Chatham has produced more than its share of top-flight athletes, but whether they’ve achieved stardom at the national, international, professional or local level, they all have one thing in common.
“Deep down, people love to be recognized by the community they grew up in,” said Harold Gilles, chairman of this year’s Chatham Sports Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremonies.
“Regardless of who we’ve inducted, no matter how big they are, they’re happy as clams to be here. We’ve never had anything but positive experiences.”
Gilles, a member of the hall as a builder, said for many it’s a highlight of their sports life.
“It’s a wonderful night and they’ll never forget it.”
More than 200 people filled the WISH Centre last Thursday to see this year’s inductees: builders Randy Bartlett and Linda Lewis, athletes Marcia Thiesen and Juli Elders and the 1970 Chatham Kent Concretes baseball team.
Linda Lewis has been involved in baseball locally, provincially and nationally. Beginning with Chatham Minor Baseball and working her way through the ranks of Western Counties Baseball, Baseball Ontario, and Baseball Canada. She has held numerous positions in each organization including President of Baseball Ontario in 1995 and Vice-president of Baseball Canada from 2001 to 2010.
Randy Bartlett attended Merlin High School where he excelled at volleyball and basketball, winning three SWOSSAA volleyball championships and two OFSAA championships. He continued his volleyball success at the University of Western Ontario where he led his team to two CIAU championship tournaments. His teaching career took him to Queen Mary Public School, Winston Churchill Public School and Chatham-Kent Secondary School where he successfully coached boys’ and girls’ teams.
Marcia Thiesen was born in Chatham, starred in volleyball and basketball at John McGregor Secondary School, and received a full scholarship to play volleyball at the University of Pittsburgh, a Division 1 school, where she excelled. She then went on to play professionally in Europe, the first person from Chatham to play professional basketball.
Juli Elders was born in Chatham, and attended John McGregor Secondary School where she starred in track and field and basketball. She went on to the University of Manitoba where she excelled in field events, and successfully competed provincially, nationally, and internationally.
She competed as a member of Canada’s National Track Team at the World Student Games in Fukuoka, Japan, where 160 nations were represented and placed 16th in shot put.
The 1970 Chatham Concretes were the first Chatham Senior Team to win an OBA “A” title.
During the season, the Concretes participated in the Essex County Senior Baseball League.
They defeated Oakville, London and Orillia to bring home the championship at the highest level of amateur baseball in Ontario.
Full biographies of the inductees will be posted soon at the Hall of Fame site,
http://www.chathamsportshalloffame.com/
Gilles said the Hall, which is located at the WISH Centre, has inducted more than 80 members. It was founded in the early 1980s, had a period of dormancy in the 1990s but was revived in 1998 and has been going strong ever since.
Gilles said he’s proud of the work done by the committee over the years, especially in its current partnership with the University of Windsor in researching the 1934 Chatham Coloured All Stars, the first Chatham team to win a provincial baseball title.
“We believe we’re doing something good for the community in the area of sports,” he said. “We have a lot to be proud of.”
