2021 GVSHoF Inductees Announced

(Victoria, BC – May 3, 2021) The Board of the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to announce that two athletes, one coach and one builder will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

The two athletes are Matt Pettinger (Ice Hockey) and Gwen Spencer Hethey (Shooting).

Pettinger had a very successful NHL career, playing over 400 games with the Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightening, and the Vancouver Canucks. He was picked several times for Team Canada as well as playing in Europe for five years before retirement.

Spencer Hethey was Canada’s most successful shooter with a career spanning 22 years from 1930 – 1952. Competing in a predominantly male sport, she proved that gender had no borders winning many accolades including the Weiler Trophy and the international Amazon Cup at Bisley in 1932, a world record in 1936, the Canadian Douglas Cup Trophy in 1937 and Governor General’s Cup in 1948 – tying first place with two men.

In the Coach category, Peter Lawless will be inducted for services to Para-Sports, Athletics and Cycling. Lawless has coached some of Canada’s top Para-Athletes including Paralympian and World Cup Para-Cycling Champion Karen March, and 4-time World Para-Athletics Champion and Paralympian gold medallist, Michelle Stillwell.

Inducted into the Builder category (Multi-Sports) is Roger Skillings. His vision to make Victoria a thriving hub for sport development can be seen everywhere in the capital. From the Commonwealth Centre for Sport Development which became PacificSport and then the province-wide Canadian Sport Centre Pacific (CSCP), to PISE, his influence on sport education and research is immense.

"The selection process is always difficult as there are so many outstanding people in the Victoria sports community," said Lois Smith, chair of the Induction Nominations Committee. "I commend the committee members for their hard work and diligence in producing such a stellar slate."

The annual inductee dinner is usually held in October and a decision on whether it can proceed will be announced over the next few months. “Unfortunately, we had to cancel the 2020 dinner because of COVID-19, and we will have to adhere to the health orders before making a decision about 2021,” said Doug Jennings, President of the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame. “As we weren’t able to formally induct the 2020 inductees the plan is to honour them at the dinner with the class of 2021.”

The 2020 inductees were: Bobby Ross (Rugby), Bob McLaren (Athletics), Joanne Mick (Softball), Donnie Orr (Boxing), Pat Hall (Builder - Multi-Sports) and the Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL)

Over 220 athletes, teams, coaches, officials, builders, and media personalities have been inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame since 1991.

2021 GVSHoF Inductee Bios

ATHLETES

Matt Pettinger – Ice Hockey

Matt hit the ice at age 15 as left winger with the Victoria Salsa. He went on to attend the University of Denver on an athletic scholarship. Matt played for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, winning both silver (1999) and bronze (2000). While at university, he was drafted by the Washington Capitals where he played for most of his NHL career. He also suited up with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vancouver Canucks. Between 2000 and 2010, Matt played in over 400 NHL games. He again played for Team Canada at World Championships in 2005 and 2006. In 2010, Matt moved to Europe, playing two years with Kolner and three years with Hamburg before retiring to Victoria.

Gwen Spencer Hethey – Shooting

The trailblazer for women in Canadian shooting over a 22-year career from 1930 to 1952, Gwen Spencer Hethey began shooting at age 22 under the tutelage of GVSHOF 2001 inductee Maj. Fred Richardson. She proved to have a natural eye and Fred took her to the James Island Rifle Club and to Heals Range, where he introduced her to military competition fullbore rifle. She joined the BC Rifle Association in 1930 and became the first female to compete in the annual Fullbore Championships. Just two years later, in 1932, Gwen won the provincial Weiler Trophy against seasoned male military and police shooters and went to Bisley as the first and only female representing Canada, paying her own way as only military men were funded. There she took 1^st place in the Non-Military Open Class and became the first Canadian ever to win the Amazon Trophy for women. In 1936, she won the BC Lieutenant Governor’s Trophy – highest award in BC – and is still the only female to have won this award. She shot 15 bullseyes from 900 yards – setting the women’s world record. In 1937, she won the Canadian Douglas Cup Trophy and, in 1938, she again returned to Bisley where she placed 6^th of 1200 competitors but was not allowed to compete for the King’s Cup because she was a civilian. For the same reason, by 1937, Gwen had three times earned a place on the provincial team to the Governor General’s Cup but was not allowed to compete. All competition was suspended from 1939 through 1946. However, in 1947, Gwen was inducted as a Life Member of the BCRA and, at the urging of her admirers, the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association changed the rules to allow Gwen to enter the Governor General’s Cup in 1948. She achieved a perfect score in qualifying (a feat only twice accomplished by men) and tied with two men for first place in the final. However, the first four places were reserved for the military, so she was moved back to fifth place but given a Bronze Medal in recognition of her accomplishment. In 1948, Gwen won the BC Grand Aggregate Silver Badge and became the first female to be placed in the BC Scroll of Marksmanship since its inception in 1874. Left a widow at 39 with two young boys, Gwen withdrew from competitive shooting in 1949 but continued her personal involvement at the local level into the 1950s. Seen in the context of her times and the culture in which she had to compete, Gwen’s achievements were truly amazing, and she richly deserves recognition in her hometown.

COACH

Peter Lawless – Para Sports, Athletics and Cycling

Peter has been involved in high performance sport for over 25 years and athletes coached by him have broken 28 World Records in Para-Athletics and won over a dozen Paralympic Games or World Championships medals in both Para-Cycling and Para- Athletics. Peter coached Paralympian (Para-Athletics) and World Cup champion (Para-Cycling) 2017 inductee Karen March. He coached Michelle Stilwell to 4 medals at the 2010 World Para-Athletics Championships, a world record in the 100m and gold and silver at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. He coached Mark Ledo to a bronze in his first Para-Cycling World Championships (2010). Peter was the Coaching Association of BC’s (CABC) 2010 Coach of the Year/ International and is a three-time winner of a National Petro Canada Coaching Excellence Award for both Para-Cycling and Para-Athletics. He was Team Canada’s Ombudsperson for the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. As well, Peter has served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Cycling Canada and ViaSport and is a past director of the CABC and the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence. He recently led Victoria’s bid for the 2022 Invictus Games.

BUILDER

Roger Skillings – Multi-Sports

A former BC and Canadian Tennis Champion, Roger remained involved with Tennis as Tennis BC High Performance Director and Tennis BC Chair (moving the organization from deficit to surplus during his tenure). But it is his leadership skills and major contribution to sport development and in particular high performance sport development in Victoria, B.C. and Canada that put Roger in a class of his own. As President & CEO of the BC Games Society for over 10 years, he set a new standard for the delivery of a provincial multi-sport games across the country. He took an embryonic Commonwealth Centre for Sport Development and turned it into the thriving PacificSport brand, then led its amalgamation with Vancouver to create the Canadian Sport Centre Pacific where, as CEO, he developed a service delivery model that helped many athletes and teams achieve international success. Roger was also a key visionary and influencer in the creation of the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence which has become a successful model of integrating education, sport, health, and research. Roger has served the local community in many other capacities as a volunteer organizer, fundraiser, and administrator.