“Sport Manitoba appreciates the dedication, time, and energy that our coaches put into the community,” said Jeff Hnatiuk, President & CEO for Sport Manitoba. “It is an honour to celebrate and recognize these hard working coaches at our annual Coaching Manitoba Excellence Awards.”
MAJOR AWARD CATEGORY FINALISTS:
Active Start/Fundamentals (Previously called Grassroots) - Vince Leah Award
Individuals who coach grassroots athletes of any age. The coaching environment at this level is primarily non-competitive, with an emphasis on participation and having fun.
- Michel Fournier, Baseball – La Broquerie
- Timothy Morison, Hockey - Fannystelle
- Sheena Reed, Artistic Gymnastics – Flin Flon
Learn to Train-Train to Train (Previously called Developmental) - Dr. Jack Hunt Award
Coaches who are responsible for athletes developing competitive skills and preparing for competition (i.e. regional, provincial, or Canada Games).
- Jaret Ditter, Soccer - Winnipeg
- Jayson Gillespie, Cycling - Winnipeg
- Stephen Tackie, Basketball – Winnipeg
Train to Compete-Train to Win (Previously called High Performance) - Peter Williamson Award
Coaches who primarily work with athletes that compete at the national or international level.
- Lucien Casagrande, Bowling - Winnipeg
- Shari Hebert, Rhythmic Gymanstics - Winnipeg
- Garth Pischke, Volleyball – Winnipeg
School System Athletes - Peter Dick Award
These coaches are paid employees of a school (i.e. teacher, guidance counselor, principal) who coach as an extra-curricular activity. This award is open to those individuals who coach at all grade levels from elementary through middle years and high school.
- Ryan Diehl, Basketball - Glenboro
- Denis Marinelli, Basketball & Badminton - Winnipeg
- Phil Penner, Basketball - Winnipeg
Honourees at the breakfast will also include Manitoba coaches who coached internationally in 2012, as well as those that have dedicated 25 years of service to their sport in the province.
The awards brunch will be held Sunday, April 7 at 9:00 a.m. at the McPhillips Station Casino (484 McPhillips Street).
Program Outline:
- 8:00 a.m. – Doors Open
- 9:00 a.m. – Greetings
- 9:15 a.m. – Breakfast Served
- 9:50 a.m. – Program Starts
- 9:55 a.m. – Peter Dick Award
- 10:05 a.m. – Vince Leah Award
- 10:25 a.m. – Long Service Awards
- 10:30 a.m. – Aboriginal Coaching Awards
- 10:45 a.m. – International Coaches
- 10:50 a.m. – Dr. Jack Hunt Award
- 11:05 a.m. – Peter Williamson Award
- 11:20 a.m. – Program Wrap
Coach biographies are available upon request.
Sport Manitoba is a not for profit organization and the lead planning, programming and funding agency for the development of amateur sport in Manitoba. Located in the Sport for Life Centre, Sport Manitoba partners with over 100 organizations to deliver sport in our province and is responsible for programs including the Power Smart Manitoba Games, Coaching Manitoba, Team Manitoba, Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame & Museum, and KidSport. Services provided include the Sport Medicine Centre, Sport Performance Centre, and Sport Resource Centre.
“Good coaches build better people!”