Premier’s Athletic Awards Honour Provinces Top Young Athletes
Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation
November 14, 2022
Over 125 of the province’s top athletes were recognized today at the 18th annual Premier’s Athletic Awards in St. John’s.
The Honourable Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, presented the awards, which recognize athletic excellence and provide financial support to help offset the costs of training and competition. Grants ranging from $500 to $1,500 are awarded based on the level of competition and the athletes’ respective accomplishments.
Also presented today were the Team Gushue Awards. These awards are in honour of Team Gushue’s Gold medal win at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Each award is valued at $5,000, and is presented annually to two athletes who excel in athletics and academics. This year’s winners are Jaida Lee of St. John’s (baseball) and Liam Drover-Mattinen of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s (tennis).
Jaida Lee is a Grade 12 student at Gonzaga High School in St. John’s, where she maintains a 90-plus per cent average.
She led her team to the U16 Baseball Atlantic championship as the top batter and pitcher, and is the youngest player ever invited to a Senior Women’s National Team Camp.
She was named 2022 Female Athlete of the Year by Baseball NL, and was a member of the 2022 Canada Games baseball team, where she became first female to play in the male baseball event in Canada Games history.
Liam Drover-Mattinen is from Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s. This past summer he won the U16 Atlantic Tennis Championship and the U16 National Championship.
As a member of Team Canada, he competed at the Junior Davis Cup in Türkiye, and wrapped up his season finishing second at an International Tennis Federation J3 event in Montreal, where he defeated the top-ranked player in Canada in his age group in the semi-finals. He attends Blyth Academy in Ontario, where he maintains a 90-plus per cent average.
For a complete list of recipients of the Premier’s Athletic Awards, please see the backgrounder here.
Quotes
“The Premier’s Athletic Awards support the pursuit of excellence by our province’s top athletes, who continue to excel at their sports locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. On behalf of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, I congratulate this year’s award winners on their accomplishments and offer my best wishes for their continued success.”
Honourable Andrew Furey
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
“These athletes lead by example, showing us all how we can benefit from participation in sport. Our continued investment in sport and recreation is our way of ensuring that they have opportunities to follow their athletic dreams. Congratulations to all of this year’s award recipients.”
Honourable Steve Crocker
Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation
——————————————————-
Softball NL Would Like To Take This Opportunity To Congratulate The Team Gushue Award Winners And The Premier’s Athletic Awards Recipients!
Congratulations!
