Field Hockey Canada > Mendonca wins Andy Higgins Lifetime Achievement award

Over 100 movie goers eagerly lined up to see their favourite Coach walk the red carpet at the Scotia Bank Theatre, downtown Toronto at the premier screening of the 2012 Ontario Coaching Excellence Awards.  As they watched their Coaching story unfold on the big screen, one by one, the coaches gave a heart-felt acceptance speech, thanking their families for the support to pursue their passion. 

The Coaches Association of Ontario celebrated nine exceptional coaches from all levels of sport at the on the morning of Saturday, April 14, 2012. This date also marks the start of Ontario Coaches Week, a week- long celebration of community coaches across the province.

“It takes a skilled coach to build confidence in a young person to encourage them to try something new.  It takes an artful coach to inspire the passion to achieve their dreams.  And it takes a caring coach to instill the values and work ethic to make an athlete successful in sport and in life beyond sport.” said awards emcee Scott Russell, CBC Sports.     

“We’re so proud of all our award recipients and the positive impact they have on the Ontario sport community,” says Susan Kitchen, Coaches Association of Ontario’s Executive Director.

“All nine awards winners have been extremely influential in their roles and deserve to be recognized and celebrated.

Many special guests were in the audience including the Honourable Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

The following are the winners of 2012 Ontario Coaching Excellence Awards:

  • Chris Innes– Grass Roots Coach (Male), Curling, Manotick
  • Sandra Dulac– Grass Roots Coach (Female), Fencing, Hamilton
  • Sheila Siermachesky – School Sport Coach (Female), New Liskeard
  • Bruce Dyce -School Sport Coach (Male), Mississauga
  • Debbie Boycott – Good-to-Great Coach (Female), Special Olympics Rhythmic Gymnastics, Oakville
  • Mike Thompson – Good-to-Great Coach (Male), Swimming,
  • Miranda Jollymore Kamal – Trailblazer Coach, Boxing, Toronto
  • David Stickland – Everyone Matters Coach, Special Olympics Soccer, London
  • John Louis Mendonca ChPC- Andy Higgins Lifetime Achievement Award, Field Hockey, Thornhill