Premier’s Athletic Awards Honour Province’s Top Athletes

Close to 120 of the province’s most accomplished young athletes, representing 26 sports, were honoured on Thursday, May 14 by the Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, during the 11th Annual Premier’s Athletic Awards. The ceremony was held at the Holiday Inn in St. John’s.

“The Premier’s Athletic Awards program was developed to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of our province’s top athletes, and to encourage them, and support them, in their continued pursuit of excellence. The awards program acknowledges the passion and commitment these elite athletes have for their chosen sport, and provides them with financial assistance to help offset the cost of their continued athletic development.”
– The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The program provides grants ranging from $500 to $1,500 to assist young athletes in covering the costs associated with training and competition at the elite level. The amount each athlete receives is dependent on the level of competition in which they are engaged, and their respective accomplishments.

A complete list of award winners can be found in the backgrounder below.

“These young athletes are an inspiration to us all. They continue to reach new levels of athletic achievement provincially, nationally and internationally and, equally as important, they serve as examples of how to live an active, healthy lifestyle. As a Provincial Government, we remain committed to the development and support of athletic excellence. We want to provide our provincial athletes – particularly our emerging athletic talent – with every opportunity to reach their goals.”
– The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development

Thursday’s event also included the presentation of Team Gushue Scholarship Awards, valued at $5,000 each, to Jillian Forsey of Kippens (athletics) and Ben Taylor of St. John’s (target shooting). This is the second consecutive year each of these athletes has been awarded the Team Gushue Scholarship.

Ms. Forsey is enrolled in the Pre-Medicine Honours Program at the University of West Virginia. She has broken a number of long-standing provincial long-distance running records over the past year, and was ranked number one in Canada in 2014 in the outdoor 5,000-metre event.

Mr. Taylor recently completed a Bachelor of Science degree from Memorial University. He was Canadian Air Rifle Champion two years in a row and was ranked in the top 100 in the world in 2014. He recently earned gold medals at the Pan Am Games trials in Fort Benning, Georgia, and at the recent North Atlantic Air Gun Challenge in St. John’s.

Established in 2005, the Premier’s Athletic Awards program has provided more than $1 million to recognize and support athletic excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador. Over the past seven years, Provincial Government support for sport development has increased steadily from $2.5 million to $3.5 million annually.

For eligibility requirements and further information about the Premier’s Athletic Awards and other elite athlete assistance programs, see: www.swsd.gov.nl.ca/recreation/financial_assistance/athletic_excellence_fund.html.

The 2014-15 Premier’s Athletic Awards were presented Thursday, May 14, 2015 at the Holiday Inn in St. John’s. Close to 120 recipients were provided grants of $500, $1,000, and $1,500 to assist with the costs of training and competition at the elite level.
 
Jillian Forsey of Kippens (athletics) was awarded one of two $5,000 Team Gushue Scholarship Awards at the 11th annual Premier’s Athletic Awards, held in St. John’s on Thursday, May 14, 2015.
 
Ben Taylor of St. John’s (target shooting) was awarded on of two $5,000 Team Gushue Scholarship Awards at the 11th annual Premier’s Athletic Awards, held in St. John’s on Thursday, May 14, 2015.
 
BACKGROUNDER
Premier’s Athletic Awards Recipients

SPORT–NAME–HOMETOWN 

Athletics
Jillian Forsey (Kippens)
Daniel Kelloway (Mount Pearl)
Nicole Chan (St. John’s)
Jennifer Boland (St. John’s)
Chantal Barnes (St. John’s)
Camryn Bonia (St. John’s)
Donovan White (Stephenville) 

Baseball
Jaclyn Morgan (St. John’s)
Victoria Curran (Mount Pearl)
Ryan Morgan (St. John’s)
Tyler Hennessey (Conception Bay South) 

Basketball
Sarah Hiscock (Mount Pearl)
Gabrielle Roche (St. John’s)
Hannah Jardine (St. John’s)
Brett Warren (St. John’s)
Collin Connors (St. John’s)
Lucas Downey (St. John’s)
Kelsey Moores (St. John’s)
Matthew McCrowe (Goulds)
Cole Long (St. John’s) 

Biathlon
Jesse Byrne (Stephenville)
Rita Jane St. Croix (Stephenville) 

