Canada's Diving Elite Honoured at Diving Plongeon Canada's AGM

November 27th, 2009

(L to R) Mark Veaudry, Reuben Ross and Dr. Saul Marks

OTTAWA – Diving Plongeon Canada (DPC) honoured its members this past weekend at the Annual General Meeting held in Ottawa.  The diving community from across the country gathered on Friday, November 20th to honour a few distinct guests for their outstanding achievements and dedication to the sport. 

 Athletes of the Year:

These awards are presented annually to one male and one female diver who have demonstrated academic and professional achievement, community involvement and outstanding athletic achievements. Candidates are chosen as role models, embodying the ideals and values of the sport of diving. 

Male – Reuben Ross (Regina, SK| Unattached) 

2009 was a dream season for Reuben Ross. Individually, he qualified for his first FINA Grand Prix final at the Canada Cup, and went on to win the gold medal. Throughout the year, while competing in Canada and for Canada, he found a place on the podium at every competition he entered.

In partnering with Alexandre Despatie at the World Aquatic Championships in Rome, Reuben and Alex stood up to the pressure and edged out the Italian team to bring home the bronze medal in their first International competition as a team.

Reuben’s success also reached beyond the diving board in 2009. Despite all the international travel, extra training, and NCAA commitments, he still maintained a strong academic focus and recorded the highest GPA of any varsity athlete at the University of Miami. He was named an NCAA All-American and an NCAA Academic All American. On top of his diving and studies, Reuben served on the DPC Athletes Committee to help give a voice to his fellow divers. This is the kind of character, work ethic, and discipline that set Reuben apart from the field in 2009.

Female – Émilie Heymans (St. Lambert, QC | Pointe Claire Diving Club)

An Olympic silver medalist and World Champion on tower, Émilie Heymans dedicated her 2009 off-season to relearning the intricacies of the springboard. After missing the first two months of competition, she came back as strong as ever and won the silver medal at the Canada Cup, her first international springboard medal since the 2003 Pan Am Games.

Émilie continued her re-evolution at the Summer Nationals where she won her first 3m national title in six years. An extraordinary ending to her 2009 season came at the World Aquatic Championships in Rome with a thrilling performance in the 3m final. In out-diving all but one of the world’s best springboard divers, Emilie’s silver medal showing proved that she is now a force to be reckoned with on 3m. 

Coach of the Year

This award recognizes the outstanding performances and leadership of one Senior and one Junior Canadian Coach

Senior Coach (joint recipients) – Aaron Dziver & César Henderson (Montreal, QC | CAMO)

At the beginning of 2009, the CAMO club (Montreal, QC) knew that this season would present some interesting challenges. There was a new leadership in place, new expectations on divers, and a newly renovated pool opening on the horizon. Aaron Dziver and César Henderson met every single one of these challenges head-on and continued to build upon the excellence that the CAMO club and its divers are renowned for. Under their tutelage, Canadian divers won an impressive 22 international medals and secured five  top-4 finishes at the World Championships in Rome.

Junior Coach – Aaron Dziver (Montreal, QC | CAMO)

President’s Honour Roll

The President’s Honour Roll is presented annually to recognize significant contributions to the activities and initiatives of Diving Canada.  The recipients of this award were:

Steve Carroll (Saskatoon, SK)

Steve created and staged the first ever Tier II National Diving Championships in Canada. This event was something that the Canadian diving community long-needed and Steve Carroll took on the challenge to see the project come to fruition.

 Bev Hugenholtz (Merickville, ON)

Bev has been a long-standing member of the Canadian diving community and has worked extensively on alumni relations. She has been the catalyst behind the alumni newsletter and has worked diligently to keep a tight bond within that group.

John Dickinson Award of Merit

The John Dickinson Award of Merit was conceived in 1982 to honour long time service and dedication to the sport of diving.

Cindy Casper (Calgary, AB)

A great contributor to Canadian diving for many years, Cindy Casper’s tireless efforts and work behind the scenes in Alberta have made her an indispensable asset to the sport. 2009 saw Cindy serve as the President of both Dive Calgary and Alberta Diving. She also was the meet manager for the 2009 Winter Senior Nationals and the Pan American Junior Championships.

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