Prince George Track & Field Club junior development coach Lauren Matheson has received the BC Athletics top honour for her work with local athletes.
On Saturday night, during the BC Athletics Awards Gala in Vancouver, Matheson was honoured in the Coaching Excellence category.
“We are so proud of her and she is so deserving,” Elena Thomas, Prince George Track & Field Club president, said. “I think Lauren wanted to be head coach of junior development since she started coaching many years ago. She has a great program and the kids enjoy themselves and the parents enjoy themselves and we’re getting good athletes out of the program. She should be very proud of what she does. She gives 110 per cent to the club and I’m very very proud of her. She is very deserving of this award.”
Thomas and Corine Masich were also honoured at the gala, acknowledging their leadership roles in organizing track and field events at the BC Summer Games at Masich Place Stadium in Prince George in July. The dynamic duo received the Executive of the Year Award for Volunteer Service for their extraordinary efforts to make the games a success.
Thomas said the award was very much appreciated.
“Corine and I did a lot of work together and it was the first time we worked on an event this big so it was nice to do it as a team and learn from each other’s experiences,” she said. “It was very nice to be acknowledged.”
The awards gala was a little overwhelming, she added.
“Compared to some of the other people who were given awards and what they were being recognized for I felt a little small potatoes,” Thomas laughed. “But it was still wonderful to be there.”
