World champion and two time Pan Am Games gold medallist pitcher Mike Piechnik is in five softball halls of fame.
“This one is closest to the heart because it’s home and involves all sports in a great sports city,” said Piechnik, who was inducted into the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame with the Class of 2019.
Two-time field hockey Olympian Rob Short echoed many of those sentiments at the induction ceremony Saturday night at the Westin Bear Mountain.
“I bloomed after I began playing at UVic,” said the former national team captain, who represented Canada at the 2000 Sydney and 2008 Beijing Olympics and in two World Cups, five Pan Am Games and four Commonwealth Games.
Joining Piechnik and Short in the induction Class of 2019 were two-time Olympic medallist swimmer Ryan Cochrane and 2008 Beijing Paralympics bronze medallist sailors Stacie Louttit and John McRoberts. “You never think about honours like this when you are competing,” said Cochrane, the most decorated Canadian swimmer, with 22 medals won at the Olympics, world championships, Commonwealth/Pan Am Games and Pan Pacific championships. “It’s special to able to share this with family, friends and old colleagues.”
Also enshrined in the Class of 2019 were Wynn Gmitroski, who coached several Olympians and world championships and Commonwealth Games medallists in middle-distance track, and international figure skating official Susan Morriss, who is off to Mexico today for a competition.
Gmitroski was shocked by a surprise guest. Returning to the Island for the ceremony was Gary Reed, whom Gmitroski coached to a world championship silver medal in the 800 metres and to fourth place in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in maybe the deepest event in world sport.
“We shared so many special moments around the world,” said Reed. “Wynn was passionate and truly cared about his athletes.”
Gmitroski said he had a dream each night this week about athletes he has coached. “It’s surreal to go into a Hall of Fame and maybe it’s your subconscious that comes out,” he said.
Going into the builders category was the Victoria Motorcycle Club. Among the oldest motorized sporting clubs in Canada, the VMC has produced national and international champion riders in its 110-year history.
Alex Robertson was inducted in the media category for his career as CHEK-TV sports director from 1974 to 2003. Robertson covered athletes on the Island from Grant Fuhr to Eli Pasquale among his 14,000 stories.
The Victoria Sports Hall of Fame began in 1991. Plaques honouring the Class of 2019 will join those of the 232 previous inductees on the concourse walls of Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
