This past weekend at the AJHL annual meeting nominee Cindy Waronek was presented the Ken Bracko AJHL Executive of the year award.
According to the league, the goal of the award is to recognize an individual who demonstrates outstanding commitment, guidance and support to their franchise. Nominees for the awards shall:
Display leadership at a team, community and league level
Support the AJHL and its members’ initiatives, programs and strategies
Exhibit dedication and service well beyond what is expected
Serve as a Board Member within the member club, including those serving as Governor and President
Cindy exudes all of the above. She is a long time resident of the community. When she isn’t seen in the offices of PCN or NorthFork Oilfield Services that her and her late husband Monte own, she is either with her family or at the Thunder home games visiting with all our fans. Cindy always goes above and beyond and this is what makes her deserving of the award.
Congratulations Cindy!
From the AJHL:
The AJHL was pleased to present Cindy Waronek with the Ken Bracko Award as AJHL Executive of the Year during the annual meeting. Cindy and Monte Waronek served as the principal owners and governors for the Drayton Valley Thunder since 2017. Cindy was nominated for the honour by Thunder President Leighton Grey, “Although Monte was the inspirational face of the franchise, it has become abundantly clear since his untimely passing that Cindy was always the quiet but wise operating mind of the hockey club.”
“Cindy is one of those rare people who does everything, and more than that-does it par excellence. Cindy is the principal owner of the team and serves on our Board. She looks after all of the team’s finances, is chief liaison between our Coach / GM and the Board, she negotiates with the Town on issues as various as ice rental rates, concession operations, and Covid-19 compliance. She attends local Town Council meetings to inculcate support for the Thunder and our youth programs. She manages all of our staff, keeps team statistics at home games, works in our team store, and even serves drinks at the rink during home games.”
“This past season, Cindy spearheaded the drive to achieve one of Monte’s goals, which was to acquire a Team Bus equipped with seatbelts that would safeguard our players and coaches as they travel around AB on wintry roads. That bus is affectionately dubbed Monte’s Express.”
“In addition to all of these efforts on behalf of the team and the community, she has worked as senior manager for a local health care provider throughout the pandemic, and adapted to meeting the challenges of running a multi-million dollar oilfield services company that was the principal concern of her late husband. All of this would be amazing in and of itself; but when you consider that she has continued to be a pillar of the Drayton Valley community and our hockey club despite the loss of her husband, through the crushing grief of losing the man she built her life around over more than 30 years, one can only conclude that this is a truly remarkable human being. In short, she is a true lady who admirably represents the best values and traditions of the AJHL.” Congratulations Cindy!
