The Brantford Sports Council has announced the Finalists in nine categories for the Sports Awards that will be presented at the 15th Annual Sports Recognition Banquet on Wednesday February 12, 2020 at the Brantford Golf & Country Club (60 Ava Rd). This program recognizes local athletes, coaches, volunteers, teams, officials and sponsors who are actively involved in and support minor sports in the community.
The Sportsperson of the Year will also be recognized at the Awards Banquet.
The Finalists for the Sports Awards are:
The Adrian Scherders Memorial Award – Sportsmanship and Dedication
Angela Marina – Brantford Aquatic Club
Cooper Pogacnik – North Park Collegiate Junior Football
Jacob Sheppard – North Park Collegiate Cross Country
The Phyllis Gretzky Memorial Award – Female Youth Leadership
Eleanor (Ella) Giggs – Brant Artistic Swimming Club
Kendra Perras – St. Johns College Multi Sports
Brianna Vamos – Brantford Track & Field Club
The Frank Bricker Memorial Award – Male Youth Leadership
Tristan Berridge – Brantford Aquatic Club
Toren Burr – Brantford Track & Field Club
Josh Linington – Brantford Track & Field Club
The John Macklin Memorial Award – Coach of the Year
Cory Currie – Laurier Brantford Varsity Cross Country
Steve Kersey – Brantford Minor Hockey
Alison Purkiss – Brant Skating Club
The George Churchill Memorial Award – Sports Volunteer of the Year
Dan Davis – Brantford Youth Flag Football
Brent Gordon – Arnold Anderson Sports Fund
Rob Phillips – Brantford Aquatic Club
The Dave Levac Award – The Award of Excellence for Sports Officiating
Mark Baxter – Brant Norfolk Referee Association
Shannon Scheffel – Brantford Aquatic Club
Rob Welsh - Brant Norfolk Referee Association
The Jack Calbeck Memorial Award – Lifetime Sports Sponsorship
Boyle Plumbing & Heating Co. Ltd.
Domino’s Pizza
Lanca Contracting Limited
The Jimmy Wilkes Memorial Award – Team of the Year
Brantford Bisons Sr. Varsity Football Team
Brantford Diamondbacks U10 Girls Fastpitch Team
Brantford Minor Hockey Peewee AAA Team
Brantford Red Sox Minor Rookie 8U Team
The George Jones Memorial Award – Lifetime Sports Volunteerism
Janet Clarke – Brant Skating Club
Brent Hutchinson – Brantford Track & Field Club
Bill Williams – Bell City Boxing Club
This year’s Keynote Speaker will be Rick Mannen. A familiar face in Brantford, Rick is an accomplished distance runner who was consistently ranked among the top ten marathoners in Canada from 1984 to 1995. Rick has competed in over 60 marathons, and was the winner of seven international marathons including the 1986 Toronto Wang International Marathon and the 1987 Hong Kong International Marathon. Rick is a Canadian age group record holder for 30km road race distance and is an inductee into the Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition for international success as a distance runner. In 2012, Rick was selected as the Team Coach for Canada’s National Team at the International Ekiden Relay Championships in Chiba, Japan.
Rick is a personal running coach for all levels from beginners to the elite level including Canadian National Team members at the Pan Am Games, Olympic Games & World Championships. Rick is a motivational speaker, writer and community leader.
Congratulations to all Finalists as you are what make our local sport community so great. Winners will be announced at the Sports Recognition Banquet on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
And a special thank you to the Brantford Sports Council for continuing this event that recognizes amateur sport in Brantford. We are looking forward to another great year of local sport in our community.