Wednesday, July 25, 2018
The Belleville Sports Hall of Fame-2018
From my
vantage point here on the north shore of Lake Ontario, I am able to
enjoy sports from around the world through my television. I am also
able to witness many sporting events each year, due to our proximity
to great sports venues in our area. In my travels, I have seen fine
athletes plying their trade on other continents. There are important
halls of fame throughout the world, places where athletes and
organizers are recognized for their efforts. There is one in Prince
Edward County, and another in Belleville.
James Hurst, Bobby Hull, and Arty Hurst
When Bobby
Hull was inducted into the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame, he stated
a few words that stayed with me. “ I have been inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame, and various other halls of fame. I have received
recognition from many agencies and countries around the world. But
none of these is as important as being recognized by your home town
folks, by the people you grew up with. That is why I am here today.”
Since that
time many other people from a variety of fields of sport have been
recognized in Belleville. The latest crop of inductees was announced
the other day, and they will be inducted on Saturday, September 15th,
at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre, the home of the Belleville
Senators.
The
Belleville Sports Hall of Fame opened its doors in 1987. It was the
brainchild of Paul Kirby, a local write and historian, currently in
the publishing business in North Hastings. I served on the committee
along with Drury Denyes, Denis Newman, and Fred Brooks. Since that
time, hundreds of worthy athletes have been inducted into the Hall.
This year's
induction ceremony takes place at the Quinte Sports and Wellness
Centre (the place where the Bulls played) on Saturday, September 15th
at 1:00pm. It is always a good opportunity to meet with old friend,
and to share a story or two with the inductees.
Brian Price
is a most worthy inductee. The County resident for many years, he was
the rowing cox in Beijing when the Men's Eight team won the Gold
Medal, and in London when they won the Silver Medal. He was afflicted
with a form of cancer as a child, but overcame that obstacle to
become the best in the world in the big boat.
Dennis Stark
graduated from Quinte Secondary School, and received a scholarship
from East Tennessee State. While there, he gained All American
honours in1981, 1982, and 1983. He also set records at the Canada
Summer Games in the 1500 and 5000 metre events.
Andrew
Raycroft played his OHL junior hockey in Ontario, after graduating
from the minor hockey system in Belleville, and some time with the
Wellington Dukes. He was drafted by the Boston Bruins, and in 2004 he
won the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year in the NHL. He moved
on to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, establishing a team record
for the number of wins. He finished his 280 game NHL career in
Colorado.
Drew Ross
made his impact on the sports world on water skis. He had a
successful career as a member of the Canadian National team, and won
several medals at the Pan American Games.
1n 1966,
Terry Wellesley, Harold Townsend and Grant Vandervoort formed the
backfield of the Quinte Secondary School football team. They won the
Bay of Quinte title, then the COSSA championship. He played his
college ball at the University of Colorado and at Texas Tech. In
1970, he broke into the CFL with the Ottawa Rough Riders. He won a
Grey Cup in 1973. He played two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger Cats,
and retired in 1976.
The 1988
Belleville Enright Midget Girls Softball team won the Provincial
Championship in 1988. They went on to play in the Canadian
Championship in New Brunswick, winning silver medals.
Finally, the
last name on the list is yours truly. In a recent column, Paul
Svoboda wrote in The Intelligencer that I am “older than dirt”. I
suppose that longevity can have its rewards.
Hope to see
you there!
# posted by James Hurst @ 9:03 AM 
