Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA) presented its 2002 Awards of Excellence at Milestones in Whistler on Sept. 21.
The prestigious President’s Award was given to Ozzie Sawicki, the head coach of the Canadian Disabled Alpine Ski Team. Last season his racers won 33 World Cup and Paralympic medals.
"Ozzie Sawicki leads one of the most successful athletic programs in the nation and commits an unparalleled amount of time and energy advancing the profile and performance of his sport in Canada," said ACA President Ken Read. "It is his dedication and character that makes this man a worthy recipient of the President’s Award."
Nanaimo’s Allison Forsyth, 23, was named the Canadian Alpine Ski Team (CAST) Senior Female Athlete of the Year for her efforts last season. Fosyth’s silver medal in the giant slalom at Copper Mountain was the best Canadian result last year, and her seventh place finish in the Olympics was the best by a Canadian in the alpine events at the 2002 Games.
"We have a strong women’s team and I’m very excited about winning this award for the first time," said Forsyth, who is currently at a training camp in Switzerland. "We’re back in the office training hard for next season and things are looking great."
Jean-Philippe Roy of Ste-Flavie, Quebec, was named the CAST Senior Male Athlete of the Year for 2002 after improving his rank in slalom from 112 th to 29 th , and for top 10 finishes in the World Cup and Olympics.
"Allison’s talent is matched only be her work ethic and her attitude and Jean-Philippe could be a real force this season in international racing," said Read.
Lauren Woolenscroft of Calgary won the Canadian Disabled Alpine Ski Team (CDAST) Athlete of the Year honours.
Kelly Vanderbeek of Kitchener, Ontario, won a bronze medal in the super-G at the junior alpine world championships last season and the Nor-Am series downhill title to earn the CAST Junior Athlete of the Year award.
CAST’s Breakthrough Athlete of the Year Award went to Geneviéve Simard of Val Morin, Quebec, who earned her first World Cup podium – a bronze in Berchtesgaden, Germany – last year.
CDAST’s Breakthrough Athlete of the Year was Scott Patterson of Vancouver.
The Steve Podborski Award for Outstanding Juvenile Racer went to Carmel McElroy of Calgary.
The Andrezj Kozbial Coach of the Year award went to Mark Sharp of Banff, Alberta for his work with the women’s technical team.
The Most Valuable Coach award was presented to Whistler’s Jim Pollock, who also worked with the women’s technical team.
The top Ski Club of the Year was Mont Tremblant, and the top province was Quebec.
The CAST Alumni of the Year was Peter Webster of Vancouver, and the top Official of the Year was Glen Grice of Calgary.
The Canadian Ski Coaches Federation Award went to Hugues Ansermoz, who worked with the women’s development team.
