OTTAWA, November 15, 2010 – The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is pleased to announce that Joanne Ans of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia is the recipient of the 2010 Investors Group National Volunteer Sport Administrator Award.
Ans was chosen from 61 regional Volunteer Sport Administrator Award recipients selected throughout the year, each of whom demonstrates outstanding commitment and service to the athletes and coaches in his or her community.
“Investors Group is extremely pleased to be able to recognize Mrs. Ans, one of the many outstanding volunteers who run amateur sport programs in our communities, with the Investors Group National Volunteer Sport Administrator Award, an award which honours her for her exceptional commitment and service to the coaches and athletes in her community,” said Richard Irish, Vice-President, Community Affairs and Area Marketing for Investors Group. “We are very proud that in our partnership with the Coaching Association of Canada we have created a way to honour volunteers in our communities who work tireless hours and provide an immeasurable contribution.”
For the past 19 years, Ans’ contributions to table tennis within Nova Scotia and throughout Canada have been significant. Drawn to the sport through the involvement of her three children, she began volunteering in the sport as a manager and chaperone. She continued her involvement by taking coaching courses through the National Coaching Certification Program as well as taking two umpiring levels. Ans’ involvement progressed to organizing transportation and accommodation when the players were on the road, to submitting entries and holding meetings for parents, coaches, and players to ensure that everyone was kept ’in the loop’.
Ans has served as president of the Nova Scotia Table Tennis Association (NSTTA) and has worked with government sport departments working to update their constitutions and institute new policies. She was also Nova Scotia’s representative to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Table Tennis Association and to this day remains involved at that level as the Junior Commission Chairperson.
She has organized and participated in numerous table tennis events, including national junior and senior championships, the Canada Winter Games, the World Veterans Table Tennis Championships, and the 2008 Pan American Youth Championships. Over the years she has shared her hosting expertise with other provinces, as well as organizing fundraising initiatives to help Nova Scotia players attend training camps and competitions outside of the province.
Throughout the years, Ans’ contributions and dedication have been recognized numerous times. She has been awarded the Volunteer of the Year IKON Award, the National Table Tennis Volunteer of the Year Award, and was granted a lifetime membership with the NSTTA.
Joanne Ans is not only a devoted administrator, manager, organizer, and fundraiser, she is also someone who has beyond question earned her place within her community and sport as an invaluable asset and clearly epitomizes the true spirit of volunteerism.
About the Investors Group National Volunteer Sport Administrator Award
The Investors Group National Volunteer Sport Administrator Award has been presented to volunteer sport administrators for the past 18 years. The award recognizes the contribution to community sport programs made a dedicated volunteer who has given countless hours of time so that coaches and athletes can enjoy the benefits of well-organized sport.
The award will be presented during Petro-Canada Sport Leadership sportif, scheduled to take place in Ottawa, November 18-20, 2010. The Sport Leadership Awards ceremony will take place on Friday, November 19, 2010 at 18:30 at The Westin Ottawa, Confederation Ballroom.
About CAC
The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is a not-for-profit amateur sport organization with the mission of enhancing the experiences of all Canadian athletes through quality coaching. CAC and its partners deliver a leading-edge coaching system whose goal is to have an impact on 1,000,000 athletes through the training of 100,000 coaches each year in the National Coaching Certification Program. Visit www.coach.ca for more information about coach education and training.
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For more information, contact:
Britany Gordon
Coordinator, Marketing and Communications
Coaching Association of Canada
613-235-5000, ext. 9-2389
bgordon@coach.ca