Emcy Award Winner

Sport/Fitness Award

Rick Engel has taught English in China for two years, and has since been traveling to south east Asia for 20 years - which is where he first came into contact with Sepak Takraw (Kick Volleyball). He developed and piloted a hands-on Asian Cultural Presentations Program and then founded a Saskatchewan provincial cultural association "Asian Sport, Education & Culture (ASEC) International", whose mandate has been to "Build Bridges of Understanding Between Cultures" through four main programs, including Sepak Takraw, School Asia Presentations & Exchange, Asian Materials/Resources Development and Asian Language & Arts. To date Rick has been involved in conducting diversity and Sepak Takraw Clinics to over 35,000 students across the country. Rick also helped establish, and is President of the Sepak Takraw Association of Canada, which is the organizing and governing body of this new sport in Canada. His efforts have seen the sport grow from nothing to now coming into more than 1000 schools across Canada, with an estimated 100,000 students having now participated in playing the game at various levels, including at provincial and national championship tournaments. Rick has also been a player/coach of Canada's national team, leading them to 8 world championship events and 3 culture/training camps in Laos, Thailand and Malaysia since 1999. Recent local initiatives have also seen Rick helping young newly settled "Karen" refugees get involved in Sepak Takraw, with tremendously positive personal, social and education benefits for these youth. He is also an internationally certified Coach and Referee. He has authored 3 Sepak Takraw books and produced 5 videos for the sport. Rick is considered one of the key pioneers in the promotion and development of Sepak Takraw world-wide. Amazingly, much of what Rick has accomplished for diversity and the sport of Sepak Takraw has always been and continues to be on a volunteer basis.