It is a rarefied and reflective moment for any athlete, coach or builder when a city, province, country or sport honours them with enshrinement into its hall of fame. The range and depth of emotions are often overwhelming as entire careers are distilled into a single point of recognition and reflection.
Gary Reed performed on the Olympic track, Dave Kirzinger in CFL stadiums, Jim Rutledge on golf courses around the world and Patricia Obee and Lindsay Bergen on often-turbulent waters in rowing to the Olympic podium. Those journeys will take them into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame with the Class of 2022 in the induction ceremony tonight at the Delta Ocean Pointe.
“Being from Victoria and proud of being from here, it is a tremendous honour to have a career that is validated in such a way,” said Bergen [nee Jennerich], who won Olympic silver at Rio 2016 and two world championship silver medals in the women’s lightweight double with Obee.
The duo had a steely and unshakable sense of purpose that transcended career setbacks and challenges.
“You have your own awareness of what you’ve achieved, and your family is proud of you, and I’m proud of Obee and she of me,” said Bergen.
“But to have a whole community make a statement such as this, and say what we have done is important, means a lot.”
Rutledge recalled as a kid spending countless hours with his friends on the Cedar Hill Golf Course “living off hot dogs, Cheezies and pop.” It led to winning the Canadian juvenile and junior championships before turning pro at 19 and playing more than 20 years on the Canadian and Asian tours, winning the Indian Open at Delhi in 1995 and New Zealand PGA Championship in 2006. Rutledge played four years on the European Tour before joining the PGA Tour for 2007 and later the PGA Champions Tour. Rutledge also represented sa国际传媒 at the World Cup and Dunhill Cup.
“To have your career recognized by your hometown Hall of Fame is a tremendous honour,” he said.
“Moments like this make you stop and think where you’ve been and all the great courses you played around the world and people you met and friendships you made along the way.”
Kirzinger won two sa国际传媒 high school basketball championships with the Oak Bay Bays in 1973 and 1974 as a bulldozer forward, attributes picked up on Island football fields in bantam and juvenile leagues. That prepared Kirzinger to become the first overall selection in the 1979 CFL draft and led to a standout career with the Calgary Stampeders in which he was three-time Western Conference all-star and three-time Schenley Awards nominee as best CFL offensive lineman.
“More than the achievements in sports, it’s the family, friends and teammates you got to share them with,” said Kirzinger.
Canadian record-holder Reed had the smoothest and most elegant of strides in winning the 800-metre silver medal at the 2007 IAAF world track and field championships before placing fourth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in an event considered the deepest in any Games discipline in any sport.
Reed described his running years in Victoria, from 2002 to 2010, as “vital in my life.”
“This is a huge, meaningful honour because my Victoria days represented the apex of my career.”
Also being inducted tonight is speed-skating champion and builder Brenda Shields Hennigar, who developed a culture for a winter sport in a city not known for ice and snow. She won a total of 11 Canadian women’s singles championships, two in short track and nine in long track, three national all-round championships and brought home 33 Canadian and North American championship medals and set several Canadian and North American records. Shields Hennigar later became a coach and builder in keeping speed-skating thriving on the Island.
Gerry Poulton is being inducted with the Class of 2022 for his 50-year squash career as an athlete and official, triathlon coach Lance Watson for guiding his athletes to gold medals in the Olympics, Commonwealth and Pan Am Games and Ironman world championships in a 35-year career, and Richard Way as a multi-sports builder.
Plaques honouring the Class of 2022 will join those of the 251 previous inductees on the concourse walls of Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
