Know an exceptional amateur athlete, coach, or volunteer who has gone above and beyond over the last 12 months? If so, Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection will soon be accepting nominations for its 2021 Northwest Alberta Sport Excellence Awards.
Ten awards will be given out in two different categories. In the High-Performance category, they include Male and Female Athlete of the Year, Junior Male and Female Athlete of the Year, Team of the Year, and Coach of the year. In the Community Awards category, awards include Developmental Coach of the Year, Outstanding Official, Sport Builder, Unsung Hero, Community Sportsmanship, and Sport Event of the Year.
Executive Director Karna Germsheid says while she knows it wasn’t a fully traditional year in sports in the region, she knows those involved in programs across the board have worked tirelessly to make things run as smoothly as possible.
“We reflected back on what was happening, and when people could go, they could go, and we’ve got athletes, volunteers, and teams from the north who crushed it in 2021, so we’re feeling really positive,” she says.
“They consistently do so, even during the downtimes, because it’s not like nothing happens, there are still coaches, volunteers, and athletes training and grinding and planning, so absolutely we should never forget to recognize them,” she adds.
Germsheid says the awards themselves aren’t just for those in the greater Grande Prairie region, as the range for eligible nominees extends from Fox Creek to Slave Lake and as far as the borders for the NWT and British Columbia.
“It’s quite a large region that we recognize, and the more people that engage and use this event, the better,” she says. “We know our surrounding communities are doing the exact same thing as our sports community, and they need to be recognized as well.”
The nomination period will run from January 1st-January 31st, 2022. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on March 18th.