The 2013 Red Deer Community Sports Awards and Banquet has been postponed because of a lack of nominations.
Set for Feb. 24, the banquet will now take place on April 21 at the Sheraton Red Deer Hotel. Nominations will be accepted until March 25.
Rob Meckling, the city community and program facilitator for sport, said no nominations were received in some categories, including those reserved for masters athletes, officials, lifetime achievement and business contributor of the year, among others.
Youth athlete categories were also under represented with only half a dozen nominations in each, compared with around 20 in past years.
Meckling said they know there are many more athletes and supporters out there worthy of recognition so they decided to give people more time to submit nominations.
“It’s important to do the event correctly,” he said.
“We want this to be a gala, a great celebration of support in this community.”
Sport Council of Red Deer members have already been going out to local sporting events to deliver packages and encourage groups to take another look at some of their standout achievements and contributors.
Meckling said the event has been building in recent years, but an earlier nomination deadline and banquet date this year may have been factors in reducing the number of nominations.
“I think maybe just our short time frame coming out of the Christmas break may have had something to do with it,” he said, adding for most winter sports it’s mid-season and the focus is on upcoming championships.
Last year, the event was in March, and the year before it was April.
Some groups also cited changes in their organizations for letting the nominations slip under their radar.
Local residents can nominate a coach, official, volunteer, athlete or business supporter at www.scord.ca. Nominations made to date do not have to be re-submitted.
Beckie Scott, who won gold and silver Olympic medals as well as 17 World Cup medals in her cross-country ski career, will be keynote speaker.