The special award winners have been announced for the annual Yarmouth County athletic awards ceremony that will be held Friday, Nov. 30, at École secondaire de Par en Bas in Tusket. The event is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m.
The following are the special award recipients for 2018:
Male Coach of the Year, Duane Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald coached the Yarmouth JSTRONG Mosquito A Gateways team to a Provincial Tier 1 title.
Female Coach of the Year, Katrina Larkin
Larkin is the head coach of the high school girls volleyball team at Par en Bas and has won provincial championships at the school and club level.
Official of the Year, Ernie Pitman
Pitman has been umpiring baseball for over 30 years in the area and has officiated at a national championship.
Female Official of the Year, Jean Brown
Brown became a swim official so she could give back to the sport that was giving so much to her daughter. She was a timer at age group swim meets and continues to time at the AUS level.
Male Athlete of the Year, Alec Cottreau
Cottreau was a member of Nova Scotia’s volleyball team for the 2017 Canada Games.
Female Athlete of the Year, Mary Beth Brown
Brown is an Atlantic University Sport (AUS) swimmer for Acadia.
Male Youth Athlete of the Year, Dylan Landry
Landry was a member of Nova Scotia’s U17 basketball team that went 5-0 at nationals in B.C., winning the gold medal.
Female Youth Athlete of the Year, Madison Boudreau
Boudreau is a competitive premier highland dancer and has been dancing since the young age of three. At the early age of 11, she acquired the highest level of dancing and is now competing at the top premier level.
Male Fair Play Award, Jerry Burgess
Burgess is a fair play coach of the U15 Yarmouth Pet Value Clippers boys soccer team that won the 2018 provincial championship.
Female Fair Play Award, Jill Marie Jacquard
Jacquard has offered two successful Argyle minor baseball programs in her community from t-ball to mosquito. She believes the success of these programs can be attributed to the community support, keeping the program simple and fun, and teaching the children the basic foundation of the game.
Male Sport Volunteer Award, Jordan Bain
Bain's leadership in developing and implementing the Yarmouth County Minor Hockey Association's 50/50 fundraiser has been invaluable. This fundraiser will greatly help the YCMHA's development efforts but is also helping to offset costs for minor hockey families.
Female Sport Volunteer Award, Saige Breton
Breton has been a volunteer with Yarmouth County Minor Hockey for the past five years. She has helped with the First Shift program, which is a program for children aged six to 10 who have never played hockey before.
The 42nd annual Yarmouth County athletic awards ceremony is organized by the Argyle and Yarmouth decreation departments and has support from Tusket Sales and Service and Tim Hortons.
