Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame
Kindly provided by http://www.gvshof.ca/
Rob Guenter
There has never been a prafect athlete. But Rob Guenter likely has the word perfect attached to his name more times than most. The Saskatchewan-born fastball pitcher recorded 23 perfect games between 1973 and 1990 and many no- hitters. It's a career mark that earned him admission to halls of fame for Softball Canada, Saskatoon and Softball B.C.
Rob honed his craft on the prairies, growing up with three brothers who also played softball. He joined the Saskatoon K&K Olson's, later the All-O-Matics, in 1973 and as an 18-year old rookie threw three no-hitters in his first season. He faced the powerful Victoria Bates at the national championships in 1973 and 1976, when the defending champs needed a late rally to defeat the yuong ace in the final.
He was one of the country's top pitchers with Saskatoon but enjoyed his greatest success with Victoria. After the Budgets won their fourth Canadian championship in 1978, they picked up Rob for the 1979 Pan-Am Games.There he threw a one-hitter and a perfect game before outduelling legendary Ty Stofflet of the USA for a 1-0, 14-inning, gold medal game victory. Rob moved to Victoria and led local teams to two more national crowns and Canada to a Pan-Am victory in 1983.
Rob's stellar status was solified in the 1983 Canadians, when he threw five games in 24 hours to carry Payless to another national title.
He was named Victoria's male athlete of the year for 1982 and '1983 and in 2003 he took his place in the greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.
Jenny John
When it comes to the sport of field hockey, it's tough to find any roles that Jenny John hasn't played since coming to Victoria from England in 1970. She excelled as a player and also became one of the leading national authorities on the game as a clinican, coach and umpire.
Jenny's playing days saw her quickly become a leader and captain of the 1972 Canadian women's national team. Her three-year stint, in which she also served as coach, ended with a berth in the 1975 World Cup. As a player-coach she guided Team B.C. to national titles on 1974, 79 and 80.
From the day Jenny started teaching and coaching field hockey at Norfolk House School, she has devoted many hours to the development of field hockey around the province and elsewhere in Canada. She has worked with the players, created recreational and competitive programs, put on workshops and written manuals about the game. Considered by many to be the "face of field hockey in B.C.", the Canadian Women's Field Hockey Association honored Ms. John with two achievement awards and their Distinguished Service Award.
Her position as provincial coordinator for women's field hockey, between 1978 and 2000, allowed her to travel the province in support of the game. Her enthusiasm for the sport and the players under her wing was frequently emphasized with the expression "supah!"
That enthusiasm and dedication make her a perfect fit to enter the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame in the builders' category.
Bob Wheaton
Retiring after the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome and having established more than 30 B.C. and Canadian backstroke, butterfly, medley and relay event swimming records, Bob Wheaton left many people wondering what heights he might have hit had he continued in the sport past the age of 18.
Under the guidance of legendary YMCA coach Arcie McKinnon, Bob quickly showed adeptness. At 14 he was convinced to try competitive swimming, and stunned onlookers at the Beaver-Elk Lake swim by winning in a record time.
While he showed heaps of promise, he considered quitting the sport at 15 but stayed to avoid disappointing others. That decision proved a good one, from an accompishment standpoint, as he continued to get the better of experienced swimmers. Emerging as a backstroke specialist, Bob shattered Canadian junior and senior records and at age 16 captured a bronze in the 110-yard backstroke and silver in the 4 x 110 medley relay at the 1958 British Empire Games.
In 1959 he won the Sid Thomas Memorial awards as Victoria's outstanding amateur athlete, while lowering his 100-meter backstroke record and winning relay silver at the Pan-Am Games in Chicago. There was satisfaction and disappointment in Rome in 1960. He helped the men's medley team finish fourth, but a miscalculation in the backstroke semifinal resulted in him missing a spot in the final.
Regardless of that missed oportunity, Bob left swimming on his own terms and is a worthy inductee into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.
Wendy Barlow
She didn't have the height to lend power to her overhand smashes. But Wendy Barlow made up for any physical shortcomings on the tennis court with great mental toughness and a big heart.
Involved with the Canadian national team program for seven years and winner of 12 national titles and many prestigious international matches, Wendy accomplished much in her short competitive tennis career.
She began playing at age 10 in the Victoria Parks program and won her age category that first year. Wendy stepped up her training and tournament play and went on to claim six national junior age titles in four years. When her father 's pro hockey travles took her family to Phoenix, Wendy and her sister Lori's training became an all-year activity.
In her mid-teens she continued to win titles and begann representing Canada on the junior international tour. At 16, and playing under-18, she was rated #3 in Canada. She represented Canada in three Federation Cup matches against the world's best, and competed five years on the WTA pro tour.
