Sport NL 2019 Provincial Annual Award Winners
And The Winners Are…
2019 Junior Female Athlete of the Year
(Margaret Davis Memorial Award)
Winner: Shailynn Snow (Hockey)
Shailynn Snow (Bay Roberts) is a hard-working and inspirational female hockey player in Newfoundland and Labrador. Shailynn was named to the 2015 Canada Winter Games U18 WJC (W) as a double under-ager, where they won the gold medal, she was then later named captain at the 2019 Canada Winter Games. Her leadership serves as inspiration for young girls look up to. Shailynn is currently playing NCAA at St. Lawrence University, where she has tallied 13 Points (2 goals, 11 assists) in 18 games. In 2019, Shailynn was named to Team Canada U18 National Women’s team, who captured Gold in Obihiro, Japan. In her final year at Ridley College, Shailynn was named captain of her team picking up 35 points (26 goals, 9 assists) in 23 games. Shailynn has played at the provincial, national and international level, and her leadership serves as inspiration for young girls in the sport of hockey.
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2019 Junior Male Athlete of the Year
(Joseph P. Mullins Memorial Award)
Winner: Campbell Clarke (Rugby)
Campbell Clarke (St. John’s) is an esteemed rugby player from St. John’s, playing at the provincial, national and international level. 2019 earned Campbell a gold medal on his home field in the Canadian Rugby Championships, while on the Atlantic Rock U19 Team, where he represented the National team at two different age groups. In 2019 Campbell started playing as a double under-ager on the Canada U20 European tour against Portugal, Spain and France, where he then returned home and started in all three of the U18 Summer Series Games in the USA. Campbell capped off 2019 by playing a pivotal role in the Atlantic Rock U19 team, where they won a national title in St. John’s. Campbell was a Swilers FRC Senior team member in summer of 2019, and he earned the title of Captain of Rugby at St. George School in Ontario.
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2019 Volunteer of the Year
(Frank W. Graham Memorial Award)
Winner: Bob Godden (Gymnastics)
Bob Godden (St. John’s) is an ambassador for the sport of gymnastics both provincially and nationally, as Bob currently sits on the Cygnus Gymnastics Board of Directors as Vice President. Bob is a leader in policy development, human resources, and facility planning; he makes significant contributions to the execution of competitions and is a role model in the gymnastics community. Bob has spent the last 45 years relentlessly using his time and resources to aid in molding the success and development of gymnastics through mentorship. Bob orients the next generation for gymnastics trajectory and succession planning through human resources and the facility, ultimately leading to the optimum experience for athletes. Bob’s insight and guidance promotes leadership, inclusivity and completion-oriented mindsets in challenging situations that creates a motivated and united team. Bob premediates and delivers on large-scale undertakings including the 45th anniversary of Cygnus that took place in 2019, through the creation of a weekend-long event as a celebration of the facilities success. Bob is a supporter, fan and ambassador for Cygnus and the sport of gymnastics, where he embraces the true spirit of the sport.
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2019 Executive of the Year
(Graham Snow Memorial Award)
Winner: Gary Corbett (Softball)
Gary Corbett (Holyrood) has been involved in the sport of Softball for more than 30 years, at both the minor and adult levels; from minor teams at the Local, Provincial, Eastern Canadian, National and Canada Games level, as well as the Local, Provincial, and National levels for adult teams. Gary has served on the Softball NL Board of Directors from 1988 to 2001, and during the 2017 Softball NL AGM & Election of Officer he decided to run for President. He proved successful in this endeavor, as he was elected for a 2-year term in 2017-2019 and was recently re-elected to serve an additional 2-year term from 2019 until 2021. Gary has held the position of Vice-President on the Softball NL Board of Directors from 1996-2001; and he has been affiliated with numerous committees since 1988, including the 1994 Women’s Worlds, 1995 Senior Men’s Nationals (chair), chaired a Senior/Intermediate League Committee to Review Constitution & By-laws, apart from many other impressive positions. Gary is committed to strengthening coaching development, official’s development, committee development, human resources development and community organizational development. Gary is known for his meticulous attention to detail and his ability to get tasks and goals accomplished, while maintaining an inclusive and welcoming environment. In addition to all of these contributions, Gary was a member of the coaching staff for the Galway Women’s Fastpitch Team in 2019, the Host Team for the 2019 Women’s Canadian Fastpitch Championships.
