The Board of the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to announce that five athletes, one team, one coach and one builder will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

"The annual inductee dinner is planned for October 29 at which we will formally induct these great champions who are truly worthy of recognition and inclusion among their peers into our Hall of Fame,” said Doug Jennings, president of the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.

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In the athlete category, Dave Kirzinger (football), Brenda Shields Hennigar (speed skating), Gerry Poulton (squash), Gary Reed (athletics) and Jim Rutledge (golf) are being inducted.

Kirzinger was the first overall pick in the Canadian Football League (CFL) draft after only two years of varsity football at the University of British Columbia. He played nine years (1979-1986), almost all with Calgary, where he was also captain for three seasons. Shields Hennigar had 11 Canadian single distance championships in speed skating (two short track and nine long track), three national all-round championships, one North American championship, 33 Canadian and North American championship medals and holds several records. Poulton has been playing squash for over 50 years and in the past 20 Canadian championships has won multiple medals in the 60+, 65+, 70+ and 75+ age categories. Poulton also has competed and won medals at events such as the British Open, Asia-Pacific Masters Games, the European Masters Games, Americas Masters Games and the World Masters Games. Reed was the former 800-metre Canadian record holder and is a six-time national champion and a two-time Olympian (2004 and 2008). Reed raced to a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships and finished fourth at the 2008 Olympic Games. Rutledge turned pro at the age of 19 and played over 20 years on the Canadian and Asian golf tours winning international tournaments such as the Indian Open (1995) and New Zealand Professional Golf Association (PGA) Championship (2006).

In the team category, the iconic rowing pair of Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee won World Championships silver in 2011 and 2014 and World Cup gold in 2016. They represented Canada at the 2012 London Olympic Games and brought home a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Triathlon’s Lance Watson has coached athletes to five Olympics and over 50 World Championships. Lance was National Coach for Canadian teams winning Gold at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Pan American Games. In 2000, his athlete, Simon Whitfield, won gold in Sydney; and, his athlete, Lisa Bentley, won the first of her 11 Ironman victories.

Richard Way, inducted into the builder category, is a well-known name across Canada as the co-creator of the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Framework, which pioneered a generational change in the in the sport system evolving how athletes are developed. Way facilitated the use of the LTAD across 60 sports in more than 100 countries and is Chief Executive Officer for the Sport for Life Society which was awarded the Canadian Medical Association's national Award for Excellence in Health Promotion.

"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 diligence in producing such a stellar slate."

The inductees will be honoured at an in-person event on October 29, 2022, while a visual representation of this group of inductees will be added to the physical Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame display at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre concourse. Tickets for the Induction Dinner & Ceremony will be available on the website gvshof.ca from May 1st.

The 2021 inductees were: Matt Pettinger (Ice Hockey) and Gwen Spencer Hethey (Shooting), Peter Lawless (coach) and Roger Skillings (Builder).

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

2022 GVSHoF Inductee Biographies

CATEGORY: ATHLETE

Dave Kirzinger, Football

A product of local Bantam and Juvenile football leagues, Dave Kirzinger was first overall pick in the Canadian Footbal League (CFL) draft after only two years of varsity football as a University of British Columbia Thunderbird. He played nine years (1979 – 1986) in the CFL, was a full-time starter for eight of those seasons, and spent almost all of those years with the Calgary Stampeders. Kirzinger was also captain for three years, a player representative to the CFL Players Association for three years, and a three-time Schenley Awards nominee as top offensive lineman. Kirzinger was selected three times to the Western Conference All-Star Team.

Brenda Shields Hennigar, Speed Skating

A member of the founding family of speed skating in Canada’s least wintery city, Brenda Shields Hennigar’s records includes 11 Canadian Single Distance Championships (two short track; nine long track); three National All-Round Championships; one North American Championship; 33 Canadian and North American Championship medals; and numerous Canadian and North American records. She also won 16 provincial championships, was 1978 Skater of the Year and was a finalist for 1981 Victoria athlete of the year.

