Bill Watson

Bill is being recognized for his success as an amateur boxer.

Bill began his boxing career in 1970 at the age of 14. As a member of the Trail Boxing Club, he represented Trail in matches throughout BC and the northwest United States. In 1977, he moved to Sparwood to better his skills and won both the BC and Alberta Golden Gloves Championships. That year he also represented BC at the Canadian Championships in Edmonton.

While there, he was only one of two BC boxers to make the Finals.

Bill held the Western Canada title until 1978, losing the Finals of the BC Golden Gloves.

Bill competed throughout Western Canada and the northwest United States. In his final year of boxing in 1980, he was named to the Provincial Boxing Team to compete against the California Boxing Team in Sacramento, California. Here he was awarded the Best Canadian Boxer. He was selected to the Canadian National Seniors Boxing Team and represented Canada at the European Championships in Tampere, Finland. He had an excellent chance of making the Canadian Olympic Boxing Team until Canada agreed to boycott the 1980 Olympics in Russia.

Bill remains active in boxing as the Coach of the Elk Valley Boxing Club and has coached teams in two BC Winter Games.

Charles Bisset

Charles grew interested in Muay Thai fighting when he was very young, training at the Glen Kalesniko's Pride Gym in Trail.  In his time with Pride Gym, he won seven of nine matches and at 16 years of age was ranked fourth in Canada as an amateur fighter. 

Charles left Trail and was given the opportunity to train under Rob Kama, a nine-time world champion.  With his fighting skills polished, Charles competed as a semi-pro and went on to win the CMTA National Canadian Muay Thai title, the North American title and the WKA World Championship belt.

As a professional Muay Thai fighter, Charles traveled to Thailand, the birthplace of Muay Thai.  He trained under the renowned trainer Lamsongkram and eventual wan the Muay Thai Suwit Stadium title in the cruiser weight class.

He has also won the ACB North American Kickboxing title, the North American Muay Thai Championships and the World Kickboxing Association Cruiser Weight title.

Charles was inducted in 2019.

Chuck Wools

Seniors Swimming

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Cindy Devine

CYCLING

Cindy has been a resident of Rossland since 1990. Cindy rose to prominence in mountain biking in the late 1980s. In the first ever UCI World Mountain Bike Championships in Purgatory, Colorado in 1990, Cindy won the Gold Medal. She won the Bronze Medal in the 1991 and 1992 World Championships and the British National downhill Bike Finals in 1991.

Cindy is a five-time Canadian National Downhill Champion - 1991 to 1994 and the US National Downhill Mountain Bike Champion in 1990, 1992 and 1993. In 2000, she was honoured by the United Cycling Institute by induction into the Rainbow Club of Canada's cycling legends and that same year was inducted into the World Mountain Bike Hall of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dale Freschi

Dale loves to fish. So much so, he is one of Canada's premier fly fishermen. He has participated in 7 national and international fly fishing compeitions, including 6 World Championsihps as a member of Canada's National Fly Fishing Team.

He first represented Canada in New Zealand in 1991, followed by Norway in 1994. At that competition, Dale finished 17th out of 150 anglers and the Canadian Team finished 12th overall and with the team finishing 8th.

In addition to competing for Canada worldwide, Dale has made a significant contribution to the sport of fly fishing by conducting seminars, appearing on sport fishing T.V. programs and writing numerous articles on fishing in sport magazines.

Dave Secco

Dave was born in Rossland in 1955 and now resides in Victoria.  He attended JL Crowe Secondary School where he was selected as Male Athlete of the Year.  He attended the Unviersity of Victoria from 1976 to 1980 where he distinguished himself as a member of the Univeristy's soccer team in the position of centre midfielder.

As a member of the University team, he played two CIS National Championships.  During his four years with the team, he was named Canada West All-Star three times.  In his final year at UVic, he was named one of only eleven players in Canada selected to the First Team All-Star Canadian Team.

In 1978, Dave was selected to the Canadian National World Student Games team and played in two international tournaments that year.

Since retiring as an active player, Dave has dedicated his time to coaching our youth in the skills of soccer and has been recognized as a pioneer and an innovator in the game.  He has also served as volunteer with many soccer organizations as an administrator and as an executive.

