Nominees and award recipients pose for a photo at the 2020 Northwest Albert Sports Excellence Awards. Photo Credit: Shane Clausing

By Shane Clausing

Northwest Alberta sport excellence awards

Nominees announced for 2021 Northwest Alberta Sport Excellence Awards

Feb 23, 2021 | 12:10 PM

The nominees for the 2021 Northwest Alberta Sport Excellence Awards have been announced.

The annual award ceremony is meant to recognize athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers who strive for greatness and go above and beyond in their sport throughout Northwestern Alberta.

Despite all sports being affected by the pandemic, Karna Germsheid, Executive Director for the Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection says she’s thrilled with how many nominees they received this year.

“Like we’ve said before, coaches are still coaching and volunteers are still working hard and grinding away to make things happen for people in the region, so it’s really awesome that we’ll be able to celebrate them all.”

Germsheid tells EverythingGP they received 26 nomination applications this year, down from the usual 50 they normally get. However, she adds that is still good, considering the circumstances.

Unlike the award ceremony in 2020, the awards ceremony will be held virtually. While there won’t be a banquet this year, Germsheid says their goal is to still make sure everyone nominated is celebrated.

“It’s not going to be a whole lot different than what our program is like when we do it live. People are going to be talking, we have bios for all of our nominees and of course, our award winners for every category will be announced. We’re going to have an emcee and we’re just going to try to keep it upbeat and exciting,” said Germsheid.

“All of our nominees will be receiving an at-home care package so they and their families can enjoy the show from their home. It’ll be a lot of fun and our goal is to make sure we highlight those nominees and make sure that they feel special.”

The following athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers were nominated:

Coach of The Year:

• Alex Dawson – Swimming
• Chris Morgan – Soccer
• Dave Oakes – Hockey
• Michael Morgan – Biathlon

Developmental Coach of the Year:

• Eva Von Hertzberg – Trampoline and Tumbling
• Paula Zenner – Ringette
• Travis Duncan – Basketball

Female Athlete of the Year:

• Catherine Minic – Swimming
• Yasna Paola Martinez – Running

Junior Female Athlete of the Year:

• Ashleigh Bartelds – Taekwon-do
• Leah Hampton – Figure Skating
• Marley Monsen – Swimming
• Sydney Kinderwater – Judo

Male Athlete of the Year:

• Gavin Ashworth – Basketball
• Liam Tinsworth – Multi-sport
• Maxwell Golden – Taekwon-Do

Junior Male Athlete of the Year:

• Brayden Bartelds – Taekwon-do
• Jacob Farnsworth – Triathlon
• Nikita Tsyruk – Judo

Team of the Year:

• Grande Prairie Piranhas Swim Club
• Gymniks Ambush – Cheerleading
• Outstanding Official:
• Greg Remple – Football

Unsung Hero:

• Christopher Draves – Basketball
• Denis Labreque – Football
• Kimberly Vetter – Ringette

Sport builder:

• Melissa Poirier – Cross Country Skiing

A full list of the athletes and their bios can be found at the Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection website.