29er team of Laura Eisenhauer and Freida Smith win Sail Canada Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Awards

The 29er team comprised of Laura Eisenhauer and Freida Smith as well as Valentino Blewett win Sail Canada's Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Awards © Sail Canada

Sail Canada announced today that the 29er team comprised of Laura Eisenhauer and Freida Smith, both from Halifax, N.S., and that Valentino Blewett from Whistler, B.C., have won Sail Canada's 2025 Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Awards.

The Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Award is given out annually to two Canadian athletes/teams of different gender identities. The award recognizes sailors who are 18 years old and under and have shown a record of outstanding achievement in national and international youth competition, have brought recognition to Canadian competitive sailing, have set an example for other youth competitors through behaviour and manner, and have demonstrated leadership and sportsmanship.

Nominations were evaluated based on a time period ranging from January 1 to December 31, 2025. During that time frame, Laura Eisenhauer and Freida Smith won the gold medal in 29er at Sail Canada's Youth Championships, as well as a silver medal at the 2025 Canada Summer Games.

The first time they took part in the Youth World Sailing Championships, in 2025 in Vilamoura, Portugal, they took the 17th position overall in the 29er class.

"We are honoured to be named the 2025 Sail Canada Youth Female Athletes of the year," said Laura Eisenhauer and Freida Smith. "Over the past three years sailing together, we have put focus and commitment into achieving excellence on the water, and this award is a meaningful reflection of our dedication. We would like to thank all of our supporters, specifically our families, coaches, and community at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron and Lunenburg Yacht Club. We are proud to have the privilege of representing Canada on the international stage."

IQFoil athlete Valentino Blewett on the men's side

The male award went out to Valentino Blewett, who started the 2025 campaign with a 28th-place finish out of 149 participants at the iQFoil Youth and Junior World Championships held in France. He then came up with the 30th position out of 95 sailors at the iQFoil U23 World Championships, and subsequently ended his season with an outstanding performance at the iQFoil Youth and Junior European Championships, where he finished in fourth place overall out of 100 athletes.

"I am really grateful for this award, and I want to thank everyone who helped me achieve it," said Valentino Blewett.

Additional information on the Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Awards is available at www.sailing.ca/bill-burk-memorial-youth-elite-award-past-winners.