A lot of local athletes made strong cases to be considered as athlete of the year at the Nanaimo Sport Achievement Awards.
Organizers of the eighth annual gala held a press conference Thursday at the Coast Bastion Inn to officially put out the call for nominations.
The awards banquet will be held Feb. 9 at the hotel, but coaches, team managers, proud parents and sports fans are asked to get their nomination forms in by Dec. 15.
“There’s a lot of elite athletes in Nanaimo that aren’t recognized and people don’t know about,” said Marilyn Sullivan, the event’s chairwoman. “It’s important for us to continue this event to recognize all of the different sports and the accomplishments of all of the athletes.”
The Nanaimo Achievement Awards will recognize male and female Athlete of the Year winners in individual and team sports, as well as Masters Athlete of the Year, Junior Athlete of the Year, Team of the Year, Junior Team of the Year, Partners of the Year, Grassroots Coach of the Year, High-Performance Coach of the Year, Official of the Year, Sport Administrator of the Year and Best Sports News Story of the Year. The Michael Rhode Memorial Award for dedication will also be presented.
Provincial sport body PacificSport is not involved with the event this year, and Anchorage Marina Village is the major sponsor. Proceeds will benefit high-performance athletes and grassroots sports development through the Nanaimo Sport Achievement Awards athlete assistance program.
For nomination forms and ticket information, visit www.nanaimosportachievementawards.com. To read about last year's awards, please click here.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com