Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance receive the Marvin McDill Memorial Award
Kingston, November 9, 2022 ÛÒ Annie Balasubramanian and Nathan Latka were named Sail CanadaÛªs 2020-2021 Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Award winners as top youth sailors, while Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance received the Marvin McDill Memorial Award as Canadian Sailing Team Rookies of the Year for the same time period.
Balasubramanian and Latka, both from Toronto, won the 2020-2021 Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Award which recognizes sailors who are 18 years old and under and have shown a record of outstanding achievement in national and international youth competition, have brought recognition to Canadian competitive sailing, have set an example for other youth competitors through behaviour and manner, and have demonstrated leadership and sportsmanship.
Over the time period that exceptionally spanned two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, both sailors represented Canada at the 2021 Youth World Sailing Championships in Oman in the ILCA 6 events.
Annie Balasubramanian: winner of Sail CanadaÛªs 2020-2021 Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Award
Annie Balasubramanian, who represents the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and Ontario Sailing Team, took 22nd place in the ILCA 6 womenÛªs competition at the 2021 Youth World Sailing Championships. She was also the top woman at the 2021 Sail Canada Youth Championships in ILCA 6 and the fourth female sailor at the 2021 Sail Canada Senior Championships in ILCA 6, in addition to finishing seventh overall, and first among women, at the 2020 Seahorse Youth Regatta at the AshbridgeÛªs Bay Yacht Club.
ÛÏThank you so much Sail Canada for this award,Û said Annie Balasubramanian. ÛÏThe 2020-2021 sailing seasons were really tricky as COVID-19 made it really hard to participate in any event. But IÛªm so grateful for the opportunities that I had, as well as for my coach, my teammates and all the people who have been pushing me to be my best. And IÛªm very thankful for my home club, RCYC, which has supported me throughout everything I have been doing. Thank you!Û
Nathan Latka: winner of Sail CanadaÛªs 2020-2021 Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Award
On the menÛªs side, Nathan Latka, representing the AshbridgeÛªs Bay Yacht Club and the Ontario Sailing Team, was 24th overall at the 2021 Youth World Sailing Championships in the ILCA 6 menÛªs event. He won the ILCA 6 competition at the 2021 Sail Canada Youth Championships and finished second overall at Sail CanadaÛªs Senior Championships that same year. In 2020, he also finished first in the ILCA 6 event at the Seahorse Youth Regatta held at the AshbridgeÛªs Bay Yacht Club.
ÛÏI am extremely honoured to have won the Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Award,Û said Nathan Lafka. ÛÏThese have been such amazing years and I am overjoyed that I have been recognized for my achievements.Û
ÛÏI want to thank Sail Canada and the countless people and organizations that have helped me to pursue my sailing dreams, including my parents Lucille and David, my coach Chris Hewson and all the other coaches who have helped me along the way, as well as AshbridgeÛªs Bay Yacht Club and Ontario Sailing for their continued support. All of these people and organizations have allowed me to take part in the sport I love, which is something I canÛªt ever thank them enough for. I hope to continue sailing and striving for excellence in the years to come.Û
More information on the Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Award is available at https://www.sailing.ca/bill-burk-memorial-youth-elite-award-past-winners/.
Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance: winners of Sail CanadaÛªs 2020-2021 Marvin McDill Memorial Award
Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance from Chester, N.S., who represent the Chester Yacht Club and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, received Sail CanadaÛªs 2020-2021 Marvin McDill Memorial Award as Canadian Sailing Team Rookies of the Year during the time period of January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021.
The Marvin McDill Award is presented to an athlete or a crew that have achieved the best results at their first Open World Championships as members of the Canadian Sailing Team. The determination of best performance is based on the percentage of boats finishing behind the athlete or crew at their first participation as a member of the Canadian Sailing Team in an Open World Championship.
During the time period for the 2020-2021 award, Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance won the bronze medal at the 2021 49erFX European Championships held in Greece and then took 6th place at the 2021 49erFX World Championships held in Oman, where they posted the best Canadian performance ever at this competition that has been held since 2013, and improving on the 39th spot they registered at the 2020 edition. The recent winners of Sail CanadaÛªs 2022 Rolex Sailors of the Year Award also won Sail CanadaÛªs 2021 49erFX Canadian Senior Championship.
ÛÏLast year was our first time on the full circuit and it had its fair share of triumphs and chaos, and it ended with a medal race that bumped us down to the 6th position at the 49erFX World Championships,Û remembered the Lewin-LaFrance sisters. ÛÏIt left this rookie team feeling very hungry for more, and we’re still hungry for it today! Thank you, Sail Canada!Û
More information on the Marvin McDill Memorial Award is available at https://www.sailing.ca/marvin-mcdill-memorial-award-past-winners/. | Web design by The Hawk Tech |
About Sail Canada
Established in 1931, Sail Canada is the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the country. Sail Canada is a leading international sailing nation, proud of its world class athletes, lifelong participants and inclusive culture. The organization and its members are committed to excellence by developing and training its leaders, athletes, sailors, instructors, coaches and officials. With the valued support from our partners, the Provincial Sailing Associations and our member clubs, schools, organizations and stakeholders, sailing is promoted in all its forms. By setting standards and delivering programs from home pond to podium for Canadians of all ages and abilities, from dinghies to keelboats, cruising to navigation, windsurfing to powerboating and accessible sailing, Sail Canada sets sail for all, sail to win and sail for life.
A sport in the Olympic program since the first Games in 1896, except in 1904, the pursuit of success in these Games is what fuels the focus of Sail Canada as Canadian athletes have so far achieved nine Olympic and five Paralympic medals.
