The selection committee for the 2024 Neil Daffern Award for excellence has nominated Alpine national team member Aurelie Moisan and Snowboardcross team rider James Savard-Ferguson as the recipients of the prestigious accolade for this season.
The pair are the 23rd annual recipients of the Award, which is named in honour of the legacy of Neil Daffern and aims to recognize and provide financial assistance to Canadian riders who have the potential to be among the world’s best in their respective disciplines. In recognition of their outstanding achievements, both athletes will receive a $ 10,000 CAD grant to support their competitive pursuits
Daffern, A pioneer of the sport who is credited with co-designing the first twin-tip snowboard under the BARFOOT name, which paved the way for progression of freestyle snowboarding as we know it today. His legacy has lived on, and through his charity has helped numerous Canadian athletes achieve their goals.
“Receiving the Neil Daffern Award is a privilege that I don’t take lightly. This support will allow me to focus on advancing my skills, train harder, keep competing on a global stage, and achieve my goals. I am so thankful for the belief and encouragement of everyone who has been part of my journey, and I’m inspired to work even harder moving forward!” – Aurelie Moisan
"I want to express my deepest gratitude for this recognition. It is an honor to be acknowledged for my hard work and dedication to the sport. These funds will allow me to focus even more on my growth, return to competition, and progression without the added stress of financial limitations” – James Savard - Ferguson