The Support4Sport Awards is the largest sport recognition event in Nova Scotia. This year’s event was held on May 28th, at the Halifax Convention Centre. Sport Nova Scotia hosted the event, with approximately 200 athletes, coaches, officials, sponsors, volunteers, and community sport associations in attendance.
Volleyball Nova Scotia is thrilled to congratulate the following winners: Dave Sliming (Volunteer), Steve Stuart (Official), Neil MacLellan (Coach), Tobias Archibald (Junior Male Athlete), Alessandra Nadalini (Junior Female Athlete), West Kings District High School Boys (Team), and Mikasa (Corporate Sponsor).
Dave Sliming – Volunteer of the Year
For over a decade, Dave has been instrumental in helping the Dartmouth Volleyball Club (DVC) grow into one of Nova Scotia’s largest clubs. As the Club President, he has been an incredibly supportive leader who has always been there when he was needed. Dave leads by example, handles every situation professionally, and never sweats the small stuff. He has represented DVC and the board since the club’s inception and has helped it grow into the thriving volleyball club it is today.
Steve Stuart – Official of the Year
Steve has traveled the world to referee international, national, and regional military volleyball matches, as well as Canada Games, university, college, club and school competitions. On top of working most weekends as a referee, Steve has volunteered numerous hours behind the scenes to help with assigning and administration. His dedication to volleyball has simply been second to none!
Neil MacLellan – Coach of the Year
Neil is an incredibly dedicated volleyball coach. He studies every match to analyze where his players can improve and spends countless hours helping each athlete grow and develop. When asked about Neil as a coach, one of his players said “he is understanding, pushes me to my best, takes me into the gym for extra practice, he’s hard on me but not too hard, and puts me in control of the games.” This year Neil’s dedication was rewarded when he led Sydney Academy to a bronze medal at the Nova Scotia School Sport Division 1 Championships.
Tobias Archibald – Junior Male Athlete of the Year
Tobias led his High School team to several Regional and League Championships over the past 4 years but this year he led his D2 school to Division 1 Provincial Championship gold medal. Tobias has been a member of the Provincial Excellence Program and Provincial Team which both involve a considerable amount of travel and dedication! He shows great leadership and coachability, is a good role model for his peers, and sets the standard for setters in the Province.
Alessandra Nadalini – Junior Female Athlete of the Year
Alessandra has been a long-time VNS athlete, having competed and trained with VNS for the past six years. This year specifically, she was involved in the PEP and Team NS training programs on top of competing for her high school and club teams. In these situations, she was a top player and a leader. She has represented Nova Scotia at the highest level and was a major reason as to why her club and high school team were amongst the top teams in Atlantic Canada.
West Kings District High School Boys Volleyball – Team of the Year
As a Division 2 school, the West Kings District High School Volleyball Wolverines had an unprecedented season going undefeated in Division 1 Boys competition. This included victories in league play as well as the three tournaments the team participated in. To cap off the season, the team hosted the Nova Scotia School Sport D1 Boys Volleyball Championships and won the gold medal in their home gym.
Mikasa – Sponsor of the Year
For decades Mikasa has served as the official volleyball supplier of the International Volleyball Federation, while also supplying volleyballs for all the Olympic Games dating back to the sport’s debut in Tokyo in 1964. Our partnership with Mikasa has allowed us to grow and develop the sport of volleyball from grassroots to high performance and we look forward to partnering with Mikasa for many years to come.
Once again, congratulations to our outstanding Support4Sport Award winners!
To learn more about the Support4Sport Awards, click here.
