The City of Warman have announced the recipient of the Group of the Year is Diamond BMX Club.
After an impressive first two years as a club – and despite facing many COVID-related challenges for their volunteer board – adaptation and determination brought many big moments for Diamond BMX in 2021.
Their membership soared from approximately 35 members in 2020 to over 110 in 2021.
Last year was also the first season Diamond BMX fielded a high-performance team. This team represented their club and our city very well in many events, including some against inter-provincial competition.
Within their weekly events around the province, Diamond BMX hosted several very notable ones here in Warman – home to a world class facility that is the best BMX track in the province.
Their volunteer group hosted a very well-run Saskatchewan Cup Grands and Championships – an equivalent to provincials. They also hosted the first-annual “Flash Classic” in memory of the late Jamie “the Flash” Holtorf, who was a notable name within the Saskatchewan BMX community. For these two events especially, the amount of behind-the-scenes efforts and attention to detail with event planning really shone through. These two events, along with a day of coaching from Olympian Tory Nyhaug, were also highlighted provincially on TV, which helped showcase the club’s passion and our community in a very positive light.
Out of the spotlight, even more track upgrades were made by their volunteer members during 2021. They received and re-finished bleachers, and secured sponsorship for sod and grass to be planted around the track. These will be welcome additions to the race day atmosphere in the years to come.
The City would like to thank Diamond BMX President, Niall Schofield, and members of the club for the tireless efforts that have brought a new, high-level sport to our community. The club’s efforts to host amazing events and show tremendous sportsmanship while competing don’t go unnoticed. We’re grateful to have a volunteer-run group like theirs in Warman.
Diamond BMX is in store for an even bigger 2022, as they continue preparing to host a stop on the Canada Cup circuit in August. The City looks forward to welcoming this national event to our community.
Again, we’d like to congratulate Diamond BMX Club on being named the 2021 Group of the Year!
ABOUT THE AWARD:
This award is given to a club whose efforts have significantly contributed to Warman’s quality of life through recreational sports, arts and culture, environmental leadership, or community and social services. The major focus of this award involves volunteer efforts made during the 2021 calendar year.