Canadian skaters in France to kick off 2019-2020 ISU Junior Grand Prix season

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada junior skaters kickoff the 2019-2020 skating season in Courchevel, France with the start of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Courchevel is the first of seven events that will see Canada’s top junior skaters compete against the world as they vie to qualify for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Skate Canada will have 5 entries, for a total of 7 skaters, competing at the event. There will be two entries in men and ice dance, and one entry in the women’s discipline at the competition, which takes place August 21-24, 2019.

Aleksa Rakic, 14, Burnaby, B.C., is one of two Canadian entries in the men’s discipline. Rakic won gold in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, he placed eighth at Bratislava and sixth at Ostrava. He is coached by Joanne McLeod in Burnaby, B.C.

Iliya Kovler, 15, Richmond Hill, Ont., will also represent Canada in the men’s discipline. Kovler finished ninth in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season, he placed seventh at JGP Canada and third at JGP Yerevan. He is coached by Andrei Berezintsev in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Alison Schumacher, 16, Tecumseh, Ont., will be the only Canadian representative in the women’s category. Schumacher finished seventh in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season, she placed ninth at JGP Bratislava and 12th at JGP Canada. She also placed 10th at the 2019 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Schumacher is coached by Lee Barkell in Toronto, Ont.

Emmy Bronsard, 14, Montreal, Que., and Aissa Bouaraguia, 18, Montreal, Que., are one of two ice dance teams representing Canada. The team finished sixth in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season on the JGP circuit, the two finished fourth at Ostrava and sixth at Yerevan. They are coached by Romain Haguenauer in Montréal, Que.

Olivia McIsaac, 17, Burlington, Ont., and Corey Circelli, 16, Toronto, Ont., will also represent Canada in the ice dance discipline. The two finished eighth in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season, the team finished seventh at JGP Ostrava. They are coached by Andrew Hallam in Toronto, Ont.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director and Marisa Gravino of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Shae Zukiwsky, Senior Director, Performance Excellence will be the team official at the event. Dr. Ghislaine Robert of Montreal, Que., and physiotherapist Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the team medical staff onsite. Lorner Schroder of Georgetown, Ont., and Patty Klein of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian officials attending the event.

For more information, please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #1 – COURCHEVEL, FRANCE

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Aleksa Rakic 14 Burnaby, B.C. Champs International Skating Club of B.C. Joanne McLeod
Men Iliya Kovler 15 Richmond Hill, Ont. Richmond Hill Training Centre Andrei Berezintsev
Women Alison Schumacher 16 Tecumseh, Ont. Granite Club & Toronto CS & CC Lee Barkell
Ice Dance Emmy Bronsard / Aissa Bouaraguia 14/18 Montreal, Que. / Montreal, Que. Montreal International Skating School Romain Haguenauer
Ice Dance Olivia McIsaac / Corey Circelli 17/16 Burlington, Ont. / Toronto, Ont. Toronto CS & CC Andrew Hallam

ACTION-PACKED, HIGH ENERGY CANPOWERSKATE

CanPowerSkate is an action-packed, high energy instructional power skating program geared to hockey and ringette skaters that focuses on balance, power, agility, speed and endurance. Skills, techniques and conditioning drills are taught in a progressive format that emphasizes how the skills apply to game situations. CanPowerSkate provides an alternative to figure skating and is an excellent complement for those athletes playing on hockey or ringette teams. Its unique skill award program provides incentives and motivation for skaters to continue to achieve.

CanPowerSkate is geared to skaters aged approximately six or older who already have basic forward and backward skating skills (they must be able to skate the length of the rink using alternate strides) and are able to stop on command without use of the boards. For safety reasons participants should wear full hockey/ringette equipment that is CSA approved. The coach to skater ratio is 1:10.