Possibly her biggest victories came in 1977, in qualifying for one of eight junior spots into Wimbledon and winning the Canadian women's doubles with Nicole Marois. Wendy realized a life-long dream by winning the Canadian National Championship and the #1 ranking in Canada in 1980.
Wendy was Victoria's Female Athlete-of-the-Year in 1978 and coped off her impressive tennis-playing career at the age of 20.
Eric Jespersen
Eric Jespersen comes from a nautical family, in which sailing is in the genes. From Sidney, B.C he was almost born to water and in 1974 sailed in his first Swiftsure race at the age of 12.
In 1983 Eric crewed aboard the challenger semifinalist Canada I at the America's Cup off Newport, R.I., and was a crewmember and project manager for canada II at the 1987 America's Cup off Fremantle, Western Australia.
Five years later, he and his partner, Ross MacDonald rose to the Olympic podium with a bronze medal in Star class sailing at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Games. Two years after that, they stood on the very top by winning the Star class Worlds championship in 1994.
From the Olympics to the World championships to the America's Cup, Eric Jespersen has made an impact in the biggest sailing events on the planet. He sailed out of Sidney to become one of the greatest sailors in Greater Victoria history and was twice named the Canadian Yachting Association Male Athlete of the Year.
For the son of a respected boat builder, Bent Jespersen, taking to the water was natural for Eric. But what he achieved because of that love of sailing lead him to three Summer Olympics, two America's Cups and a World title. And now to his richly earned place in the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame as one of our cities truly gifted athletes.
Dorothy Wilks
The term "rookie phenom" wasn't around in the early 1950's, when Dorothy Herbertson began her run as the premier woman golfer in Victoria.But "whiz kid" was, and Dorothy fit the moniker to a tee.
After spending several years as an uninvited guest on the fairways next to her home she joined the Gorge Vale Club in 1948 and by the time she was 16 had won the Mid-Island women's title.
The board of her home club must have sensed there was something special about Dorothy, since they named her an honourary life member in 1954 at the ripe old age of 19 and after just seven years of playing the game of golf. That same year, the petite yet powerful young lady had won her second B.C. junior title, first B.C. Amateur women's crown, was second best at the Nationals and named to a Canadian team that played a prestigious match against the British team in Montreal.
While she occasionally took years away from competitive golf to devote time to her young family, Dorothy still managed to excel on the local and provincial levels even into her 60s. In all she collected an amazing 12 B.C. amateur titles and was the first lady to win in all three divisions. Two as a junior, four women's amateur titles, then six senior's crowns during a dominating eight-year strech from 1987 to 1994.
She won Victoria City & District titles 16 times in the women's and senior women's divisions, taking her last one in 1997. Her naming to the Greater Victoria Sprt Hall of Fame in the athlete category follows an induction into the B.C. Golf Hall of Fame.
Ian Bridge
Almost from the time he pulled on a Victoria Maple Buds hockey jersey, Ian Bridge showed a desire to take his love for sports to the highest level.
However, it wasn't to be as a hockey goalkeeper that would give him his greatest accolades. Nor was it his natural talent in basketball or track where his excelence in both helped earn him Victoria High School's outstanding athlete award in 1977 and 78.
It was soccer tha proved to be Ian's favorite, and he played it with flair. As a youth player he was often Lakehill's top offensive weapon, but in the end he earned his reputation as a brilliant defender who could jump into the attack in the blink of an eye.
Between 1976 and 79 Ian played 16 international junior matches with Canada's team, won a Canada Games gold medal with the BC side then trained in Britain with West Ham and played for Maidstone United.
After spending the 1979 season with Seattle as an amateur, he turned pro in 1980. That season saw the Sounders capture the NASL Trans Atlantic cup, thanks in large part to Ian's stifling defensive play.
Internationally Ian was selected to the 1984 Canadian Olympic team that reached the quarterfinals and also had three cracks at the World Cup. His best in scoring twice as a key player in Canada's unbelievable run to the 1986 World finals and finishing as team captain at their 1990 Nations Cup victory.
In all, Ian Bridge played over 100 matches for Canada, 33 of which were full internationals. He wound up his playing career with five seasons in the Swiss pro league and summers in the CSL for his hometown Vistas.
Kathy Shields
When it comes to women's basketball in Victoria and in Canada, for that matter, few names are more familiar than Kathy Shields. Having virtually done it all from a playing and coaching perspective she is a worthy recipient of a spot in the builder's category of the Greater Victoria Sport Hall of Fame.
Her 22-year coaching record with the Unversity of Victoria is legendary when it comes to women's basketball in Canada with eight national titles, numerous Canada West championships and a pair of CIAU coach-of-the-year awards.