Gerry Poulton, Squash

A squash player for over 50 years, Gerry Poulton has won virtually every age group championship since turning 60. In the past 20 Canadian championships, Poulton has won three bronze and one silver medal in the 60+ age group, two silver and three gold medals in 65+, five gold and one bronze medal in 70+ and a silver medal in the 75+ category. Poulton has also won two bronze, two silver and seven gold medals in the US Open; a bronze and a silver in the British Open; a silver in the Asia-Pacific Masters Games; a gold in the European Masters Games and the Americas Masters Game; and earned a fourth place, two bronzes and two championship golds in his five World Masters Games appearances. Poulton has also two silver medals in recent World Masters Squash competitions. Poulton was a Sport BC Master athlete of the year finalist in 2014.

Gary Reed – Athletics

At the time of his retirement in 2010, at age 29, Gary Reed was the 800-metre Canadian record holder. Reed is a six-time Canadian champion in the same event winning from 2003 to 2005 and 2007 to 2009. The track sensation represented Canada at two Olympic Games (2004 and 2008) and six World Championships (outdoors in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and indoors in 2004). Reed’s best performances was a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships and a fourth-place finish at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Jim Rutledge – Golf

After winning the Canadian Juvenile Championships in 1975 and the Canadian Junior Championship in 1977, Jim Rutledge turned pro at the age of 19. He played over 20 years on the Canadian and Asian Tours, winning such international tournaments as the Indian Open (1995) and New Zealand PGA Championship (2006). He played for four years on the European Tour before joining the PGA Tour for 2007. A multiple Canadian tour winner and long-time leading money winner, Jim twice represented Canada as a World Cup team member and was a two-time member of the Dunhill Cup team.

CATEGORY: TEAM

Lindsay Jennerich & Patricia Obee, Rowing

Lindsay Jennerich spent 12 years on the Canadian rowing national team, winning seven career World Championship medals - including three golds - in lightweight double skulls with three different partners and two World Championship golds in the non-Olympic lightweight single skulls. Patricia Obee began rowing in 2009 and was selected to the 2010 women’s eight bronze-medal winning team at the Under 23 World Championships. In 2011, Obee won World bronze in the lightweight single skulls, then moved into the lightweight double skulls with Jennerich. Together, the team pair won World Championship silver in 2011 and 2014; and World Cup gold in 2016. They represented Canada at the 2012 London Olympic Games, finishing seventh, and then brought home a silver medal at the Rio Olympic Games in 2015.

CATEGORY: COACH

Lance Watson, Triathlon

In 35 years of coaching Triathlon, Lance has coached athletes to five Olympics and over 50 World Championships. Lance was National Coach for Canadian teams winning Gold at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Pan American Games. He has coached over 20 Ironman Triathlon Champions. 2000 was a banner year for Lance. He relocated to Victoria to build the National Triathlon Training Centre; his athlete, Simon Whitfield, won Gold in Sydney; and, his athlete, Lisa Bentley, won the first of her 11 Ironman victories. Lance helped create the Triathlon Level 4 Diploma Program and is an NCCP Level IV certified master triathlon coach, an NCCP Level III distance running coach, and one of only four Ironman Master Coaches worldwide.

CATEGORY: BUILDER

Richard Way, Multi Sports

Richard is the Chief Executive Officer for the Sport for Life Society, was awarded the Canadian Medical Association's national Award for Excellence in Health Promotion and is an architect of the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Framework. Way is also a founding member of the International Physical Literacy Association. He has facilitated the use of LTAD for over 60 sports in more than 100 countries, and co-authored the book, Long-Term Athlete Development. Since relocating to Victoria in the early 90s, Way established the International Coaching School in 1993 and was director of sport for Vancouver’s successful 2010 winter Olympic Games bid. Richard represented Canada in nine natural luge World Championships and also served as a commission member of the International Luge Federation, Board member of the Canadian Luge Association and is the founder of the Calgary Luge Club and the B.C. Luge Association.