VALLEJO INDUCTEES FINALLY GET THE CALL
City hosts sports hall of fame ceremony for first time since 2019
It took a little longer than usual, but another group of the best of the best in Vallejo sports finally got the call they were waiting for.
Delayed by the COVID pandemic for three years, the Greater Vallejo Recreation District ceremony for Vallejo Sports Hall of Fame inductees made its return Saturday night.
Inducted Saturday at the Foley Cultural Center for the 2020 class were Ronnie Anderson, Willie Anderson (no relation), Joanie Bettencourt, Bobby Gonzalez Jr, Everett Robinson, Ann Talamantes-Ristow, Debbie Ayres and the 1987 Vallejo High School girls basketball team, as well as Mike Kollar and the Vallejo PAL German Soccer program.
Tony Longmire and Richie
Anderson were previously inducted, but because of a new rule calling on a family member to be present for induction, the two will have to go in another year.
“It is definitely worth the wait,” Robinson said. “I'm very delighted to have them go ahead and reinforce this and bring family and friends together and bring the community together. I love seeing so many diverse people of different ethnicities and people in various sports to come together for a common thing. It is wonderful. It's all about true commitment, true love and integrity.”
Robinson, known as the “Ambassador,” is best known for his trip to the 2014 Kukkiwon tournament in Muji, Korea. Representing Team USA, he became the world heavyweight champion.
Robinson defeated a 21-yearold
undefeated champion from Japan to capture the gold medal. He also received a certificate of his award from president Song Ha-Jin and World Tae Kwon
Do culture expo chairman Kim Kwang-ho.
“My mind started reflecting on when I first started mar
tial arts at the age of 12,” Robinson said Saturday. “That was when I was officially started. I always had such a love and dedication but I never thought it would bring me to a point where I would end up here. I was chosen to represent the U.S. in Korea but I still never fathomed this. I never dreamed of this, but it's so good to see all the families in Vallejo come together and have respect for each other.”
Before the dinner, former Vallejo High wrestler Bobby Gonzalez Jr. was looking at photos from his high school days.
Gonzalez was a star wrestler and a four-time Monticello Empire League wrestling champion at Vallejo High School, winning the 2003 state title in the 135-pound weight class. He was also one of the first wrestlers at Vallejo High to earn a four-year scholarship, going to UC Davis.
His state title came in Stockton, where he defeated Bakersfield High wrestler Alex Herrera 3-1.
“I'm just really honored today. It's great to see old coaches and old friends and have family here,” Gonzalez said. “It was such a beautiful time in my life. I traveled so many places, I saw so many great things, wrestled so many great matches.
Gonzalez said he first knew he was a good wrestler when he was 11.
“When I was young I had dreams of course,” said Gonzalez. “I always doubted myself. My dad asked me in middle school if I wanted to quit wrestling and just do baseball. I said, `No, I like wrestling. I want to wrestle.' So then he told me we were going to turn things up.
“The first time I wrestled out of state in Montana was big. I came in fourth place out of 127 kids. Two of the kids above me were from California. That was when it clicked — the state I'm in is pretty good and I'm one of the top wrestlers in the state.”
Talamantes-Ristow has been a stellar coach in a number of sports. She served as the girls head basketball coach at Hogan from 1996 to 2011, when the school closed. She was named 2004 Times-Herald Coach of the Year, the same season she took the Spartans to the Sac-Joaquin Section finals, a feat she duplicated in 2006.
She also helped the Bethel High girls badminton team win league titles in 2012 and 2013 and has been an assistant coach for the Solano College women's basketball team, winners of conference championships in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Talamantes-Ristow also coached JV softball for four years and JV volleyball for five years. She was activities director from 2000 to 2011 and athletic director from 1999 to 2005 and again in 2010-11.
“It's amazing and very surreal,” Talamantes-Ristow said. “I was joking with (event emcee) Justin Saroyan (formerly with GVRD) that I had my knees replaced three years ago, but now I can get on up there and accept my induction. It's very, very flattering, humbling and exciting.”
Bettencourt was a volleyball and softball star at St. Vincent. She pitched in every game for four seasons except three in her freshman season and did not disappoint, finishing with 68 victories and an ERA of 0.70.
She went on to perform well at Los Medanos College and then as a star on the coed softball circuit.
For her career at St. Vincent's, Bettencourt accumulated 716 strikeouts, pitched seven no-hitters, 26 shutouts, two perfect games and even hit .349.
Like her fellow inductees, Bettencourt had three minutes to make a speech — something that made her a little nervous.
“It's absolutely worth the wait,” Bettencourt. “I'm really excited and also nervous. It's a big thing for me. I'm glad to represent all my teammates that are here with me.
“I'm thinking about my time as a player when I look at all the photos. I loved every minute of it. I loved being with my teammates, loved the traveling and loved being on the ballfield. I would do it all again.”
Melissa Edwards, who previously worked for GVRD and is on the Vallejo Sports Hall of Fame staff, was glad to see all her hard work finally pay off.
“It's a sigh of relief. It's so much work in the last couple months,” Edwards said. “But it's so much fun because everyone is so appreciative of the work the committee has done. So we're basking in all the gratitude and it feels good.”
Edwards said she loves listening to all the stories from the inductees.
“I'm sitting at the BMX table team and so you can tell these guys all speak the same language but they haven't seen each other for a long time,” Edwards said. “We have a bronze medal winner sitting across from me. It's really amazing to be in the midst of hearing all these stories. It's really fun.”