Manon Perron receives 2018 Geoff Gowan Award

OTTAWA, ON – Skate Canada and the Coaching Association of Canada are proud to announce that Manon Perron will be presented with the 2018 Geoff Gowan Award at this year’s Petro-Canada Sport Leadership Awards Gala on Friday, November 9. Known as one of the Coaching Association of Canada’s (CAC) most prestigious awards, it will recognize Perron’s lifetime contributions to coaching development.

“Skate Canada is thrilled that Manon will receive this prestigious and well-earned honour. Manon has represented Skate Canada for almost 40 years and her dedication and passion to the sport and to her athletes has been nothing short of excellent,” says Debra Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer, Skate Canada. “We are proud that six additional coaches from our sport will also be recognized. These coaches continue to show their commitment to professional coaching and mentoring day in and day out, and it is an honour to have them on our roster.”

The Geoff Gowan Award was created by the Coaching Association of Canada in 1996 and recognizes lifetime contributions to coaching development. It is awarded to coaches who have presented a positive public image of coaching and who have enhanced the role of the coach with the Canadian public. The award resides at Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary, Alberta.

“To be recognized for the time I’ve dedicated to coaching is a huge honour. It’s incredible that I’ve been able to turn my passion for coaching into a 39-year career,” says Perron. “Coaching has been the most rewarding experience, and I’ve also been given the opportunity to be a coach mentor and work with high-performance athletes through Skate Canada. When I think of where I am today, I have so many people to thank. I would particularly like to recognize Skate Canada and Patinage Québec for helping me make my dreams a reality. Lastly, I want to thank everyone who believed in me.”

Perron coached many high-performance figure skaters over her career and was most notably the was the coach of Canadian champion and Olympic bronze medallist, Joannie Rochette. Today, she gives seminars all over Canada and internationally to athletes and coaches. She is also currently a mentor coach in Skate Canada’s High Performance Mentorship Program.

Six other coaches from Skate Canada will also be honoured at the Gala on November 9 with a 2018 Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Award. They are:

  • Lee Barkell
  • Marie-France Dubreuil
  • Patrice Lauzon
  • Brian Orser
  • Bruno Marcotte
  • Ravi Walia

Hosted by the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) in partnership with Petro-Canada at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, the Gala recognizes those who live out the values and competencies of the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) and the positive impact they have within the Canadian sport community.

For more information about the conference and the Gala, visit www.coach.ca/sportleadership.

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