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Coach’s legacy will live on

Coaches can now apply to Jamie Shaw Fund for learning opportunities
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The F.H. Collins Warriors celebrate winning the 2018 Jamie Shaw Memorial Tournament. Sport Yukon announced May 1 it is accepting its first round of applications for a Jamie Shaw Memorial Fund that will be made available to coaches. (John Hopkins-Hill/Yukon News file)

Two years after Jamie Shaw’s death, his legacy as a dedicated coach committed to furthering the athletic careers of many Whitehorse youth and continued learning for coaches is living on through the Jamie Shaw Memorial Fund.

Sport Yukon announced May 1 it is accepting its first round of applications for funding that will be made available to coaches.

“We’re excited to give back,” Jordan Shaw said in a May 7 interview.

Jordan is Jamie’s brother and he said the fund is a way to honour his brother while also giving back to the territory that has offered so much support since Jamie’s death.

Jamie was the athletic director at F.H. Collins Secondary School and coached numerous local teams in a variety of sports. For the past two years, the Jamie Shaw Memorial basketball tournament and private donations have raised money for the fund.

As Sports Yukon stated in its announcment: ” We will strive to honour Jamie’s commitment to life long learning by providing financial support to to individuals who have passion for sports and leadership. We will be directed by Jamie’s words ‘it’s not the result that is the big picture, it’s how hard you try and the effort you put into everything.’”

The funding will be doled out in three ways beginning with $1,500 that will be made available to coaches to access learning opportunities. Applications for that are currently being accepted until May 25.

Another $1,500 will be available to athletes ages 14 to 24 to offset training costs. That could go to helping athletes attend training camps, tryouts, competitions, or coaching opportunities.

Sport Yukon executive director Tracy Bilsky said originally the athlete fund was set to be the first to be available; however, that changed with COVID-19. Applications for that funding will likely be accepted in the coming months when there is more certainty about what opportunities are set to be available.

Bilsky said it was always important for Jamie that athletes be able to challenge themselves, go out of their comfort zone and take opporutnities where they could.

“He was about expanding their world,” she said, noting this fund will help many athletes do just that.

Finally, the fund will also make a $500 bursary available for student athletes in financial need.

Applications and details on the fund are available at www.jamieshawmemorialfund.com

Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com



Stephanie Waddell

About the Author: Stephanie Waddell

I joined Black Press in 2019 as a reporter for the Yukon News, becoming editor in February 2023.
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