Susan Butt of North Saanich, who had her rarefied moment on the famed grass courts and made it to the third round of Wimbledon in 1961, is headed to the sa国际传媒 Sports Hall of Fame with the induction Class of 2023.
The Victoria-raised former tennis player captained sa国际传媒’s Federation Cup team three times in four appearances between 1967 and 1972. Considered one of the best Canadian female tennis players of the 1960s, Butt was national women’s singles champion in 1960, 1961 and 1967 and six-time sa国际传媒 champion.
Also to be enshrined in the Class of 2023, which was announced Tuesday, is Wynn Gmitroski of Victoria, who coached the golden generation of Island middle-distance runners.
With his keen running insight and leading-edge methods, Gmitroski guided several Olympic, world championship and Commonwealth Games medallists from the Island, including Angela Chalmers, Gary Reed and Diane Cummins.
Also being inducted is former blue-liner Dennis Kearns, who spent his entire 10-season NHL career with the Vancouver Canucks; Super Bowl-champion, 14-season NFL kicker/punter and two-time Pro Bowl selection Mitch Berger of Delta; Winter Olympics ski-cross gold- and silver-medallist Kelsey Serwa of Kelowna; former national team softball star and Pan Am Games-medallist Mary-Anne Walz of Port Coquitlam; basketball Olympian Deb Huband of Vancouver; three-time Paralympics wheelchair basketball gold-medallist Jaimie Borisoff of New Westminster; and Paralympics multi-medallist swimmer and former president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee Carla Qualtrough, current Delta MP and cabinet member as federal minister of employment.
Dr. Brian Day is being inducted for sports medicine and former radio Sportstalk host Dan Russell in the media category. The 1971 Tasker brothers-led Minto Cup national Junior A lacrosse champion Richmond Roadrunners and Troy Stecher-led 2012 RBC Cup national Junior A hockey champion Penticton Vees are being enshrined in the team category.
The induction ceremony is in June at the Vancouver Conference Centre. The Class of 2023 will join the previous 442 individuals and 67 teams inducted in the sa国际传媒 Sports Hall of Fame located at sa国际传媒 Place.
