The Department of Athletics and Recreation celebrated the 2021-22 Student Leaders over the week of April 11 on their social media platforms. The student staff are the backbone of the programs and services within the department and honouring our students with leadership awards is a small token of appreciation for their hard work throughout the term.
The following were the Leadership Award Winners from each specific area within the department:
Judson Whiteside Award Winner – Esteban Salazar
Esteban is a familiar face for those involved in aquatics and first aid both as a staff and participant. This past year, Esteban was in a Student Program Coordinator in both of those areas responsible for student staff teams. He is a detail oriented leader who works hard to make sure that his staff and ultimately the participants are getting experiences that are fun and enjoyable. Additionally, Esteban participates with the club programs on both the Dragon-boat and Lifesaving programs. Warrior Recreation has been positively impacted by the contributions by him this year and wish him all the best as he graduates from the Faculty of Health.
Aquatic Leadership Award – Sabrina LoPresti
Sabrina has been involved in the pool since Fall 2018 when she started as a member of the aquatic staff as a lifeguard instructor. Since that time, she has also been involved in the synchronized swim club in addition to working to provide participants with a safe experience in the PAC Pool. In Fall 2021, Sabrina took on the role of the Student Program Coordinator responsible for instruction and helped to guide the post-pandemic restart of lessons for adults and children. Instructional sessions continue to evolve because of Sabrina and her team of instructors with the addition of more adult and women's only programming providing for members of the campus community.
Climbing Leadership Award – Sierra Jess
Sierra was the first student ever hired for our new climbing and bouldering gym. She brought a wealth of experience and knowledge that was crucial to the successful opening and initial programming of the facility. Sierra was responsible for recruiting, hiring, and mentoring our first group of new staff members and created a culture and environment that was welcoming and enjoyable for everyone. Sierra was a consultant in every area of programming and facility operations, her efforts laid the framework for all the success we have achieved within that space.
Esports Leadership Award – Nikolas Drakulovic
Nikolas is, in one word, a pillar. His commitment and passion in the gaming scene has made him essential to the development and growth of esports on the University of Waterloo campus. Nik started the University of Waterloo Esports Club because he wanted to build a community for students with a heartfelt love for gaming. Under his leadership, this community has grown and amalgamated with other teams to help build one of the largest student groups on campus. Nik is often the first-person new gamers will interact with, whether it is at an event, on our discord or during one of our watch parties – he always welcomes everyone and helps them find their place. The esports community is going to miss him as he graduates this term – thanks for everything Nik!
Events Leadership Award – Claire Fernandes
Returning to Events after the pandemic shutdown the 2020/21 season,
Claire Fernandes was tasked with reestablishing the Event Staff Team. Using her knowledge of the Facilities and previous event management experience, she has excelled in her role as Student Leader – Events. She has executed events without hesitation, took lead on shift and trained as well as provided constructive feedback to the staff team. Her experience became a valuable resource for new staff to learn from. The pandemic has presented many challenges for events, Claire adjusted schedules with the changing regulations and addressed spectators concerns with patience and professionalism. Her leadership was shared between CIF Facilities Staff and Events Staff. She will leave a lasting impression on both teams and the foundation of the Event Staff. Claire, we wish you all the best in your future endeavors, and you will without question excel in whatever you pursue!
Facilities Leadership Award - Francois Laurin
Starting in Facilities as a Coop in Winter 2020,
Frankie Laurin gained immense building knowledge and learned of the operating policies and procedures for the Physical Activities Complex (PAC). When the pandemic shutdown operations, he continued his coop and assisted with maintaining the building in preparation should PAC have been able to reopen. Fast forward, to the opening of PAC/SLC Frankie has been an intricate part of establishing building operations and contributing his experience to the staff team to better serve patrons and facility users. Frankie has recently stepped into a Student Leadership role as PAC Scheduling Coordinator. In this role, he ensured there was always adequate staff in place, and they were prepared for their shifts. If there was ever a shift that was left unfilled, Frankie would step up and cover the shift himself, so the staff were not shorthanded. On top of all his duties, Frankie continues to show passion for his job by teaching his colleagues and challenging them to take on tasks to better understand the building operations. Frankie has been leaned on for his experience and ability to execute, he will leave a lasting impression to all staff he interacted with. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors and have confidence he will excel in whatever he pursues!