Frances Pettitt

18 year old Frances Pettitt lives in Rossland and is currently the North American Women's Muay Thai Featherweight Champion, winng the belt in the Cominco Arena Gymnasium.
Frances began training at Trail's Pride Gym when she was 13 years old and fought her first Muay Thai Kickboxing match at 15. She had immediate success in the sport, becoming Pacific Northwest Lighweight Muay Thai Champion in February 2004, Canadian Featherweight Champion in Paril 2004 and World Kickboxing Featherweight Golden Gloves Muay Thai Champion in Septmeber 2004 before winning the North American Championship in April.

Frances is ranked 9th in the World by the Women's International Kickboxing Association rankings 122lb. fighters, while competing against mostly adult fighters.

Frances also spends a considerable amount of her time helping to instruct Muay Thai at the Pride Gym, teaching classes for children and adults.

Frank Emery

Frank is being honoured for his excellence in the sport of badminton, or more correctly, Masters Badminton.

Frank has played competitive badminton for over 52 years. He began competing in Seniors Badminton in the early 1990s and moved to the Masters level in 1998.

From 2002 to 2006, he won Gold in the BC OVer 65 Men's Doubles. In 2004 and 2005, he won Gold at the Canadian Over 65 Men's Doubles and won the Silver in the 2006 Canadian Over 65 Men's Doubles and Mixed Doubles. From 2003 to 2006, he won Bronze medals in the BC Over 65 Men's Singles.

Frank has also competed at the World Masters Games in 1998 and 2005. In 2005 he was the Silver medal winner in the Men's Doubles.

Frank also served on the Board of Badminton BC and assists in organizing local badminton competitions. Frank has dedicated his life to the sport of badminton and to furthering its popularity in our community.

Frank passed away in 2011.

Glen Kalesniko

Glen Kalesniko estimates that over the last 33 years, he has trained between eight and ten thousand students and mentored over 20 nationally recognized champions.  His Pride Gym has become a main fixture in the City of Trail.  The list of champions that Glen has trained is indeed numerous.

Glen's list of champions include Leeanne McLim (Canadian Muay Thai Super Bantam champion), Brent Russell (six time Gladiators North American champion), Francis Pettitt (North American Bantam Title), Charles Bisset (World Cruiser Weight champion and Suwit Stadium champion in Thailand), Boom Watt Hanaya, Gavin Neil, and Wesley Neil to name a few.

Besides training champions, Glen is instrumental in promoting physical fitness with local youth at Pride Gym by working with school groups, youth groups, summer camps and hockey teams.

Glen was inducted in 2019.

Greg Barber

Greg is one of only twenty-some Canadians to complete the Seven Summits, climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.

He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa 19,339’, Denali in Alaska 20,320’, Aconcagua in Argentina 22,840’, Elbrus in Russia 18,841’, Carstensz in Papua New Guinea 16,023’, Vinson Massif in Antarctica 16,067’,  Cho-Oyu in Tibet 26,906’ and Mount Everest in Nepal at 29,035 feet.

Greg has climbed over 10,000 feet many times in his life, and summitted at least 15 peaks above that elevation, a feat of which any climber would be proud.

He can truly boast he has been to the top of the world several times.

Greg was inducted in 2019.

Joanne Cutler

Born Joanne Nutini in Trail in 1967, Joanne attended JL Crowe Secondary School, where she took a special interest in playing basketball.  In 1984, she was chosen to BC's Under 17 team and the following year led the JL Crowe basketball team to a 9th place finish in the BC High School Championships, being named to the tournament all-star team.

Following graduation, she attended the University of Victoria and quickly rose to starting centre on the university's bastketball team.  In 1982, the UVic women finished 2nd in the Canadian Interuniversity Championships.  They won the 1987 Championship and placed 3rd in the 1988 tournament.  Joanne was selected to the CIS National Championship All-Star team in the 1988 tournament.

Joanne has represented BC and Canada in numerous national and international basketball tournaments and currently teaches in North Vancovuer and continues to be involved in basketball as a coach.

