A night to celebrate
Island athletes, coaches, administrators to be recognized tonight for 2016 success
Bruce Donaldson said it was a special night when his UPEI Panthers women’s hockey team was recognized with the province’s best.
The team won the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) championship in 2012, a year after missing the playoffs.
Sport P.E.I. selected the Panthers as the 2012 team of the year and Donaldson as coach of the year.
“I think the girls really felt good, the night of that event, . . . about their accomplishment,” Donaldson said recalled. “It was a lot of hard work and I think they felt very pleased that Sport P.E.I. recognized them.”
The 2016 winners could feel the same way tonight when they receive their awards during the 43rd annual ceremony.
“It is important for our athletes to be recognized and to be celebrated,” Sport P.E.I. president Tracey Clements said Tuesday. “There’s such pride that night about being an athlete from P.E.I.”
While each sport celebrates its athletes during the year, tonight’s event provides an opportunity for athletes from various sports to mingle and catch up with one another. It is also a chance for young athletes to see what some of their role models are up to. Clements said pride and dedication are two common elements she sees each year at the event. As winners provide a victory speech, they thank family, friends, teammates and coaches who have made their accomplishments possible, while also congratulating their peers for their successful seasons.
“There’s just such a strong camaraderie among athletes as a whole in this province,” Clements said.
“The compete level is the common denominator, I think, they all share.”