Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame honours two local athletes

Beaton is a member of the Lethbridge Judo Club and was just 14 for most of the 2019 season.

Her victories in the -44 kg division included the Under-18 National Cadet Championship, the Canada Winter Games, the Edmonton International Under-18 competition, the Open National Championships at the Canada Cup. Additionally, she earned a silver medal at the Pan American Under-18 Championships, a bronze at the Thuringia Cup in Germany and qualified for and competed at the Cadet World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

In late 2019, she moved up to the senior division and won her first championship at the Ontario Open Senior Canadian Circuit in Toronto.

She started 2020 with a win at the Canadian Cadet Championships in both the U18 and senior divisions in January, helping the Lethbridge Judo Club win its second-straight U18 Canadian Club of the Year title.

“I am very proud of my 2019 season but it would not have been possible without the support of my coaches and all of the hard work that me and my teammates put into our training daily,” Beaton stated in a release from the Sports Hall of Fame.

“Judo is an individual sport, but we can not achieve anything without our team. I am still very young and there is a lot of hard work ahead of me if I want to keep improving. I would like to thank the Lethbridge Judo Club, the Kinsmen and Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame for recognizing my achievements.”

NICO PASQUOTTI

24-year-old Nico Pasquotti was a member of Cavalry FC in Calgary for the inaugural season of the Canadian Premier League, which is Canada’s top professional soccer league.

In both halves of the regular season, the team finished at the top and placed second in the CPL playoffs. In 23 games, Pasquotti scored five goals, which had him tied for fourth on the team and 18^th in scoring in the entire league.

His impressive play earned him the right-wing position on the CPL’s “Team of the Year”.

Before making it pro, Pasquotti played soccer for both the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns and Lethbridge College Kodiaks. He re-signed with Cavalry FC in the summer and recently wrapped up his second season with the team.

“This past year has really been a great experience and I have learned a lot of things, which I hope is only the start of things to come,” he said.

“My first professional season has given me the confidence to push even harder in effort to make it to the next level. I know the countless hours of training and hard work that I put in to being the best I can be, but it’s great knowing and feeling the community I grew up in recognize it as well. The support from the community, my friends, and peers means a lot. My family’s support is everything and I wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”

The Kinsmen Sports Persons of the Year honours have been awarded annually since 1995.

“What both Nico and Evelyn have achieved at such early stages of their careers is truly remarkable,” said Dave McMurray, Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame chair.

“Both athletes call Lethbridge home and have proudly represented our city while competing on some of their sports’ biggest stages. They are carrying on a great tradition of exceptional athletes who have come out of our city.”

More on the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame can be found here.

by Justin Goulet

Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame honours two local athletes

What's Happening