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NLIS 1
March 28, 2006
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)
 

The following is being distributed at the request of Sport Newfoundland and Labrador:

Winners announced for Sport Newfoundland and Labrador Annual Awards

The Sport Newfoundland and Labrador Annual Awards Banquet took place on Saturday evening, March 25 in St. John�s. The seven award categories recognized the best athletic achievements in Newfoundland and Labrador during 2005. Nominations for these awards are accepted only from the provincial sport organizations who are members of Sport Newfoundland and Labrador. The provincial selection committee is comprised of various sports media in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The winner of the Margaret Davis Memorial Award 2005 Junior Female Athlete of the Year is Katarina Mirabelle Roxon of Kippens. Katarina is a swimmer with a disability (SWAD) competing as both a SWAD and an able-bodied athlete. In August, Katarina won a silver medal in the 100m backstroke representing Newfoundland and Labrador at the 2005 Canada Summer Games. She won a bronze medal in the 200m breaststroke representing Canada at the 2005 USA Paralympics Swimming Championships. She holds the provincial record for the long course 200m butterfly of 3:28.37. The IPC Senior National Record for her disability category is 3:22.63. In the current senior open world rankings, Katarina is in the top 20 in all eight of the different events in which she competes, an extraordinary record for a young lady only just about to enter her teens. Katarina was nominated by Swimming Newfoundland and Labrador.

The winner of the Joe Mullins Memorial Award 2005 Junior Male Athlete of the Year is Joey Russell of Labrador City. Joey has excelled in figure skating at a level never before accomplished by a singles skater from Newfoundland and Labrador. Upon successfully meeting the criteria for international assignment set down by Skate Canada�s National Team Committee, Joey represented Canada at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Event in Montreal, the ISU Junior Grand Prix Event in Japan, the North American Challenge Skate in Canada and the Mladost Trophy in Croatia. He was the gold medalist in the latter two competitions. Joey is the recipient of both the Premier�s Athletic Award and the Canadian Centre for Sport Bursary. Joey was nominated by Skate Canada Newfoundland and Labrador.

The winner of the Graham Snow Memorial Award 2005 Executive of the Year is Brian Murphy of St. John�s. Brian has for the past 25 years been the corner stone and the driving force behind the success of the St. John�s Senior Soccer Association. He not only handles the responsibility of treasurer but also is responsible for the budgeting and scheduling of the 40 team � four division league. Brian also manages a five-person maintenance team which looked after the King George V and Feildian Grounds soccer facilities. Brian and his committee hosted the international matches between the German and under-16 women�s team proving to the Canadian Soccer Association that Newfoundland and Labrador is capable of hosting first class events. The biggest undertaking in the history of soccer in this province (the brain child of Brian) is the planned construction of a new $3.3 million, 6,500 seat field turf stadium with new administrative and change room facilities at the King George V Park. Construction of the new stadium is under way and should be ready for an early June 2006 opening. Brian is also a member of a group of volunteers who are operating an under-12 indoor soccer program for 350 young people at Mary Queen of Peace School in St. John�s. Brian was nominated by the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association.

The winner of the John Drinkwater Memorial Award 2005 Coach of the Year is Dr. Patrick Parfrey, O.C. of St. John�s. Dr. Parfrey coached his Swilers Club Senior A team to win the provincial rugby championship and to second place in the Atlantic Canada Club Championship. He was head coach of the Provincial Canada Games Rugby Touring Team to Ireland, Quebec and Ontario, and head coach of the Canada Games Rugby Team at the 2005 Canada Summer Games. Patrick was the head coach of the under-18 team that won the silver medal at the Eastern Canadians and co-coach of the under-21 team that took the gold medal at the Eastern Rugby Championship. As head coach of the Rugby Canada Super League Team "The Rock", he took his team to win the Eastern title and, subsequently, the national title. This was the first time an Eastern team had won the national championship in the eight year history of the Rugby Canada Super League. Through his coaching at the Super League level, Patrick developed five players to play on the senior national men�s team in the 2005 season. Patrick served as a director on the Rugby Canada Board and is instrumental in the continued development of regional centers of excellence which are set up to improve the quality and number of national caliber rugby players. He is responsible for the first centre of excellence of any sport, to be based in Newfoundland. On March 11, 2005, Patrick attended an investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, where he was invested by the Governor General an insignia of membership as an "Officer" in the Order of Canada for his services to both rugby and science. Patrick was nominated by the Newfoundland Rugby Union.

The winner of the Ed Browne Memorial Award 2005 Team of the Year is the Brad Gushue Curling Team, comprising Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam. The Gushue Curling Team won the provincial curling championship in 2005, internationally, they won the Bompi Cup in Norway, got to the semi-finals of the Oslo Cup and made 5th place on both the World Curling Tour Money List and the World Curling Players� Association Rankings. At the national level they were quarter-finalists in the Canadian Open, 5th in the Tim Horton�s Brier, 2nd in the World Curling Tour Championship in St. John�s ranking the team 5th on the Canadian Tour. During the year the team was joined by Russ Howard who brought a wealth of knowledge and called the skip rocks. The team won the Canadian Olympic Trials giving them the right to represent Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The Gushue Team was nominated by the Newfoundland and Labrador Curling Association.

The winner of the Elizabeth Swan Memorial Award 2005 Senior Female Athlete of the Year is Julia Howard of St. John�s. Julia had a very successful 2005 winning the NAIA cross-country championship, the NAIA indoor 800 meters and 1 mile, the NAIA outdoor 1,500 meters and was a member of both the record-breaking indoor medley relay team and the record-breaking NAIA 4 x 800 meters relay team. Julia came 3rd in the NAIA outdoor 800 meters and finished 5th in the Canadian senior championship at 800 meters. She is now ranked 7th nationally at the outdoor 800 meters, 4th nationally at the indoor 800 meters, 2nd at the indoor 1000 meters and 9th at the 1500 meters. She holds the provincial record at the outdoor 800 meters (32min 3.4 secs), the indoor 1000 meters (2 min 48.96 secs) and at the 1500 meters (17.30 secs). Julia represented Canada at the World Student Games in Izmir, Turkey in the 800 meters event where she made the semi-finals. Julia was nominated by the Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association

The winner of the Ferd Hayward Memorial Award 2005 Senior Male Athlete of the Year is Brad Gushue of St. John�s. Brad led his curling team to the Provincial Championship in 2005. Internationally, he won the Bompi Cup in Norway, got to the semi-finals of the Oslo Cup and made 5th place on both the World Curling Tour Money List and the World Curling Players� Association World Rankings. At the national level he was quarter-finalist in the Canadian Open, 5th in the Tim Horton�s Brier, 2nd in the World Curling Tour Championship in St. John�s ranking his team 5th on the Canadian Tour. Brad won the Canadian Olympic Trials giving him the right to represent Canada at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. Brad was nominated by the Newfoundland and Labrador Curling Association.

For further information please contact: Troy Croft, Executive Director, Sport Newfoundland and Labrador at either telephone number (709) 576-4932 or at troy@sportnl.ca

2006 03 28                                  10:25 a.m.


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