Sports awards deadline looms

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CORNWALL ISLAND-The Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC), formed in 1995 to promote more accessible and equitable sport and recreation opportunities for Aboriginal peoples, awaits nominees for its two awards: one for an Aboriginal athlete and one for an Aboriginal coach.

The ASC is a collective of Aboriginal sport bodies from across the country and that now bills itself as "Canada's national voice for Aboriginal sport."

Nomination forms for its 2002 Tom Longboat Awards and 2002 National Aboriginal Coaching Awards must be submitted to the nominee's provincial or territorial Aboriginal sport organization on or before Jan. 17, 2003.

The Tom Longboat awards have honored Aboriginal excellence in sport since 1951, in memory of the gifted long-distance runner who was a member of the Onondaga Nation.

The Aboriginal Coaching Awards recognize outstanding leadership of certified coaches who make Aboriginal participation in sports a success.

The top male and female Aboriginal athletes and certified coaches are selected from each province and territory for these awards every year. The regional recipients automatically advance as nominees for the national awards.

Nominees must be of Aboriginal descent, have amateur status in their sport (for the athlete) or be a non-paid coach, demonstrate athletic achievements or be actively coaching in the 2002 calendar year, and must submit a completed nomination form by the deadline.

The form must be accompanied by a supporting narrative, which should show the nominee's personal commitment to athletic or coaching development. It should also show a positive role played in sports and the home community, as well as the nominee's concern for holistic development.

For more information on the awards, contact the Aboriginal Sport Circle at 1-866-938-1176 or see details online at www.aboriginalsportcircle.ca.