This year's selection for top athlete in the North Okanagan may be the most difficult ever.
Six nominees for the Tim Hortons Athlete of the Year trophy were officially announced on Thursday, June 13, in preparation for the ceremony on Wednesday, June 19, at Spirit Square outside Vernon City Hall.
The ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m.
The winners are chosen by a group of sporting reps and sports reporters following public submissions.
Awards committee president Ann Holmes explained that this year's candidates are all great.
"We had a lot of candidates for all categories," she said. "The top athlete category was a particularly tough one for the selection committee"
Below are the nominees:
- Marathoner Oliver Stankiewicz. He ran 31 consecutive marathons during the month of May, to raise funds for new hospital equipment.
- Ultra athlete Shanda Hill. Hill is the first human ever to complete three Double Deca Ultra Triathlons.
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete Lillian Marchand. Marchand has won numerous BJJ competitions, including winning gold in the four major global competitions of the sport in 2023.
- Hockey player Zac Funk. The Coldstream local was the leading scorer in the Western Hockey League last season (2023-24) and recently signed an entry-level contract with the NHL's Washington Capitals.
- Hockey player Austin Roest. Also from Coldstream, Roest was drafted by the Nashville Predators in last year's (2023) draft.
- Basketball/football player Mark Johnson. Johnson signed with Eastern Washington University in the US to play football. He led his high-school Panthers team to the provincial title, along with playing big minutes for the basketball team.
There are two other awards to be given out during the June 19 ceremony, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in front of Vernon City Hall.
Team of the Year:
- VSS Senior Panthers football team. Captured its third provincial banner since 2018.
- VSS Junior Panthers football team. Claimed the junior provincial championship with a dominant 61-22 win the final.
- North Okanagan Lakers U-18 AAA hockey team. Won the Thompson Okanagan league, and finished fourth overall in the Esso Cup, the national championship for under-18 girls teams across the country, which was hosted by the Lakers.
Leadership in Sport:
- Minor football's Bill Tarr. Tarr has been a coach at the Vernon and District Minor Football Association for several years.
- Pro hockey's Ken Holland. Holland, a Vernon native, is the GM for the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. He has guided the team to its first Stanley Cup finals appearance in 18 years.
- Tennis' Graham Cooper. Cooper received the Tennis B.C. Presidents Award this year, for his decades-long work of growing the sport in the region.
- VSS football coach Sean Smith. Smith led the Panthers senior football team to a third provincial title in the past six years.
- Vernon Vipers' Colton Sparrow. Sparrow is an assistant coach and director of player personnel and recruiting for the Vipers. He co-coached the team with Lukas Lomicky after the abrupt firing of head coach Jason McKee.
- Athletic director Rory Taber. Taber is the athletic director for Eagle River Secondary School in Sicamous.