Joseph Cecchini

Joseph Cecchini was born in Trail in 1982.  From childhood he was involved in local sports and took up the sport of skeleton in 2007 while working in Calgary, Alberta.  He joined the Italian National Skeleton Team in 2013.  He is a two time Italian National Champion and has competed in ten World Skeleton Championships and numerous skeleton events in North America.  He is currently ranked 22^nd in the World in the sport.

Leeanne McLim

Leeanne is the second person to be recognized on the Home of Champions Monument for her success in the sport of Muay Thai Kickboxing.

Leeanne is an International Class Champion in Muay Thai Kickboxing and in Kickboxing. She has held 5 Title Belts, 2 National Championship Belts and 3 International Champion Belts and is well known in her sport throughout the World.

Some of Leanne's Titles include:
* The Pacific Northwest Muay Thai Featherweight Champion;
* Canadian Super Bantamweight Muay Thai Champion;
* United Full Contact Federation Canadian Super Bantamweight
Kickboxing Champion;
* World Kickboxing Network Intercontinental Super Bantamweight
Muay Thai Champion;
* World Kickboxing Association North American Featherweight Muay
Thai Champion.

Leeanne was ranked 4th in the World in Muay Thai Kickboxing in 2003. She also boasts an unblemished record of 12 and 0, with 10 TKOs. Leeanne is also an accomplished actor and dancer.

Rhonda Michallik

Rhonda moved to Fruitvale from Calgary with her family in 1981.  She began dancing at the age of five in Calgary, participating in several disciplines of dance, including ballet, jazz, hip hop, musical theatre, swing and ballroom, winning many awards.

She moved to Vancouver in 1988, perfoming in many of the City's theatre productions.  After a short stint in Ontario, she moved to New York, then to Los Angeles, performing in professional dance productions.  She relocated to Trail in 1991 and opened a dance studio called Steps Dance Centre.

Since then, she has made a substantial impact on the art of dance in the Greater Trail Area as a dance instructor, choreographer and role model for hundreds of emerging dancers and athletes.  Her passion for dance and her leadership has been a source of inspiration for many students who have chosen to dance professionally around the world, as well as those who love to dance recreationally.

She continues to seek new opportunities to expand her capacity as a teacher and professional across North America.  Her students, as a team and individually, have won national and international recognition at competitions in Canada and the United states, with many awards and accolades for their dedication to dance.  She personally has won many, many awards for her teaching skills and contribution to the art of dance.

Ron Beattie

Ron was born on May 4, 1911 in Forget, Saskatchewan. The family moved to BC in 1920 and eventually settled in Nelson, where he became active in many sports, including tennis, field lacrosse and Canadian rules football. He married Geraldine Denison in 1935 and they moved to Trail a year later when Ron took an accounting position at the CM&S. It was in Trail that he became actively involved in figure skating and the Trail Figure Skating Club.

Ron was an active member of the Club for 40 years, serving as Secretary Treasurer for 32 years, and as President for one year. Over the years, he helped build the Club to a membership high of 420 skaters.

In addition to his administrative duties, Ron was active as a skating competitor and instructor. He partnered with Anne Gavrilik and won the Western Canadian Senior Dance Championships in 1949 and the duo competed in the Canadian Figure Skating Championships. Ron and Anne went on to win Silver medals in dance skating competitions in both Canada and the US.

Ron's knowledge of the sport led him to being selected as a judge and referee by the Canadian Figure Skating Association, working as western Canadian and national competitions.

Ron and his wife were devoted to the sport of figure skating and the Trail Figure Skating Club. Ron made a significant contribution to the advancement of figure skating locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. The City of Trail has recently nominated Ron for induction into the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

Ron Sandnes

Bowling

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Stanley Angus

Stanley Angus was born in Vancouver on May 13, 1903. Stan was a Champion even before he moved to Trail. He played with Ex King George Team when they won the Provincial Rugby title, and with the Ex King George Hockey Team when they won the Vancouver Championships in 1923/24, and also when they won the Provincial title in 1924/25. Stan?s international championship was in sculling, when he was one of the most-medal winning oarsmen on the Pacific Coast, winning 11 titles as a member of the Vancouver Rowing Club.  Stan moved to Trail in 1926.

