BC Lacrosse Association President wins Lester B. Pearson Award

Burnaby, BC (May 22, 2007) - Sohen Gill, BC Lacrosse Association (BCLA) President and Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) Commissioner, is the 2007 recipient of the Canadian Lacrosse Association's(CLA) Lester B. Pearson Award. Gill was honoured this past weekend by the CLA Board of Governors during the CLA Semi-Annual General Meeting in Halifax.

Sohen Gill has over 50 years of lacrosse experience in numerous capacities; player, coach, manager, fund raiser, president and fan. This retired Vancouver Firefighter has competed at all levels of lacrosse but found his niche in the management realm over the years.

Gill started his lacrosse days as a youth at Confederation Park in Burnaby when offered a lacrosse stick to play with other youths at the local box. He has coached and managed numerous teams including Kirby's Klippers (Sr. B), Coquitlam Adanacs (Jr. A & Sr. A) and the Maple Ridge Burrards (Sr. A). His highest achievement was winning the Nations in '80 World Box Lacrosse Championships in 1980. He was named as a Builder to the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2005.

On the national lacrosse level, Gill spent 6 years as the CLA Box Lacrosse Sector Chair and has convened over countless National Championships. A BCLA President since 2002, he has helped direct a cohesive unit to achieve the goals of the BCLA Mission. During his tenure, he has experienced great growth of lacrosse and increased development in areas around BC. As WLA Commissioner, he spends countless hours scheduling, coordinating referees and game commissioners, attending meetings and offering advice. A post he's held for 8 seasons.

The CLA Lester B. Pearson Award is awarded to the person in recognition of his unselfish dedication and outstanding contributions of sportsmanship and distinguished leadership to the game of lacrosse and to the physical and mental development of young Canadians.