MEDIA RELEASES
March 23 , 2007
Toews and Imrie Selected Manitoba Youth Athletes of the Year
Winnipeg – Hockey player Jonathan Toews and Biathlete Megan Imrie have been named Manitoba’s Male and Female Youth Athletes of the Year based on their achievements in 2006.
The Under-17 Provincial Women’s Volleyball Team was named the Calm Air Junior Team of the Year.
The Sport Manitoba Awards were presented in conjunction with the 34th Annual Canadian Sport Awards held at the University of Manitoba’s Investors Group Athletic Centre.
Also recognized by Sport Manitoba were Peter Gerlinger (Westman Region) as the Great-West Life Volunteer of the Year, Natalie Patenaude (Central Region) as the Great-West Life Youth Volunteer of the Year, Hector Vergara (Soccer) as the Official of the Year and Rob Berkowits (Football) as Sport Administrator of the Year.
Doris Jones (Archery) and Emory Wells (Volleyball) were named winners of the Tom Longboat Award as Manitoba’s Aboriginal Athletes of the Year.
Sport Manitoba’s award winners were determined from a group of 59 nominees put forward by Provincial Sport Organizations and selected by members of the Manitoba sports media. The Manitoba Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Council made the selection of the Tom Longboat Awards.
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Sport Manitoba Award Winners
Jonathan Toews (Hockey) – Male Youth Athlete of the Year
Jonathan was the youngest member (17) of Team Canada’s gold medal winning team at the 2006 IIHF World Junior U20 Hockey Championships in Vancouver. He followed that success by leading his University of North Dakota team to the NCAA Frozen Four, and was subsequently taken in the 1 st round, 3 rd overall by the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
Megan Imrie (Biathlon) – Female Youth Athlete of the Year
In a sport typically dominated by athletes from Europe, Megan has become a member of the Junior National Biathlon Team, and finished 10 th at the World Championships in the 12.5 km Individual. At the Canadian Championships in Quebec, Imrie finished 1 st in the Pursuit, 2 nd in the Sprint and 3 rd in the Individual.
Megan was recently selected as Team Manitoba’s flag bearer at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Under-17 Provincial Women’s Volleyball Team – Calm Air Junior Team of the Year
Manitoba sent two teams to the National Team Challenge Cup that is predominantly populated by U18 teams. Manitoba’s was the only U17 team to reach the medal round; beat Quebec in the semi-finals and defeated Alberta in an exciting five set match for the Gold Medal. Many of these girls will be the same faces that will lead our volleyball team at the 2009 Canada Summer Games in PEI.
Peter Gerlinger (Westman Region) – Great-West Life Volunteer of the Year
Peter has been a key volunteer and coach in the Brandon Youth Hockey Association for the past 8 years. He also organizes skills camps and Recruitment Days throughout Westman to expose more kids to hockey and assist with their development. Hockey Canada recognized Peter’s skills and commitment by requesting his assistance with the development of their National Summit Program.
Natalie Patenaude (Central Region) – Great-West Life Youth Volunteer of the Year
Natalie has been a member of the Portage Skating Club for 12 years, and has been a Program Assistant under the Skate Canada system for the past 5 years. Natalie has become a role model for her fellow club members and an excellent volunteer skating instructor, especially with beginner CanSkate children. In 2006, Natalie took on the additional role of assisting with the StarGroup skaters, a more advanced level of skating.
Hector Vergara (Soccer) – Official of the Year
Officiated three World Cup qualification matches, and five matches at the 2006 World Cup held in Germany including the semi-final match between Italy and Germany. Hector’s officiating crew was the first in the history of the World Cup to officiate 5 games at one event. This is Vergara’s 4th consecutive selection as Sport Manitoba’s Official of the Year.
Rob Berkowits (Football) – Sport Administrator of the Year
Appointed to the Football Canada Restructure and Renewal Committee, developing a new national governance model. Rob led the Steering Committee in the hosting of the 2006 Football Canada Cup – record attendance; outstanding corporate support and volunteer delivery resulted in a $25,000 windfall for Football Manitoba.
Doris Jones (Archery) - Tom Longboat Female Aboriginal Athlete of the Year
Doris is the World Junior Women’s Compound Champion. The week prior to the World Championships Doris was in a car accident and broke her thumb on her release hand. In order to compete, Doris removed her cast and iced her hand between shots to lead her way to victory. Doris is also a Youth Spokesperson and role model for the Manitoba Metis Federation.
Emory Wells (Volleyball) - Tom Longboat Male Aboriginal Athlete of the Year
Academic, athletic and community minded are three words that have been used to describe Emory Wells. Emory has maintained his status as a full diploma student in the International Baccalaureate program, worked with inner-city kids on their volleyball skills and life goals, while leading the Miles Mac Buckeyes to a runner-up finish in the AAAA High School Volleyball Provincial Finals.
