2024 Inductees

Michael Forster’s journey into the world of martial arts began when he was just 15 years old. The owner/operator of the Yorkton Martial Arts Training Centre, 32 years later, Master Forster is a

decorated martial artist as he holds black belts in several martial arts, including a 7th degree black belt in TaeKwonDo, a 3rd degree black belt in Haidong Gumdo (which is the art of Korean swordsmanship) and most recently, he recently became the first Brazilian Jui‐jitsu black belt to reside in Yorkton.

Master Forster is well known in the local and provincial martial arts circles, as an incredible leader and a martial arts student and coach. He has dedicated most of his life to martial arts and his students. He

has built a team of 22 coaches and assistants with over 300 years of combined experience. For his

dedication and accomplishments, Master Forster was inducted into the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame as TaeKwonDo instructor of the year in 2013.

The Yorkton Martial Arts Training Centre operates the Abominable Snow Slam tournament for the last

18 years running, an open martial arts tournament uniting local athletes from across the region to

participate in a wide range of events.

Master Forster has been a UTI Team Canada Member in 1998 Birmingham, 2002 Miami and as a cocoach in 2005 Cardiff. He was the 2004 Canadian champion in TaeKwonDo Point Sparring. He has won gold medals at the International TaeKwonDo championships that took place in South Korea in 2015 for board breaking and ITF International TaeKwonDo Forms.

Today, Master Forster dedicates himself to teaching the martial arts to many students. His leadership

and engagement is held in high regard by many as he is known to hold his students to a high level of

training, offering women’s self‐defence classes and bully proof programs. As an example, he has

promoted 19 true martial artists to the rank of black belt.

Nicole’s journey started in 2007 when she joined Skate Yorkton and spent six days a week training. She was identified as an athlete who demonstrated the talent, discipline and maturity to become an elite skater in Saskatchewan. She took every opportunity to develop and improve her skills.

2008 was her first taste at the Provincial level where she earned her first provincial title! She competed in the provincial championships every year after until 2017. 

Her success included:

• 2009 – Second in skate Canada Sask Championship
• 2010 – Provincial pre-juvenile Champion 
• 2011 – Second in Provincial Juvenile and an alternate at the National Skate Canada Challenge Championships. She was recognized and awarded the 2011 Skate Canada Saskatchewan Competitive Athlete of the Year. 
• 2012 – Fourth in the Provincial Pre-Novice and competed at the Skate Canada Challenge in Pre-Novice and in pairs
• 2013 – Third place finish in Provincial Pre-Novice and the Provincial Pre-Novice Pairs Champion, also compete at Skate Canada Challenge as Pre-Novice
• 2014 – Provincial Pre-Novice Champion and again competing at the Skate Canada Challenge in Pre-Novice. 
• 2015 – Nicki skated in the Jeux Canada Games in Prince George, BC and the Skate Canada Challenge as a Novice. She was offered a scholarship with the National Sports School in Calgary where she trained as a pairs skater for 8 months and then moved back to Saskatchewan after an injury. 
• In 2016 she competed as a Junior at the Skate Canada Challenge

Between 2011 and 2017, Nicole represented Saskatchewan at approximately 26 out-of-province competitions as well. 

On top of her skating accomplishments, she participated in cross country, placing in the top three at every meet. She participating in the Saskatchewan provincial track meet after breaking the record in javelin throw at the 2014 East Central District meet, all while maintaining good grades and being a positive mentor within the skating club. 

In 2018 Nicole completed her high school diploma six weeks early and signed her first professional skating contract with Hot Ice Productions. She travelled to the UK and performed as a principal pair skater from May through Sept that year. She has since moved back to Saskatchewan and always makes time to volunteer with Skate Sask for grassroots seminars and with Skate Yorkton's athletes. She coaches powerskating in Yorkton, Churchbridge and Roblin and continues as an active mentor with Skate Yorkton. 

As a school Counsellor at MC Knoll elementary school, Nicole continues to provide positive energy and support to our youth and is an advocate for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital to raise money for life saving research, running in the Million Reasons Run each May.

Lori started swimming at the age of 9, learning how to swim in Lillian Britton’s back yard pool in Rokeby. She then joined the Parkland Synchronized Swimming Club and competed until the age of 13. 

Lori competed at the local, provincial, regional and national levels in swimming seeing much success. 

