There are few athletes in the world who can be described as legends in their own time. Stan is one of them. In 2006,Black Belt Magazine featured him as the fourth toughest man on the planet. In 2012, "Stan the Steamer" made history by being only the third man and first Canadian to fight professionally for five decades.

Stan's start in the world of martial arts was a matter of self defense. He was 15 and living in Port Alberni where an older and larger kid tormented him. He commented:

"I was bullied by that kid for two or three years. When I look back at it, he probably had the crappiest life going and he took it out on me. But he made life a living hell for me, so I went to this karate school. I didn't care for the arts side of it. I told the instructor, 'I'm here to learn how to pound the tar out of the guy.' He told me I couldn't join unless I did it all."

And he did. The lessons took care of the bullying problem and his life in the world of martial arts was set in motion. It's one that has allowed him to travel the world, often competing for his country, and has introduced him to the legends of martial arts, a distinguished group of which he has become an illustrious member.

Stan's accomplishments include Canadian Super Welterweight Kickboxing Champion (1986), WKA World Junior Middleweight Kickboxing Champion (1987-88), and WKA World Middleweight Karate Champion (1994-95). Stan has fought in more than 1000 competitive martial arts championships in the last 40 years and he was awarded most outstanding male competitor numerous times.

At a critical point in his career he made a trip to Thailand that rekindled his interest to get back in the ring. At that point he knew from sparring that he still had the skills. The question was more of body. He commented in a newspaper article:

"I spar for one day and I'm sore for three. The mind wants to do it and the heart wants to do it, but the body doesn't. The only thing it's fighting right now is arthritis."

Over the years, in recognition of his abilities and accomplishments, Stan has been sought out by elite forces and individuals including the Israeli Special Forces, Spetznaz Russian Special Forces, Allied Special Forces, Jim Harrison (Navy SEAL Instructor and Martial Arts Hall of Famer) and the L.A.P.D. SWAT Team.

As well as his incredible athletic career, Stan is proud of the number of internationally acclaimed champions he has trained and coached. Among them are Donny Lalonde, World Lightweight Boxing Champion; Forest Brawaski, Canadian Heavyweight Boxing Champion; and Gabriel Varga, Amateur World Kickboxing Champion.

Stan has also had direct involvement in the opening of Martial Arts Schools in Victoria including the Crusher Combat School, Curtis Lee's Offence Club, Final Round Boxing and Martial Arts, Studio 4 Athletics, Columbia Martial Arts and his eponymous Peterec's Martial Arts Centre.

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Lynne Beecroft was born on May 9, 1957, in Comox, B.C. to logger Wayne Beecroft and his wife, Beth. Because of her father's occupation, Lynne's childhood playgrounds were the forests near logging camps around Cumberland, Sarita River just north of Bamfield, Port Alberni and Duncan on Vancouver Island and Juskatla near Masset Inlet on Haida Gwaii.

Lynne's love of sports started at an early age and she remembers playing road hockey with the boys in Port Alberni and because she was a girl, guess who had to be the goalie. When Lynne's family moved to Duncan, she began playing what was then known as grass hockey. But there, too, she was the goalie. By Grade 7, Lynne became interested in many sports, including softball, ice hockey, basketball, track and field, soccer and, of course, field hockey.

Her favourite sport in high school was basketball but in Grade 12, her field hockey coach, Peter Wilson, refused to sign her school annual unless she promised to try out for the provincial field hockey team. That year (1975), she was selected to two B.C. teams, both of which captured gold.

Lynne had been hoping to play basketball at the University of Victoria. She was quick, a good passer and defender, but lacked an outside shot and height (at five feet, three inches). So, after a successful summer of playing field hockey, she decided to try for a spot on the varsity field hockey team.

And so began a brilliant playing and coaching career in the sport of field hockey.

She made the UVic women's field hockey team as a mid-fielder in 1975 and remained on the team until 1979. Her speed and tenacity earned her the nickname "Buzz." In her first season at UVic, the team won the silver medal at the inaugural intercollegiate championship held in Vancouver. In her five years at UVic, the field hockey team captured two Canada West titles and were runners-up three times.

From 1977 to 1985, Lynne Beecroft was a member of Canada's national team, highlighted by participation in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In all, Lynne participated in 58 international "cap" matches, including four World Cup events, the best being a silver-medal performance in the 1983 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.

In 2012, she was inducted into UVic's Sports Hall of Fame -- and deservedly so.

Lynne earned a silver and two bronze medals with the then-named UVic Vikettes, but her record as the UVic field hockey head coach is even more impressive: eleven gold medals, eight silver and seven bronze since her appointment in 1984. She has mentored 61 All-Canadians, six Canadian Intercollegiate Sports (CIS) players of the year, four CIS championship most valuable players, seven Canada West players of the year, six Canada West rookies of the year, a Canada West goalkeeper of the year and 107 Canada West all-stars in three decades of coaching at UVic.

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