NORTH Shore sports royalty gathered at Park Royal Shopping Centre April 17 to hand out the hardware at the annual North Shore Sport Awards.
Big winners of the night included middledistance superstar Helen Crofts and track cycling speedster Zach Bell who won in the open female and male categories, respectively. Hannah Haughn, a national field hockey player, and highflying gymnast Kal Nemier took top honours in the female and male youth categories.
In the team competition the Capilano University women's basketball squad took home top honours for a 2011 season that saw them win a provincial championship for the first time in 23 years.
Other winners included 75-year-old track star Christa Bortignon in the masters athletics category, swimmers Nathan Clement and Mike Diering in the para-athlete category and cycling guru Richard Wooles as coach of the year.
Capilano volleyball player Alison Tegan Carmichael, who embarked on massive fundraising efforts after having a brain tumour removed in 2011, and diver Emma Friesen, who battled a painful ankle injury and illness for more than a year before returning to win a national title, were named comeback athletes of the year.
Hockey coach Ben Jang and basketball coach Scott Palmer were given fair play awards while lawn bowling pioneer Peter Moffat was awarded for community sport contribution and masters soccer league founder Joe Kilby was posthumously recognized for community sport dedication.
In the community sport volunteer category two people were awarded for their persistence in getting things built on the North Shore. Patricia MacLeod was awarded for her work in the creation of West Vancouver Field Hockey Club's Rutledge Field in Ambleside Park while Mac Nelson was the driving force behind the North Shore Bubble soccer facility located at Windsor secondary. Both facilities opened for business in 2011 after lengthy planning and building processes.
Little League baseball was front and centre throughout the night as District 5 co-ordinator Wayne Hobson earned the Spirit of 2010 award for his work bringing the Canadian Little League Championships to North Vancouver's Chris Zuehlke Park in 2011. Roger Shaw, umpire-inchief for the tournament who went on to work at the famous Little League World Series, was named the North Shore's official of the year. Mount Seymour Little League, the host team for the tournament, donned their grey and yellow uniforms once more for an onstage reunion as one of the nominees for team of the year.
One touching moment came when Anca Bosnea of West Vancouver secondary and Aidan Prem of Carson Graham secondary were given the Jim Martin Youth Leadership awards. The awards are named after longtime North Shore coach and administrator Jim Martin who was always a champion of the NSSA's Youth Leadership category. Martin died in a house fire in 2011. His three sons along with good friend Jan-Christian Sorensen were on hand to present the Jim Martin Youth Leadership Awards to Bosnea and Prem.
