The Greater Victoria Sports Awards banquet from 1968 to 2005 used to be the biggest night, in red-carpet gala terms, on the local athletic calendar. It was the Oscars of Victoria sports as the previous year’s best where honoured.
The Greater Victoria Sport Tourism Commission will revive the lapsed tradition Feb. 26 at the Crystal Garden.
Cost and logistics helped end the original awards following the 2005 ceremony in which NBA MVP Steve Nash was named Victoria male athlete of the year, Paralympics multi-medallist swimmer Stephanie Dixon top female athlete, future Olympic-medallist swimmer Ryan Cochrane junior athlete of the year and then Victoria Shamrocks lacrosse bench boss Walt Christianson the coach of the year.
The awards were a chronicle of Victoria sporting history with the likes of Simon Whitfield, Peter Reid, Gareth Rees, Mark Wyatt, Derek Porter, Grant Main, Dean Crawford, Gary Gait, Eli Pasquale, Mel Bridgman, George Pakos, Jim Rutledge, Silken Laumann, Lori Bowden, Kirsten Barnes, Brenda Taylor, Pam Rai, Carol Turney-Loos among those named male and female athletes of the year.
The awards were started by former sa国际传媒 columnist Gorde Hunter and the early years featured headline guest-host speakers from the NHL, CFL, pro golf and beyond such as Foster Hewitt, Jim Robson, King Clancy, Babe Pratt, John Ferguson, Byron Nelson, Stan Leonard, Joe Kapp, George Reed, Jerry Tagge, Jim Young, Normie Kwong, Don Matthews, Vic Rapp, Eagle Keys, Jack Gotta, Vince Lombardi Jr., Annis Stukus, Herb Capozzi, Jim Finks, Jake Gaudaur, Dale Tallon, Tony Waiters, Jack Donohue and Gene Kiniski. The Empress Ballroom was sold out each year for the ceremony.
“Greater Victoria has a long history of producing elite-level athletes in a variety of sports,” said Keith Wells, executive director of the Greater Victoria Sport Tourism Commission, about the revival of the awards on an annual basis.
“This is an opportunity to recognize those Victorians for their hard work, achievements and contributions to the community.”
Wells is asking anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of the old trophies to contact the new committee.
A selection committee has been struck and the public is being asked to nominate athletes and teams. The award categories, for achievement in 2021, are for top male and female, Indigenous male and female, junior male and female, senior male and female, coach, volunteer, team and organization of the year.
Olympic-medallist rower Dave Calder and Paralympic-medallist wheelchair racer Michelle Stilwell will be the masters of ceremony. Tickets are $60 plus tax with all proceeds going to KidSport.
Information: gvsa.ca.
