The Class of 2017 for the North Cowichan/Duncan Sports Wall of Fame features five sportspeople from a wide range of athletic endeavours.
The group, which will be formally inducted on Nov. 18, includes national team archer Shona (Armand) Shadlock, Kontinental Hockey League all-star Matt Ellison, Canadian Football League standout Gerry Hornett, golfer and soccer coach Glen Martin, and hockey coach Jack Rochon.
“We are so proud to recognize these dedicated local athletes and coaches,” said Kate Marsh, Chair of the Sports Wall of Fame Nomination Committee. “Duncan and North Cowichan continue to consistently see residents who excel in their sport and we are very excited to welcome Shona, Matt, Gerry, Glen and Jack to the Sports Wall of Fame.”
Shadlock won the Canadian field archery championship in 1989 and gold at the B.C. Summer Games in 1990, then won the World Junior Girls Championship in recurved bare bow.
Ellison was a prolific scorer over three years with his hometown junior A Cowichan Valley Capitals, then played in the Western Hockey League for the Red Deer Rebels. From there he moved to the pro ranks, playing 43 games in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks. In 2008 he went to the KHL, where he still plays and is seventh on the all-time scoring list.
Hornett played community football with the Cowichan Timbermen, which led to a scholarship at Bakersfield Junior College in California. After two years there, he switched to Simon Fraser University, and was drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1979. He played in the CFL for Saskatchewan, Calgary and Ottawa until 1987, then coached in the BC Football Conference from 1987 to 1996, winning Coach of the Year honours in 1995.
As a young golfer, Martin won four championships at the Cowichan Golf &Country Club and three at March Meadows, then won four Cowichan club championships and the 1986 Cowichan Open, and represented Vancouver Island in three Winspear Cups. As a soccer coach, Martin has led Cowichan FC for 12 years, reaching seven Jackson Cup finals and winning four, with regular appearances in the provincial championship tournament.
Rochon had a long career as a hockey coach, winning provincial peewee AAA championships in 1983 and ’84. He later became a scout for the WHL’s New Westminster Bruins and Victoria Cougars, and received the B.C. Attorney General’s Award for fostering sportsmanship.
The Sports Wall of Fame is located in the lobby of the Cowichan Aquatic Centre. This year’s induction ceremony will take place on Nov. 18 at the Cowichan Golf &Country Club at 7 p.m.