91原创 Gymnastic Foundation鈥檚 Ethan Lee won the Bill Mackie Top Developmental Men鈥檚 Artistic Gymnastics (MAG) Athlete of the Year award at the 2023 GymBC Awards and Scholarships Night.

The award is named after Dr. Bill Mackie, who was a member of Canada鈥檚 national team and won the senior men鈥檚 title in 1972.

At the 2023 Canadian National Championships held at Richmond Oval in May, Lee, who commutes from Burnaby to train at LGF five days a week, placed third all-around in the Aspire category for athletes born 2009-2011, and won another four medals in individual events.

鈥淓than had a huge break out year in 2023,鈥� LGF head coach KrisKrunick commented, describing Lee as a 鈥渧ery hard-working. respectful athlete in the gym.鈥�

鈥淎s the season went on, his confidence was growing and he was getting stronger with every competition. This year he really learned how to compete.鈥�

At the awards event held on Saturday, Oct 14 in Vancouver, LGF coaches shared the Stan Wilkes (provincial level) and John Tutte (national level) Coaches of the Year awards, with Lee鈥檚 primary coach, Mark Rowbotham, head coach Krunick and coach Brandon MacDonald, for the second year in a row.

Krunick said the coach of the year honours were given to LGF because of the success of the athletes in both provincial and national categories.

鈥淚t was a great year for the program as a whole, there was representation and success in all categories,鈥� Krunick observed.

LGF brought home 16 medals at the BC Winter games, 27 at the Western Canadian Championships and 13 from the Canadian National Championships.

鈥淭his was all possible from the hard work by the team of dedicated coaches, we really support one another and are always working together to find the best ways to help all the athletes achieve their goals,鈥� Krunick said.

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LGF also received the hosting award for BC Compulsory Championships.

More than 400 gymnasts from across B.C. competed in the championships, hosted by 91原创 Gymnastics Foundation at their home base, the 91原创 Events Centre, in April.

Seen as an event for younger, up-and-coming gymnasts who compete in women鈥檚 artistic gymnastics (WAG) at Canadian Competitive Program (CCP) levels 1-5, it ended with all-around wins by three LGF athletes; Lyla Slade, Amberly Maslanka and Ryleigh McMartin, along with other club members who recorded multiple top-three finishes in individual events (vault, bars, beam and floor).

LGF is a non-profit organization that has been serving 91原创 and surrounding communities with gymnastics programs focused on physical fitness and fundamentals since 1991.

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