Colchester to celebrate athletic success in May
The Truro Sports Heritage Awards Ceremony is back. After a challenging hiatus due to COVID, the annual sports recognition event is returning with a different look.
The awards ceremony covering the years 2022 and 2023 will be held Sunday, May 7, at the Marigold Cultural Centre in Truro. Tickets will be going on sale soon.
Having started last week, and over the next couple, the Truro News will feature those nominated for awards.
COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD
Brookes Van Tassell
After a successful hockey and ball career in Brookfield, Brookes has been integral to increasing the participation of both girls and boys playing softball in the area. Brookes coached the U-13 and U-15 teams to Eastern Canadian Championships, which he did while heading the Minor Ball Program of the Brookfield Athletic Association. Brookes also coached the U-15 hockey team to win the Provincial A Championship title. Brookes is a busy and dedicated coach who is making a difference in the lives of young boys and girls in the Brookfield area.
Rene Despres
Rene is a very dedicated and hard-working coach in the CC Riders Soccer Club. He started by coaching the U-6 Timbits. He moved along to coaching both the boys’ and girls’ competitive teams. Rene brings much passion to the soccer field and creates very productive and fun practices that result in wins and enjoyment of the game. His dedication to ‘fair play’ makes everyone he coaches better people both on and off the pitch. He has worked hard to improve the CC Riders soccer program by recruiting new capable coaches and coaching multiple teams himself.
OUTSTANDING CLUB TEAM – 15 YEARS AND UNDER
The Brookfield Elks U-15 team won the Eastern Canadian Fastpitch Softball Championship in 2002 in a nine team tournament hosted at Elk Park. The team earned the right to host the event by winning the Nova Scotia Championship in St. Croix. Under coaches Brookes Vantassell, Shann Singer, Brad Sutherland and Brent Harrison, the team went 4 and 0 in the round robin and won the first two games in the playoffs, setting up a championship final against Wilmot,
Ontario. The Elks rallied to a 5-2 win and the title. The experienced coaching and hard work led to continual improvement during the season, leading to a huge win at the Eastern Canadian tournament.
OUTSTANDING FEMALE ATHLETE – 21-50 YEARS
Josee Gallant
Josee arrived in Truro in August 2017. She is an administrative and communications co-ordinator with the Town of Truro who has succeeded to climb up the ladder to international athletic success.
2022 was a year of success for Josee. Placing first at Nationals sent her to the Pan American Weightlifting Championships. She made her international debut in July 2022 in Bogota, Columbia, where she placed 5th in the 55kg women’s weight class and qualified for the World Championships. There in December, she competed against the best in the world. She finished 5th in snatches at 86kg. She lifted 104kg on her last clean and jerk lift to finish 8th overall in the world. Her coach noted that “Josee shows amazing determination and mental toughness.” She is now focusing on representing Canada in weightlifting at the Paris Summer Olympics.
Mira Alexander
Mira has been an active member of The Truro Lions Track and Field Club. In 2022, Mira had eight personal best performances, set four club records in multiple track and field events and one university record. She competed for her clubs, the province and university at the highest levels. She competed at both the U SPORTS Indoor Championships and for Nova Scotia at the Canada Games in Niagara. With her teammates, Mira finished first in the indoor 4X400 relay at the AUDS Championships where she also earned podium finishes in three other events. Mira is a passionate and focused athlete who is committed to doing her best.
Madelyn Quinn
‘Maddie’ has had success as a javelin thrower. She is in her fourth year at Belmont University in Nashville Tennessee on a javelin scholarship. In the summer of 2022, she returned to Truro to train and qualify for the Canada Games. She was successful in representing Nova Scotia at the Canada Games for the second time. At the Games, she placed third for a bronze medal, competing against the best U-24-aged javelin throwers in the country. This was a fine addition to her already outstanding career which also includes a 5th-place finish at the 2017 Canada Games as a 17-year-old athlete.