Sport: Curling

Heidi returns for her fifth and final season as a member of the highly successful Humber Hawks women’s curling team. On the ice, she is a two-time CCAA National silver medalist, with these two performances coming in back-to-back seasons. She has filled many positions on the team, a true credit to her versatility and approach to team success.

In the classroom, Heidi excels. She has graduated with honors from the Early Childhood Education Degree Program at the University of Guelph Humber and is currently enrolled in the post-grad program Advanced Studies In Special Needs. This past year, she was honored as an OCAA Provincial Academic All-Star, CCAA National Academic All Canadian, and was recognized as a CCAA National Scholar.

This combination of both incredible athletic success and a well above-average performance in the classroom certainly makes her a very worthy winner of the 2016 Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame Scholarship.

Kateryna Tepylo’s past curling season has the essence of a Cinderella story. Her team’s fourth place finish in the OCAA Championships shouldn’t have earned the Hawks a berth at the national championships. But thanks to a last minute drop out the Hawks had their chance to prove their talent. Like all good Cinderella stories there is a happy ending. Tepylo and her squad went from fourth seed in Ontario to second best team in the country as CCAA National silver medalists. Her academics are equally as impressive. Tepylo is a perennial honour roll student and junior in the Bachelor of Creative Advertising program. She is also one of 25 W. Garfield Weston Scholars in all of Canada that recognizes students who are passionate about their field and committed to making a difference in their community and society.

Looking forward, Tepylo said she is working towards another trip to Nationals with the Hawks and representing the province in the Ontario Junior Curling Tour, where she has been competing since 14 years of age.

Genevieve Bernier has been a driving force for the Hawks curling team.

Bernier’s talent as a vice has taken her all over Ontario to play at the highest level possible. “I started out at York Curling Club, and played in Oakville and went all the way to Ottawa,” Bernier said. “I went where the good curling was.”

Her determination transfers over to academics where she’s already graduated from Humber’s personal support worker program and is working on a diploma in practical nursing.

Bernier has her sights set on a career as a nurse or in long-term care in geriatrics.