Dawson Creek dancer, 12, progresses to next round of online contest

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — A young Dawson Creek Dancer has advanced to the next round of an online competition for a chance to grace the pages of Sports Illustrated.

Dawson Creek resident Addison Webb is in the running for the Youth Athlete of the Year award, an online competition which carries prizes of $25,000 and a chance to appear in a 3Brand advertisement in the sports magazine.

With a spot in the top 15 on the line, Webb currently sits in first place in her group of 20 with just a couple of days left to vote.

Webb’s mom Paige Healey wrote a Facebook post about her daughter, who she says dedicates at least seven hours a week to the dance studio and competes in events including in disciplines such as jazz, lyrical/contemporary, tap and hip hop.  

Healey told Energeticcity.ca her daughter first took up dancing at three years old with traditional ballet and was hooked thereafter.

“After that first year, she wanted to join every genre,” said Healey. “She has been in every genre since.

“She was about eight years old when she [started competitive]. Because [it was] during Covid, it was all virtual. It was a very weird time.”

The 12-year-old, through her mom, said she “loves competing in front of a stage.”

Away from competition, Webb has made significant contributions to the community in her young life, a trait Healey says comes from her family, who “all played a part.” 

She cut her hair in 2019 to donate her locks to cancer patients to make wigs in order to make a “small, but positive impact.”

Webb also helped to fundraise for new tap flooring at her local dance studio, with her chocolate sales efforts being recognized as the top seller and generating $3,000, according to the post.

Webb also finds ways efforts to honour her Indigenous heritage. Through her parents, she has roots with the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, Kwanlin Dun First Nation in the Yukon and Muskowekwan First Nation in Saskatchewan.

In the summer of 2021, she founded a small lemonade stand, with proceeds in memory of lives lost and residential school survivors.

Receiving support from as far away as the United Kingdom, she raised $1,550. Webb donated the cash to the Nawican Bergeron Youth and Cultural Centre for its youth programs and school supplies for families in need.

Continuing each summer since, Webb has donated another $550 to the centre for community meals and to support Nawican’s emergency homeless shelter.

Her efforts saw her recognized as 2021 Dawson Creek Youth of the Year as a nine-year-old.

“She’s been exposed to a lot [of] the hardships in the community since she was very small,” said Healey. 

The Youth Athlete of the Year is an online competition that raises money for two charities: the V Foundation, a charity founded by the late Jim Valvano dedicated to cancer research, and Why Not You Foundation, a charity founded by National Football League quarterback Russell Wilson and wife Ciara dedicated to fighting poverty among youth through education.

After each round, videos are unlocked to support and guide the hopefuls, offering words of encouragement. 

After cracking the top 20, Webb watched a video featuring Olympic volleyball player Haleigh Washington. If she manages to crack the top 15, another video will be opened.

“She’s kind of overwhelmed thinking about it,” said Healey. “[But] she’s very excited to see where this can take her and how far she can go in this competition.”

Residents have until August 14th to vote for Webb to make it through to the next round of eliminations.  

To register a vote, visit the Youth Athlete of the Year website.