Carey Ashton
- Team Name: Mcgill Redbirds, NDG lynx
- Sport: baseball
- City: Montreal, Montreal, Quebec
- Nominated By: Alex Carmel
- Added: November 15, 2009
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Carey Ashton is the most devoted, dedicated coach i have ever heard of. He has been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy a long while ago, but he continued to coach anyways. He has been in a wheelchair because of the disease for about 8-10 years. Now, he's 50 years old and he still coaches the NDG lynx all-star baseball team as well as the Mcgill Redbirds, a university team. a little about Ndg: The first of two teams Carey coached, he did so for 6 years. before then, NDG hadn't won a provincial championship, but during the 6 years he coached this team, he earned 4. He still has very good relationships with everyone on that team, as well as their parents. Now, he's coaching my team, and this is the second year we are going to have Carey as our coach. Ever since last year (when he started to coach us) our team has had a level of discipline, skill and fun that we've never experienced before. Last year we went to the nationals in B.C after winning the provincials (and we were the underdog team!), and this year our expectations are even higher. Carey didnt miss a single game last year, and apparently not even during the 6 years with the other team either. And while all this is happening, Carey Ashton is also coaching the Mcgill Redbirds also. Carey's condition is very tough, and it gets worse in the winter. He amazes the people he's known for all his life: can you imagine the effect he has on everybody else? I think Carey is the ultimate coach in terms of everything: vast knowledge of the game of baseball, great passion for it too, determination, kindness and the strictness every once in a while that you need. Carey Ashton is the kind of person you want as a coach, a friend, a mentor.
nielsen
I have known Carey for over 30 years now. He has been the most pivotal person in my life. His attitude toward life and its challenges has made me the person I am today. His positive approach to everything has given me the inspiration to persevere in the face of many difficult issues, and I know he has done the same for every person who has been fortunate enough to have been in his presence.
jalloh
carey thanks a lot for what you'e doing for the kids in NDG, and my two boys Alpha and mamudu loves you a lot and they keep talking about you.
Lafferty
Power to the men and women who coach and give of themselves. Carey i applaud how you guide and inspire your team. GO CAREY GO !!!!
Pryce
Hello Carey, Really good to see your picture in the gazette again. I still have the your writeup from last year. I'm really proud to know you and you've done more to help other people than anybody else that I've ever known from the Westend. You are a good example of someone who wanted to do something and did it regardless of conditions. Next summer I would like to get a schedule of your games and maybe attend a few. We have a large baseball field 200yds. from our house and you have probably played there. It is situated at the swimming and baseball complex at the Dorval Circle. We live just up the street (299 Ferndale Crescent ). Hope to see you sometime in the near future. I'm going to contact some people and ask them to vote for you.
Choquette
carey, your a great person and a wonderful coach, no matter who wins this competition, we all know your number one!! good luck! you deserve it!!
primeau
carey was the best coach my son ever had,jesse learned alot from carey,like i am sure alot of other kids have. He has alot of spunk in him, me and jesse think he should win,there is no better man for this award. We love you carey
D'Alessandro
The Redbird family changed forever in the most positive of ways the day that Carey Ashton accepted the invitation to join our coaching staff. Not only is he a wealth of baseball knowledge, he understands that at the end of the day we are all there for far greater reasons than winning baseball games. The life lessons we all learn from the time spent with one another on and off the ball field are ones that I cherish and will make good use of forever. I thank Carey not only for being the coach that he is, but the person that he helps us be. He truly is an inspiration to all of us.
Bonner
As a former McGill Redbirds player, I feel very lucky and blessed to have played for Carey. In addition to providing the team with great inspiration through his dedication to the team and character, Carey helped make the game of baseball more fun for his players, which I feel is the most important gift a coach can give to his players.
Ashton
I am very proud of my cousin Carey! His determination and drive is to be admired. My son and a grandson have the same Muscular Dystrophy as Carey so I know he is an inspiration for others to carry on and fullfill thier dreams and passions. You are a wonderful example of a person living life to its fullest!
Labrosse
Never mind the numerous championships, the trophies and medals won over the years, I have seen enough over the last year or two to say that ALL of his past and present players unanimously say that he made them a better person, a better human being! How many times have I seen a former player giving a testimony about how much Carey mean to him, how he made a kid enjoy what he was doing on a daily basis at the park, etc. He has the ability to press the right buttons to inject a dose of confidence in all the kids he has coached. Many of his former players show up to teach the next generation of players because of Carey. That to me is the sign of an inspirational leader. Isn't this what you want the coach of your child to have? As a parent, I feel privileged to have Carey coaching my son. In a sport of failure like baseball, he turns failure into opportunity to get better and the kids totally buy into it. All I can say is that there are several excellent coaches throughout Canada and I wish them all luck in this contest, their effort is really appreciated by parents like me. Considering Carey's condition, it is a remarkable feat that he does all of this while being affected by his illness. I suspect that coaching and the contact he has with his players, as demanding as it might be considering his conditions, does fuel this man's drive and I sure hope he wins this contest so that ore people know about his incredible coaching journey.