June, 23 2023 (Halifax, NS)- Cleve’s Source for Sports June Athlete of the Month Recipients Announced
Sport Nova Scotia is proud to announce the June 2023 Cleve’s Source for Sports Athlete of the Month recipients; Abigail Smith (Jr. Female), and Sasha Kaplin (Jr. Male), Jennie Bovard (Sr. Female) and Ryan O’Neil (Sr. Male), and Nova Scotia Women’s Goalball Team (Team of the Month)
Abigail Smith: 15-year-old Judo athlete from Brooklyn, Nova Scotia.
Recent Achievements: Abigail fought through tough battles to compete in the finals at the 2023 Open Judo National Championships, where she took home silver. Building on her outstanding accomplishments of winning bronze at the Canada Games and silver at the USA Pedro Challenge, she is currently ranked 6th in the U18 division, which qualifies her for Elite 8 Nationals.
Sasha Kaplin: 16-year-old Judo athlete from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Recent Achievements: Sasha recently won the 2023 Open Judo Nationals, winning his victories in less than one minute. Heading into this event, Sasha was ranked number one in his division and in Canada. Adding to his recent accomplishments of silver at the Elite 8 National Championships, silver at the Quebec Open, gold at the Ontario Open and gold at the Manitoba Open, his latest win sees him qualify for the World Cadet Championships in Croatia and Cadet Pan American Championships in Calgary.
Jennie Bovard: 37-year-old Goalball athlete from Halifax, Nova Scotia
Recent Achievements: Jennie was a key defensive player for Nova Scotia’s Women’s team at the Senior Goalball Championships held in Ottawa last month, where the team took home silver. She made crucial blocks and scored four goals throughout the tournament which contributed to the best result a Nova Scotia Women’s team has seen at Nationals.
Ryan O’Neil: 25-year-old Karate athlete from Halifax, Nova Scotia
Recent Achievements: Ryan recently competed in the Santiago 2023 Qualifier Event, which is the last event karate athletes can qualify for the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games. He won his three matches 8-4,7-4, and 4-2, securing his spot and becoming the first Nova Scotian Karate athlete to compete in this multi-sport Pan American Games.
Nova Scotia Women’s Goalball Team
Recent Achievements: The team won silver last month at the Senior National Goalball Championships held in Ottawa. Nova Scotia faced Team Ontario in the gold medal game, a challenging opponent with experienced players at the national level. Nova Scotia took home silver, a historical record at Nationals for the Nova Scotia Women’s Team. The team’s success has seen all four Nova Scotia Women’s team members invited to attend a training and selection camp for the Canadian Women’s Goalball Team.
Quick Facts
Athlete of the Month
• The Athlete of the Month program is administered by Sport Nova Scotia, whose members are eligible to nominate athletes for the awards.
• A membership committee selects the award recipients for five possible categories: Male Individual Athlete, Female Individual Athlete, Male Team Athlete, Female Team Athlete, and Team.
Sport Nova Scotia is a voice for amateur sport that promotes the benefits of health, personal development and achievement of all participants. Sport Nova Scotia is a non-profit, non-government organization representing approximately 60 provincial sport organizations and more than 160,000 member Nova Scotians. For more information about the Cleves Source for Sports Athlete of the Month Awards, please visit sportnovascotia.ca.
