February 26, 2007 (Toronto, ON) – The Coaches Association of Ontario hounoured ten of the province’s top coaches this past weekend at the 2006 Ontario Coaching Excellence Awards Banquet. The awards provide recognition for the ongoing and significant contribution coaches have made to their sport and athletes over a number of years. All ten award recipients from across the province were on hand along with family and friends to accept their awards.

“The Ontario Coaching Excellence Award, (the inukshuk) is absolutely beautiful and it certainly holds a special place in my heart and in my office,” says Carol-Angela Orchard, Olympic Coach and female recipient in the High Performance Category. “I am a very proud Ontario Coach and it was fabulous to see so many positive, passionate and committed coaches all in one room.” Over 150 coaches attended the awards evening dinner which was held within the 2007 Quest for Gold Ontario Coaches Conference at the Crowne-Plaza in Toronto.

Returning from the Yukon, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health Promotion and Olympian Peter Fonseca was at the dinner to help present the excellence awards and bring his congratulations to these extraordinary coaches. Just like an evening at the Oscars, one by one, award winning coaches gave acceptance speeches that brought a few tears, laughter, but mostly a shared understanding of what it is really like to be a coach. “I’d like to thank my wife for giving birth to our child before 4 p.m. so I could make it out to coach the basketball game that night–and by the way we won the game.” explained Mike McKittrick, a Windsor based high school coach. Carol-Angela shared her animated conversation with her mother about her career choice “”¦couldn’t believe I’d accepted the volunteer coaching position for the passion over a paid position at the Games.”

The following are the recipients of the 2006 Ontario Coaching Excellence Awards:

Recreational/Grassroots:
– Bill Morgan — Judo (Brantford)
– Lori Ieurello — Gymnastics (Ottawa)

Developmental Category:
– Bettina Callary — Alpine Ski (Ottawa)
– Tim Dumont — Rowing (St Catharine’s)

High Performance:
– David Phillips– Tennis/Squash (Toronto)
– Carol-Angela Orchard — Gymnastics (Toronto)

School Sport:
2005 Award
– Lorna Bradley — Basketball/Volleyball (Nepean)
– Mike McKittrick — Basketball (Windsor)
2006 Award
– Sue Pyke — Volleyball (Toronto)
– Tim Larry — Cross Country/Track & Field (Brighton)

The Coaching Association of Ontario’s coaching awards program is supported through a province-wide Ontario Trillium Foundation grant. The Coaches Association of Ontario is a non-profit coach-led organization that strengthens development opportunities and provides educational resources for coaches. The CAO promotes coaching ethics and ensures the wider community recognizes the vital role of the coach in the development of sport at all levels.