A Vernon ringette player is one of five young women to receive the 21st annual Agnes Jacks Scholarship Award.
Ringette Canada announced on July 15 that Greater Vernon Ringette Association (GVRA) player Bryn Taylor-Hawes has received the award and a $1,000 scholarship toward post-secondary school.
Named for the widow of Sam Jacks, the man who invented ringette in 1963 in North Bay, Ontario, the Agnes Jacks award is presented to ringette players, coaches and officials who have demonstrated a strong academic performance and a commitment to the sport.
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Taylor-Hawes told the Vernon Morning Star that her father, Ian Hawes, former president of the GVRA, encouraged her to apply, which entailed writing an essay about how ringette improved her life.
The 17-year-old defence player said she wrote about how playing for about 10 years led her to leadership opportunities and allowed her to make friends.
She also said her involvement in the sport allowed her to play in the Penticton 2016 BC Winter Games, and travel to Finland and Sweden for a ringette tournament during the same year.
A recent graduate of Seaton Secondary School, Taylor-Hawes said she will be heading to the University of Calgary next fall to study history and hopefully continue playing the sport.
“I want to try out so hopefully I can make [the team],” she said.
The other four recipients of the award this year are Haley Larkin (Winsloe, P.E.I), Kinley Graves (Stonewall, Manitoba), Rhiannon Kelly (Pointe Claire, Quebec) and Evelyn Widner (Toronto, Ontario).
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