It was an exciting night for community sports as the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame, at the Poirier Sports & Leisure Complex, honoured a variety of athletes, coaches and team/community builders at its first ever induction ceremony. Inductees into the Hall include: Craig Forrest (soccer), Lars Hansen (basketball), Christine Larsen (synchronized swimming), Kelley Law (curling), Ljiljana Ljubisic (track & field), Lui Passaglia (football), Mike Reelie (lacrosse), and Chris Wilson (wrestling) in the Athlete's category. Dan Doyle (high school sports), Susan Kemper (synchronized swimming), Gordon Welbourne (baseball), and Les Wingrove (lacross) were inducted in the Builder's category. And finally, the 1966 Centennial Centaurs and the 1980 Coquitlam Adanacs were inducted in the Team's category.
Also included in the Hall, is an honorary Wall of Fame, in which the best athletes, coaches and volunteers of the previous year are recognized. Coquitlam Little League and the City of Coquitlam, proudly recognize 2 award winners tonight: Wes Taylor as Coach of the Year for 2009 and the Coquitlam Junior A's as Team of the Year for 2009.
The members of the 2009 Junior All-Star team were recognized for their success throughout the season, taking a Provincial Title in North Van, and a National Title in Langley, culminating in a second consecutive appearance at the Junior League World Series. Players on the 2009 squad taking their place in Coquitlam sports history tonight were: Brandon Becking, Roman D'Alessandro, Jeff Heidema, Javeed Khankashi, Austin MacDonald, Ajay Mistry, Anthony Natino, Jordan Pettie, Daulton Smith, Daniel Strukoff, Curtis Taylor, Mark Trimble and Jordan Zazulak. Manager Wes Taylor and Coaches Larry Park, Tyler Olinyk, and Brad Becking were also honoured.
A tremendous feat, the 2009 Coquitlam Junior A's were able to defend their title as Canadian Champions and become the first team in Canada to repeat as champions at the Junior League level.
Wes Taylor was the Manager of the 2009 Coquitlam Junior A's, who won both Provincial and National titles at the Junior League level, going on to represent Canada at the Junior League World Series in Taylor, Michigan. The National Championship in Langley was Coquitlam's second consecutive National title, after a victory in 2008 at home at Blue Mountain Park.
Congratulations to Wes Taylor for his recognition as Coach of the Year 2009, and to the Junior A's for their award as 2009 Team of the Year! These awards will hang on the Wall at the Poirier Sports & Leisure Complex until the 2011 Induction Ceremony next November. For info please check out their website at http://www.coquitlamshof.com/
