An athlete from Powell River was among the recipients during the 2020 Special Olympics BC (SOBC) Spirit of Sport Awards, which were announced virtually over the course of five days last week.
Tanya Norman was recognized with the SOBC Athletic Achievement Award, which is presented annually to one BC male or female athlete who demonstrates outstanding athletic skill in practise and competition.
“We are super proud of Tanya; she is our athlete liaison and has shown great commitment to our local SOBC branch as well as to her fellow athletes, and is always striving to improve and work hard,” said Special Olympics BC - Powell River coordinator Jackie Milsom. “She is a great role model to her fellow athletes and is a tireless volunteer on our local board.”
Norman competes in swimming, floor hockey, bowling, softball and club fit. She was nominated for the award by a pair of her coaches: Gail Likar (bowling) and Tarra Tipton (floor hockey).
“We nominated her a couple months ago and then they let us know about three weeks ago by email,” said Likar, who is also a volunteer coordinator on the local Powell River board. “[SOBC] sent the trophies out and they wanted us to present it to her somehow, however we could, and we chose to go down to the beach.”
Likar presented the award to Norman on July 12 in the Rotary Pavilion at Willingdon Beach.
Only a few people were on hand to witness the presentation in order to comply with provincial health protocols due to COVID-19.
“It was nice that it was a surprise; she was pretty pleased,” said Likar. “It is quite the accomplishment.”
A photo and video of the ceremony were sent to SOBC. The official announcement was made the next day and included details about the nominees, followed by the announcement of the winner.
Norman has been involved with Special Olympics BC for 17 years.
Winners of five different awards, with a virtual ceremony for each, were announced on the Special Olympics BC website. To view all the presentations, go to specialolympics.ca/british-columbia/what-we-do/awards.
