2024 ACAC Curling Coach of the Year
Edmonton, AB (February 22, 2024) –
Curling Coach of the Year | Karynn Flory-Simmons | NAIT Ooks:
The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is proud to announce Karynn Flory-Simmons of the NAIT Ooks has been named the ACAC Curling Coach of the Year.
Karynn Flory-Simmons has been a part of the curling community for over 20 years, many of those spent competing in provincial and national events at the junior, collegiate, and ladies' levels. For four years, she traveled to elementary schools across Northern Alberta, introducing students to the sport of curling. While assistant managing at the Avonair Curling Club, she brought elementary and junior high students into the rink for learn-to-curl events and co-hosted adult learn-to-curl clinics.
Flory-Simmons spent four years playing for NAIT curling, medaling in all four ACAC Provincials and CCAA Nationals, including one Provincial Championship. In 2021, she took over the reins as the Head Coach of the Ooks. Under her guidance, two or more NAIT curling teams have placed at each Championship showing, with the NAIT Ooks men's team punching their ticket to the CCAA Nationals in the 2022-23 season.
"We are so proud of Karynn for earning this award. She put in a lot of time organizing NAIT Curling and navigating the challenges of finding a new curling facility for her team to train and host the ACAC competition this past season. It is a pleasure to have her as our curling coach, and we would like to congratulate her on receiving this special honour," said NAIT Athletics and Recreation Director Jordan Richey.
This prestigious award will be recognized at the 2024 ACAC Curling Championship hosted by SAIT in Calgary, Alberta.
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About the ACAC: The ACAC is the governing body for intercollegiate athletics in Alberta. Its mission is to provide competitive collegiate sport experiences, promote academic achievement and be a leader of sport development in Canada.
For more information on the ACAC, please visit our website: www.acac.ab.ca
For additional information, contact:
Mark Kosak, Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference
Chief Executive Officer
403-875-7329
markk@acac.ab.ca
Jordan Richey, NAIT Ooks
Athletic Director
780-914-4348
jrichery@nait.ca
Kayla Blacquiere, Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
kaylab@acac.ab.ca