CanPowerSkate’s Pre-Power is designed for young skaters, approximately four to six years of age who can stand up on skates and move forward (shuffle, walk or glide) who may not be ready for CanPowerSkate Level 1. Pre-Power helps develop basic skating abilities in a power skating-specific environment, including balance skills, forward and backward skating, stopping, turning and agility skills. The curriculum is presented in three progressive levels complete with its own awards to encourage participation and motivate skaters. Pre-Power has been designed to run concurrently with CanSkate sessions.

STARSKATE OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES FOR SKATERS OF ALL AGES

Skills, Tests, Achievement, Recognition – this is what STARSkate is all about!

STARSkate offers opportunities for skaters of all ages to develop fundamental figure skating skills in the areas of ice dance, skating skills, free skate and interpretive skating. Unique in Canada, this program teaches figure skating skills in a group and/or private lesson format in a progressive and sequential manner and includes specifically designed awards and incentives. Skaters have the opportunity to take Skate Canada Tests through a nationally standardized testing system. Skaters who have mastered figure skating skills in STARSkate may also choose to pursue synchronized skating or pairs skating.

THE STARSKATE LEGACY

STARSkate has been the mainstay of figure skating in Canada for more than four decades.

When you/your child registers for a STARSkate program at your local Skate Canada club, you also become a member of Skate Canada and will have access to:

  • opportunities to be recognized through a nationally standardized testing system for achieving specific figure skating skills
  • complimentary Gold Test pins
  • invitational and interclub competitions, including the STARSkate championship stream
  • specifically designed awards and incentives such as badges, tattoos and stickers
  • STARSkate Skater of the Year awards program
  • Progress updates and report cards
  • Special STARSkate events and club functions
  • Opportunity to be talent-scouted
  • Opportunity for personal growth and the development of important life skills such as goal-setting, self-discipline, confidence, time management, healthy lifestyle and coping strategies to deal with success and failure.

These are some of the awards and incentives that have been developed to encourage athletes in the STARSkate Program.

Skate Canada Announces 2019-2020 National Team

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada is pleased to announce the 2019-2020 National Team. The team is consisted of 27 members, which includes six men, three women, four pair teams and five ice dance teams.

To be named to the National Team, a skater must finish in the top three in senior men, women, pair and ice dance disciplines at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and/or be assigned to a 2019 ISU Grand Prix event and must be competing in the 2019-2020 season. Athletes can be added at the discretion of Skate Canada based on new partnerships of current and former national team members.

Their appointment to the national team is effective from July 1, 2019 through to June 30, 2020.

Skate Canada also announced the three teams that will make up the Skate Canada Synchronized Skating National Team. The Synchronized National Team comprises those teams finishing in the top three in senior discipline at the 2019 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships.

MEN
Nam Nguyen, 21, Ajax, Ont.
Stephen Gogolev, 14, Toronto, Ont.
Keegan Messing, 27, Sherwood Park, Alta.
Nicolas Nadeau, 21, Boisbriand, Que.
Roman Sadosvsky, 20, Vaughn, Ont.
Conrad Orzel, 18, Toronto, Ont.

WOMEN
Gabrielle Daleman, 21, Newmarket, Ont.
Aurora Cotop, 16, Thornhill, Ont.
Véronik Mallet, 25, Sept-Îles, Que.

PAIR
Kirsten Moore-Towers, 27, St. Catharines, Ont. & Michael Marinaro, 27, Sarnia, Ont.
Evelyn Walsh, 17, London, Ont. & Trennt Michaud, 22, Trenton, Ont.
Camille Ruest, 25, Rimouski, Que. & Andrew Wolfe, 24, Calgary, Alta.
Lubov Ilyushechkina, 27, Toronto, Ont. & Charlie Bilodeau, 25, Trois-Pistoles, Que.

