PacificSport set to hand out Hellies
Island athletes who had great years on the world stage honoured tonight
Cleve Dheensaw(cdheensaw@tc.canwest.com), Times Colonist
Published: Tuesday, February 12, 2008
If you landed on an international podium in 2007, you could land on the stage tonight at the Empress Ballroom.
The annual Hellies will be presented at the PacificSport Gala. Named in honour of George Heller, president and CEO of the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games, the awards are given by the national training centre to the top Island-based PacificSport athletes who made podiums at their sports’ world championships, World Cup events or at major Games.
There were a plethora of impressive results last year, and the male nominees are runner Gary Reed, who scored a breathless breakthrough silver medal in the men’s 800 metres at the world track and field championships in Osaka, Pan American mountain biking champion Max Plaxton, and triathlete Simon Whitfield, who ended 2007 with the world No. 2 ranking.
Gary Reed’s big year on the world track scene last season will be honoured tonight.
The female nominees are Diane Cummins, the 2007 Rio de Janeiro Pan American Games 800-metre gold-medallist; national lightweight rowing champion Melanie Kok; World Cup triathlon winner Kirsten Sweetland and national-team cyclist Alex Wrubleski.
The Elk Lake-based Canadian men’s eight’s gold-medal performance at the world rowing championships in Munich will be honoured with the crew award going uncontested to Kevin Light, Malcolm Howard, Andrew Byrnes, Adam Kreek, Kyle Hamilton, Brian Price, Ben Rutledge, Dominic Seiterle and Jake Wetzel.
Three PacificSport mentors who produced outstanding international results and will be guiding their national Olympic teams this summer in Beijing — Mike Spracklen of rowing, Houshang Amiri of cycling and Joel Filliol triathlon — are up for the Shields Coaching Award.
