A coach and junior official were recognized for their volunteer efforts while awards to Estevan's top male and female athletes of the year were handed out with individual athletic achievements at the Estevan Bruins Annual Sportsman Dinner last week.
Anthony Melle and Auriel Bill received the Boston Pizza Estevan’s District Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards, respectively. Also Chad Chapman was acknowledged for the Estevan Kinsman Club Volunteer Coach of the Year and Jace Carlisle earned the Kim Anderson Junior Official of the Year Award.
Anthony Melle was recognized for his efforts on the golf course, since he won the OTS Oilmen’s golf tournament and the Men’s Golf Classic in 2014.
He also was a part of the Bienfait Coalers senior men’s hockey team, but he said he just played a small role in helping them win the Big Six Hockey League championship for the fifth consecutive year.
“For our Big Six championship this year, I was the small piece of the puzzle ... and it took a team effort. So, I think next year the Bienfait Coalers should be all athletes of the year,” he said.
In regards to the golf, he said that it was a good year and he played well.
“I practised hard and I hope I can do it again this year,” he said.
During the Oilmen’s tournament he shot a 74 in the final round to win for the first time.
“I got good bounces … I came in second in the Oilmen’s the year before, and I know I felt really good to win it,” he said.
In the Men’s classic, Melle said he shot three-under in the first round and he just went on to win the tournament.
Melle said he was shocked to win the award but at the same time is proud of it and honoured.
Chad Chapman was also honoured to have a chance to win the coach of the year, but wasn’t expecting to get acknowledged for it.
“I don’t do it (coach) for the chance to win an award, I do it for the love of the sport and being with the kids,” he said.
Chapman has spent the past 10 years coaching female hockey, and this year he coached the Power Tech midget AA Panthers. This year was a success for the Panthers team because they won their league championship
“I’ve never coached for any accolades at all, but it’s always about the kids, it’s always about the sport, it’s always about the game, it’s about the team, and that’s how I’d always coach the team and that’s what I have as my mindset going forward,” Chapman said.
In the past he has also coached teams in the novice, atom and bantam levels, as his daughter is involved with the sport. He also help guide the bantam squad to a league championship.
For winning the award Chapman said he couldn’t have done it without the support of his family, since he is usually busy with the team
Female athlete of the year Auriel Bill was also surprised when she was acknowledged for the award.
She was recognized for her recent success in water polo and didn’t expect to win an award; since competes in the sport for enjoyment.
Bill is competing with the Team Sask under-19 team in the National Championship league and has been playing the sport since she was a young youth.
Some of the success she has had with the sport recently, was in the past year when she was selected to the junior national women’s team and competed in the gold-medal game of the Commonwealth Water Polo Championships.
This past August, she won silver with the Canadian team that competed at the FINA World Women’s Youth Championship in Madrid, Spain.
Carlisle is in his second year of officiating and was shocked when here heard that he won the award.
“It feels good, it’s only my second year and it’s really an honour to win this award,” he said.
He was selected for the award based on his ability and his reliability to officiate.
He is always willing to officiate a game and is willing to work when he is not scheduled to.
Carlisle said he’s not sure how long he’ll continue to officiate hockey games and was very surprised of the award since he has just started out.
“I just enjoy going out there and having fun,” he said.
