Honouring Outstanding Achievements of Indigenous Manitobans in Sport
On April 16, 2025, we celebrated the Manitoba Indigenous Sports Hall of Fame Inductees and Major Award recipients at our Night of Excellence, honouring the outstanding achievements of Indigenous Manitobans in sport. This special event highlighted the top athletes, coaches, and volunteers who have excelled in their roles throughout the past year.
These inductees represent Indigenous excellence in many areas-from athletes earning national recognition to volunteers dedicating their time, to coaches shaping the next generation of Indigenous talent. For the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports & Recreation Council, celebrating Indigenous sport is a top priority. Events like this are essential to our mission of recognizing the athletes, coaches, and volunteers who are transforming the world of sport in our province and beyond.
Nominations for the 2026 Manitoba Indigenous Sports Awards, recognizing achievements in 2025, will be opening up in January of 2026.
2025 MASRC Sports Awards Recipients
2025 Recipients
Linnéa Misner, Hockey
Indigenous Athlete of the Year
Linnéa Misner is a proud member of the Red River Métis Nation. After beating out 64 teams and winning the Stoney Creek University Showcase in September 2024, Linnéa's team was ranked #1 in Canada. She was selected for Hockey Manitoba's Program of Excellence and represented Team Manitoba at the U18 National Championship in New Brunswick in November 2024. To date, she has won Gold (Membertou 2022), Silver (Winnipeg 2023), and Bronze (Grande Prairie 2024), with the chance to win her fourth medal in this upcoming tournament in Kamloops, BC.
Linnéa is an enthusiastic leader and mentor as demonstrated through her volunteer commitment to younger athletes in the hockey community, spending time on the ice as part of the Jr. Blazers Program to motivate and encourage the next generation of young female hockey players.
Seth De La Ronde, Lacrosse
Indigenous Athlete of the Year
Seth De La Ronde is a proud member of the Red River Métis Nation. In the winter of 2021, Seth faced a life-changing challenge when he was involved in a severe car accident that resulted in a broken neck. Medical professionals said that he might never play sports again. However, Seth refused to let this setback define him. With unwavering resilience and determination, he dedicated himself to recovery and emerged stronger than ever. Proving that adversity can be transformed into an opportunity for growth. Today, he is in better shape than before his injury and continues to inspire those close to him.
Seth's athletic excellence has been recognized at both the provincial and national levels. He played an instrumental role in helping his team secure the NJCAA US National Championship for field lacrosse. Seth was awarded Male Athlete of the Year by Manitoba Lacrosse, a testament to his outstanding contributions to the sport.
Dana Goertzen, Hockey
Indigenous Coach of the Year
Dana Goertzen is a proud member of the Red River Métis Nation. Dana has shown remarkable dedication to female hockey by coaching the U15 Winnipeg East Saints. Her involvement in coaching younger players is a testament to her passion for helping others develop as athletes on the ice and as individuals outside of the rink. She demonstrates drills with proficiency, ensuring players understand and can execute them effectively.
This ability to mentor and instruct makes her an invaluable asset to any organization. Dana fosters an inclusive and supportive environment where all players feel encouraged to grow and excel. She brings a technical knowledge of the game but also a deep understanding of team dynamics that she uses to help guide the next generation of players.
Roger Rhéal Vermette, Volleyball
Indigenous Coach of the Year
Roger Rhéal Vermette is a proud member of the Saint Adolphe Métis Nation. Roger is an outstanding, dedicated, and hard-working coach and teacher at Collège Gabrielle-Roy. In the last 15 years he has been coaching several volleyball teams including Grade 7 and 8 Boys and Girls, Junior Varsity Boys, Varsity Boys and most recently, Junior Varsity Girls. Roger has also been a main contributor in building one of the strongest high school volleyball programs in our province. Roger took the Junior Varsity Girls' volleyball team to the championship final at the Junior Varsity "A/AA" provincials, where they earned the silver medal.
Last year he helped coach the Varsity Boys volleyball team to "AA" provincial championship, where the earned a gold medal. Roger is a two-time recipient of the "AA" and "AAA" coach of the year as awarded by Volleyball Manitoba.
Rebecca Kantimere, Multi-Sport
Indigenous Volunteer of the Year
Rebecca Kantimere is a proud member of the Waywayseecappo First Nation. In 2024 Rebecca volunteered her time as Assistant Coach for MASRC's WMBA Spring Season. She also volunteered as the Team Safety Rep for the U13 and U11 Central Storm Hockey teams. Rebecca supports the teams in many ways by offering to drive players in need of transportation to nearly every practice and games.
Her dedication to these teams has built strong connections with the many coaching staff, players, and parents over the years. Her support for the North End Sports Programs has made a huge positive impact on the success of the programs. Not only has she helped the teams operate as needed by offering to fill team roles, she also has helped many young athletes attend and get the opportunity to participate in sport.
Joseph Sutherland, Multi-Sport
Indigenous Volunteer of the Year
Joseph Sutherland is proud member of Peguis First Nation. He has been actively involved in Coaching for the last three years, running the Jr. Redmen Program. This program takes kids from the city of Winnipeg and First Nation communities and gives them a chance to play in Aboriginal tournaments each spring.
He also runs hockey camps every fall prior to the start of the hockey season. In November 2024 he held a hockey camp in Peguis with just under 100 kids attending. He also ran camps in Tataskweyak Cree Nation and Makaso Sakahigan with approximately 85 kids in total at those camps in northern Manitoba. He manages fundraising events and looks for corporate sponsors to cover the entry fees for each of these teams to participate in tournaments. The children love Joseph because of his fairness and his belief that all kids should get the opportunity to play.
Contact Us
321 - 145 Pacific Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada,R3B 2Z6
x 204-925-5737 A info@masrc.com
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We acknowledge that the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports & Recreation Council Inc. (MASRC) operates on the ancestral lands covered by Treaty 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10, as well as the lands of the unsigned Dakota Nations. These territories are home to the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline, and Nehethowuk Nations, the Inuit in the north, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.
As an Indigenous organization, the MASRC is committed to advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action #87 - 91, which highlight the role of sports and recreation as tools for empowerment and reconciliation with Indigenous communities.
