGH SPORT AWARD
| Nikita Ens | Meadow Lake | Para swimming |
Swim Saskatchewan |
| Nolan Barnes | Yorkton | Adaptive waterskiing |
Waterski and Wakeboard Saskatchewan |
COACH DEDICATION AWARD
| Doug Sylvester |
North Battleford |
Biathlon | Biathlon Saskatchewan |
| Tracy Hazen |
Saskatoon | Volleyball | Thunder Creek Volleyball Club and supported by Saskatchewan Volleyball Association |
VOLUNTEER DEDICATION AWARD
| Leslie Bilodeau |
Debden | Broomball | Debden Speedballs Boys Minor Broomball and supported by Saskatchewan Broomball Association |
| Michelle Duchene |
Saskatoon | Football | Saskatoon Valkyries and supported by Football Saskatchewan |
| Ryan Gaudet |
Bellevue | Wheelchair Rugby |
Saskatchewan Wheelchair Sports Association |
| Tony Caissie |
Melfort | Special Olympics |
Special Olympics Saskatchewan |
For more on the contributions of these coaches, officials and volunteers, as well as the history of the Saskatchewan Sport Awards, see sasksport.ca.
About Sask Sport
Sask Sport is a volunteer-led, non-profit organization committed to enriching Saskatchewan communities. As the provincial federation for amateur sport, Sask Sport develops collective programs and services beneficial to sport. Today, 70 provincial and multi-sport organizations and districts represent more than 330,000 registered participants in the province. Sask Sport is also licensed to operate Sask Lotteries. Through an agreement with the Government ofSaskatchewan, Sask Lotteries proceeds — from products including LOTTO MAX, LOTTO 6/49 and ZING tickets — are allocated to eligible sport, culture and
recreation groups. Learn more about Sask Sport at sasksport.ca.
For more information:
Nicole Betker
Communications Manager
Sask Sport
nbetker@sasksport.ca