Gala night: Kamloops Sports Council, Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame celebrate in style

Hewitt’s speech focused on the women in her life who helped her achieve her dreams, including her former coach Sandi Vyse of the Kamloops Long Blades.

“You have been the heart and soul of the Kamloops Long Blades from the beginning,” said Hewitt, who won a silver medal in the 3,000-metre relay at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. “I didn’t think I was going to cry, but …”

Judy Armstrong spoke on behalf of her late husband Glenn, who was inducted posthumously.

“It means so much,” she said. “I’m so proud he’s got recognition. He devoted most of his life to sports and participaction for kids. He would have had a big, long speech tonight. Mine was a lot shorter. He would have been so honoured.”

Nearly every member of the Kamloops Turbulence team that won the B.C. Volleyball Association Provincial Championship in 1980 showed up for induction weekend.

“That’s a long time ago. That’s what sports does,” team member Jo-Anne Loader said. “We never fought. It’s like we just kept on going from where we were. We reminisced, we found out about each other’s families. I’s awesome. It’s truly an honour.”

Umpire Kelly Hunter, a trailblazer for females behind the plate, joined the Hall on the back of her national and international distinction, which includes officiating softball at the 2004 Olympic Summer Games in Athens.

“It’s a great honour to be recognized by your peers,” Hunter said.

The Kamloops Sports Legacy Fund has handed out more than $6.1 million in grants to local sports organizations since 2009.

“We got this letter back from this group two months after we gave it to them saying we’d saved their lives,” Legacy Fund president Brendan Martin said. “Kids went to the gym to play sports instead of running out and doing other stuff. Talking to all the different groups and hearing from all the different people we’ve helped along the way, it hits home.”

Kamloops Sports Council athletic awards were handed out in seven categories: international excellence (world champion hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg), female athlete of the year (lacrosse player Alivia Smigielski), male athlete of the year (curler Matt Dunstone), team of the year (Brown curling rink), coach of the year (diving coach Neil Barrett), university athlete of the year (TRU WolfPack soccer player Esi Lufo) and sports person of the year (Willy Saari).

Additional sports council awards were given to Ohio State Buckeyes’ swimmer Sienna Angove (Excellence Award) and late throws coach Anatoliy Bondarchuk (President’s Award).

A moment of silence was held for late sports broadcaster Rick (The Bear) Wile, who was instrumental in the early development of the KSHF and was its first media inductee.

by Marty Hastings

Gala night: Kamloops Sports Council, Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame celebrate in style

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