Sudbury's top athletes shine at House of Kin sports awards

More than 500 people crowded into the Caruso Club Wednesday night to pay tribute to some of Sudbury's most outstanding athletes, coaches and sports administrators from the past year at the 44th annual House of Kin Sports Celebrity Dinner and Awards.

Eleven awards were distributed, eight inductions were made into the Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame, and special recognition was doled out to those individuals and clubs that have reached milestones in their sporting careers — Berk Keaney for his 59 years as the Voice of the Sudbury Wolves, the Burgess Family for its 25 years of owning the OHL team, and Sudbury Playground Hockey League and Sudbury Skating Club for their 60 years of operation in the community.

Grade 11 Lockerby Composite student Samantha Cooper said she was "excited and stunned" to be named the High School Female Athlete of the Year 

"I was against two other really good female athletes," she said. "It was kind of surprising to win. I hope it took them a long time to choose (the winner)."

Also nominated for the award were fellow Lockerby student Gabrielle Conrad and Sacre-Coeur student Emily Tymchuk.

Cooper's accomplishments span across four different sports. In soccer, she helped the Vikings win an SDSSAA silver medal, a NOSSA gold medal and finish fourth at OFSAA; in volleyball, the Vikings captured a silver medal at a tournament, as well as the SDSSAA and NOSSA AAA championships. In swimming, Cooper earned a gold medal in both the 100-metre breast stroke and 100-metre freestyle at the SDSSAA championships. 

But it's basketball that's Cooper's true pride and joy. In the city's division I final, Cooper scored 28 points, leading the Viking to their fourth straight city crown. Besides high school, she has also played with Team Ontario, and secured a tryout with Team Canada this year.

She admitted handling multiple sports is trying, at times.

"Sometimes your social life dies down during the school year, but it's all for a good reason," she said, after receiving her award. "I am where I am today because of what I've sacrificed. I don't regret any of it."

But devoting herself to sports came at a painful cost. A stress-fracture in her foot sidelined Cooper for roughly six months.

"It was really tough," she said. "I had just made Team Ontario again. For it to go into the high school season, it was hard to keep going in basketball, to be honest. That was probably one of the worst injuries that's happened to me."

Despite the pain, she said she's glad she pushed through it.

"It makes me realize how much better I am now and how I know that injury prevention is important as well."

She said the injury taught her to be more attuned to what her body is telling her. "It made me realize that you have to listen to your body. That's one thing I never did. I could feel my foot hurting, I just forgot about it. But when it snapped, that was it."

As for her goals after high school, Cooper is adamant on maintaining a high average and continuing to improve her basketball game, in hopes of securing a scholarship for her post-secondary pursuits. 

Grade 12 Lasalle Secondary student Brandon Shirk, the winner of the High School Male Athlete of the Year award, had his mind set on making the most of his time at high school, and he did just that. 

Shirk had a sport, or two, for every season, competing for the Lancers in track and field, cross-country running, football, basketball and badminton. Shirk was a driving force behind the Lancer's perfect 10-0 season on the hard court — a season that culminated with the city title and a second-place finish at NOSSA. 

While Shirk's passion was in basketball early in his high school career, his focus shifted almost entirely to track in his latter years.

"I'm going to (the University of) Guelph next year to pursue track, and hopefully I can make it to the next level there and see where I can go with it," he said.

He really made his name known on the track in 2011. At the city championships, he won three gold and two silver medals in running events ranging from the 100-metre relay to the 800-metre. At NOSSA, he added two more gold medals, and one bronze.

Shirk pegged his crowning achievement as his seventh-place finish at OFSAA, in the 400-metre final.

"I was going in there expecting maybe a (personal best)," he said. "To be against the elite in Ontario and say I finaled, it's a good thing."

While his sports were non-stop, Shirk embraced the busy lifestyle that ensued.

"You get to a certain year where you think, 'Well, I've got to drop some sports,' but it's your only time in life, really, where you can do as many things as you want. 

"I took advantage of that and tried out for as many things as I could. At least I can say I did it all."


 

The major award winners:

Bill Roman Administration Award - 2011 OFSAA Track and Field Championship committee
Elite Athlete of the Year - Devon Kershaw
Professional Athlete of the Year - Michael Sgarbossa
Import Athlete of the Year - Manny Pasquale and Carling Zeeman
Joe Drago Coach of the Year - Dale Beausoleil
High School Female Athlete of the Year - Samantha Cooper
High School Male Athlete of the Year - Brandon Shirk
Dr. Fred W. Sheridan High School Team of the Year - Macdonald-Cartier Pantheres girls soccer team
Sheridan Family Team of the Year - Sudbury Nickel Capital Midget AAA Wolves
Amateur Female Athlete of the Year - Cloe Lacasse
Amateur Male Athlete of the Year - Jordan Carroll

Posted by Laurel Myers