Athletes of the Year

The ski club was amply represented at this year’s Sport North awards banquet on May 25. 

Sheena Tremblay, High Performance Program Coach & Coach of the Year Nominee

Sheen Tremblay, left, with coaches Mike Argue, Kevin Durkee and Stephen Dunbar at the 2019 Canada Winter Games.

Sheena Tremblay has coached and mentored NT cross-country skiers through day-to-day practices, training camps and competitions for the past 10 years (to quantify this commitment, she has led and supported upwards of 1,000 Yellowknife High Performance Ski Team practices!).

Sheena was the head coach of the NT cross-country team at the 2019 Canada Winter Games and helped skiers achieve the strongest NWT results in more years than 20 years. Sheena has also supported NT skiers at more than 30 competitions outside the NWT over the past decade.

Sheena creates an inclusive atmosphere and builds connections with her athletes beyond just ski racing – skiers always know that they have a trusted supporter and cheerleader in Sheena. It’s also widely known that Sheena’s practices are the most fun : )

Way to go Coach!

Ella Kokelj, Junior Female Athlete of the Year

Ella Kokelj has an enthusiasm for both racing and training that rubs off on those around her. Ella is keen to learn and respectfully challenges her coaches to provide the best support they possibly can.

Ella had a number of great performances this past year with the sprint race at Canada Winter Games and the pursuit race at the Canadian Championships being definite highlights.

Congrats Ella!

Clair Littlefair, Senior Female Athlete of the Year

While pursuing post-secondary studies in Kelowna, Clair Littlefair continues to represent the Yellowknife Ski Club when racing throughout the country.  

Clair loves the grind of training and racing (demonstrated by 5 am roller ski sessions and 100 km skis!). This hard work was rewarded this past season through top-20 results at the Canada Winter Games and a top-10 result at the Canadian University Championships, among other strong performances.

Awesome job Clair!