Wanted: Community sports heroes!

Many of us have had a special individual in our lives or in the lives of our children who has been a mentor, a friend, and a role model. These people are sports heroes—volunteers who don’t always get the recognition they deserve. With this in mind, Sport BC is bringing the Community Sport Hero Awards, presented by Teck, to Rossland and the Greater Trail area on February 22, 2012. The awards will honour long-standing local volunteers who have made significant contributions to our communities through sport. And this is where you come in.

Sport BC needs to know who these often-modest heroes are—and it’s your job to tell them! Consequently, nominations are now being accepted through Sport BC’s website until Friday, February 3, 2012.

Downhill skiing, Nordic skiing, hockey, soccer, mountain biking: the lists of hero-bearing sports in the Mountain Kingdom is almost endless.

“Volunteers are what fuel the development and sustainability of community sport within British Columbia,” said Sport BC’s Event Manager, Carey Summerfelt. “These awards are a rare and meaningful opportunity to acknowledge individuals who have made a significant and continued contribution to sport within their community.”

To be eligible, nominees for the Community Sport Hero Awards must meet the following criteria:

• Be an individual from the local community who makes a voluntary contribution to sport through coaching, officiating, boards, administration, special events, etc;
• Be an individual (not an organization or foundation); and
• Have been, or continue to be, a dedicated sport volunteer for a minimum of eight years.

Locally, Rossland’s Ann Damude notes that “at the community level, sport is driven by the passion and dedication of volunteers.  The best way to build volunteerism in our communities is to recognize and appreciate our current volunteers.   Through the Sport BC Community Sport Hero Awards, we can say thank you to our current volunteers and inspire future volunteers.”

You have the option of letting your own sports hero know what you’re up to, but you also have the option of surprising them. Says Damude, “It’s not a requirement of the Sport BC  Community Sport Hero Awards to ask the nominee for permission to nominate them.   So it’s really up to the nominator to decide.   Only the nominees selected for to receive an award this year will be contacted. “

It’s also easy. “The online nomination form is very short and simple but you do need to supply an address, telephone number and email address for the nominee.  The form also asks you to explain the following in 150 words or less: the nominee’s contribution to their sport, their number of years of service, the impact that the nominee has made and why they are deserving of this honour.”

The deadline is looming close and there’s a need for more volunteers—so the time is ripe. Have a sports hero in mind?  Nominate them now!