By Mark Schadenberg
I've been a member of the
induction committee for the Woodstock Sports Wall Of Fame
since the recognition began in 1996 as part of the grand opening of
Southwood Arenas at the Woodstock District Community Complex.
With the idea promoted heavily by both
Dave Nadalin and Phil Poole from city council at the time, the first
plaque paid tribute to Gord 'Stub' Harper.
As Sentinel-Review sports editor at the
time, I recall interviewing two of Stub's children about who he was
and what he meant to the Woodstock sports community as a volunteer and
someone who also donated greatly as owner of the Harper's Sports
downtown store.
On Saturday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. (Doors
open at 1 p.m. for this free municipal event) we recognize seven more
individuals and one team.
The team is the 1974-75 CASS Knights
senior boys' basketball team. Forty years ago they were the second
best high school 'AA' basketball team in Ontario. Then they were 17
or 18 years old, so Saturday marks their 40th reunion with
as many as 60 people associated with that group expected to be in
attendance - players, their spouses, their children and
grandchildren, other family members, and former classmates. It should
be quite a moment to remember.
The wall of fame is all about
remembering and congratulating and saying thanks. Individual athletes
compete for themselves, but quietly also represent their community.
For example, Olympian Catherine Bond-Mills was always introduced as
being from Woodstock. Athletes on a team, compete for themselves but
also obviously for a combined purpose.
Other individuals to be commemorated
Saturday are:
Karleigh Parker (female athlete): OFSAA
gold medalist in pole vault
Steve Kocsis (male athlete): 3-time
OFSAA gold medalist in long-distance running
Doug Shelton (historic): Woodstock's
first NHL player as he was with the Chicago Blackhawks in the
Original Six 1960's.
Ross Moyer (lifetime achievement): Also
a lifetime honourary member of Woodstock Skating Club.
Patrick Sloan (builder of sport): Minor
hockey and high school hockey convener and coach.
Brad Kovachik: NHL linesman who worked
at both the Stanley Cup finals and Winter Olympics this year
Jake Muzzin: STANLEY CUP champion with
the Los Angeles Kings.
In this group, Ross Moyer is the only
person to be recognized posthumously. He was still competing and
climbing on a podium when his daughter was competing, but that was an
era of figure skating when clubs had as many adult members as youth.
For example, Moyer won a silver medal in the Western Ontario
Sectionals in St Catharines in the Veteran's Dance division with a
woman listed on the online 'pdf' (http://www.skating-wos.on.ca/history/1960.pdf) as Mrs Evans. Daughter Lynne Moyer
was third in Novice Pairs at that same 1960 competition. Moyer would be
a club president and qualified skating judge also.
Check out some of the links below, but
this is again a strong class of inductees. The Woodstock Sports Wall
Of Fame is an annual event and the committee welcomes nominations
around the calendar, but the cut off for a particular year is the end
of April.
The 2014 year on the calendar also
marks 100 years since the opening of the Perry Street Arena, which
closed its doors in 1996 when the complex opened. Earlier this year,
the Woodstock Museum created a display to honour both the Perry Street
rink and the Winter Olympics, so the Woodstock Sports Wall of Fame
will also recall a previous era in winter indoors sports – hockey,
figure skating and other happenings at the Perrydome from wrestling
to Warpig (Legendary Woodstock rock band).
LINKS:
http://www.wkusports.com/sports/c-track/mtt/karleigh_parker_845858.html
Mark
Schadenberg, Sales
Representative
Senior
Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)
Royal
LePage Triland Realty
757
Dundas St, Woodstock
(519)
537-1553, cell or text
Email:
mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter:
markroyallepage
Facebook:
Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
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