A Maple Ridge father and his daughter are both finalists for Sport B.C. awards.
Maggie Coles-Lyster, a cyclist, is again a finalist in the Female Junior Athlete of the Year category, along with Sarah Potomak (hockey) of Aldergrove and Desirae Ridenour (triathlon) of Cowichan Bay.
Coles-Lyster won the same award last year.
Coles-Lyster of Maple Ridge became the first Canadian rider to win a world title at the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in August.
Her father, Barry Lyster, is a finalist in the Male Coach of the Year, along with Steven Manley (wheelchair tennis) of Vancouver) and Garrett Collier (athletics) of Delta. Lyster coaches cycling.
Winners of the Sport B.C. 52nd annual amateur athletes, coaches, and officials awards will be honoured at a ceremony on March 28 at the Westin Bayshore Vancouver Hotel.
The ceremonies will recognize B.C.’s best in amateur sport, including athletes, coaches, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport over the 2017 season.
Each finalist was nominated by their provincial or multi-sport organization, high school, college or university.
The selection committee, chaired by Bernie Pascall, included 16 highly regarded sportswriters, broadcasters, and amateur sport leaders in British Columbia.
“Each year the Athlete of the Year Awards selection committee reviews all nominations and recognizes the talented and deserving athletes, coaches and officials,”said president and CEO of Sport B.C., Rob Newman.
“The nominees for the 2018 Sport B.C. Athlete of the Year Awards represent 23 sports and 29 various cities who are all representative of the strength and depth of sport development in our province over the last 52 years. Each year, we are grateful for the support and contribution of our sport and business partners and volunteers.”
An additional four awards will be presented at the ceremony, including the Best of B.C., KidSport B.C. Community Champion, Harry Jerome Comeback and the Daryl Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award.
Among the other finalists is Mathew Barzal of Coquitlam, in the Male Junior Athlete of the Year category. Barzal is also a contender for NHL rookie of the year.
The Athlete of the Year Awards, founded by Sport B.C., is the longest standing amateur sport recognition event in the country.
Sport B.C. was founded in 1966, when a small group of dedicated volunteers created an organization to provide a unified voice for amateur sport in British Columbia.
Sport B.C. is a non-profit sport federation, representing over 60 provincial sport organizations in British Columbia.