Boccia
Hayley Redmond (St. John’s) 

Bowling
Andrew Pope (Mount Pearl)
Meghan Davis (Massey Drive) 

Cross Country Skiing
Patrick McIIroy (St. Phillips)
Emily McIIroy (St. Phillips)
Makaila Hudson (Labrador City)
Jake Taylor (Conception Bay South) 

Curling
Chantel Newell (Kippens)
Stephen Trickett (St. John’s) 

Figure Skating
Grace Woodland (Conception Bay South)
Jenna Efford (Bareneed)
Kaitlin Harte (Mount Pearl)
Sophia Burke (St. John’s)
Jakiera Rideout (Conception Bay South)
Meghan White (Conception Bay South) 

Golf
Drew Stonehouse (Conception Bay South)
Nathan Peters (St. John’s)
Angela Earle (Massey Drive) 

Gymnastics
Rebecca Squires (Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s)
Abbey Dolomount (St. John’s)
Liam Jackman (Mount Pearl)
Michael Drover (St. John’s)
Samantha Hallett (Paradise)
Carter Fridgen (Mount Pearl)
Gabriel Sorensen (Mount Pearl)
Lauren Mills (Paradise)
John  Hiscock (St. John’s) 

Handball
Michael Gaulton (St. John’s)
Leslie Amminson (St. John’s)
Alex Carew (St. John’s)
Rahul Nair (St. John’s) 

Hockey
Heather Richards (St. Anthony)
Ashley Bromley (Massey Drive)
Jessica Davis (Conception Bay South)
Brent Broaders (Tilting)
Matthew Hickey (Outer Cove)
Laura Horwood (Grand Falls-Windsor)
Amy Curlew (Happy Valley-Goose Bay) 

Karate
Nathaniel A.J. Besso (St. John’s)
Christopher Coady (Flatrock)

Powerlifting
Janessa Ward (Goulds) 

Rowing
Eric Hanna-Quinn (St. John’s)
Jeffrey Wright (St. John’s)
Emma Ramsey (St. John’s)
Jessica Roberts (Mount Pearl)
Cody Tops (St. John’s) 

Rugby
Justin Aylward (Paradise)
Zac Coughlan (St. John’s)
Bob Rogers (Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s)
Jordon Power (Paradise)
Lauren Humby (Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s)

Shooting
Benjamin Taylor (St. John’s)
Samantha Marsh (Mount Pearl)
Maggie Coady (St. John’s)
Emily Keeping (St. John’s)
Daniel Dimitrov (St. John’s)
Martin Dimitrov (St. John’s)
Hayley Barrett (Goulds) 

Soccer
Jessie Noseworthy (St. John’s)
Jane Pope (St. John’s)
Alexandra Morgan (Mount Pearl)
Emily Bailey (Mount Pearl)
Teri Murphy (St. John’s)
Noelle Stanford (St. John’s)
Melissa Reid (St. John’s)
Hannah Noseworthy (Mount Pearl) 

Softball
Eric Healey (Chapel’s Cove)

Swimming
Owen Daly (St. John’s)
Catherine Silotch (St. John’s)
Noah Cumby (St. John’s)
Laura Pittman (St. John’s)
Megan Colbourne (Corner Brook)
Raquel Morgan (Paradise)
Heidi Perry (Corner Brook) 

Synchronized Swimming
Emma Knee (St. John’s)
Victoria Dowden (Torbay)
Melanie Downer (St. John’s)
Katie Linehan (Mount Pearl)
Anna Broaders (Paradise)
Claire Beck (Massey Drive)

Table Tennis
Jeremy Lehr (St. John’s)

Tennis
Ashley Stringer (St. John’s)
Aiden Drover-Mattinen (Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s)
Jasmine Rahman (St. John’s)
Colin Connors (St. John’s)
Olivia Casey (St. John’s) 

Volleyball
Jillian Snow (Bishop’s Falls)
Krista Hogan (St. John’s)
Lauren Miller (St. John’s)
Jared Stokes (St. John’s)
Catherine Ducey (Mount Pearl)
Megan Kalbfleisch (Mount Pearl)
Jillian Byrne (Conception Bay South)
Sophia Gibbons (Paradise) 

Wrestling
Erik Joy (Paradise)
Rebecca Sparrow (Conception Harbour)
Jamie Lake (Avondale)