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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Alicia Norris was presented with the Sport North Federation youth female athlete of the year award at a banquet in Yellowknife on May 23.

Norris, 12, said she was surprised to be nominated and chosen for the award.

Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche presents Alicia Norris with the youth female athlete of the year award. James McCarthy/NNSL photo

"I was so happy. I was like overwhelmed," said Norris, who resides in Fort Simpson.

The award was in recognition of Norris's accomplishments over the past year, which include being the first cadet from the Northern Region to win a medal at the National Cadet Biathlon Championships.

Norris not only won a bronze medal in the junior female 4.5-km mass start race but also went on to win a silver medal in the junior female pursuit race in Valcartier, Que., in March.

Norris also gathered medals in other sports during the year. In 2008 she placed first in the bantam girls' 400-, 800 -and 1,500-metre races at the NWT Track and Field Championships, a performance she repeated last week by winning the same events. In soccer the team Norris plays on came first in their division in both the Elks Outdoor Soccer Tournament in Hay River and the Rock Around the Clock tournament in Grande Prairie, Alta. She also posted two first place finishes at the Calforex Cup Biathlon races.

Although she's proficient in many sports, biathlon is Norris' favourite.

"There's always something new to work on," she said.

Biathlon wasn't Norris's first sport. She was competing in cross-country running and also track and field in Hay River, where biathlon coach Pat Bobinski spotted her.

"He convinced me to try biathlon in Hay River," Norris recalled. "I went to the practice and just started doing it."

The common link among all of Norris's sports is running, something she enjoys. To keep in shape Norris runs on a regular basis either outside or on a treadmill. To prepare for a race Norris runs every second day on a treadmill for a month in advance.

Norris said it's hard to describe what keeps her motivated.

"It's just fun," she said. "It's a good feeling after you run."

Norris' long-term goals include continuing to challenge herself and compete in her sports.

The Sport North Federation awards provide an opportunity to recognize the outstanding accomplishments in sports of athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers during the last year, said Gail Nesbitt, the marketing co-ordinator for the federation.

An awards committee composed of volunteers from the sports community ranks the nominations and the person that stands out is given the award, Nesbitt said. Norris's accomplishments brought her to the panel's attention in the youth, under-16 category, Nesbitt said.