Gayton Family Award in Recreation | 2024-25 Recipients

Robert (Bob) Gayton was a member of the UBC Rowing team and the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, and was President of the Bachelor of Commerce Student Society in 1962. Bob enjoyed the time he spent participating in Intramurals while a student, and created this award to give current UBC Students extra financial support so that they have the time and opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities.

The Gayton Family Award in Recreation was created to recognize UBC Students who have demonstrated leadership, sense of fair play, and active community building through long-standing participation in one or more UBC Recreation programs.

Adjudication, Awards, & Ceremony

Adjudication of the awards was done by a committee made up of Athletics & Recreation Professionals, Student Staff, and Volunteers. Eight (8) awards of $500 was distributed and presented in a ceremony held on Monday, April 7, 2025 at UBC Point Grey Campus.

Check out the event highlights on our Instagram!

Arhum is someone who has been well known to staff and participants alike in our Handley Cup Soccer, Cross Volleyball and SRC Futsal leagues for a long time now. While serving as a captain for many teams, he has also given many hours to officiate in each of these leagues. However, it is not for his service as an official which earned him the nominations of his peers, but rather his continued involvement in the community of Intramural sports through adversity. In November, Arhum suffered an injury that prevented him from participating in each of the aforementioned leagues, but Arhum did not let this stop him from getting involved. Arhum continued to attend each of his team’s games, ensured that they were registered for the next semester, and led them to a first championship this past year from the bench! Arhum also got involved in our para sport games event this year, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to participation in Intramurals programming and building community in every way that he can. Congratulations for all of his work over the past 3 years in our leagues spaces, and for all of his initiative over the past year in particular.

Escribed by each of her nominations as an energetic, committed teammate, stories of Ksenia going above and beyond are too numerous to address in one speech tonight. From her significant involvement in our Women’s and trans women welcome community nights over the past year, to joining in our 3 biggest events of the past year, to her regular participation in FIVE different leagues each semester, Ksenia is ever present in the Intramurals space. Ksenia’s teammates describe her unique ability to make participants of all skill levels and abilities feel welcome. Nominees have been keen to stress that whether it was their first time stepping on to a court, or whether they were a seasoned athlete, Ksenia always made time to make sure they were happy and comfortable in any space they chose to take up in sports. For her work engaging new communities with Intramurals, for her incredible participation record across so many spaces, and for her fantastic presence as a teammate and friend.

Of the 100 nominations which were considered for our adjudications this year, a full quarter of them were for Brian this year. Our adjudication committee received an incredible number of tributes and stories about Brian, but almost all of them revolve around one particular theme; Modelling outstanding sportsmanship and camaraderie to teammates and opponents alike. While it is very common for us to receive nominations for this award from teammates or friends, it is quite rare for us to receive nominations from the opponents of a participant. Brian received 3 separate nominations from his opponents, which is completely unprecedented. Still more nominations describe Brian as the reason for them getting involved, and we have numerous stories of Brian being unafraid to either make a fool of himself, or even to take more time on the bench to make newer participants feel welcome in a particular league. For his well-known work across multiple leagues modelling exceptional sportsmanship, and for his tireless efforts involving others in sport on campus, please join me in recognizing Brian Ang for the fantastic work he has been doing.

Ishraq Joarder is a participant who has distinguished himself as much for what he has done outside of the Intramural space as what he has done inside our spaces. Over the past year, Ishraq has participated in the Ultimate League, Basketball League, Pickleball league, Roundnet League and Storm the wall. His participation record is absolutely remarkable, especially in the context of Ishraq’s ongoing education with the faculty of medicine. Ishraq has also worked tirelessly to expand the involvement of participants beyond Intramurals spaces. Nominees speak of Ishraq’s creation of a UBC spikeball team which travelled to the United States for a tournament, as well as his push to invite teammates to join in with the UBC Pickleball club, all for the purpose of getting his teammates more experience and more joy through their existing sports. Ishraq has clearly distinguished themselves as someone who embraces both the drive to succeed in sport, and the ability to develop lasting friendships and community that his drive to succeed makes possible.

Reid has been nominated for so many community building moments on so many teams that it is difficult to keep track of all his involvements when going through his nominations. A leader of an Ultimate frisbee team, a Longboat team, a Water wars team, a Great Trek Team, a volleyball team, a member of our own Thunderbirds Nordic Skiing sport club, and likely much more, Reid’s 21 nominations all speak to his energy, sportsmanship, and leadership as key components of his personality. Regardless of whether Reid is a captain in title, nominations note his constant and consistent leadership on and off the field for players of all levels and abilities. Nominees describe themselves as feeling lucky to have him as a teammate, and describe him as both the ultimate team player and the perfect example of what community driven participation looks like at UBC. Stories were shared of how Reid once stayed for 2 hours after Volleyball Intramurals to cheer on players that he had never met before, and another story recounts how, in the pouring rain, Reid biked along the Run course at storm the wall to give the strangers participating a boost, participants whom, again, Reid had never met. For these moments, and for his years of dedication to the recreation programs at UBC and the people within them.