New Award Added as Saskatchewan Sports to Honour Its Best, Virtually, Later This Month

Being forced to hand out the hardware virtually isn’t stopping the Saskatchewan Sports Awards from evolving.

The best of amateur sport in the province will be feted on January 27 with nine awards being handed out. One of them is new as the Inspire Through Sport award has been added to two other Recognition honours. The other six awards to be celebrated on January 27 are in the Excellence category. Finalists for all nine honours were also announced Wednesday, 25 in total. The list of finalists and an explanation of what the awards are about follows in the news release from Sask Sport…..

Saskatchewan Sport Awards Recipients and Finalists Announced

Exciting new changes for the program, including the Inspire Through Sport Award

SASKATOON (Jan. 12, 2022) – From Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches to national champions and international competitors, there’s no shortage of all-star talent in the 2021 Saskatchewan Sport Awards.

The annual program celebrates the success and dedication of those in the province’s amateur sport community through two categories – Excellence Awards and Recognition Awards. The Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding event performances or a series of performances by a Saskatchewan athlete, coach or team within a given calendar year, while the Recognition Awards include the Volunteer and Coach Dedication Awards which honour individuals who have devoted their time and effort to the growth of sport in Saskatchewan.

New for the 2021 Saskatchewan Sport Awards is the Inspire Through Sport Award. It recognizes an individual or team who demonstrated courage, determination, and/or perseverance and whose unwavering sprit serves to inspire other across the amateur sport community and beyond.

Astrid Baecker, Megan Penno, Erin McCormick, Jocelyne Moe, Jonathan Mudryk, Jamie Schneider and Marj Walton are honoured for their contributions to sport in the 2021 Recognition Awards class, while 18 deserving finalists have been named in the six Excellence categories.

“Saskatchewan has many highly-talented and devoted individuals who have represented our amateur sport system at all levels of competition and achieved many great accomplishments not only this past year, but throughout their lifetimes,” said Lance Dudar, Volunteer Board Chair for Sask Sport, which serves as the provincial federation for amateur sport.

“Sask Sport is excited and proud to celebrate the finalists and recipients for their contributions to sport in Saskatchewan. These individuals lead by example daily to show everyone that sport, truly, is more than a game.”

Other changes for the 2021 Saskatchewan Sport Awards include a nomination process that expanded from previously accepting nominations from Sask Sport members only, to now open to sport community groups, media or the general public, as well as the celebration date moving from March to January, annually.

The 2021 Saskatchewan Sport Awards will be celebrated through a virtual celebration gala on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. on YouTube Premiere. The gala will honour the seven Recognition Awards recipients, as well as announce the recipients of the six Excellence Awards and celebrate those named as finalists. Visit Sask Sport’s YouTube channel to view.

The Saskatchewan Sport Awards will also be available for viewing on January 28 on SaskTel maxTV Local on Demand feature channels 46/346.

Recognition Awards Recipients

INSPIRE THROUGH SPORT AWARD

Jonathan Mudryk

Saskatoon • Special Olympics

Nominated by Special Olympics Saskatchewan

Marj Walton

Regina • Swimming

Nominated by Swim Saskatchewan

COACH DEDICATION AWARD

Astrid Baecker

Regina • Soccer

Nominated by Saskatchewan Soccer Association

Erin McCormik

Osler • Para Dressage

Nominated by Melanie Rempel (supported by Saskatchewan Horse Federation)

VOLUNTEER DEDICATION AWARD

Jocelyne Moe

Humboldt • Weightlifting

Nominated by Ken Trofimuk (supported by Saskatchewan Weightlifting Association)

Megan Penno

Regina • Special Olympics

Nominated by Special Olympics Saskatchewan

Jamie Schneider

Regina • Curling

Nominated by Lorraine Schneider (supported by CURLSASK)

Excellence Awards Finalists

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Shelby Newkirk

Saskatoon • Para Swimming

Nominated by Swim Saskatchewan

Keely Shaw

Midale • Para Cycling

Nominated by Saskatchewan Cycling Association

Savannah Sutherland

Borden • Athletics

Nominated by Saskatchewan Athletics

MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Scott Joseph

Regina • Athletics

Nominated by Saskatchewan Athletics

Rylan Sokul

Regina • Football

Nominated by Regina Thunder Football Club

Rylan Wiens

Pike Lake • Diving

Nominated by Dive Sask

COACH OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Mary Carroll

Saskatoon • Diving

Nominated by Dive Sask

Kim Folk

Regina • Special Olympics

Nominated by Special Olympics Saskatchewan

Eric Kramer

Saskatoon • Swimming

Nominated by Swim Saskatchewan

Scott MacAulay

Regina • Football

Nominated by Regina Thunder Football Club

YOUTH FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Isabella Brown

Saskatoon • Weightlifting

Nominated by Saskatchewan Weightlifting Association

Teah Chavez

Regina • Tennis

Nominated by family (supported by Tennis Saskatchewan)

Abby Goddard

Swift Current • Equitation

Nominated by family (supported by Saskatchewan Horse Federation)

YOUTH MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Carson Hindmarsh

Saskatoon • Baseball

Nominated by Baseball Saskatchewan

Chase Pochylko

Saskatoon • Golf

Nominated by Golf Saskatchewan

TEAM OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Team Sherry Anderson

Curling

Nominated by CURLSASK

Max Pally/Grayson Laycock

Rowing

Nominated by Saskatchewan Rowing

Team Sask 15U Girls

Water Polo

Nominated by Water Polo Saskatchewan

Read the bios of the Recognition Award recipients and the finalists of the Excellence Awards, as well as an FAQ of the Saskatchewan Sport Awards here.