‘Very proud’: Three young local athletes in running for Sports Illustrated honour

With talent and community support behind them, trio of kids are among top contenders in high-profile competition that offers huge cash prize and national exposure

Liam Leask (at right), in action for the Sault Nationals North soccer club, is in the running to be the Sports Illustrated Kids Youth Athlete of the Year.

1 / 1 Liam Leask (at right), in action for the Sault Nationals North soccer club, is in the running to be the Sports Illustrated Kids Youth Athlete of the Year. Advertisement

Three young Sault and area athletes are competing to be the Sports Illustrated Kids Youth Athlete of the Year.

Sports Illustrated Kids is a bi-monthly spin-off of the iconic monthly sports magazine.

The winner — selected through an online voting process — will take home US$25,000 and be featured in a 3BRAND sports and leisure clothing advertisement in Sports Illustrated.

The three local athletes in the running are:

Liam Leask of the Sault, 11, who swims competitively with the Sault Surge and plays as a forward with the Sault Nationals North soccer team

Miia Finateri, 10, a Sault soccer player who has loved playing the game since she was four

Sophia Borden, 13, of Prince Township who has competed well in equestrian sports

Each of the athletes, under the guidance of parents and coaches, were required to submit photos and a written profile of themselves for the competition.

Online voting is currently in progress to narrow the field down to 20 contestants and ends tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

After that, voting continues in stages to narrow the number of contestants down until the winner is announced Oct. 17.

As of Aug. 6, Leask had received enough online votes to put him in second place while Finateri was in third place and Borden in ninth.

People can cast their vote for any of the contestants for free after verification of their Facebook account.

People can also cast their vote for any of the contestants while also making a donation to the V Foundation for Cancer Research and the Why Not You Foundation.

Founded by Jim Valvano, a U.S. college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster who died of cancer in 1993, the V Foundation for Cancer Research has raised millions of dollars for cancer research.

The Why Not You Foundation, established by Russell Wilson, a professional football player and his wife Ciara, a Grammy-winning singer, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fighting youth poverty and giving children equal access to educational opportunities.

“If I won the $25,000 I would be pretty happy and I'd give some of it back to the Sault Surge, the Sault Nationals North and some to my brother,” Leask told SooToday.

He has competed in several swim meets and won many medals and ribbons in that sport.

“Liam has a very good and kind heart and he puts everything into all he does," said Stephanie Leask, Liam’s mother. "He always tries his best and he tries to encourage and lift up others too. He makes me very proud."

While only 10, Miia Finateri has been committed to playing soccer since first kicking a ball at the age of three.

“From the first time Miia stepped onto the field, I just knew she was an athlete. It wasn't just her skill. It was the way she naturally moved and the determination in her eyes. She has had the same fire ever since,” said her mother, Christina Finateri, in a recent interview with Soo SPACES.

Sophia Borden has excelled in the rodeo sports of barrel racing and pole bending.

Barrel racing involves a horse and its rider running a pattern around barrels in the fastest possible time. Pole bending involves a horse and rider running a weaving path as fast as possible around six poles arranged in a line.

Borden’s success with her horse Cinnamon at the 2024 National Barrel Horse Association finals held in Ancaster, Ontario was previously reported by SooToday.

“My kid is the most dedicated barrel and pole bending rider because she’s out there rain or shine every day,” stated her mother Amanda McGill-Borden.

To view Liam Leask’s profile in the Sports Illustrated Kids Youth Athlete of the Year competition, click here.

Miia Finateri’s profile can be found by clicking here.

Sophia Borden’s information can be found here.

More information about the Sports Illustrated Kids Youth Athlete of the Year competition can be found on the contest’s website.

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