Media Releases
April 16, 2004
SCHUSSLER REPEATS - A NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS SALUTES MANITOBA'S BEST
For the second year in a row Speed Skater Brittany Schussler has been named Manitoba's Female Youth Athlete of the Year for 2003. Schussler was honoured at Sport Manitoba's "A Night of Champions" at which Squash player Andrew Boumford was named Manitoba's Male Youth Athlete of the Year and the Provincial Men's 18-and-Under Volleyball Team selected as Manitoba's Junior Team of the Year.
Also recognized at the gala sport awards presentation at the Winnipeg Art Gallery was the late Heavy Evason (Special Olympics) as the Great-West Life Volunteer of the Year, Sarah Shumsky (High Schools) as the Great-West Life Youth Volunteer of the Year, Kathy Stoesz (Artistic Gymnastics) as the Official of Year and Rob Berkowits (Football) as Sport Administrator of the Year.
Tawny Dillabough (Volleyball/Fastball) and Jared Fletcher (Athletics) were named winners of the Tom Longboat Award as Manitoba's Aboriginal Athletes of the Year.
Sport Manitoba's award winners were selected from a group of 49 nominees put forward by Provincial Sport Organizations and determined by members of the Manitoba sports media. Selection of the Tom Longboat Awards was made by the Manitoba Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Council.
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For more information, contact:
Barry Moroz
Sport Manitoba Communications
925-5903
Sport Manitoba "A Night of Champions" Award Winners
Brittany Schussler (Speed Skating) - Female Youth Athlete of the Year
Member of the Canadian National Sprint Team. Bronze medallist in the 1500 metres and 4th place overall finisher at the World Junior Championships in Japan.
Andrew Boumford (Squash) - Male Youth Athlete of the Year
Top ranked Under 17 player in Canada and North America. Manitoba and Canadian Junior Open Champion. Silver medallist at the Canadian Nationals and Pan American Junior Squash Team Championships.
Team Manitoba 18 and Under Volleyball Team - Junior Team of the Year
Gold medal winners at the 2003 Western Canada Summer Games. Silver medallists at National Team Challenge Cup.
Heavy Evason (Special Olympics) - Great-West Life Volunteer of the Year
Spent 20 years with Special Olympics as a coach, administrator, evaluator, official, and technical advisor. Instrumental in bringing the 2006 National Summer Games to Brandon and was chairperson of the Games Organizing Committee at the time of his untimely passing earlier this year.
Sarah Shumsky (High Schools) - Great-West Life Youth Volunteer of the Year
Student representative on the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association Board of Directors. Chair of the Players Choice selection committee, chair of Making Connections and youth delegate at the National Sport We Want Symposium.
Kathy Stoesz (Artistic Gymnastics) - Official of the Year
Canadian Head Judge for all competition in Canadian in 2003. Honoured as the Official of the Year by the Sports Officials Association of Canada.
Rob Berkowits (Football) - Sport Administrator of the Year
Executive Director of Football Manitoba. Activity highlights included expansion of the provincial team program to include an under-17 team, expansion of the outreach program and youth football and introduction of a new referees association.
Tawny Dillabough (Volleyball/Fastball) - Tom Longboat Female Athlete of the Year
From Brandon. Won a gold medal in the Canadian Open Girls 16-and-Under Tier 1 Volleyball Championships and a silver medal at Western Canadian Junior Women's Fastball Championships.
Jared Fletcher (Athletics) - Tom Longboat Male Athlete of the Year
Member of the Bison Track and Field Team. Won 5 gold medals at
the Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games and competed as a member
of Team Manitoba at the 2003 Western Canada Summer Games.
