A packed house gave a warm welcome to the Delta Sports Hall of Fame's class of 2024 Saturday night.
Since 2005, the Delta Sports Hall of Fame has honoured athletes, coaches, builders and supporters from Delta who have excelled in sport or made significant contributions to the city's sport community.
Over the past 19 years, the hall has inducted 136 individuals and teams in recognition of their lifetime of achievement, while another 144 Sport Champions have been recognized for their performances in a given year.
During the sold-out 18th annual Banquet of Champions at the Coast Tsawwassen Inn on Oct. 26, the hall recognized seven Inductees, including North Delta's Paul Steele (athlete, rowing), Kathy Lane (builder, softball), Tom Millar (coach, soccer) and the 2001 Delta Heat softball team.
Joining them in the class of 2024 are Sara McManus (athlete, field hockey), Peter Darvill (pioneer, pickleball) and Allan and Phyllis Wawryk of the Sundance Neighbourhood Pub (sponsor).
The hall also feted several Sport Champions from North Delta, including the 2024 Team of the Year, the 2023-24 Seaquam AAAA Senior Girls basketball team, Seaquam basketball standout Camryn Tait (co-Youth Athlete of the Year), Olympic skateboarder Ryan Decenzo (Athlete of the Year) and Volunteer of the Year Tom Brewer (ball hockey).
Also recognized as Sport Champions for 2024 are Zach McLeod (co-Youth Athlete of the Year, swimming), Desmond Tregaskis (co-Youth Athlete of the Year, baseball), Nistara Uppal (co-Youth Athlete of the Year, soccer), and Karen and Mike Kilpatrick (co-Coaches of the Year, volleyball).
Members of the Delta Sports Hall of Fame are recorded on the Delta Sports Wall of Fame, located on the plaza in front of Delta City Hall, and online at deltasportshalloffame.ca.
Saturday night's banquet included a keynote address from Paralympian Josh Vander Vies, who recently served as co-chef de mission for Team Canada at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Vander Vies talked about his life experience as a person with a disability, and the way that sport opened doors and gave him the opportunity to live his values. He encouraged everyone to find a way to express their own values through their participation in sport.
Inductees also spoke about the impact of sport on their lives and what it meant to them to be honoured by the hall. Builder Kathy Lane, recognized for her contributions to softball in Delta, said, “You don’t need an award to know that you’ve done a good job, but it’s nice to know that someone noticed!”
Delta MP and Minister of Sport and Physical Activity Carla Qualtrough commended the Hall of Fame for recognizing the contributions of sport to Delta, saying, “Our community is strong and resilient, and sport is one of the reasons for that.”
Delta Sports Hall of Fame chair Rick Lewall thanked the banquet’s sponsors, noting that their support allowed the Hall to invite all honorees to attend free of charge.
A full list of past Inductees and Sport Champions, as well as information on how to nominate someone for the Hall, can be found by visiting deltasportshalloffame.ca.
SEE ALSO: 'Hometown hero': PM Trudeau cheers Surrey's Bains after 1st Canucks goal
SEE ALSO: New Delta-based mental health society hosting launch event in November