Interior Honours Recipients of the 2018 Premier’s Awards for
Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport
Eight Outstanding Indigenous Athletes Receive Prestigious Award
Penticton, B.C. (November 8, 2018) – The 2018 Premier’s Awards for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport were presented last night to eight outstanding Indigenous youth athletes from British Columbia’s Interior Region. The Awards were presented during a formal celebration held at the Outma Sqilx’W Cultural School in Penticton, BC. The Interior is the third of the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council’s (I·SPARC) six regions to honour Indigenous athletes through this unique province-wide awards program.
I·SPARC, in collaboration with the Province of British Columbia, launched the regional nomination process in August 2018, receiving nominations from across the province for Indigenous athletes under 25 years of age who are competing in performance sport and committed to living healthy, active lifestyles.
A total of 47 recipients were chosen within I·SPARC’s six regions – Northeast, Northwest, Interior, Fraser, Vancouver Coastal, and Vancouver Island.
The 2018 Premier’s Awards for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport – Interior Regional Recipients
- Jordyn Elliott, age 14, Basketball, Williams Lake Indian Band
- Lincoln Yarama, age 16, Rodeo, Hockey, Trap Shoot, Adams Lake Indian Band
- Renay Willier, age 15, Fastpitch, Baseball, Sucker Creek Band
- James Hamming, age 17, Snowboard Cross, Splatsin
- Emma Guertin, age 16, Trampoline Gymnastics, Canoe Kayak, Métis
- Jadyn Johnston, age 14, Swimming, Tsilhoqot’in & Carrier
- Brianna Billy, age 15, Softball, Little Shuswap Lake Indian Band
- Brendan Mucha, age 18, Baseball, Hockey, Métis Nation BC
“I’m very proud to support these awards, which provide much-deserved recognition for our top young Indigenous athletes,” said Premier John Horgan. “It’s great to see these young champions achieving top results in such a wide variety of sports.”
“These talented young athletes are rising stars in their sports and role models in their communities,” said Minister Lisa Beare. “I hope these awards will encourage them to keep pursuing their dreams on and off the field of play.”
“We are proud to recognize the outstanding achievements of our First Nations and Métis athletes in the Interior,” said Bruce Baptiste, Interior Regional Lead for I·SPARC. “The recipients we have honoured tonight have dedicated their time to achieving excellence and we look forward to the continued success of these young role models.”
These Regional recipients automatically serve as nominees for the Provincial Awards. A total of 12 Provincial Awards (six male and six female) will be selected in January 2019. Provincial recipients will be presented with their award at Gathering our Voices: Indigenous Youth Leadership Forum in Port Alberni March 19-22, 2019.
Throughout November, the three remaining regions will host formal celebrations to honour their 2018 Regional Premier’s Awards recipients.
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About the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council
I·SPARC is a consortium of the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, the First Nations Health Authority, and Métis Nation BC. As the stewards of BC’s Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Strategy, I·SPARC works with First Nations, Métis Chartered Communities, Friendship Centres, schools and other sport and physical activity stakeholders to deliver community-based programs designed to promote active lifestyles and support the desire for transformative change in the health and well-being of Indigenous communities, families and individuals across B.C. For more information, please visit: www.isparc.ca.
Media Contact
Felicia Greekas
Manager, Premier’s Awards and Communications
250.940.4909
