Mr. Speaker, on August 16th Speed Skating NWT proudly reported that Val Gendron from Fort Simpson has been recognized by Speed Skating Canada with a Coaches Award of Excellence. The Coaches Award of Excellence is awarded to those who have made meaningful contributions to the sport of speed skating in the role of a coach. Each year a maximum of three winners are selected for the award. This year they recognized two with Val being one of the two winners.
The Coaches Award of Excellence is intended to recognize coaching excellence within a given year and may be bestowed upon an individual based on the following criteria:
Exceptional achievement of the coach’s athlete with a strong link to the coach’s training program;
Innovative programming or initiatives that drive athlete recruitment or retention;
Coaching technique that contributes to athletes development on and off the ice;.
Adapted programming and coaching techniques to keep skaters active and engaged throughout the COVID19 pandemic.
As people in Fort Simpson and the NWT know, Val put her heart and soul into every speed skater she has coached over the last 30 plus years. We would not be happier to have her as part of our community.
Madam Speaker, I have been very fortunate as a parent, now as a grandparent, to have Val in my children and grandchildren’s sport life. It is very interesting to watch her with generations of children and the love she passes on to the athletes for the sport. I am happy to say my daughter was part of the nomination team for Val’s submission. On behalf of the community of Fort Simpson, I would like to again congratulate her for the award and, more importantly, passing on the love of the sport to our youth.
Madam Speaker, I will ask my colleagues to recognize her here today with a round of applause. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Members' statements. Member for Range Lake.
