Canmore, Alberta -- Cross Country Canada is pleased to announce that the Sofie Manarin Award will be presented at the Haywood NorAm races in Quebec the week of December 12-19, 2004. Three young skiers who excelled during the 2003-04 season will receive the award during the inaugural presentation. Criteria for the award will be announced at the same time. Future recipients will be named annually at the Canadian National Championships, this year scheduled for Prince George, BC in March, 2005.
Established in 2001 in memory of Sofie Manarin, a member of the Canadian National Junior Nordic team, the award will include a bursary to assist young skiers in their pursuit of the sport and a pair of racing skis from Madshus, one of Sofie’s sponsors.
Sofie was an incredible young person who displayed all the attributes necessary of a true champion. During her short five year career she showed the promise of becoming one of Canada’s top cross-country skiers. She passed away June 3, 2001, at the age of 17 while training for the upcoming season.
Sofie was an inspiration to all the young skiers in Sudbury, Ontario and Canada. She started racing with Laurentian Nordic Ski Club at the age of 12 under the coaching direction of Dave Battison. During the 1995/96 season she earned her first of 13 National Championship medals, a silver in the juvenile category against skiers three years her senior. In 2000 Sofie was selected to represent Canada at the World Junior Championships in Poland, earning a 28th in the 15 km at the age of 16. She was later named to the National Junior Team. “Sofie was a dedicated, elite athlete committed to maximizing her potential. She always gave 100%, but it was her delightful sense of fun and “joie de vivre” which made such an incredible impact on anyone with whom she came in contact” commented Dave Battison, her first coach. “With the establishment of this award, the memory of Sofie will live on in the Nordic community forever.”
Career highlights included:
2001 – Top North American and 28th at World Junior Championships
2000 – Selected to the Canadian National Junior Team
2000 – Junior Women Aggregate Winner – Canadian National Championships
1999 – Junior Girl Aggregate Winner – Canadian National Championship
1996 – Youngest girl to win a medal at Canadian National Junior Championships
Cross Country Canada is the governing body of cross-country skiing in Canada. It comprises 45,000 members (athletes, coaches, officials and recreational skiers), and generates and supports the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team and Canadian Disabled Cross-Country Ski Team. Cross-country skiing is Canada’s optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually.