Archery Canada is incredibly proud to announce the recipients of the Annual Awards from 2024. The awards help Archery Canada recognize the outstanding contribution of volunteers, athletes, and community members throughout archery. A total of eight (8) awards were given out. Information on all awards can be found on the Archery Canada website.

Canadian Archery Builders Award
Léonard Brisson was awarded this recognition for his over 40 years of continuous service as a volunteer, coach, and leader. This award is meant to recognize this type of long-term commitment to the sport of archery. Brisson established multiple clubs and programs (Club Mil5, Club Kamentukash, and the regional development centre in Quebec), as well as enduring development pathways, which includes the Canada Games program in Quebec – all of these have served and benefitted hundreds of young athletes and coaches. He is a mentor and educator with athletes ranging from university-level to Olympians and he consistently embodies the ideals and principles of True Sport – respect, inclusion, and integrity. In summary, his lasting contributions to the growth of archery have made it perfectly clear that he deserves the Canadian Archery Builders Award.

Volunteer of the Year Award
Brad Barclay was nominated for this award by Archery Canada staff, with endorsement from the Event Committee Chair and the B.C. Archery Association. He assisted in the scoring at Canadian Championships in Victoria and in his role as Mailmatch Coordinator, has been a major contributor to the redevelopment of the scoring/tracking process for the Mailmatch program, as well as the Regional Indoor Championships.

Senior Male Athlete of the Year
Kyle Tremblay’s 2024 season was a landmark year for Canadian para archery. At the 2024 Pan Am Para Archery Championships, he helped lead Canada to gold in the mixed and men’s doubles events while also capturing an individual bronze and setting a new personal best qualifying score. Tremblay showcased his ability to compete among the world’s best in his Paralympic debut in Paris, which resulted in a 6th place finish in the men’s individual compound open and his best performance to date. He has also shown remarkable determination, consistency, and leadership on the international stage.

Senior Female Athlete of the Year
Virginie Chénier had a transformational 2024. With bronze medals in both the individual and mixed team events at the 2024 Pan American Archery Championships, she was part of the team that earned the women’s individual recurve quota spot for Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She then filled that quota and made her Olympic debut at those Games. Her breakthrough performances at a continental level, coupled with her achievement of reaching the Olympic Games, reflect a high level of dedication and mark her as a standout athlete.

Male Junior Athlete of the Year
Damon Polowaniuk from Alberta had a year filled with success. At the 2024 Youth and Masters Pan Am Championships, he earned a gold medal in the U21 men’s team, a bronze in the mixed team event, and earned 5th in the individual competition. Additionally, Polowaniuk set a Pan Am 50m record with a score of 698. He also competed internationally at the 2024 World Field Championships. He has continued to show strong continental dominance and increasing promise for international success.

Female Junior Athlete of the Year
Anya Pinel had a remarkable 2024, establishing herself as one of Canada’s top junior archers. Alongside her teammate Dustin Watson, she captured the U21 compound mixed team bronze medal at the 2024 World Field Championships. In the individual U21 women’s division, she placed 7th and set personal and national field records in Ontario. At the 2024 Youth and Masters Pan Am Championships, Pinel earned mixed team bronze and set two new Pan Am-Canadian records, demonstrating her ability to perform at international events.

Coach of the Year
Linda Price has incredible dedication to excellence, leadership, and the core values of sport and archery. Working as the National Para Coach for Archery Canada and her ability to step in and assist the Recurve National team while they search for a permanent coach has led to her nomination. While focusing on performance and results, she also instills important values of honesty, integrity, a positive attitude, competitiveness, and a love of sport in her athletes. Price is truly leading by example in the sport of archery.

3D Archery Award
Katie Britton was an athlete on the 2024 World 3D Championships team and has been given this award for her successful performance. She won her ⅛ elimination match against Claudia Hossfled of Mexico and advanced. Britton was ultimately eliminated by Italy’s Sabrina Vannini with a score of 88-102 in the quarter-final, however she finished the competition in 5th place, Canada’s top athlete at the event in 2024. Britton has also been a long time member of Team Canada.

Judge of the Year
Laura Lynne Churchill is being recognized for her outstanding contribution and leadership within the Canadian archery community. Her work as National Judging Chair has made a significant and lasting impact on the sport, elevating standards and strengthening the development of judges across the country. In 2021, she was selected by World Archery to serve as a judge at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, an exceptional honour that reflects her expertise and dedication. Laura Lynne now continues her leadership as Chair of the National Rules Committee, helping guide the evolution of the sport in Canada with clarity, integrity, and commitment.

Thank you and congratulations to all of our award recipients for their contributions to the sport of archery!

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For more information, please contact:
Karl Balisch
Executive Director
kbalisch@archerycanada.ca