Geoff Gowan Award

Recognizing lifetime contribution to coaching development

The Geoff Gowan "Lifetime Achievement" Award recognizes a lifetime commitment to coaching and coaching development and is presented to an individual who has fostered a positive public image of coaching, enhanced the role of the coach within the Canadian public, and who is a role model for future generations of coaches.

The Geoff Gowan Award was created in 1996 to honour former Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) president Geoffrey Gowan, CM, PhD. The Geoff Gowan Award trophy is housed at Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary, AB, where the recipient will be featured for the year.

The nomination period is now closed. 

2019 Recipient: Phyllis Sadoway, ChPC, Ringette

For over 35 years, Phyllis has been a trailblazer in the sport as an athlete, coach, evaluator, volunteer, event organizer, committee member, and mentor. Through these roles, she has contributed significantly to the growth of ringette in Canada. Her commitment to developing the sport led to the creation of new NCCP ringette courses and to the Ringette Alberta Cup program for Winter Games participants. An NCCP Ringette Master Coach Developer since 1996, she has delivered more than 150 NCCP courses.

Phyllis served proudly as Ringette Canada’s Competitions Coordinator. She was honoured to be Assistant Coach for Team Alberta at the 1996 World Championships and for Team Canada at the 2002 World Championships. Phyllis was inducted into the Ringette Canada Hall of Fame in 2012 and into the Alberta Sport Hall of Fame in 2014.

*Honourable Mentions: Manon Perron, Hiroshi Nakamura, Dennis Marineau