Latest inductees named for Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame
The Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame begins its second decade with its first-ever induction of a Special Olympian.
Tracey Melesko, a multi-medal winner in a variety of sports, was one of six people named Tuesday as this year’s inductees.
“This is a great honour,” said Melesko, who has won gold, silver and bronze medals at national and international competitions in sports such as track and field, Nordic skiing and cross-country skiing.
In her remarks to a group gathered at the Kelowna Museum for the announcement of the inductees, Melesko joked that she had “lost count” of all the medals she has won over the years.
The Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame was established in 2008 with a mandate of preserving local sports history as well as inspiring youngsters to achieve sporting excellence, hall director Pat Kennedy said. Other inductees for 2018 are: — Rob Dirk, a former NHLer who played in 400 games with five teams, including the Vancouver Canucks. Dirk grew up in Kelowna and said it was his lifelong dream to make the NHL. He praised his parents for supporting his ambitions, getting up early like all hockey parents to take him to practice and games.
“Mom and Dad, this is for you,” Dirk said.
— Chad Folk, a former Okanagan Sun football player and two-time Grey Cup winner with the Toronto Argonauts in a pro career that lasted 12 seasons. Folk also praised the supportive role played by family, coaches and teammates.
“Nobody can do this on their own,” he said.
— Heather Mandoli, an Olympic rower whose Canadian team placed fourth at the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing. Mandoli, who excelled in many sports while in high school in Kelowna, cited one of the benefits of elite-level competition: “The doors it opens up are amazing.”
— Hugh Wong, founder of Kelowna Volleyball in 1992, past president of Volleyball Canada and a member of the Canadian delegation to the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
“Kelowna has always been a hotbed of the sport of volleyball,” Wong said.
— Allan Simpson, a longtime baseball writer who is already a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
“I developed my passion for baseball in Kelowna,” Simpson said via a weblink from his current residence in Durham, North Carolina.
All the nominees will be formally inducted into the Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame during a breakfast event at the Coast Capri hotel on Nov. 22. Tickets will go on sale in October.