ICE DANCE
Piper Gilles, 27, Toronto, Ont. & Paul Poirier, 27, Unionville, Ont.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry, 26, Montreal, Que. & Nikolaj Sorensen, 30, Montreal, Que.
Carolane Soucisse, 24, Chateauguay, Que. & Shane Firus, 25, North Vancouver, B.C.
Marjorie Lajoie, 18, Boucherville, Que. & Zachary Lagha, 20, St-Hubert, Que.
Haley Sales, 22, Kelowna, BC., & Nikolas Wamsteeker, 22, Langley, B.C.

SYNCHRONIZED SKATING
Nova , of CPS NOVA
NEXXICE , of the Burlington Skating Centre
Les Suprêmes , of CPA Saint- Léonard

Alaine Chartrand to sit out the 2019-2020 Grand Prix and Challenger Series Events

OTTAWA, ON: Two-time Canadian Champion Alaine Chartrand, 23, Prescott, Ont., will not compete on the 2019-2020 Grand Prix and Challenger series events.

Chartrand has relocated to Vancouver, B.C., where she will coach at the Burnaby Skating Club and the Sunset Skating Club this summer. In the fall she will continue her studies in kinesiology at the University of British Columbia. Chartrand started her post secondary career last year at York University.

In 2019, Chartrand won her second Canadian title, she previously won in 2016. She is coached by Tracey Wainman and Grzegorz Filipowski.

Canadian medallists headline the 2019 Skate Canada International in Kelowna

ISU announces line-up for Grand Prix events

OTTAWA, ON: The International Skating Union (ISU) has announced the line-ups for the six 2019 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events. Canada will host the second stop on the circuit, the 2019 Skate Canada International in Kelowna, British Columbia, from October 25-27, 2019, at Prospera Place.

The line-up in Kelowna will feature current Canadian champions Nam Nguyen, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro, and several Canadian medallists including, Piper Gilles, Paul Poirier, Gabrielle Daleman and Aurora Cotop. They will be joined by various current and former world medallists including   Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia, Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia, and Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the United States and more.

Skate Canada International is the second competition in the annual ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The other events take place in the United States (Skate America), France (Internationaux de France), China (Cup of China), Russia (Rostelecom Cup) and Japan (NHK Trophy).

Each skater/team can be assigned a maximum of two events. Skaters are awarded points based on their placements at their events. The top six from each discipline (men, women, pair and ice dance) qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final to be held in Torino, Italy from December 5-8, 2019.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW 
All-event ticket packages for the 2019 Skate Canada International are on sale now! The all event-ticket includes four days of access including:

  • One day of official practices (Thursday)
  • Two days of exciting competition, including practices (Friday and Saturday)
  • Exhibition Gala (Sunday)

Fans will be able to choose from four levels of all-event ticket packages that are priced at:

  • $138.50 ($120 ticket + $18.50 venue fee)
  • $180.50 ($160 ticket + $20.50 venue fee)
  • $222.00 ($200 ticket + $22.00 venue fee)
  • $325.00 ($300 ticket + $25.00 venue fee)

Tickets can be purchased online, by phone at 1-866-514-5050 toll free or 250-762-5050 locally or in person at the Prospera Place Box Office.

2019 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES*

MEN WOMEN
Brendan Kerry (AUS)
Nicolas Nadeau (CAN)
Nam Nguyen (CAN)
Roman Sadovsky (CAN)
Paul Fentz (GER)
Matteo Rizzo (ITA)
Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN)
Keiji Tanaka (JPN)
Deniss Vasiljevs (LAT)
Mikhail Kolyada (RUS)
Andrei Lazukin (RUS)
Camden Pulkinen (USA)
Aurora Cotop (CAN)
Gabrielle Daleman (CAN)
TBD (CAN)
Rika Kihira (JPN)
Mai Mihara (JPN)
Yelim Kim (KOR)
Young You (KOR)
Evgenia Medvedeva (RUS)
Serafima Sakhanovich (RUS)
Alexandra Trusova (RUS)
Alexia Paganini (SUI)
Bradie Tennell (USA)
PAIR ICE DANCE
Lubov Ilyushechkina / Charlie Bilodeau (CAN)
Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro (CAN)
TBD(CAN)
Feiyao Tang / Yongchao Yang (CHN)
Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii (RUS)
Evgenia Tarasova / Vladimir Morozov (RUS)
Jessica Calalang / Brian Johnson (USA)
Alexa Scimeca Knierim / Chris Knierim (USA)
Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier (CAN)
Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha (CAN)
Haley Sales / Nikolas Wamsteeker (CAN)
Lilah Fear / Lewis Gibson (GBR)
Sofia Evdokimova / Egor Bazin (RUS)
Betina Popova / Sergey Mozgov (RUS)
Sara Hurtado / Kirill Khaliavin (ESP)
Caroline Green / Michael Parsons (USA)
Kaitlin Hawayek / Jean-Luc Baker (USA)
Madison Hubbell / Zachary Donohue (USA)

