Editor’s Note: Six accomplished athletes have been nominated as Orillia’s top athlete for 2017. Over the next several days, OrilliaMatters will profile the nominees. Today, we feature Jack Marwick.
Gutsy. Fast. Dedicated. Respectful. Talented. Each of those words could be used to describe Orillia teenager Jack Marwick, a dynamic lacrosse player who also shone in several other sports last year.
Marwick was the co-winner of one of the Orillia Minor Lacrosse Association’s most prestigious awards at the conclusion of his spectacular season last summer – the Piper Bain Memorial Award. That honour is “given to an athlete that is a team’s most elite and skilled player and who represents what Bain was to his teams: a reliable player with a good attitude who gave all he could every game.”
His coach, Rob McDonald, says that sums up Marwick, a fleet-footed forward that led the team’s power-play unit and anchored its penalty-killing unit. “When we were a man short, he used his speed to grab loose balls and create a fast break … that is where Jack really shone,” said McDonald, who nominated the 14-year-old for the city’s top athletic award.
McDonald said Marwick played the same no matter the score, was a leader on the floor and always had a smile on his face.
“Before every practice, he showed us his dedication as an athlete by crushing workouts, runs, or basic skill drills,” said McDonald. “He led by example and took charge in all drills during practice. At game time, he never shied away from any task. If he was sore or hurt, he kept it to himself. He always kept his head up when games didn’t go our way and was respectful when dealing with the referees.”
While lacrosse is his sport, Marwick also proved his mettle at Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School, where he shone for the school’s volleyball, hockey and cross-country running teams. The speed that helped him as a lacrosse player translated into success as a runner, said his coaches. “Jack is a very talented runner,” said Jeff and Kristi Cole, who coached Fogarty’s cross-country running team.
Marwick placed second at the Georgian Bay Cross-Country Championship and then raced to a 24th place showing at the Ontario Cross Country Championship for midget boys (Grade 9). “Jack persevered through an injury to his neck to achieve these results,” said Cole. “He also participated in many other sports this fall (lacrosse, hockey, volleyball), and performed well in his age group despite not being able to focus his training on running. We believe he has a lot of potential to do very well in the future with healing, as well as training that is more focused on running.”
The athlete of the year is chosen by a nine-member panel of local judges. The award will be handed out during a meeting of City Council Feb. 12. The award was first presented in 1952 after Norm Davis created a trophy for the honour. Past winners include Walter Henry, Gander Ross, Brian Orser, Michelle Brotherton and Ethan Moreau.
