The efforts of two athletes, two coaches and a young official were recognized during the sponsor’s banquet for the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup on April 27.
The Boston Pizza Estevan and District Male and Female Athlete of the Year Awards were presented to Carson Perkins and Mackenzie Dahl, respectively. Husband and wife tandem Ken Chipley and Monai Wanner were this year’s recipients of the Estevan Kinsmen Club Volunteer Coach of the Year Award for their contributions to archery.
And Alex Bechtold was presented with the Kim Anderson Award for the Top Junior Official in the Estevan Minor Hockey Association.
Perkins, a Bienfait product who starred in Estevan Minor Baseball before going to the Vauxhall Baseball Academy Jets in Vauxhall, Alberta, had an outstanding year on the baseball diamond.
Perkins was part of Saskatchewan’s silver medal-winning entry at the Baseball Canada Cup National Championship. He was also named the most valuable player at the Toronto Blue Jays’ Tournament 12 event for his play with Team Prairies, who won the tournament.
He then joined Team Canada at a fall competition in Florida.
Perkins was previously named the Youth Male Athlete of the Year Award from Sask. Sport Inc.
Mackenzie Dahl has thrived in the pool, both locally through the Estevan Mermaids Synchronized Swimming Club, and with the University of Regina’s program.
After competing locally for many years, she moved to Saskatoon for her Grade 12 year to train at a higher level. She cracked Team Saskatchewan for the Winter Games, becoming the first swimmer from outside of Regina or Saskatoon to make the squad.
She helped Saskatchewan to a fifth place finish at the Games.
As for the University of Regina, she helped them finish second at Western Canadians and nationals.
Ken Chipley and Monai Wanner have dedicated their lives to teaching archery to others, both in Estevan and around the province, for more than 30 years.
Wanner even wrote the manual for the Saskatchewan High Performance archery program.
Their passion for archery, and for teaching the sport to young people, led them to establish a Junior Olympic Program (JOP) in Estevan that has grown to be one of the largest in the province.
Not surprisingly, the couple will be busy at the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games in Estevan. Chipley is the Saskatchewan Archery technical director for the Games, while Wanner will coach the Southeast Connection’s entry for the competition.
Alex Bechtold is a dedicated, enthusiastic and hard-working young official who has been officiating games for several years now.
Bechtold, 15, played hockey for six years, but he stopped playing hockey when his family moved from Estevan to Minot, N.D., a few years ago. It was while residing in Minot that he worked his first games as an official, as he called the games involving the youngest age group in the city.
After two years in Minot, his family returned to Estevan, and he has now wrapped up his second year as a minor hockey official.