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2019 Coach of the Year
(John Drinkwater Memorial Award)
Winner: Jeff Thomas (Curling)
Jeff Thomas (St. John’s) has been coaching curling for over 35 years. Jeff has given a lifetime of commitment to the sport of curling and has been the common denominator of the best curling teams this Province has produced. He has coached curling teams at the provincial, national, and international level. In April 2019, two of Jeff’s athletes on Team Nathan Young were named to Canada’s Youth Olympic Team for the Lausanne 2020 Youth Winter Olympic Games – Nathan Young as Skip and Sam Follett as Alternate. In February 2019, he coached Team NL to a fourth-place finish at the 2019 Canada Winter Games, their first ever national event. Jeff is part of the 2019-2020 coaching team of Team Brad Gushue and coached them at the Boost National Grand Slam of Curling event in December. Jeff shares his knowledge and experience with curling coaches on a regular basis and attends clinics and webinars to enhance his own coaching skills.
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2019 Official of the Year Award
Winner: Ryan Garland (Baseball)
Ryan Garland (St. John’s) has been officiating Baseball in Newfoundland for 15 years. In 2019, Ryan umpired in excess of 90 games at the high school, club, and provincial level. Starting his season in late May of 2019 and concluding in mid-October, Ryan umpired all levels of baseball in the province. In addition, Ryan represented the province at two Baseball Canada National Championships, one as an on-field official, and the other as an off-field supervisor of umpires. At both National Championships, Ryan was awarded the highest promotions possible under the Baseball Canada Umpire Development Program. Ryan also serves as one of the main clinicians in the Province, often starting his true season in mid-April with various umpire clinics across the province. Ryan has completed the Baseball Canada Senior Course Conductor Pathway, which certified him to supervise officials at Baseball Canada National Championships. At the Baseball Canada 21U National Championships in August 2019, Ryan was chosen as a member of the umpire crew for the gold medal game. Ryan topped off a successful 2019 season by being named the Baseball NL Senior/Junior Official of the Year.
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2019 Team of the Year
(Edward P. Browne Memorial Award)
Winner: Galway Hitmen (Softball)
Galway Hitmen defended the 2019 Men’s Canadian Fastpitch Championship with a 10-7 win over their opponents the BC1 Sooke Loggers in Grande Prairie, AB. The Galway Hitmen entered the tournament as the defending champions and finished the tournament with their national crown intact, capturing an overall tournament record of 10 wins and 1 loss, and outscored the opposition with a final score of 96-36 (+30). With team success comes individual success and the Galway Hitmen earned 2 All-Star Team Selections; Brad Ezekiel (Outfield) and Colin Walsh (Utility), noting that Walsh was also named Top Player of the Championship Round. This is the 7th Men’s Canadian Fastpitch Championship for the Province in the last eight years.
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2019 Senior Female Athlete of the Year
(Elizabeth Swan Memorial Award)
Winner: Maria Htee (Powerlifting)
Maria Htee (St. John’s) is a personal trainer, coach, and athlete who has competed at regional, national, and international level and is a current world record holder. In June of 2019, Maria became an Open World Champion at the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) Classic World Championships, where she claimed a world record. Maria currently holds the world record in her 57kg weight class for a 178.5 kg squat and 473.5 kg total and holds the national record for the previously mentioned categories in her weight class, plus the national record for a 197.5 kg deadlift. Following her World Championship win, Maria won first place at the 2019 Commonwealth Powering Lifting Championships for bench press and powerlifting in her category and was awarded third best lifter overall. As a result of these great achievements, Maria has been invited to participate in the SBD Invitational Competition in Sheffield, England, in 2020. Only eight women worldwide are invited to participate. To top it off, Maria is currently ranked as Best Classic Female Lifter of all-time in Canada.
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2019 Senior Male Athlete of the Year
(Ferd Hayward Memorial Award)
Winer: Liam Hickey (Para Hockey)
Liam Hickey (St. John’s) is a leader in Para Hockey on and off the ice. This past December, the 2019 Canadian Tire Para Hockey Cup was hosted in Paradise, NL. Liam was the star player for the event. This event drew record numbers in the history of the Cup. Liam was one of the two assistant Captains on the team. Liam tallied 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) during the tournament, helping lead Team Canada to a silver medal finish. During the 2019 IPC World Para Hockey Championship, Liam recorded 28 Points (15 Goals, 13 assists) in 12 games. Back in 2018, Liam competed in the Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang and won silver with Team Canada. Liam is one of the top Para Hockey players, not only in Canada, but in the world.
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Softball NL Would Like To Take This Opportunity To Congratulate All Of The Winners Of The 2019 Sport NL Provincial Annual Awards.
Congratulations!
