Erin McCormick of Osler is one of seven individuals being honoured later this month by for their contributions to sports in the province.
McCormick, a para-dressage coach and owner of Equilibrium Therapeutic Riding Inc. in the RM of Corman Park near Osler, is slated to receive a Coach Dedication Award at the Sask Sport Awards ceremony.
McCormick uses horse riding to assist people with intellectual and physical disabilities. In 2015, she coached Saskatchewan’s first athlete in Para dressage and has continued to bring new athletes into the fold since. Eleven participants competed in events in 2021, including one athlete who is attempting to make the 2024 Canadian Paralympic team.
Savannah Sutherland of Borden is one of three finalists for Sask Sport’s Female Athlete of the Year, while Rylan Wiens of Pike Lake is a finalist for the Male Athlete of the Year award.
Sutherland earned a bronze medal at the U20 World Athletics Championship, setting a Saskatchewan record with a time of 57.27 seconds in the women’s 400-metre hurdles. She also earned several gold medals during the outdoor track season in 2021.
Wiens secured a spot for Canada at the Olympics, before qualifing for the Olympics at the Canadian trials with a silver medal.
The 2021 Saskatchewan Sport Awards will be celebrated through a virtual celebration gala on Thursday, January 27 at 7 p.m. on YouTube Premiere. The gala will honour the seven Recognition Awards recipients, as well as announce the recipients of the six Excellence Awards and celebrate those named as finalists. Visit Sask Sport’s YouTube channel to view.
The Saskatchewan Sport Awards will also be available for viewing on January 28 on SaskTel maxTV Local on Demand feature channels 46/346.
The annual program celebrates the success and dedication of those in the province’s amateur sport community through two categories – Excellence Awards and Recognition Awards. The Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding event performances or a series of performances by a Saskatchewan athlete, coach or team within a given calendar year, while the Recognition Awards include the Volunteer and Coach Dedication Awards which honour individuals who have devoted their time and effort to the growth of sport in Saskatchewan.
New for the 2021 Saskatchewan Sport Awards is the Inspire Through Sport Award. It recognizes an individual or team who demonstrated courage, determination, and/or perseverance and whose unwavering sprit serves to inspire other across the amateur sport community and beyond.
Astrid Baecker, Megan Penno, Erin McCormick, Jocelyne Moe, Jonathan Mudryk, Jamie Schneider and Marj Walton are honoured for their contributions to sport in the 2021 Recognition Awards class, while 18 deserving finalists have been named in the six Excellence categories.
“Saskatchewan has many highly-talented and devoted individuals who have represented our amateur sport system at all levels of competition and achieved many great accomplishments not only this past year, but throughout their lifetimes,” said Lance Dudar, Volunteer Board Chair for Sask Sport, which serves as the provincial federation for amateur sport.
“Sask Sport is excited and proud to celebrate the finalists and recipients for their contributions to sport in Saskatchewan. These individuals lead by example daily to show everyone that sport, truly, is more than a game.”
Other changes for the 2021 Saskatchewan Sport Awards include a nomination process that expanded from previously accepting nominations from Sask Sport members only, to now open to sport community groups, media or the general public, as well as the celebration date moving from March to January, annually.
Award recipients include:
INSPIRE THROUGH SPORT AWARD
* Jonathan Mudryk of Saskatoon • Special Olympics (nominated by Special Olympics Saskatchewan)
* Marj Walton of Regina • Swimming (Nominated by Swim Saskatchewan)
COACH DEDICATION AWARD
* Astrid Baecker of Regina • Soccer (Nominated by Saskatchewan Soccer Association)
* Erin McCormick of Osler • Para Dressage (Nominated by Melanie Rempel (supported by Saskatchewan Horse Federation)
VOLUNTEER DEDICATION AWARD
* Jocelyne Moe of Humboldt • Weightlifting (Nominated by Ken Trofimuk (supported by Saskatchewan Weightlifting Association)
* Megan Penno of Regina • Special Olympics (Nominated by Special Olympics Saskatchewan)
* Jamie Schneider of Regina • Curling (Nominated by Lorraine Schneider (supported by CURLSASK)
The following are the Excellence Awards Finalists :
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
* Shelby Newkirk of Saskatoon • Para Swimming (Nominated by Swim Saskatchewan)
* Keely Shaw of Midale • Para Cycling (Nominated by Saskatchewan Cycling Association)
* Savannah Sutherland of Borden • Athletics (Nominated by Saskatchewan Athletics)
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
* Scott Joseph of Regina • Athletics (Nominated by Saskatchewan Athletics)
* Rylan Sokul of Regina • Football (Nominated by Regina Thunder Football Club)
* Rylan Wiens of Pike Lake • Diving (Nominated by Dive Sask)
COACH OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
* Mary Carroll of Saskatoon • Diving (Nominated by Dive Sask)
* Kim Folk of Regina • Special Olympics (Nominated by Special Olympics Saskatchewan)
* Eric Kramer of Saskatoon • Swimming (Nominated by Swim Saskatchewan)
* Scott MacAulay of Regina • Football (Nominated by Regina Thunder Football Club)
YOUTH FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
* Isabella Brown of Saskatoon • Weightlifting (Nominated by Saskatchewan Weightlifting Association)
* Teah Chavez of Regina • Tennis (Nominated by family (supported by Tennis Saskatchewan)
* Abby Goddard of Swift Current • Equitation (Nominated by family (supported by Saskatchewan Horse Federation)
YOUTH MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
* Carson Hindmarsh of Saskatoon • Baseball (Nominated by Baseball Saskatchewan)
Chase Pochylko of Saskatoon • Golf (Nominated by Golf Saskatchewan)
TEAM OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
* Team Sherry Anderson –
Curling (Nominated by CURLSASK)
* Max Pally/Grayson Laycock – Rowing (Nominated by Saskatchewan Rowing)
* Team Sask 15U Girls – Water Polo (Nominated by Water Polo Saskatchewan)
Sask Sport is a volunteer-led, non-profit organization committed to enriching Saskatchewan communities. As the provincial federation for amateur sport, Sask Sport develops collective programs and services beneficial to sport. Today, 70 provincial and multi-sport organizations and districts represent more than 330,000 registered participants in the province. Sask Sport is also licensed to operate Sask Lotteries. Through an agreement with the Government of Saskatchewan, Sask Lotteries proceeds are allocated to eligible sport, culture and recreation groups.