Hall of Fame


Craig English Award

This award shall be presented to the member who best exhibits sportsmanship, perseverance, and dedication to the sport of Powerlifting in BC. This award will not necessarily be presented each year, if no suitable candidate can be chosen and recipients may only receive this award one time.

In order to be eligible, candidates must be involved within the BCPA for a minimum of 10 years and candidates will be selected by the BCPA executive.

Craig English was a very passionate BCPA member who overcame a number of personal troubles. He passed away in a fatal gym accident while training, and was the first recorded gym fatality ever in Canada.

2023 Patricia Kowal

2021Gabriel Festing

2015 – Joe Oliveira

2014 – Bob Hindley

2011 – Chris Robb

2007 – Surinder Virk

1995 – Larry Ling

1994 – Dave Richard

1993 – Wendy Robb

1992 – Geoff Nuthall

1991 – Pat Winstanley

1990 – Hugh Ward

1989 – Ed Boyt

Volunteer of the Year

Started in 2014, this award is to recognize the outstanding contributions made by volunteers to the BCPA and who exemplify the mission and values of the BCPA. The recipients are selected based on their service from the last calendar year and may not receive the award in consecutive years. Board of Directors and Officials are not eligible for this award. Recipients will be announced at the Provincial Championships and receive a letter of congratulations and be awarded a plaque.

2022 – Lisa Kitigawa and Morgan Haupt

2019 – Wendy Yamazaki and Amy Moore

2018 – Ralph Nevill and Sara Youd

2017 – Mary Ann Middleton and Arthur Field

2016 – Meara Mullholand and Lynne Desautels

2015 – Blake Taylor and Eliana Rolando

2014 – Ben Nickerson and Wendy Yamazaki

Athlete of the Year

Started in 2014, the Athlete of the year award is to recognize BCPA members’ performance on the platform. Recipients should have competed nationally and/or internationally in the past year to be considered. Records, totals, IPF GL Points and personal improvement will all be taken into account.

2021 – Fiona Chen and Kostyantyn Sosnyk

2021 – Matthew Lewis Vena and Marie Jenevieve Joaquin

2019 – Jenna Sabino and Matthew Lewis Vena

2018 – Jackson Spencer and Bonney Rempel

2017 – Adam Ramzy and Alison Kam

2016Bonney Rempel and Stephen Cascioli

2015 – Aimee Mergaert and Adam Ramzy

2014 – Pamela Anderson and Kevin Weiss

Robert O. Smith Award

Robert O. Smith was a prolific BC powerlifter, mentor and force of nature throughout his life. The Robert O. Smith Award will be presented annually to one male and one female Bench Only competitor who achieve the highest level of performance while representing the BCPA.

2022 – Monica Wille and Ryan MacLellan

2021 – Gregory Young and Cynthia Leighton

2019 – Gordon Sjodin and Magdalena Kijak

Christopher Robb Award

This award shall be presented to a BCPA referee who best demonstrates professionalism, dedication and knowledge of rules and policies governing the sport of powerlifting within the BCPA.

2021 – Bette Festing

2019 – Christopher Robb

Annual Student Bursary

The BCPA will be awarding up to two annual bursaries in the amount of $500 to assist active members attending post-secondary and that are in need of financial assistance. Recipients must be passionate and driven individuals who train hard and study harder. This bursary is a non-repayable award, and applicants must meet the certain requirements, along with submitting the required documentation to be eligible. The BCPA executive members will choose the recipient of the award based on their written statement.

2023 – Tyler Ollech and Ruben Henri

2022 – Vincent Lo and Kabir Talwar

2019 – Jenna Sabino and Veronica Jones

2018 – Mike Brion and Denae Swadden

2017 – Landyn Hickmott

2016 – Meara Mullholand and Adam Ramzy