CANADIAN ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE 2019 ISU GRAND PRIX OF FIGURE SKATING SERIES*

SKATE AMERICA
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA – October 18-20, 2019
MEN: Keegan Messing
WOMEN: Véronik Mallet
PAIR: Camille Ruest/Drew Wolfe
ICE DANCE: Laurence Fournier-Beaudry/Nikolaj Sørensen

SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL
Kelowna, British Columbia – October 25-27, 2019
MEN: Nam Nguyen, Roman Sadovsky, Nicolas Nadeau
WOMEN: Gabrielle Daleman, Aurora Cotop, TBD
PAIR: Kirsten Moore-Towers/Michael Marinaro, Lubov Ilyushechkina/Charlie Bilodeau, TBD
ICE DANCE: Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier, Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha, Haley Sales/Nikolas Wamsteeker

INTERNATIONAUX DE FRANCE
Grenoble, France — November 1-3, 2019
MEN: Nicolas Nadeau
ICE DANCE: Carolanne Soucisse/Shane Firus

CUP OF CHINA
Chongqing, China – November 8-10, 2019
MEN: Keegan Messing
WOMEN: Gabriele Daleman
PAIR: Lubov Ilyushechkina/Charlie Bilodeau
ICE DANCE: Laurence Fournier-Beaudry/Nikolaj Sørensen

ROSTELECOM CUP
Moscow, Russia — November 15-17, 2019
MEN: Nam Nguyen
PAIR: Evelyn Walsh/Trennt Michaud
ICE DANCE: Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier, Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha

NHK TROPHY
Sapporo, Japan — November 22-24, 2019
MEN: Roman Sadovsky, Conrad Orzel
PAIR: Kirsten Moore-Towers/Michael Marinaro
ICE DANCE: Carolanne Soucisse/Shane Firus

*Entries are subject to change

Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje stepping away from competition

OTTAWA, ON: Three-time Canadian ice dance champions Kaitlyn Weaver, 30, Toronto, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 32, Waterloo, Ont., have decided to step away from competition for the time being. Weaver and Poje will use their time away from the Grand Prix and Challenger series events to evaluate their future plans and will provide an update on their career later this season. The team has competed internationally for Canada since 2006, attending two Olympic Winter Games (2014, 2018).

Weaver and Poje are three-time world medallists, winning their most recent world medal at the 2018 world championships. The two-time Grand Prix Final champions are coached by Nikolai Morozov, Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Camerlengo and train in Hackensack, NJ, USA.

Ticket Info: 2019 Autumn Classic International

OTTAWA, ON: Tickets for the 2019 Autumn Classic International will go on sale to the general public on Friday June 14, 2019 at 10 a.m. (ET).  The sixth edition of this event will take place from September 12 – 14, 2019, at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ont.

All-event tickets are priced at $103.60 ($100 ticket + $3.60 online fee) and day passes are priced as follows: Thursday $31.50 ($30 ticket + $1.50 online fee), Friday $36.65 ($35 ticket + $1.65 online fee) and Saturday $36.65 ($35 ticket + $1.65 online fee). Tickets include entry to view practices on the date(s) of each ticket. All tickets are subject to applicable taxes and service fees. Tickets can be purchased at Eventbrite.ca in advance and online only.

