Local athletes in the spotlight
TRURO, N. S. – The Truro Sport Heritage Society will honour athletic accomplishments of local athletes and volunteers from 2018 on Sunday, March 3 during its 35th annual awards dinner at the Best Western Glengarry.
Bruce Rainnie, president and CEO of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame, will again be emcee for the event.
For additional information on the awards dinner, or to purchase tickets, contact Sara McKenna at 902-957- 0084, or email sara_ mckenna@hotmail.com. Ticket costs are: adults – $ 40 and students – $25.
Nominees will be featured in the Truro News leading up to the dinner.
OUTSTANDING FEMALE ATHLETE (21-50) Heather Wolfe
Like all great athletes, Heather makes her performance look effortless.
However, with high-performance goals, there are always sacrifices. Heather trains hard despite obstacles she faces with a busy career, her role as a mother, as well as her competitive endeavours in the sport of Crossfit.
In June, Heather competed in a joint event for Canadian masters championships and Pan Am masters championships in Gaspe, Que. – an opportunity she had been preparing for over the past two years. Her dedication and athleticism led her to two gold medals and a fantastic performance for her first time on the international platform.
Not only a strong athlete, Heather is a well-respected volleyball coach. Her fellow weightlifting teammates are always seeking her guidance for tips and tricks to competing, and her gymnastics background makes her a strong asset in the Crossfit world.
She coached the U19 girls volleyball team at NAIG in 2017, as well as the bantam, midget and senior girls at this year’s Mi’kmaq Summer Games.
Thea Wall
Thea embodies all the qualities of a high-performance athlete. This year, she transitioned out of one sport and into another, and proved her athleticism spans across all platforms.
In early 2018, Thea completed her post-secondary degree at Dalhousie AC, finishing up her time as an absolute powerhouse for the Rams volleyball team. In her final year, as captain of the team (a position she held for four years), she led the conference in points and made the ACAA first All- Conference team for the third year in a row.
After concluding her volleyball career, she started training with hopes of becoming a national-level athlete in Olympic weightlifting, a goal she originally thought would take years to achieve. In November, Thea competed at the N. S. championship where she won gold in her weight class. She demolished the previous snatch record with an 84kg lift, took the new total lift record with 176kg, and qualified for senior national championship.
Although Thea no longer plays volleyball, she is the head coach of the Truro Tide U14 boys. In 2018, Thea’s first year in this role, she coached her boys to a silver medal at provincials.
Heather Dyke
Heather is a competitor and pure athlete at heart. She is active in many sports and has pursued high performance in Olympic weightlifting in recent years. In 2018, Heather competed at the Canadian masters championship in Gaspe, Que., where she dominated the competition in both lifts, setting national records in snatch, clean and jerk, and total, subsequently bringing home a gold medal.
Heather is the fourth-ranked female in the province, and seventh overall (combined male and female). She continues to give back to her community in the form of volunteering for events such as the Pinty’s Grand Slam for Curling, weightlifting competitions and regional Crossfit events.
FEMALE ATHLETE 50-PLUS Corina Frank
Crossing the finish line of a marathon on Mother’s Day is not how most people choose to spend special occasions. Corina Frank did just that.
In fact, on that day, she qualified for the Boston Marathon.
That was not her only accomplishment of 2018. She also finished as the fastest female in the Summer Solstice Race in Truro; was first in her age category at the Bluenose 15K and was a valued member of a relay team competing in the Cabot Trail Relay in which she ran the North Mountain leg – no small feat at all.
Corina ran in many races in 2018, from 10K to marathons.
In addition to her own success in running, she has coached running at Soles in Motion. As part of this, she creates running plans for both novice and experienced runners. She is a wonderful example of amateur athletics at its best.
Valerie Fitzgerald
Try to imagine swimming across the Northumberland Strait all by yourself. Swimming from New Brunswick to P. E. I. is not everyone’s cup of tea. For more than eight hours, Valerie gave it her all and completed the marathon swim during the summer of 2018. It took intense training and a spartan commitment and probably 15 to 20 hours a week training in the pool.
This demanding task requires incredible athletic ability and no small measure of physical and mental strength. With her training partner and good friend, the late Veronica Macmillan, Valerie had a friend whose support and motivation were crucial to her feat in the water. It was in Veronica’s memory that propelled her and sustained her on her journey.
Valerie is a committed community person. She has trained beginning triathletes, raised well over $13,000 in the Give to Live Big Swim, is a regular member of the Truro Masters Swim Club and is the local CBC Radio community contact. Her marathon swim to P. E. I., ideally a 13km trek, took her about 23km because of currents.
OUTSTANDING MALE ATHLETE (21-50) Duane Webber
In June 2018, Duane competed at a joint event for Canadian masters Olympic weightlifting championship as well as the Pan American masters championship.
In his first performance on an international stage, Duane brought home gold in both championships and three personal records. With his family and fellow teammates cheering him on, he lifted a 95kg snatch and a 113kg clean and jerk for a total of 208kg.
Duane is an integral part of the Hubtown weightlifting team and attends all competitions in which his teammates are participating.
Always well prepared and supportive, Duane helps to create a positive and focused lifting environment for all around him.
Duane is a testament to dedication and hard work. He is a father of two young, aspiring athletes and, apart from his career, he is also a coach and contributing part of Crossfit Hubtown.
His passion for fitness and weightlifting has also translated to his daughter, who is now a young, junior lifter in the province. She also has a gift for lifting, and has all the promise to help establish the sport in Nova Scotia, continuing her father’s commitment and drive.
SENIOR MALE 50-PLUS Eric Manuel
Eric was born to run. He played his share of the usual sports, but running, his passion, won out.
He started in 1977, ostensibly for his health. He ran 1.2 miles regularly for the first six months and by year’s end upped it to 2.2 miles.
It was shortly after that he (in the words of a daughter) “went crazy” running many miles per week and entering races.
By 1979, he had run five and 10km races and even his first marathon. He joined the
PEI Road Runners, earning him lifelong memories and friends.
By 1985 and four children later, his wife Marion was often by his side with kids in tow to watch him perform. His best 10k race was 38:53; 5K was 18:35; half marathon was 1:25: 05; and 3:12 for full. In 1989, he ran the Boston Marathon, although ill with the flu, but managed to finish. To date, Eric has run 14 marathons, and the next will mark the 40th anniversary of his first at that distance.
You will often see Eric running the streets of Truro and sometimes his kids have joined in. Eric’s “run that never ends” continues to this day.