The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Sports Oakville Beaver 29 · Friday, October 19, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-632-0588 (ext. 294) email sports@oakvillebeaver.com Rhythmic gymnastics specialist named Special Olympics Canada's top female athlete Elisha Donaghey-Johnston has reached around athlete," Boycott said. "And she's such a gracious athlete. She's the highest level in her preferred sport, and she carried the torch for North America at the competitive, but she is so supportive of her 2011 Special Olympics World Games in teammates. She encourages others and if anyone's down, she has an arm to put around Athens. But in the eyes of her coach, that's not why them. She's just a lovely girl. It's a pleasure to work with her." the 26-year-old was officially Donaghey-Johnston will announced this week as Special "I think it's talent, receive her award at a celebraOlympics Canada's female ath- but it's not always tion Nov. 29 at Glenn Gould lete of the year. the most talented Studio in Toronto. "I think it's talent, but it's not athletes who win Boycott said Donagheyalways the most talented aththe award. They're Johnston's selection as athlete letes who win the award," said of the year is also a major coup Oakville Butterflies rhythmic looking at the total for the Butterflies as well as gymnastics head coach Debbie person." Oakville's Special Olympics proBoycott. "They're looking at the Oakville Butterflies gram. total person." "I always find when someone In addition to being a Level 4 coach Debbie Boycott wins an award, it really inspires rhythmic gymnast, DonagheyJohnston is also strong in track and field. It's the (other) athletes to set goals and strive quite possible that she'll qualify for next year's towards making their dreams come true too," provincial games in both sports, Boycott said. Boycott said. "If Elisha can do it, we can work hard and Donaghey-Johnston, who works at a Boston Pizza restaurant in Oakville, also par- aspire to such things as well. I really find it ticipates in basketball, softball, boxing, stair- motivates the whole team." climbing and swimming. -- Jon Kuiperij "She's just a really good athlete, an all- BEST IN CANADA: Oakville resident Elisha DonagheyJohnston, pictured performing her rhythmic gymnastics routine at last year's Special Olympics World Games, was recently announced as Special Olympics Canada's female athlete of the year. PHOTO SUBMITTED Raising awareness Sport Oakville awards Sunday Sport Oakville will recognize the town's top athletes, teams, coaches and volunteers once again this weekend. The association's fifth annual Sport Recognition Awards will be presented at a reception Sunday at Operating Engineers Banquet Hall, 2245 Speers Road, from 2-4 p.m. More than 100 awards will be presented during the afternoon, celebrating excellence, perseverance and dedication of Oakville sportspeople during the span of May 1, 2011-April 30, 2012. "We're thrilled with the continued support of this event from our sport group members," said Claudio Serrao, president of Sport Oakville. Chris Mei, the national morning host for The Weather Network, will be the master of ceremonies. The Sport Recognition Awards are sponsored by Tim Horton's, Mongahan's and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. For more information on the event, visit www. sportoakville.ca or contact Sport Oakville secretary Cathy Watt at cmannwatt@gmail.com. SUPPORTING THE CAUSE: Members of the Oakville Hornets peewee AA girls' hockey team show off the pink jerseys they are wearing for all their games this month in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The jerseys were provided by the team's sponsor, Nancy Forsyth of UPS Store at Abbey Plaza. Pictured are (back row, from left) Julia McDonnell, Karley Merkley, Narisa Dhupar, Miranda Snable, Mackenzie Calvert, Hannah Rettinger, Claire Mills, Drew Gordon, Kenedy Choma, (front row, from left) Katie Raymond, Emma Hicks, Mary Corby, Sarah Fillier, Emily Baxter, Courtney Wilson, Meghan Grouix and Jillian Tsandelis.