Please note that seating is general admission and not reserved. Seats are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Ticket quantities are limited, and all tickets are final sale.

The 2019 Autumn Classic International will feature senior events in men, women and ice dance. The event will host approximately 50 entries from over 15 countries. The senior international figure skating competition is one of 10 events that will form the International Skating Union’s (ISU) Challenger Series. Athletes will have the opportunity to earn world standing points through the series. Competitors are eligible to participate in up to three Challenger Series events.

The 2019 entries will be announced after the close of entries in late August.

Election Results – Skate Canada Board of Directors

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) concluded on May 25, 2019 in Ottawa, Ontario with the elections of the Board of Directors. Below are the results of the elections:

President (two-year term) – Leanna Caron (acclaimed)
Director Atlantic (two-year term) – Nicole LeBlanc-Richard (acclaimed)
Director Quebec (one-year term) – Pier-Luc Paquet (acclaimed)
Director Ontario (two-year term) – Darlene Joseph
Director at Large (two-year term) – Jacqueline Gauthier
Director at Large (two-year term) – Patty Klein
Director at Large (two-year term) – Patrick Roch
Director at Large (one-year term) – Rock Lemay

Skate Canada’s Board of Directors is made up of 13 elected and appointed volunteers from across Canada. Policy and direction are established by the board of directors and communicated to the National Service Centre for delivery to the sections, clubs and school. The board meets throughout the year and major policy decisions are taken to the wider membership of the association yearly through Skate Canada’s Annual General Meeting.

Skate Canada mourns the passing of Hall of Famer Bruce Hyland

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada is saddened by the passing of Hall of Famer Bruce Hyland. He passed away peacefully at age 92 on May 22, 2019 surrounded by his family. Hyland was a successful ice dancer with his wife Margaret and together the went onto create the Metropolitan Ice Skating Schools.

Together they would teach thousands of Canadians in figure skating, hockey and power skating. As a coach, Hyland taught at the elite level. For eighteen consecutive years he would coach at world and Olympic events. His motivational and optimistic approach to coaching lead many of his skaters to success. Included among his students were 1962 World Pair Champions Maria and Otto Jelinek and 1964 Olympic silver medalists Debbi Wilkes and Guy Revell.

A celebration of life for Hyland will take place at a later date, please click here for more information.

Skate Canada offers its sincere sympathies to Hyland’s family and friends.

Canadian adult skaters bring home 26 medals from 2019 ISU International Adult Figure Skating Competition

OTTAWA, ON: The Canadian skaters competing at the 2019 ISU International Adult Figure Skating Competition returned from Oberstdorf, Germany, with a total of 26 medals – 10 gold, nine silver and seven bronze. The event took play from May 19-25, 2019.

In total, there were more than 770 performances from 600 skaters representing 35 ISU member countries. Nine synchro teams participated this year, including two teams from Ontario’s Team Energice.

The following Canadian skaters and teams took home medals in their respective categories:

Gold medallists:
Gary Beacom, Masters Elite Men IV Artistic Free Skating / Masters Elite Men IV Free Skating
Karen Ciprietti, Bronze Ladies III Artistic Free Skating, Group B
Ken Langlois and Laura Goode, Ice Dance, Masters Free Dance
Carol Ann Lehovich, Bronze Ladies III Artistic Free Skating, Group A
Jacqueline Parser, Bronze Ladies IV Artistic Free Skating
Alanna Rittich, Bronze Ladies III Free Skating – Group B
Karen Smith, Gold Ladies II Free Skating
Barbara Tkach, Silver Ladies V Free Skating
Elina Viola, Masters Ladies IV Artistic Free Skating

