Vancouver (BC), Canada – The Canadian Freestyle Ski Association this week announced recipients of its 2009-2010 Canada Post Athlete Awards, based on their performance over the course of the entire competitive season. This year’s Canada Post Athlete of the Year is Jenn Heil, and Canada Post Rookie of the Year is Mikael Kingsbury.nHeil, who hails from Spruce Grove, Alberta and now lives in Montreal, had an incredible 2009-10 season. She earned a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, eight FIS World Cup podium spots –- four of them gold — and finished off the season with an incredible fifth career FIS Crystal Globe in women’s moguls.

The Canadian team’s most recent mogul sensation, 17-year-old Kingsbury, from Deux Montagnes, Que., also had an impressive year. Not only did he take the 2009-10 NorAm Grand Prix, but he was also able to transfer his NorAm success to the world stage where he earned two fourth-place finishes in the last two World Cup events of the season, a remarkable accomplishment for a rookie that didn’t go unnoticed by the International Ski Federation (FIS), which presented him with its Rookie of the Year award.

CFSA High Performance Program Director David Mirota dubbed this year’s winners “the Legend and the Future Star,” adding that they both possess similar traits that make them winners.

“Heil and Kingsbury share a common passion, diligent work ethic and the intrinsic motivation and drive that is absolutely key to turning good athletes into great ones,” Mirota said, explaining that the CFSA selection board chose these athletes, in part, because both of them lead by example with their willingness to go the extra mile in training and in competition.