Mar. 09, 2022
Raz El-Asmar, Dave Mallory, John Reid, and Dominic Soong are the 2021 recipients of the Ottawa Sports Awards Lifetime Awards and Mayor’s Cup. The Ottawa Sports Awards is proud to highlight the years of commitment and excellence that these recipients have shown to sport in Ottawa, including returning to sport in 2021.
Lifetime Award – Volunteer/Administrator: Dave Mallory
A volunteer coach who has also made a tremendous impact through his work on trail-grooming and equipment maintenance, Dave Mallory has been invaluable to Nakkertok Ski Club for over 40 years.
Mallory’s contributions include providing introductory coaching to many lifelong skiers, helping to build an engaged and supportive club community through his enthusiasm for helping athletes and promoting nordic skiing. A wax team volunteer, snow-making operator, and set-up team member, Mallory is always ready to assist in keeping the club’s equipment and trails in top condition, including serving as assistant groomer for the Gatineau World Cup event.
A mentor to many in the Canadian nordic community, he is still an active volunteer coach year-round and was the main groomer at the Canada Cup event in December of 2021. Dave’s energy and wisdom make him a pillar of the Nakkertok club.
Lifetime Award – Technical Official: John Reid
A champion for promoting the development of officials, John Reid has been a valued volunteer in Hockey Eastern Ontario (HEO) for over 20 years. He has served in many capacities ranging from on-ice official, to local hockey executive, to District 9 (Gloucester) Referee in Chief, and now Referee in Chief for all of HEO.
The HEO supervision program ensures that thousands of supervisions are conducted each season which provide officials, both young and old, invaluable coaching and guidance; under Reid’s direction it has grown to be one of the largest in Canada.
An innovator and a builder, Reid also created Referee University and the Green Armband Program which focuses on reducing the harassment of minor aged officials.
Lifetime Award – Coach: Dominic Soong
A widely recognized technical expert who has dedicated over 40 years as a professional coach, Dominic Soong has been integral in growing the sport of badminton in Ottawa and beyond.
Soong has worked with athletes who participated in the Olympic Games and earned multiple National, Provincial, and Regional titles, including at Canada Winter Games and Ontario Winter Games.
His coaching focus has always been on the development of players locally at all levels, and the building of a strong and solid foundation of players with good technical skills. He has built partnerships with local schools, community centers, sport associations, and the City of Ottawa, developing one of the largest and most successful junior badminton clubs in the country.
An NCCP Level 4 coach and coach developer, he has mentored, trained, and provided coaching job opportunities to over 150 NCCP coaches.
Mayor’s Cup for Outstanding Contribution to Sport in Ottawa: Raz El-Asmar
His commitment to growing the game of soccer in Ottawa over the last 30 years has been focussed on long term player development, grassroots opportunities, and teaching athletes about more than just x’s and o’s. For Raz El-Asmar, it has been a successful journey.
In 1999, he co-founded FC Capital United Soccer Club and led the respected organization throughout 20 years as a coach, director and administrator. After Capital United merged with Cumberland United and became Ottawa TFC Soccer Club, El-Asmar guided the U17 girls team to a national championship in 2019 – a first for any Ottawa soccer club. This summer a Capital United protégé, Vanessa Gilles, won Olympic gold for Canada.
At “Cap U” there were many championships and player accomplishments, though the club’s core values were not confined specifically to on-field success. Honesty, love and care were the key club pillars. Cap U was renowned for its mesh of global cultures and its open-arms welcome to all members of the community. Operating primarily in the central-eastern part of town, including many of Ottawa’s less affluent neighbourhoods, Cap U was committed to providing quality soccer opportunities, no matter a family’s income level.
Beyond his deep technical knowledge and coaching expertise, El-Asmar’s humble approach to the game is vital to his true community impact. Free grassroots programs to introduce the game to low-income kids are led by El-Asmar personally, and he regularly brings teams to volunteer at the Shepherds of Good Hope.
El-Asmar is a builder not only for Ottawa’s soccer scene but for the community at large.
*
The Ottawa Sports Awards will shortly be announcing further award winners for 2021, including annual major award winners in the categories of Coach of the Year, Team of the Year, and Athletes of the Year, as well as individual sport award winners and Special Recognition Award winners.
The Ottawa Sports Awards honours the finest in the Ottawa sports community. Click here to view our past winners!