Meritas

The Meritas Awards take place annually and support the promotion of curling through the recognition of the exceptional achievements of volunteers, craftsmen and craftswomen, athletes and the various curling events that are part of the program. All nominations are sent to Curling Québec. Once the subscription period over, Curling Québec sends all the submissions to the corresponding regional association. They then determine the regional finalist in each category and forward the list to Curling Quebec who will determine the provincial winners. Winners are announced during the Annual General Meeting. The Meritas awards are individually presented throughout the following curling season. The date and location of the presentations are decided between the recipient and the board of directors.

Application period : from March 12th to April 30th of the current season. Send your applications to Curling Québec (by email or by mail)
Applications sent to Regional Associations by Curling Québec: from April 30th to May 7th of the current year.
Selection period of the finalists of each category by the Regional Association: from May 1st to 31st. They also let Curling Québec know about their choices.
Winners selection period by Curling Québec: June 1st to July 15th.
Winners unveiled: during the Annual General Meeting in September

Objectives:

The principal objective is to pay tribute to those men and women who, in their individual ways and through their involvement and passion for the sport, have contributed to the promotion and advancement of curling in Quebec. Also, the goal is to foster the visibility of Quebec curling in an atmosphere where our sport is being feted and celebrated and to create ties between curling in Quebec, the business community and the general public.

Eligibility conditions:

With the exception of the Special Tribute and the Outstanding Achievement, the achievements and grounds justifying the nomination must be have been established between the May 1st and April 30 of each year.

Once the winners have been selected, a congratulatory letter will be sent to each award recipient. The list of recipients will be posted on the CQ website and in the annual report.

As per the requirements, all candidates (individual or curling club) must be affiliated members of Curling Quebec.

A maximum of two (2) winners will be selected per category.

Nomination Procedures

Each regional association, curling club or individual may present nominees for any of the recognized categories. After the closing date, Curling Quebec may choose to propose or add nominations if there are not enough entries from the regions. It is the responsibility of the Regional Associations to prioritize nominations from their regions in each category.

Each submission must be accompanied by a duly completed nomination form. Nominations must be forwarded to Curling Quebec by the established due date.

The submission deadline is May 31st of each year.
Nominations for all categories except the “outstanding achievement” category will be accepted. One “outstanding achievement” award can be awarded each year. Exceptionnaly, there may be 2 awarded in one year.
It is up to the Board of Directors to decide if the “outstanding achievement” award or the “special tribute” award will be awarded or not in a given year.

Meritas Nomination Online Form

Meritas Nomination Word Form

Click on this form (online or word version) to submit an application for one or several categories and fill it out online. Don’t forget to send any other pertinent documents by mail to Curling Québec.

Categories:

Umpire of the Year:

A person recognized for their involvement, expertise, judgement and officiating abilities in curling during provincial, national and/or international competitions.

Coach of the Year – Curling Club:

Any Coach from Quebec involved with his or her curling club at the beginner level and offers clinics, coaches new participants/members or is involved with the club’s junior program. This individual is characterized by his or her availability as well as ability in teaching the basics of curling. It is imperative not to confuse this individual with a team Coach, whose primary task is the coaching of one or several teams.

Event of the Year:

The award for Event of the Year will be given to a hosting committee or curling club that staged an event or created a new one. The event in question must be recognized as having been a quality event and the hosting committee / club must demonstrate the positive effects the event had on the promotion of curling, whether that be locally, regionally or provincially.

Volunteer of the Year:

A person recognized for his or her exceptional contribution and support with regards to the promotion and development of curling in Quebec. This award is intended to highlight achievements accomplished within the year and not those of the individual’s overall career.

Coach of the Year:

A person recognized for their expertise in the training and development of athletes and teams and for his or her contribution to curling in Quebec. Nominees must be certified through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP).

Junior Program of the Year:

The award for Junior Program of the Year will be given to a club offering a junior program that is characterised by its quality and originality. The number of participants, volunteers and partners involved with the junior program will be important factors that will be considered in determining a winner within this category.

Club of the Year:

Any curling club in Quebec that is recognized for the enthusiasm of its members, the originality of its programming and services as well as for the participation levels and performances of its membership at various activities and events. This award is intended to honor the most active club which offers the best experience to its members. Factors such as increased membership, initiative, promotion of the sport, etc. will be considered in the selection process.

Team of the Year:

A women’s, men’s or mixed competitive team that significantly distinguished itself during provincial, national and/or international competitions.

Ice Technician of the Year:

Any Ice Technician in Quebec involved in the making and maintenance of the ice in a curling club. This Ice Technician is recognized for his availability and desire to provide his fellow members with the best ice conditions possible.

Special Tribute:

Any person or organization, should it judge it appropriate, is invited to submit a Special Tribute proposal to Curling Quebec. This proposal is to mark an exceptional performance, or an exceptional contribution to the world of curling achieved by a Quebecer, whether as a volunteer, curler, builder, sponsor, journalist, etc. Curling Quebec reserves the right to add proposals, should it feel this to be appropriate. Only one Tribute will be awarded each year. This award takes an individual’s overall career into account. The choice of the Special Tribute winner is made by the Board of Directors of Curling Quebec.

Outstanding Achievement:

Occasionally awarded by Curling Quebec’s Executive Committee and/or through the recommendation of the Selection Committee, this award is designed to highlight the outstanding achievement of an individual(s) that does not necessarily factor into any other existing category.

François-Béliveau Journalism Award:

The award given annually to a journalist who contributed to the promotion of curling and all that surrounds that sport.

2018-2019 Meritas Winners:

Ice Technician of the Year

Denis Laperle – Club Sports Belvédère

Junior Program of the Year

Neil Gargul, Wendy Byrd and Robert Dodds – Pointe Claire curling club

Event of the Year

21st edition of Kurling for Kids – Stanley Fong

Team of the Year

Équipe Gabrielle Lavoie – club de curling Victoria – entraîneur Daniel Charette

Competition coach of the Year

Daniel Charette – club de curling Etchemin

Club coach of the Year

Serge Lévesque – club de curling Baie-Comeau

Umpire of the Year

Robert Rajotte – club de curling Laurier

Volunteer of the Year

Maxime Mailloux – club de curling Noranda

Club of the Year

During the opening season dinner last Saturday October 5th, the president of the club Mr. Richard Gervais received from Curling Québec’s general manager M. Marc-André Robitaille, the Meritas Club of the year Award. Congratulations for this prize well deserved.

picture : left – president Richard Gervais; right – general manager Marc-André Robitaille

Outstanding Achievement

Friday October 4th, 2019 at the Magog curling club during the opening cocktail, Ms Céline Gauthier received the Ourstanding Achievement Meritas Award.

picture: Ms Suzanne Cournoyer, president of the club, Ms Céline Gauthier and Ms Jacinthe Loiselle, the ambassador of the club.