The province’s top athletes, decorated coaches and long-serving volunteers will be recognized and honoured at the 40th Annual Saskatchewan Sport Awards on Jan. 30 in Saskatoon.
Headlining the Athlete of the Year categories will be the five medallists from the Olympic and Paralympic Games, including four female athletes who reached the podium.
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 six 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 three Recognition Awards honour individuals who have devoted their time and effort to the growth of sport in Saskatchewan.
“Over the last year, Saskatchewan has had countless individuals exhibit outstanding dedication to the amateur sport system,” said Luke Flegel, Volunteer Board Chair for Sask Sport. “Each award recipient and finalist represent the perseverance of our province and the contributions that are made to nurture sport provincially, nationally and internationally. Saskatchewan is proud of those who represent the province at all levels of competition.”
The 40th Annual Saskatchewan Sport Awards will be celebrated with a gala on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 6:30 p.m. at Prairieland Park 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 channel on Jan. 30 and on SaskTel maxTV Local on Demand at a later date.
Recognition Awards:
Special Olympic athlete Lindsay Markwart, dedicated coach and mentor Tony Fineblanket, as well as rowing umpire Sheila Leach are named recipients of the Inspire Through Sport Award. In its fourth year, this award aims to celebrate individuals who utilize their platform to grow sport and the individuals within it.
For their valued and selfless work in rowing and figure skating, Bob Kary and Blair Seifert will be handed Volunteer Dedication Awards.
Honouring their decades of guidance and impact in the amateur sport community, Carla Nicholls (athletics), David Calam (lawn bowling) and Denise Fernandez (tennis) will receive Coach Dedication Awards for their 10 plus years of giving back in their sport.
INSPIRE THROUGH SPORT AWARD
| Tony Fineblanket | Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation | Volleyball | Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation and supported by Saskatchewan High Schools Athletics Association |
| Sheila Leach | Weyburn | Rowing | Saskatchewan Rowing Association |
| Lindsay Markwart | Regina | Special Olympics | Special Olympics Saskatchewan |
COACH DEDICATION AWARD
| David Calam | Regina | Lawn Bowling | Bowls Saskatchewan |
| Denise Fernandez | Saskatoon | Tennis | Tennis Saskatchewan |
| Carla Nicholls | Regina | Athletics | Saskatchewan Athletics |
VOLUNTEER DEDICATION AWARD
| Bob Kary | Regina | Canoe/Kayak | Wascana Racing Canoe Club and supported by Canoe/Kayak Saskatchewan |
| Blair Seifert | Saskatoon | Figure Skating | Skate 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.
Excellence Awards
The 20 finalists across the six Excellence categories are:
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS *
| Athlete | Community | Sport | Nominated by |
| Julie Kozun | Melfort | Sitting Volleyball | Public and supported by Sask Volleyball |
| Shelby Newkirk | Saskatoon | Para Swimming | Swim Saskatchewan |
| Carissa Norsten
Keely Shaw Savannah Sutherland | Waldheim
Midale Saskatoon | Rugby
Para Cycling Athletics | MacDowell Rugby and supported by Saskatchewan RugbySaskatchewan Cycling Association
Saskatchewan Athletics |
Additional finalists named due to the success at the Olympics/Paralympics
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
| Graeme Fish | Moose Jaw | Speed Skating | Speed Skating Saskatchewan |
| Blake Tierney | Saskatoon | Swimming | Swim Saskatchewan |
| Rylan Wiens | Pike Lake | Diving | Dive Sask |
COACH OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
| Mary Carroll | Saskatoon | Diving | Dive Sask |
| Ryan Jones | Saskatoon | Swimming | Swim Saskatchewan |
| Tyrell Sawatzky | Saskatoon | Para Athletics | Saskatchewan Athletics |
YOUTH FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
| Ali Diehl | Prince Albert | Para Swimming | Prince Albert Sharks Swim Club and supported by Swim Saskatchewan |
| Etta Love | Saskatoon | Olympic Weightlifting | Saskatchewan Weightlifting Association |
| Lila Stewart | Regina | Diving | Dive Sask |
YOUTH MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
| Jordan Carroll | Saskatoon | Gymnastics | Family and supported by Gymnastics Saskatchewan |
| Dryden Parchewsky | Saskatoon | Olympic Weightlifting | Family and supported by Saskatchewan Weightlifting Association |
| Kash Tarasoff | Saskatoon | Diving | Dive Sask |
TEAM OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
| Elise Miller and Annabelle Porter | Regina | Baton Twirling | Saskatchewan Baton Twirling Association |
| Regina Rebels | Regina | Hockey | Hockey Saskatchewan |
| University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s 4×800-metre relay team | Saskatoon | Athletics | Saskatchewan Athletics |
Nominations were made for 46 athletes, coaches and teams for the 40th Annual Saskatchewan Sport Awards in the Excellence categories. A full nomination list can be found here.
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 of Saskatchewan, Sask Lotteries proceeds — from products including LOTTO MAX, LOTTO 6/49 and Scratch & Win tickets — are allocated to eligible sport, culture and recreation groups. Learn more about Sask Sport at sasksport.ca.
For more information:
Kieran Kobitz
Communications Lead
Sask Sport
kkobitz@sasksport.ca