by Cross Country Nova Scotia, Staff, Sept. 22, 2023
Cross Country Nova Scotia is pleased to announce our 2023 award recipients. Annually, dedicated volunteers and provincial team athletes are recognized for their dedication to cross-country skiing and achievements. Nominations are submitted by club members and voted on by CCNS board of directors to determine volunteer recipients. Provincial team athlete recipients are named by the CCNS high performance committee based on race results, or point standings on the Canada Points List.
Our sport is 100% powered by volunteers, who perform a gamut of tasks to ensure many can enjoy cross-country skiing. For example, volunteers constructed the first cross-country ski chalet in the history of our province, spent significant time developing low-snow-grooming techniques, coordinated hundreds of hours of administrative details, taught thousands of youth and adult programs, travelled across the province to host “try it skiing” days, and have groomed under the cover of darkness.
As our tradition of presenting annual awards continues, we acknowledge our historic volunteers, for developing the foundation of our cross-country skier family tree. The impact of individuals and clubs can be seen trickling down through the generations – historic trails that continue to provide a gateway to the sport, generations of cross-country ski competitors turned coaches, and lesson participants who are now volunteers paying it forward within the club communities.
Congratulations to all award recipients and our heartfelt thanks. View our historic award recipients. We will feature individual award winners in future articles.
Volunteer Awards
Volunteer of the Year – Paula Michaelis, North Highlands Nordic
Recognizes dedicated volunteers who donate their time to club initiatives. This award is inclusive of many volunteer functions, including: groomers, coaches, administrators, organizers, fundraisers, communicators, equipment managers, and any of the tasks required by clubs to make cross-country skiing special. Recipient also recognized at the Sport Nova Scotia Support4Sport Awards Gala.
Freda Wales Memorial Award – Eileen Woodford, Baddeck Nordic Club
Honours one woman each year who has made a significant contribution to cross-country skiing in Nova Scotia. The recipient’s name will be sent forward as our nomination for the Nordiq Canada Firth Award. Examples of involvement include: local and provincial involvement; coach, official, administrator, or athlete; event committee involvement – race, loppet or fun day; shares a love of skiing just by involvement and enthusiasm for the sport; motivates others to become involved; someone who can be relied on to come through in a crunch – to pitch in and share the load when there is work to be done.
The Freda Wales Memorial Award was established by Cross Country Nova Scotia in 1993, to honour a lifetime of dedicated service to humankind along with an incredible commitment to advancing sport and outdoor pursuits. Freda was inducted, as a builder, to both the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame and the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame.
Freda was renowned for her unobtrusive manner, passion for the outdoors, and persuasive ability to bring people together. “She was in charge of Outdoor Education for the Halifax District School Board for several years and thus was able to influence many young people as to the benefits of sports and being outside,” advised Dianne Powell, who describes Freda as a “wonderful, solid friend”.
Freda also “organized ski meets and was directly involved with approaching landowners to convince them to allow cross-country trails across their property”, as quoted by the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame.
Freda not only inspired and educated young people on the benefit of sports and outdoor activities – she initiated the governance of sport by helping to found five sports organizations in Nova Scotia, including the “Atlantic Division – Canadian Amateur Ski Association”, from which the current governing body for cross-country skiing in Nova Scotia evolved.
Lifetime Contribution Award – John Cameron, SCOTIA XC Ski Club
The CCNS Lifetime Contribution Award is issued to a member of the Nova Scotia nordic ski community in recognition of their long-term commitment to growing, enriching, and promoting cross-country skiing in the province. This person demonstrates a love and enthusiasm for skiing and shares it. They may be a coach of athletes or recreational skiers, adults or children. They may be an organizer of ski events such as races, loppets or community events. They may be a groomer, fundraiser, board member of a club or CCNS, trail maintainer, official, athlete, or administrator. They love to ski and help others to share that passion.
Coach of the Year – David Hubley, SCOTIA XC Ski Club
Identifies coaches dedicated to helping skiers acquire technical skiing skills and cultivate a love for the sport. Recipient is also recognized at the Sport Nova Scotia Support4Sport Awards Gala.
Provincial Team Awards
Athlete of the Year – Emma Archibald, SCOTIA XC Ski Club, Nordiq Canada Prospects Team, uOttawa Nordiq Ski Team
Athlete of the Year – Milo Sircom-Brown, SCOTIA XC Ski Club
Based on race results of provincial team athletes. Determined by the ski team selection committee.
Sue Hill Award – Paige Neklia, SCOTIA XC Ski Club
The Sue Hill Award is presented to the most improved member of the Provincial Ski Team. The high performance committee determines the award winners, by calculating the ski team member with the greatest improvement on the Canadian Points List, in comparison to the previous season.
The Sue Hill Award was created to acknowledge the many years of dedication to the ski team by Sue Hill, an exceptional volunteer, who supported the provincial program from 1988-2011. The CCNS board of directors initiated this annual award in 1999. Ike Whitehead, long-time administrator for CCNS from 1977-2008 recalls, “There are certain people in the world and your association, we had to do something to remember Sue. She was a true top-notch volunteer. We created this award in her honour.”
A dedicated volunteer, Sue performed the gamut of volunteer tasks for the provincial team, including: driver, cookie-maker, and general gopher, 1998-1990; manager, 1991-1992; head coach, 1992-1999; and assistant coach, 2006-2011. Additionally, she was the para-nordic coach at the 2011 Canada Winter Games, coach of the Dartmouth High team; and president of the Arctic Fox Ski Club from 1992-2017. She also provided leadership by volunteering as a member of the provincial and national cross-country ski governing bodies. Sue was a member of the Cross Country Nova Scotia board, 1987-2007; served as a member of the National Women’s committee, 1990 – 2000; and was a member of the national executive of Nordiq Canada as chair of the National women’s committee, 1995-2000.
Bryan Scallion Award – Suzanne Jackson, SCOTIA XC Ski Club
Bryan Scallion Award – Milo Sircom-Brown, SCOTIA XC Ski Club
Recognizes the overall fastest male and female skiers in the Nova Scotia Provincial Championships each year. Award recipients are commemorated on a plaque, which dates back to 1982.
The Bryan Scallion Award was established by Cross Country Nova Scotia, to honour Bryan Scallion’s lifetime dedication to advancing the sport of cross-country skiing in Nova Scotia, along with his unwavering commitment to developing competitive athletes.
Bryan was a decorated Nova Scotia endurance athlete, who was recognized at a national level in various sports while training in Nova Scotia. Scallion was a leader in the Nova Scotia sporting community, participating in events ranging from track and field to triathlon to cross-country skiing. Bryan represented Nova Scotia at the Canada Winter Games as an athlete in 1971 and 1975. Bryan also represented Canada as a member of the National Biathlon team and the National Espoir Cross-Country Ski Team from 1977-1982. Bryan won the Canadian Ski Marathon during this time, as well as various national titles. He was also selected to the Canadian Olympic Biathlon team for the 1980 Lake Place Olympics.
Bryan was an outstanding coach and administrator. He coached the Nova Scotia Provincial Cross-Country Ski team for many years, including at the Canada Winter Games in 1979 and 1983. Athletes who were on these teams speak of the long-lasting influence that Bryan had on their lives. Bryan initiated the Honey Pot Ski Loppet in Wentworth, Nova Scotia, in 1977. This loppet is the longest running loppet in our province. In 1991, Bryan was the Chief of Competition for the biathlon events at the Canada Winter Games. Between 1995 and 2007, at least one of Bryan’s children continued the family tradition by representing Nova Scotia in various events at every Canada Winter Games.
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