In her first provincial meet in 1983, she competed in the age 7-9 category earning a silver in her solo swim, a gold in her duet, and gold in the team swim. In 1984, an almost identical result. And in 1985, her solo swim resulted in a gold, duet a silver, and team swim another Gold. She also competed in the Saskatchewan winter games in the 8-10 age group where her solo again earned her a Gold medal and a second Gold for the Team swim. 

In the 1986 and 87 provincials, she earned gold medals each year for both her solo swims and their team swim qualifying Lori to compete as the provincial Solo Champion at the National level. Representing Saskatchewan in Quebec in 1987, she earned a 10th place finish in her solo event. 

By the age of 14, she had advanced as much as she could locally and provincially, so she started to coach for the Parkland Synchronized Swim club until she graduated from high school and moved to Red Deer for nursing school. While in Red Deer, she needed a job while attending school, so she moved a recreational synchro program into Red deer’s first synchronized swimming club and coached there for 5 years before moving to Calgary in 1997.

While in Calgary, she began swimming again for ten years as part of the Calgary Aquamum Masters before again moving into a coaching role. In the year 2000 they took the team international competing in the World FINA Masters Championships in Munich, Germany and have since competed in the event in Sweden in 2010, Riccione Italy in 2012, Budapest Hungary in 2017 and Kagoshima Japan in 2023 receiving medals in each competition in the Team, Trio and Combo events.

Lori has represented her sport with dedication and humility. She has displayed a unique talent as a coach to be able to match music to athletes and inspire them to reach their full potential. Lori continues to give back to the sport and has been part of it for 41 years. She has been recognized with the Volunteer Certificate of Merit award, the 3M Coach Recognition Award, and the athlete of the month on top of the numerous medals. Lori credits synchro and her coach for shaping her into the person she has become.

Getting his start at a young age at the old Langenburg Arena, Ed Zawatsky honed his hockey skills that took him to unparalleled heights with a career that continues to this day. As an accomplished hockey player, Ed Zawatsky’s stats speak volumes about his talents and dedication to the game of hockey. In addition to his illustrious playing career, he has also made significant contributions as a coach and nurturing young talent in the sport, displaying leadership and a strong strategic acumen.

After several years at the local minor hockey level, Ed joined the Yorkton Terriers of the SJHL in 1984 and played three seasons with the club. His achievements were remarkable. In 122 games, he scored 108 times and added 133 assists for 241 points. His 152 points in the 1986‐87 season remains a Terrier individual team record. His 241 career points are tied for the fifth highest in team history.

Following his junior career, Ed earned an NCAA Division 1 scholarship from Colorado College. He played four seasons with the Colorado College Tigers, including winning the Thayer Tutt Award as

the team’s most valuable player in the 1990‐91 season.

Ed then turned professional, and played two seasons with the Erie Panthers of the East Coast Hockey

League, which included a call up to play 14 games in the American Hockey League with the Rochester Americans.

Ed then ventured overseas and played nine seasons in Germany before retiring from playing in 2002.

Making the transition to coaching, Ed began as the assistant coach of the Yorkton Terriers under head

coach Don Chesney. In 2004, Ed took over as the head coach and GM of the Terriers for the next six

years, leading the Terriers to the SJHL championship in his first season, winning the SJHL Coach of the Year honors along the way.

The following season, the Terriers repeated, winning the league pennant in the regular season, the

league championship, the Anavet Cup over the MJHL champions, and the right to play in the national

championship, known as the RBC Cup at the time. The Terriers would go all the way to the national

final, falling to the Kyle Turris‐led Burnaby Express, but winning the national silver medal.

During his time coaching the Terriers, Ed was also the head coach for Team West at the 2006 CJHL

Prospects Game, the head coach of Team Saskatchewan at the inaugural WHL Cup in 2009, and the head coach of Team Saskatchewan at the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax. Ed has also coached minor hockey in Yorkton, coaching back-to-back provincial championship teams, including representing at the Quebec PeeWee tournament in 2012. 

Ed spent six years with the Pursuit Hockey Academy in Kelowna before returning to Yorkton to coach the Yorkton Maulers of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League for two seasons. Notable NHL draft picks Ed has coached include Jake Neighbours (drafted 26th overall in the 2020 NHL draft by St Louis), Connor McClennon (drafted in the 6th round by Philadelphia), Jack Finley (drafted 57th overall by Tampa Bay), and Luke Prokop (drafted 73rd overall by Nashville).

This past summer, Ed was named as the EHC Straubing Tigers U13 head coach in Germany.