RECOGNIZING GREATNESS IN OUR SPORT

Club volunteers work tirelessly on the front-lines and behind the scenes to ensure Nova Scotians can enjoy skiing. Our programs, groomed trails, and many club events would not exist without the help of generous volunteers who donate their time. Every spring at our AGM, we recognize individuals who have made an impact on our sport, and the achievements of our provincial team athletes.

Nominate

Tell us about a volunteer who goes above and beyond! Nominations are accepted year-round. Send your nomination via the online form below. You can also e-mail or text your nomination to ccns@sportnovascotia.ca, 902-225-8545. Deadline for submissions is March 30th for the award year.

Nomination Form (online)

CCNS Volunteer Awards

Thank-you to all of the volunteers in our sport! Our awards include: Volunteer of the Year, Freda Wales Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Coach of the Year, Official of the Year, and Corporate Sponsor.

YEAR	VOLUNTEER	FREDA WALES	LIFETIME	COACH	OFFICIAL	SPONSOR
2023	Paula Michaelis	Eileen Woodford	John Cameron	David Hubley	n/a	n/a
2022	John Hudec	Sandra Curtis	Pierre Roy	Grace McIntyre	n/a	n/a
2021	Kevin Chiasson	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
2020	Lorenzo Caterini	Deirdre Evans		Jack Solomon	Rejean Chamberland	Hub Cycle
2019	Rosemary Algar	Rosemary Algar		Lilla Roy	n/a	Seaview Golf & Country Club
2018	Maurice Curtis Michael Shawn Fitzgerald	Linda Murray		Kate Scallion	Linda Murray	The Links at Brunello
2017	Joanne Fitzgerald			Daniel Murray	Tom Ward	Hub Cycle
2016	Tom Beazley	Nancy Munro		Daniel Murray	Fred Lawrence	The Trail Shop
2015	Steve Chipman	Dianne Powell		Daniel Murray	Geoff Bennett	Hub Cycle
2014	Derek Estabrook	Joanne Fitzgerald		Daniel Murray	Linda Murray	Trail Shop
2013	Keith Ayling
2012	Nancy Munro				Geoff Bennett
2011	Reid MacDuff Roslyn MacDuff			Daniel Murray	Geoff Bennett	The Trail Shop
2010
2009						Mountain Equipment Co-op
2008	Dan Farrell
2007
2006	Maurice Curtis
2005
2004	Steve Chipman	Eileen Woodford
2003	Sue Phelan	Gaye Lillington
2002	Dennis Doyon	Norma Marchand
2001	Sandra Curtis	Linda Murray
2000	Dan MacNeil
1999	Sue Hill	Linda Murray
1998	Stuart Germani
1997		Linda Murray
1996	John Clarke	Sue Hill
1995	Maria Ramsey	Maria Ramsey

CCNS Provincial Team Awards

Recognizing excellence in sport. Our provincial skier awards include: Female Athlete of the Year, Male Athlete of the Year, Sue Hill Award, and the Bryan Scallion Award.

YEAR	TOP ATHLETE (F)	TOP ATHLETE (M)	SUE HILL	BRYAN SCALLION (F)	BRYAN SCALLION (M)
2023	Emma Archibald	Milo Sircom- Brown	Paige Neklia	Suzanne Jackson	Milo Sircom-Brown
2022	Fiona McClure	Ogen Newcomb	n/a	n/a	n/a
2021	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
2020	Fiona McClure	Ogen Newcomb	Milo Sircom-Brown	Fiona McClure	Daniel Murray
2019	Maggie McClure – Sr Fiona McClure – Jr	Colin Ward – Sr Ogen Newcomb – Jr	Grace McIntyre	n/a	n/a
2018	Maggie McClure	Colin Ward	Caden MacLeod	Fiona McClure	Stuart Harden
2017	Maggie McClure	Colin Ward	Colin Ward	Kate Scallion	Daniel Murray
2016	Maggie McClure	Colin Ward		Maggie McClure	Colin Ward
2015	Maggie McClure	Colin Ward	Anya Munro	Maggie McClure	Colin Ward
2014	Maggie McClure	Colin Ward	Hannah Estabrook	Maggie McClure	Colin Ward
2013	Maggie McClure	Edward Walsh	Colin Ward	Maggie McClure	Colin Ward
2012	Kilya MacNeil	Edward Walsh		Kilya MacNeil	Daniel Murray
2011	Maggie Soehl	Liam McInerney		Kilya MacNeil	Daniel Murray
2010	Jennie Roy	Ian Murray	Johah Hudec	Maggie Soehl	Daniel Murray
2009	Abby Lewis	Chris Algar		Mariah Hudec	Kris Doyon
2008	Lilla Roy	Ian Murray		Abby Lewis	Chris Algar
2007	Kate Scallion	Ian Murray	Benjamin Roy	Abby Lewis	Daniel Murray
2006	Kate Scallion	Ian Murray	Benjamin Roy	Abby Lewis	Daniel Murray
2005	Margaret Scallion	Ian Murray		Marie Soehl	Chris Algar
2004	Margaret Scallion	Charles Curtis	Margaret Scallion	Cathy Tutton	Kris Doyon
2003	Margaret Scallion	Ian Murray	Grace MacIntyre	Grace MacIntyre	Chris Algar
2002	Kate Scallion	Ian Murray	Carmen Lawrence
2001	Margaret Scallion	Chris Algar	Stephen Murray
2000	Margaret Scallion	Ian Murray	Lilla Roy
1999	Margaret Scallion	Ian Murray
1998	Margaret Scallion	Ian Murray
1997	Margaret Scallion	Ian Murray
1996	Heather Murray	Daniel Murray
1995	Brownwen Davies	Daniel Murray

Award Descriptions

Freda Wales Memorial Award

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.

CCNS Lifetime Contribution Award

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.

Volunteer of the Year Award

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.

Coach of the Year Award

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.

Official of the Year Award

Recognizes officials who help to ensure safe racing events that adhere to regulations. Recipient is also recognized at the Sport Nova Scotia Support4Sport Awards Gala.

Corporate Sponsor of the Year Award

Recognizes corporate support for the cross-country skiing community in Nova Scotia. Recipient is also recognized at the Sport Nova Scotia Support4Sport Awards Gala.

Athletes of the Year – Female and Male

Based on race results of provincial team athletes. Determined by the ski team selection committee.

Bryan Scallion Award

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.

Sue Hill Award

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.

Nordiq Canada Awards

Nordiq Canada formally recognizes the efforts of exceptional volunteers, by presenting awards at their Annual General Meeting, held in the spring. If you would like to nominate a volunteer, visit Nordiq Canada. Nova Scotia volunteers are recipients of these prestigious awards.

NS Recipients

2020 Volunteer of the Year Award – Lorenzo Caterini, Halifax Nordic

2018 Firth Award – Linda Murray, North Highlands Nordic

Volunteer of the Year Award – Dennis Doyon, North Highlands Nordic

Articles

We celebrate Nova Scotians achieving greatness in our sport. Learn more about these special people, as featured below.