• September 22, 2018

The Ontario Coaching Excellence Awards celebrates the dedication and commitment of Ontario’s great coaches. The Awards recognize the importance of leadership, performance and the value of human insight which are all integral to great coaching.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 Ontario Coaching Excellence Awards:

Grassroots Coach

Megan Wilson

Rugby ● Scotland, ON

“She wants to ensure inclusion for Indigenous youth and give them a pathway.” – Co-worker

Grassroots Coach

Ian Roopnarine

Swimming ● Brampton, ON

“He’s funny, dedicated, great to be around, and makes swimming fun.” – Athlete

School Sport Coach

Ian Atkinson

School Sports ● Waterloo, ON

“It’s amazing what he brings to every single kid that he comes across. Regardless of the kid’s ability, he finds something that he can work with…”  – Co-worker

School Sport Coach

Dawn Manerowski

School Sports ● Oshawa, ON

“Her love for the game shows through when she’s coaching. She teaches and they learn. She’s instructive, firm, but a lot of fun…” – Parent

Good to Great Coach

Kathy Boyes

Rowing ● St. Catherines, ON

“One of her strengths is being able to build a team up and really give these amazing pep talks. She really knows how to push us in the right direction we need to go.”  – Athlete

Good to Great Coach

Jay McNeilly

Basketball ● Toronto, ON

“With him, it’s more than basketball. It’s really about our future – what we want to do after we’re done school. He believes the past doesn’t define you.” – Athlete

Trailblazer Coach

Guiseppe Politi

Soccer ● Sudbury, ON

“I don’t think I could understand the game without his guidance and his constant feedback. As a result, my son, as well as a lot of the kids in this club, have grown tremendously under the overall influence of Guiseppe.” – Parent

Trailblazer Coach

Glenn Paulley

Curling ● Waterloo, ON

“He is, by far and away, one of the most innovative coaches who’s working in our high-performance team and he has a way of instilling and imparting knowledge on athletes that’s very unique.”Co-Worker

Andy Higgins Lifetime Achievement

Brenda Willis

Volleyball ● Kingston, ON

“She knows what she’s talking about and she’s not afraid to say it. Which is a good thing, because sometimes guys will be a little hard-headed about what they think they know.”  – Athlete

2018 Event Photos

The CAO congratulates all of the award winners and coaches across Ontario for their commitment and dedication to ensuring Canadians live an active and healthy lifestyle. For more information on the Ontario Coaching Excellence Awards and nominating a coach in the future, visit https://www.coachesontario.ca/events/awards/.