CWSA 2005 Awards 2006 Sport BC Presidents' Awards The Sport BC Presidents' Awards promote and celebrate the spirit of volunteerism by giving member organizations an opportunity to acknowledge and thank an individual who has demonstrated outstanding dedication and commitment to their sport. There has been a great resurgence of wheelchair basketball in the Okanagan and Tracy Ficocelli has been instrumental in supporting this growth and development. The Kelowna wheelchair basketball program has seen increases in the number of participants and exposure in the community. As a parent of a program participant Tracy became the manager of the club. Her dedication has been seen through her hard work organizing the Okanagan Thunder team for practices and tournament opportunities, but also through her leadership in assuming key roles in the wheelchair basketball community in 2005. These include taking a lead role in hosting the BC Wheelchair Basketball League Finals in Kelowna March 12/13, Coaching a junior team at the BC Disability Games in Nanaimo in July (1st place champs!), and assuming the role of wheelchair basketball zone rep for the Okanagan and interior for the upcoming BC Winter Games. In 2005 Sport Kelowna also recognized Tracy with a community sport hero award for her volunteer contributions in the community. In 2003 Tracy was also the sport rep for wheelchair basketball and organized the tournament for the BC Disability Games in Kelowna. The Okanagan would simply not be a booming hub for wheelchair sport without Tracy's involvement. As a parent, she has worked very hard to increase the sport opportunities available for her son and others in the Okanagan as a volunteer; she is an integral part in the development of wheelchair sport and is most deserving of this award. The Presidents' Award is sponsored by The Honourable Olga Ilich and the British Columbia Ministry of Tourism, Sports and the Arts as well as the Sport and Physical Activity Branch, Charles Parkinson, Director. Tracy Ficocelli pictured here receiving the Sport BC Presidents' Award from BCWSA Executive Director Kathy Newman. Photography by Patricia Sayer.