The latest batch of
candidates for the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame
is a mix of old and new names.
It's an impressive group that includes a
world champion, an NHL player, a CFL player, an
all-American and Canadian medallists.
Five are candidates for the first time. The
other 11 were on the ballot before, including 10
returnees from last year.
The newcomers are figure skaters Shae-Lynn
Bourne and Joelle Batten-Daigneau, volleyball
coach Dale Lahey, figure-skating volunteer Jane
Saville and the 1987 Chatham McDonald's peewee
baseball team.
One candidate from each of the four
categories will be chosen for induction by Hall
of Fame voters.
The Class of 2008 will be announced July 11.
The annual induction ceremony will be Sept. 11
at the W.I.S.H. Centre.
The candidates are:
Athlete-Modern: Joelle Batten-Daigneau, Shae-Lynn
Bourne, Carrie (Dillon) Carleton and Jamie
Jefferson;
Athlete-Legend: Ron Blommers, Dennis McCord,
Shirley Pilson and Randy Rybansky;
Builder: Dale Lahey, Bill Stobbs, Jane
Saville and Bob Weedon;
Team: 1938 Catholic Youth Organization
juvenile baseball, 1986-87 Chatham Branch 28
Legion bantam hockey, 1987 Chatham McDonald's
peewee baseball and 1997 Chatham Sun-Out
Diamonds senior baseball.
Athlete-Modern
Bourne won 10 Canadian senior ice dance
championships with partner Victor Kraatz. They
captured four bronze medals at the worlds, one
silver and in 2003 became the first North
American dancers to win a world championship.
The three-time Olympians were inducted into
the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 2007.
Batten-Daigneau, who is Saville's
granddaughter, won gold (novice ladies) and
bronze (junior ladies) medals at the Canadian
championships. She twice skated at the senior
national championships, placing seventh in 1992
and 14th in 1993.
Carleton was a multisport star at McGregor
before going to Grand Valley State University in
Grand Rapids, Mich., on a basketball
scholarship. She was a two-time all-American and
was inducted into the Grand Valley Athletic Hall
of Fame in 2000.
Jefferson won Ontario boxing championships at
the junior, intermediate and senior levels. He
also won medals at the Canadian championships
and the Canada Winter Games, as well as Detroit
Golden Gloves titles.
Athlete-Legend
Blommers led Chatham-Kent Secondary School to
its first OFSAA basketball title in 1977. He
also won two Canadian university hoops
championships with St. Mary's and played with
the men's national team.
McCord starred in several sports but excelled
at hockey, making the Chatham Jr. Maroons as a
14-year-old. He played major junior with
Toronto, Kitchener and London before enjoying a
pro career that included three games with the
Vancouver Canucks in 1973-74.
Pilson won numerous New Brunswick curling
championships and competed at the nationals
before moving in the mid-1970s to Chatham. She
twice skipped Chatham Granite Club teams to the
Ontario senior ladies championships.
Rybansky starred as a running back at
McGregor and at Wilfrid Laurier University. He
played three seasons in the Canadian Football
League and went to the 1985 Grey Cup with the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Builder
Lahey won two gold medals and four bronze as
the CKSS head coach at the OFSAA volleyball
championships, plus two more gold as an
assistant coach. He also co-founded the Chatham
Ballhawks volleyball club and coached teams to
medals at the provincial and national levels.
Stobbs has been involved in hockey for more
than 30 years as a general manager, team
executive and league official. He is also a
longtime director with the Ontario Hockey
Association.
Saville volunteered with the Chatham Figure
Skating Club for 55 years. She chaired many
committees and did countless jobs at the
administrative level.
Weedon has been president of the Maple City
Slo-Pitch League since 1978. He is also an
executive member of Softball Ontario and the Slo-Pitch
Ontario Association.
Team
The 1938 CYO Juveniles were the first Chatham
juvenile team to win an Ontario Baseball
Association championship.
The 1986-87 Bantams won the Ontario Minor
Hockey Association and All-Ontario Challenge
banners. They were also chosen by the OMHA to
represent Canada at a tournament in Sweden
during the Christmas holidays.
The 1987 Peewees won the OBA 'AA'
championship to cap a great three-year run. They
were the OBA 'AA' tyke champs in 1985 and the
'A' peewee runners-up in '86.
The 1997 Diamonds won the Ontario senior
elimination tournament and were silver
medallists at the Canadian championship. They
also won their fifth consecutive Western
Counties league title.
