2009 Awards
2009 ATHLETE of the Year
Ron VanKoughnett – Duathlon
Waterloo
Ron is proof that getting older doesn’t mean that you have to slow down. In fact he is going faster as he donned his Canadian jersey and won the gold medal in the ITU World Duathlon Championship. He also won the gold in the 9 race Subaru Tri Series as well as the Ontario and Canadian championships. His 2009 successes led to his being name the Male Duathlete of the Year by Triathlon Magazine.
Performance Highlights
Gold – ITU World Duathlon Championship
Gold – Ontario and Canadian championships1st – Subaru Tri Series (9 events)
2nd – USA Duathlon ChampionshipMale Duathlete of the Year – Triathlon Magazine
Nominees:
Cam Burke – Golf
New Hamburg
Cam comes in as the two-time Men’s Canadian Amateur Champion. Successfully defended his 2008 victory with a win in August 2009, becoming only the 4th competitor to repeat in the stroke-play format. He also became only the 12th golfer in history, (stroke –play and match-play) to defend his title. Back-to-back wins earned him exemptions into the 2009 and 2010 RBC Canadian Open Championships. The Eastern Michigan University Senior is the 4th ranked amateur golfer in Canada and his resume includes beating the Royal & Ancient’s #1 and #4 ranked amateur golfers in the world at the 2009 Canadian Amateur Championship!
Colin Doyle – Lacrosse
Kitchener
Our 2002 Athlete of the Year returns after another stellar season in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Colin led the league in 2009 with 38 goals and 73 assists, was voted an All-Star starter and was named #1 All-Time National Lacrosse. After a trade to the San Jose Stealth in 2006, Colin returned home to the Toronto Rock in 2009. As a member of the Rock he finished first or second in scoring from 1999 to 2005, was league MVP in 2005 giong with Playoff MVP an unprecedented three times. This culminated into five NLL Championships.
Jake Jagas – Wrestling
Kitchener
Jake had a “golden” year in 2009 wining five Gold Medals including Provincial, National and International titles. As a senior at St, David’s Jake parlayed his OFSSA Championship into two more Golds in Freestyle and Greco Roman at the Nationals. He was named Senior Men’s Athlete of the Year and after graduation went on to win Gold in the Canada Summer Games. Success to Jake came from a tremendous commitment which has led him to offers from Guelph Western and McMaster.
Alyssa Lagonia – Lacrosse
Kitchener
A two-time nominee, Alyssa started her National Team career in 2008 with the Under-20 squad when she put on a Team Canada jersey for the first time in Chile in the Four Nations Cup. She went on to make her National Senior Team debut on March 5th 2009 in the Cyprus Cup where Canada won the Silver Medal. Alyssa honed her skills at Wilfrid Laurier where she won Rookie of the Year and MVP honours in 2007 and in 2009 she was named OUA 1st team All-Star for the second time. Her next dream is to help Team Canada qualify for the 2011 World Cup.
Andrew Poje – Figure Skating
Waterloo
Andrew is now a three-time nominee who has been teamed up with Kaitlyn Weaver since August 2006. Andrew and Kaitlyn continue their pursuit of excellence under the tutelage of coaches Shae-Lynn Bourne and Pasqual Camerlengo. A mainstay of the last three Canadian Championships. The goal now is to parlay that experience into being #1 in Canada and competing in the next Olympic Games in Russia.
Dennis Wideman – Ice Hockey
Floradale
Dennis has always been known for his offensive prowess and last year he continued to hone his skills to become and indispensable contributor for the Boston Bruins. He had a career high +32 (plus/minus), second among NHL defensemen to help the Bruins finish 1st overall in the Eastern Conference. Dennis also had career highs in total points with 50 and assists with 37. With two years of playoff experience under his belt, Dennis is now focused on winning the Stanley Cup.
Awards of Excellence:
INDIVIDUAL:
Graham Snyder – Elmira
Born and raised in Elmira, Graham Snyder has devoted much of his life to sport in this community as a volunteer, coach and supporter of minor hockey, fastball and soccer.
Among his many accomplishments, Graham has served on the executive of the local minor hockey association, was interim General Manager of the Elmira Sugar Kings Junior B Hockey Team and has served on the Ontario Hockey Association Board of Directors. In addition to his dedication to local and provincial sport, Graham, along with his wife LuAnn, has been instrumental in fulfilling the dream of building a new hockey arena in their home town of Elmira – the newly constructed Woolwich Memorial Centre / Dan Snyder Memorial Arena. Graham Snyder and his organizing committee tirelessly promoted Woolwich to the Finals in Kraft Hockeyville 2009, These efforts were so overwhelmingly successful that Woolwich has named 3rd of the five national finalists, recieving $25,000 in arena upgrades. Our facility host, Woolwich Memorial Centre, is a tribute to Graham’s enduring dedication to leadership and excellence – and his outstanding influence within our sporting community.
ORGANIZATION:
Waterloo Siskins Hockey Club
The Waterloo Siskins Junior B Hockey Club was established in 1934 making it the longest running community-based sports team in Waterloo, and one of the longest operating hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association.
In 2009 the Siskins celebrated its 75th Anniversary season. The Siskins have an alumni of more than 1,200 players, personnel and volunteers, of which approximately 1,000 are still living. Over its illustrious 75 plus year history the Siksins have won 11 Sutherland Cup titles (Ontario Hockey Association Junior “B” Championship).
The Siskins were voted by the Ontario Hockey Association as its “Team of the Century”. Equally as important as its accomplishments in the Ontario Hockey Association, the Siskins organization has throughout its 75 + years demonstrated outstanding leadership in our community and has been a springboard to countless number of players in the Canadian Hockey League, the National Hockey League, Canadian Olympic teams and Canadian teams in the World Hockey Championships. In 1996, the Siskins established the Waterloo Hockey Wall of Fame to recognize individuals who have achieved success and longevity in hockey as players, coaches and administrators.
TEAM:
Kitchener Krush Softball Team
The Kitchener Krush Women’s Fastpitch team was established in the early 1990’s. In its early years, the team was sponsored by the Kieswetter family, and was known as the Kitchener Kieswetters. The core of the Krush has played fastpitch together under the leadership of Head Coach Jim Neilson. The team has won numerous local, provincial and national championships and has represented Kitchener in 12 straight Softball Canada National Championships winning two gold, two silver and three bronze medals.
In 2009, the Krush hosted the Senior Women’s Fastpitch Championship and claimed the Canadian title. Within our community, members of the team have dedicated time to local boys and girls minor softball groups, conducting clinics for the stars of tomorrow. One notable highlight was the “Pink Day” they organized at the Canadian Championship, raising over $1,000 for the Cancer Society. Kitchener Krush commitment and dedication to sport and community exemplify the ideals of the Award Of Excellence.