Silver medallists:
Karen Ciprietti, Bronze Ladies III Free Skating, Group B
Joanne Johnson, Bronze Ladies IV Artistic Free Skating
Carol Ann Lehovich, Bronze Ladies III Free Skating, Group A
Cathy and Fred Lynd, Bronze Pattern Dance
Henrietta Penny, Bronze Ladies V Artistic Free Skating
Linda Reynolds, Masters Elite Ladies III Artistic Free Skating
Barbara Tkach, Silver Ladies V Artistic Free Skating
Elina Viola, Gold Ladies IV Free Skating
EnergICE 1- Synchronized Skating

Bronze medallists:
Ken Langlois and Laura Goode, Ice Dance, Masters Pattern Dance / Masters Rhythm Dance
Alanna Rittich, Bronze Ladies III Artistic Free Skating – Group B
Jennifer Powell, Bronze Ladies III Artistic Free Skating – Group A
Karen Smith, Gold Ladies II Artistic Free Skating
Natasha Sopel, Masters Ladies I Free Skating / Masters Ladies I Artistic Free Skating

The North American edition of the ISU International Adult Figure Skating Competition will take place in Lake Placid, New York from October 14-19, 2019. For further information, please visit www.isu.org.

Skate Canada members honoured at 2019 Ice Summit in Ottawa

OTTAWA, ON: This past weekend, Skate Canada honoured 20 award winners during its annual Awards Banquet at the 2019 Ice Summit held in Ottawa, Ont.

The winners received their awards on Saturday night in front of a crowd of over 350 of Canada’s top skating delegates. The evening was co-hosted by 2019 Canadian ice dance silver medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier. The awards were given out by 2019 junior ice dance world champions Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha.

The Skate Canada Awards program honours dedicated members of the skating community who have donated their time to help contribute to improving the quality of skating in Canada.

The 2018-2019 recipients were:

Skate Canada Club and Recreational Coach Award of Excellence
Joanne Godin

Skate Canada Competitive Coach/Choreographer Award of Excellence
Marie-France Dubreuil

Skate Canada Officials Award of Excellence
Jean Senft

Skate Canada Event Volunteer Award of Excellence
Susan Taylor

Elizabeth Swan Memorial Award
Jennifer Betts

Billie Mitchell Award
Sally Rehorick

Skate Canada also presents a volunteer award to one member of each of the Skate Canada sections. The following exceptional volunteers were awarded the 2018-2019 Skate Canada Section Volunteer Award of Excellence:

British Columbia/Yukon Section
Margaret Warwick

Alberta/NWT/Nunavut Section
Laurie Finney

Saskatchewan Section
Marg Auringer

Manitoba Section
Don Brown

Ontario Section
Paul Mallet

Quebec Section
Guylaine McSween

New Brunswick Section
Patsy Henderson

Prince Edward Island Section
Lynn MacLeod

Nova Scotia Section
Terry Ackles

Newfoundland and Labrador Section
Eleanor Scott

Three additional host section awards were recognized in the CanSkate, STARSkate and CompetitiveSkate athlete areas, as representatives of all section winners across the country in those categories:

Skate Canada Section CanSkate Athlete Award
Bryden Strachan

Skate Canada Section STARSkate Athlete Award
Kira Christie

Skate Canada Section CompetitiveSkate Athlete Award
Lily Wilberforce, Aidan Wright

In addition, Olympians Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon were inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in the athlete category. One of Canada’s most loved dance teams, they paired up in 1995. They went on to win the Canadian ice dance title five times (2000, 2004-2007). Dubreuil and Lauzon retired in 2008 and began a successful coaching career in Montreal.

Leanna Caron, President, Skate Canada, and ISU Council member Benoit Lavoie handed out the ISU Gold Award of Merit to Skate Canada BC/Yukon’s Susan Heffernan, and Skate Ontario’s Joanne Shaw for their valuable contributions to the ISU. This award may only be made to Office Holders and other individuals who have served the ISU sport disciplines.

Skate Canada congratulates all award winners, nominees and countless invaluable volunteers!