A face familiar to CHEK viewers as well as two Island residents were inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday.
The BC Sports Hall of Fame is an organization that recognizes people for their extraordinary achievements in B.C. sport history.
Don Taylor
Don Taylor, a co-host of the Donnie and Dhali: The Team show on CHEK, was recognized in the media category.
He has been bringing people sports news in B.C. for over 40 years. Before co-hosting the Donnie and Dhali show, he was the on-air hos of CKVU’s Sports Page between 1984-2000, then moved to host Sportsnet Connected between 2001-2014 and was a co-host of TEAM/TSN 1040 radio between 2003 and 2021.
In 2021, he and Rick Dhaliwal moved to CHEK to host the Donnie and Dhali: The Team daily sports talk show.
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This year's inductee in the Media category is @DonnieandDhali host @DonTaylor5! One of BC’s most widely respected broadcasters has been keeping British Columbians ‘up to date in the world of sports’ for over forty years including time with Sports Page, Sportsnet and TSN1040. pic.twitter.com/WLudTXwodH
— BC Sports Hall of Fame (@BCSportsHall) May 17, 2024
Ryan Cochrane
Ryan Cochrane was born, raised and currently lives in Victoria and he is Canada’s most decorated male swimmer.
In the 2012 London Olympics, he won a silver medal in 1500m freestyle. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he won Canada’s first swimming medal in eight years and the first 1500m freestyle in 88 years when he took home the bronze in that category.
He has won eight medals at the World Aquatics Championships, with four silver and four bronze, is a four-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist, won three gold medals at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and two golds at the Pan American Games.
After he made the finals at the 2016 Rio Olympics and served as the team’s co-captain, he retired.
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Congratulations to inductee Ryan Cochrane (@cochraneryan)! The Victoria native is Canada’s most decorated male swimmer of all-time, winning Olympic silver (2012) and bronze (2008). He is also an 8-time medalist at the World Aquatics Championships, the most ever won by a Canadian. pic.twitter.com/tJduT7nPUE
— BC Sports Hall of Fame (@BCSportsHall) May 17, 2024
Cassie Sharpe
Cassie Sharpe was born in Calgary, raised in Comox and currently lives in Squamish.
She won Canada’s first-ever Olympic gold in women’s halfpipe freestyle skiing at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, then won a silver medal in the same event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
She is a two-time Crystal Globe winner at the FIS World Cup overall champion in halfpipe freestyle skiing in 2018 and 2019, two-time silver medalist in halfpipe at FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships in 2015 and 2019, and won five medals in superpipe at the Winter X Games.
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Congratulations to inductee Cassie Sharpe! The Comox native was Canada’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist in women’s halfpipe freestyle skiing (2018) and followed that up with an Olympic silver in 2022. pic.twitter.com/LazRqN7O0S
— BC Sports Hall of Fame (@BCSportsHall) May 17, 2024
Other winners
Taylor, Cochrane and Sharpe are among the total five athletes, three builders or coaches, one team, two pioneers, one media, and one W.A.C. Bennett Award winners.
The five athletes recognized were Amanda Asay for baseball, Ryan Cochrane for swimming, Justin Morneau for baseball, Cassie Sharpe for freestyle skiing, Richard Zokol for golf.
The builders or coaches recognized were Beverley Felske for ringette, Dr. Bob McCormack for sports medicine, and Wayne Norton for baseball.
The 1998 Langley Little League All-Stars Boys Baseball team was also recognized, while the 1921-22 Vancouver Amazons Women’s Hockey Team was recognized as a pioneer.
Don Taylor was recognized as media, and Glen Ringdal was awarded the W.A.C. Bennett Award.
The full list of winners can be found on the BC Sports Hall of Fame website.
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Laura Brougham
