The Telegram – St. John’s – Brad Gushue, Julia Howard the cream of the crop in 2005
Skip Brad Gushue delivers a rock against Team Peachey in during the Canadian curling trials in Halifax in this December file photo. Gushue, whose team earned a berth at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, is the St. John’s male Athlete of the Year. This is the second consecutive Athlete of the Year honour for Gushue.
The Canadian Press
Saturday, January 28, 2006
The Telegram
Olympic-bound Brad Gushue was the unanimous male choice and up-and-coming track star Julia Howard took female honours as the St. John’s Molson Athletes of the Year for 2005 were announced Friday night at City Hall.
Gushue takes home the Tom ‘Dynamite’ Dunne Memorial Award, while Howard wins the Marg Davis Memorial Award.
It was Gushue’s second straight athlete of the year award and Howard’s first, snapping a three-year reign by Jenine Browne, who was a finalist this year.
Deputy Mayor Dennis O’Keefe announced the female winner, while Molson Canada sales manager Dan Crummell announced the male winner.
Molson has sponsored the St. John’s Athlete of the Year banquet for the past 38 years. Last night’s proceedings marked the event’s 55th year.
Gushue led his rink of Mark Nichols, Russ Howard, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam to the Canadian Olympic curling trials championship in December.
The Gushue rink went 9-1 in the round robin and defeated Jeff Stoughton’s Manitoba team in the final to earn a berth in the 2006 Winter Olympics next month in Italy.
Last spring, Gushue reached the final of the PharmAssist Players Championship at Mile One Stadium, losing 6-3 to Edmonton’s Kevin Martin before 5,500 fans in the championship game.
Gushue advanced through a tough field to pocket $30,000. Of the 16 teams entered, seven would go on to play in the Halifax Olympic trials.
He also skipped Newfoundland and Labrador’s team at the 2005 Brier in Edmonton where it went 6-5.
Howard competes for Simon Fraser University of Burnaby, B.C., a member of the U.S.-based National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
She won two individual NAIA championships in 2005: the 5,000 metre cross-country title in a time of 17:24.15 and the 1,500-metre outdoor event.
In the process, Howard also helped SFU to a pair of NAIA team titles.
Howard also competed for Canada at the World University Games in Izmir, Turkey, advancing to the semifinals in the 800 metres.
And she finished fifth in the 800 metres, her specialty, at the Canadian track and field championships to go with an eighth-place finish in the 1,500 metres.
Howard, one of the fastest middle distance runners in the Canadian university ranks in both indoors and outdoors, is on the radar as a potential Athletics Canada national senior team member.
Voting was conducted by members of the St. John’s Molson Athlete of the Year Committee.
Five points were awarded for first place, three for second and one for third.
Howard edged out Browne, the MUN basketball star, by 44 points to 34. Howard totaled seven first-place votes and three seconds, while Browne had three firsts, six seconds and one third-place vote.
Runner Caroline McIlroy was third in voting with one first-place vote and two seconds for 11 points.
Also receiving consideration was soccer player Laura Breen, who took eighth third-place votes, and basketball player Katherine Quackenbush and all-round athlete Katie Woodford, who each picked up a third-place vote.
The Telegram
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