Kathy was no stranger to the national university tournament when she guided the Vikettes to their first CIAU crown in 1980. She had already won a Canadian championship as a tough and gritty forward with the University of British Columbia in 1970 and two CIAU titles in 1974 and 75 while playing at Laurentian University in Sudbury.
By the time she took over as head coach for the Canadian women's team in 1993, she had plenty of experience with the national program. She played on the Canadian team throughout her university career from 1970-75 and initially got involved as a coach in 1980 with the junior national program. Kathy coached Team Canada to a bronze medal at the Worlds in 1994.
Her induction into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame marks the second such honour as it follows her installation into the Basketball Canada Hall of Fame.
Ken Shields
Looking back, it was a foreshadow of things when Ken Shields had his first taste of coaching glory in his first season as a co-coach of the 1969/70 UBC Canadian Ladies Championship team. He then switched to the men's game and while guiding Laurentian University through six seasons, he collected his first CIAU Coach-of-the-Year award.
It was a different story once Ken moved to UVic to take on the dual roles of men's Varsity Coach and Coordinator of Athletics for the blue-and-gold. In his first year of the Vikings finished second in Canada West. Soon after things turn to gold fo rthe yuong coach and then came the "Streak".
Between 1980 and 86, the Vikings won ann incredible seven straight CIAU titles. In his 13 seasons at the helm, Ken coached his Vikes to nine CIAU national finals and won three more CIAU Coach-of-the-Year awards.
His involment in basketball didn't end when he bade farewell to UVic. Having worked with the national team program since 1981, he took a greater role as National Team Coach and Program Director guiding Canada to seventh place at the 1994 World Basketball Championships.
Ken's legacies are the creation of a National Coaching Institute at UVic and the development of High Performance Training Centres for rowing, soccer and middle-distance running. He also was a key committee member for hosting the Commonwealth Games in Victoria and founding president of the Commonwealth Centre for Sports Development. Not one to rest on his laurels, Ken turned coaching in the Japanese professional basketball league and then with the Australian national team.
For his dedication to building sports through high level coacing, Ken Shields is rightfully inducted to Greater Victoria Sport Hall of Fame.
Vic Lindal
Known fondly as "Mr. Volleyball", builder category inductee Vic Lindal has been a fixture on the sports scene in B.C. for more than four decades. His vision of creating an environment in where young players can develop a high skill level has helped make B.C. one of the hotbeds for volleyball in the country.
His achievements as a coach are impressive in guiding B.C.-based teams to seven national championships and coaching the national women's team to Canada's first-ever victory over the USA in the early 1970s.
Even more memorable, however, are the contributions he has made to the development of the sport in B.C. The list of organizations he is credited with founding or co-founding over his career includes B.C Volleyball Association, the B.V Boys & Girls High School Associations and, along with son Mark, the Victoria Volleyball Association. As well, he originated the Pacific Rim championships and spearheaded the creation of a Japan / B.C. volleyball exchange program. Along with his coaching and administrative accomplishments, Vic also achieved a National level referee status.
His knowledge of the game and effervescent personality earned him a spot doing colour commentary on television broadcasts with CBC, CTV and TSN. He has worked at four Olympic Games and regularly handles the Canadian Inter-University Sports championship telecasts.
Vic has been recognized for his efforts as a volleyball builder both provincial and nationally by being made a member of the Volleyball Canada Hall of Fame in 2000 and the B.C Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
Robert Foster
At one time a prizefighter of some repute, he had trained Canada's world heavyweight boxing champion, Tommy Burns, in his early days. But Robert Foster made his greatest sporting impact guiding young men in Victoria over the final years of his life.
He had virtually given up boxing when he came to B.C's capital in 1888, Foster - or Robert Hill, as he was born - found his calling coaching local sports. After arriving, the native of Tenby, Wales, he became resident caretaker of Caledonia Park on Niagara St. and was soon ackowledged as a leader in sporting circles as well as a mentor to many young athletes.
Having been involved with celebrated teams in various sports gained Bob a reputation as the "dean of Canadian trainers". Among the notable clubs he trained were the 1894 Victoria Field Lacrosse team, Island and B.C. champion Victoria Wanderers soccer team of 1896 and the Provincial champion Victoria Crimson Tide rugby side of 1899.
Bob's headstone at Ross Bay Cemetery says it all:" AN ATHLETE WHO DEVOTED A RESIDENCE OF 20 YEARS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE YOUNG MEN OF VICTORIA IN THE FORM OF MANLY EXERCISE"
He was affectionately nicknamed "Tulip" and also "the Professor" for his kindly demeanor and analytical approach to games on the field. Tulip's efforts organizing and coaching sports in old-time Victoria gained the admiration of many in the sports and the general community. Now, long forgotten Robert Foster takes his rightful place in the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame as the city's first sports builder.
|