For many years, Stan was associated with the Trail Figure Skating Club where he was on the Executive, was a certified Judge of the Canadian Figure Skating Association and worked on many carnival committees from the early 1940s. In 1949, Stan, with a partner, Connie Shutek, won the waltz and tango in the Silver Dance Event at the Western Canadian Champsionships.

In 1951, Stan, and his daughter Paddy, competed in the Silver Dance Competition at the Canadian Championships held in Vancouver. They were the first father/daughter team to compete in the Canadians, then or since.

In the fall of 1954, Stan was shot in the calf of his right leg in a hunting accident near Grand Forks, BC. He was told that he would walk with canes for the rest of his life, so to help with the rehab, Stan took up golf, using clubs as canes. In 1958, Stan was runnerup in the BC Senior?s Golf and in 1959, he was the BC Senior's Champion.

Stan passed away in 1986.

Terry Yuris

Terry's career as a fighter began in the early seventies, boxing for the Trail Boxing Club under trainers Bill Watson Sr., Joe Haywood, and Val Cirotto.  He went on to win bronze and silver gloves in his amateur career and finished as first runner up in Golden Gloves championship held in Nelson.  This was only the beginning for Terry.

He went on to earn black belt in shukokai karate, Chinese karate and a green belt in jiu jitsu, training uner the watchful eye of Karate pioneer, Tom Smiley.  Terry won many semi-contact karate tournaments across Caanda and the United States.  Full contact karate would come later, taking Terry all across the Pacific Northwest and eventually leading him back to kickboxing which presented international opportunities to showcase his skills and represented Canada in several Canada vs. USA tournaments held in Alberta during this time.

Terry competed in the WKA (World Karate Association) championship tournaments across North America, leading to a middleweight 12 man showdown that saw him victorious over world ranked Mike McGuire and vaulted Terry to number one in North America.  He was consistently ranked in the top ten fighters in the world for the remainder of his career and was the top ranked Canadian fighter in the world for almost a decade, reaching the rank of #1 in the world for a period of time.  Fighting in Europe and Japan, Terry traveled the world.  During this time, Terry also ran a karate school and fitness centre in Vancouver.

An unfortuante knee injury cut his career short at the age of 24, but he continued on to support the sport he loved by teaching karate, refereeing and instructing self-defense.  At one point, he even trained some of our local hockey heroes, as well.  Since then, Terry has called Trail his home and raised his family here giving back to the city that has given so much to him.

Thea Culley

Thea Culley began her field hockey career as a member of the Rossland Secondary School Field Hockey Team.  Following her graduation, she attended the University of Victoria and continued her career there.  From 2004 to 2006, she was a CIS tournament all-star and a member of the Junior National Field Hockey Team.  She joined Canada's National Team in 2006.

As a member of the National Team, Thea has represented the country in the Pan-American Games and FIH Championships, as well as other numerous international field hockey series.  She has competed in many National Championships, as well as the CIS National Championships.

Thea has excelled in her sport at every level of competition and is one of Canada's premier field hockey players. 

Theresa Hanson

Theresa Hanson (nee Hanlon) was born in Trail and developed a love of basketball from her father, Bill, at an early age.  Her talent earned her a scholarship to the Lewis and Clark University in Lewiston, Idaho.  While there, she led her team in scoring in the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons.  Following graduation, she moved to Vancouver to begin a career in financial planning, eventually moving into sports administration.

She joined the University of BC as the Associate Director of Athletics in 2005.  Since then, she has directed BC varsity sports which has become one of the top ranked programs in Canada in terms of championships won.

In 2009, she attended the University Games in Serbia as a member of Canada's mission staff.  In 2013, she was appointed the Chef de Mission for Canada at the Univeristy Games in Kazan, Russia.  In this capacity, she was the spokesperson for the Canadian contingent and responsible for safeguarding the interests of Canadian athletes, coaches and officials.

Theresa has played a major role in the development of Canadian university sport and Canada's participation in international university sport.

Theresa resides in Vancovuer with her husband Kevin and her daughter Jessica.