Fitness & Instructional Leadership Award – Cindy Wei & Thomas Beardsley
Cindy Wei has works for us a Yoga Instructor. In the past year Cindy has really stepped up to provide instruction when it was needed. She is always offering her time to reach additional roles to support our campus partners in their programming needs. From online yoga classes to Writing Centre breaks to Brain Breaks, Cindy is always willing to go above and beyond her regular duties. She has been a strong presence in our program, and we appreciate all that she does to support our program!
Thomas Beardsley rejoined our team in Fall 2022 as our Intro to Boxing course instructor. His courses sold out immediately and we had to add more! In the following term we expanded our offerings due to the popularity of the boxing program. It is not surprise that his participants love his class so much. He is an inclusive and dynamic teacher and even takes the extra steps to provide social time outside of the classroom. We are very grateful for Thomas and the energy he brings to our programming!
Game Day Leadership Award – Ben Martin
Ben was a member of the volleyball game day staff this year and was outstanding from the very first exhibition game. Ben was always willing to learn and be flexible with the needs of each game. He adapted to fill three of the most challenging positions over the course of the season, often on very short notice. Ben was consistently a positive and uplifting presence on the staff. When called upon to fill in as the stats inputter for the women's volleyball playoff game, Ben stepped up and did a tremendous job inputting accurate and timely stats.
Intramural Leadership Award – Chris Cameron
Chris has been not only a leader within the Intramural Ice Hockey program but has worked tirelessly to improve the league and the officials within it. You could often find him at the rink during intramural games whether on the ice officiating or watching to mentor new and seasoned officials alike. Chris' commitment to the smooth running of the league has undoubtedly made a lasting impact not only on the participants, but the vast number of scorekeepers and officials. Over his seven terms as referee-in-chief he has led over 30 officials and worked close to 500 games as an ice hockey and soccer official. Without Chris, the intramural ice hockey league would not be where it is today, and we are grateful for all you have done!
Marketing Leadership Award – Jayna Fuller
Jayna Fulle
r started volunteering with the marketing team back in the fall of 2019 where she threw her first shirt into the crowd at a football game. From there Jayna fed off the rush of game days. She developed her role through supporting and leading the marketing team through many shifts and transitions. Jayna has been a dedicated volunteer whose upbeat personality brings a bit of brightness to any event.
Along with her initiation role in marketing, Jayna has been a valued member of the summer camp program and clubs' program. During her time with the Marketing team, Jayna has executed over 40 special events and grew her knowledge to not only throw those t-shirts further into the crowds but to help train upcoming volunteers. During this past season Jayna has played an instrumental role in the recruitment, training, and support of our part time staff and volunteers as we returned to sport. Jayna's bubbly smile will be missed as she continues her studies at Laurier in pursuit to become an inspiring teacher. Thank you for everything Jayna!
Sport Club Leadership Award – Zoe Gale Moore
"Zoe is a huge part of our success" is a phrase used often by her coaches and teammates. Zoe's commitment to the creation of the Ringette Club and the growth of Fastball is unmatched. Whatever task she is given, stealing bases, scoring goals, leading the team on the diamond or ice, or even completing administrative work – she does with full commitment. Zoe helps her teams with recruitment, scheduling, social media, and anything else you could think of – to say she is a well-rounded student-athlete would be an understatement. Warrior Recreation is beyond lucky to have students with drive and passion like Zoe. Coaches, teammates, and Warrior Recreation staff all want to say a huge congratulations to Zoe on winning the Club's Leadership Award.
Strength & Conditioning Leadership Award – Samantha Bjelis
Sam has been a part of the Conditioning Team since Fall 2019. She has worked both as a part time Personal Trainer and a Conditioning Assistant (coop) twice! In addition, Sam has worked with the Varsity Strength and Conditioning team as a student coach and to date is the lead for the swim team.
Sam has been an integral part of our team over the last year and play a significant role in opening our new facility. Her leadership and creativity have helped us to rebuild processes and team culture. She was the driving force behind the creation and implementation of personal training education. Sam is a strong leader, and we are grateful to have her on our team!
Training Leadership Award
Esteban has not been just an important part of the First Aid team but has shown repeatedly through his continued leadership that his is the lifeline of the First Aid program. He has prioritized not only the development and improvement of the program, but also the longevity of training and mentoring new trainers to ensure that the First Aid program is one of excellence. Any of the trainers when asked would instantly speak of his passion for the program and how approachable he is as both a mentor and peer. It was an easy decision to award Esteban with this award for the commitment he has shown over the years and the commitment he will continue to provide until he moves on to future endeavors!
