LAC LA BICHE - Portage College athletes along with Lac La Biche residents who have made contributions to sport in the local community were awarded and recognized during a ceremony that took place on March 27 at Portage College.
The event, titled ‘Celebration of Sports Excellence,' is a joint venture between Portage College and Lac La Biche County.
The evening of sports celebration kicked off with speeches by Portage College president Nancy Broadbent and Lac La Biche County Mayor Paul Reutov. Following a dinner, the awards portion of the event got underway.
Clint Trimble and the MacDonald Brothers (Robbie, James, Alex, and Bernard) were the inductees for the 2023 Lac La Biche County Sports Hall of Fame. While Trimble and his family were present to receive the award, due to the recent passing of Robbie MacDonald’s son, Billy McDonald, the award for the MacDonald Brothers (who are veterans of the region's rodeo industry) was postponed until next year.
Trimble, who has been a familiar face in the Lac La Biche hockey scene for many decades, has coached minor hockey teams, U18, the local Jr. B Clippers, as well as the inaugural season of the Portage College men’s hockey team in 2008, where he served as assistant to head coach Terry Ewasiuk. Trimble was inducted as a community builder.
During the evening, several Portage College athletes also received awards, including Lyric Lewis, a Portage Community Social Work student who competed at the 2023 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Golf National Championship in Quebec from Oct. 16-10. Lewis was the recipient of the ‘Player of the Year Award.’
Brooklyn Haub, a member of the Portage College Voyageurs women’s soccer squad, won the Voyageurs Spirit Award while Fiston Kiese, a player for the men’s squad, was named Player of the Year.
Several past inductees into the Lac La Biche Sports Hall of Fame were also present at the event. These included; Rene Schaub (archery athlete and community builder), Maurice Richard (community builder and athlete in volleyball and curling), along with Eugene Lebas, Randy Wowk and Ken Scullion, who were inducted as community builders.
The Celebration of Sports excellence also included a silent auction and the profiles of past inductees, which were on display for attendees to view.
