Jan. 17, 2018
The Ottawa Sports Awards committee has released the identities of its annual major award winners, including 2018 Canadian Olympic Team members Rachel Homan and Vincent de Haître as the city’s Athletes of the Year. Homan’s World Championship winning curling rink is also a Team of the Year winner, alongside the National Championship winning Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team. Jen Boyd and Taffe Charles were selected as the city’s top coaches for 2017.
The honourees, in addition to the Lifetime Award winners which were announced in November, will be celebrated at the 2017 Ottawa Sports Awards Dinner, January 31, 2018 at Algonquin College on Woodroffe Avenue.
Tickets for the Ottawa Sports Awards Dinner are on sale at https://ottawasportsawards.ca/
The Ottawa Sports Awards is the largest and most inclusive amateur sport recognition event in Canada will mark its 65th anniversary this year. Winners of the 65 individual sport awards and team recognition awards will be announced shortly.
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Female Athlete of the Year: Rachel Homan
Rachel Homan has steadily been rising up the Canadian and international curling ranks and now stands at the pinnacle. In 2017 she skipped her team to an undefeated record at the World Championships, including a masterful 8-3 victory in the final. She was the top skip at the World Championships with an 85 per cent ranking through the draw. Homan began 2017 with a win at the Scotties, where a memorable double-take out in extra ends lifted her team to victory. She also became the youngest skip, male or female, to win three Canadian championships. Homan is an Olympic medal hopeful as she makes her debut at the Games in Pyeongchang, having won the right to represent Canada with a hometown win at the Roar of the Rings.
Male Athlete of the Year: Vincent De Haître
De Haître earns his second consecutive Male Athlete of the Year award after reaching new heights in 2017. He established a new Canadian record in the 1000m and was named Speed Skating Canada’s Male Athlete of the Year in long track. Individually, a silver medal performance in the 1000m at the ISU World Single Distance Championships was paired with a second-place finish at the World Cup final. In the 1500m, he moved up two spots to a fourth-place finish at the World Single Distance Championships, and is the two-time Canadian champion in both events. De Haître also anchored Canada’s men’s sprint team to a new World Record and a gold medal at the 2017 World Championships. He will represent Canada at the Olympic Games for the second time, after making his debut at the Sochi Games.
Female Team of the Year: Team Homan
Team Homan went 13-0 at the World Curling Championships before thrilling the hometown fans at Canadian Tire Centre with a memorable win at the Canadian Olympic Trials. Their unbeaten record at the World Championships was a tournament first. The team also captured the 2017 Scotties, making it the most successful year to date for this Ottawa curling dynasty which has been honoured with the Ottawa Sports Award seven times, beginning in 2007.
Male Team of the Year: Carleton Ravens Men’s Basketball
Another of Ottawa’s dynasties, the Carleton men’s basketball team captured its seventh consecutive university national championship in 2017 and now holds 13 of the last 15 titles. The team was 19-0 in the regular season, scoring an average of 92 points per game while allowing just 58.6. Carleton ended 2017 still ranked number one in the country, undefeated to begin the 2017-18 season.
Female Coach of the Year: Jen Boyd
Jen Boyd led the U20 national team to a series victory, joined the senior women’s national team as an assistant coach, and coached the uOttawa Gee-Gees women’s rugby team to its first national championship in 2017. Before hoisting the national banner, the 2017 Gee-Gees won a fourth straight RSEQ conference championship. From the high school level to the international game, Boyd is a fixture in the growth of rugby culture in Ottawa.
Male Coach of the Year: Taffe Charles
Taffe Charles earns his first Ottawa Sports Award after leading the Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team to its most successful campaign in team history. The Ravens captured the 2017 Ontario University Athletics championship banner with a 18-1 regular season record and went on to win a bronze medal at the national championships. The 2016-17 squad boasted the nation’s best defence. In the fall, the Ravens began the 2017-18 season with a 10-0 record.
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For more information contact:
Jen Elliott
Ottawa Sports Awards
613-608-4574