Golfer Jim Rutledge is one of a handful of athletes being inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class.
Joining Rutledge in the athlete category are Dave Kirzinger (football), Brenda Shields Hennigar (speed skating), Gerry Poulton (squash), and Gary Reed (athletics).
Rutledge turned pro at the age of 19 and played over 20 years on the Canadian and Asian golf tours, winning international tournaments such as the Indian Open (1995) and New Zealand Professional Golf Association (PGA) Championship (2006).
As for the others, Kirzinger was the first overall pick in the Canadian Football League (CFL) draft after only two years of varsity football at the University of British Columbia. He played nine years (1979-1986), almost all with Calgary, where he was also captain for three seasons.
Shields Hennigar had 11 Canadian single distance championships in speed skating (two short track and nine long track), three national all-round championships, one North American championship, 33 Canadian and North American championship medals and holds several records.
Poulton has been playing squash for over 50 years and in the past 20 Canadian championships has won multiple medals in the 60+, 65+, 70+ and 75+ age categories. Poulton also has competed and won medals at events such as the British Open, Asia-Pacific Masters Games, the European Masters Games, Americas Masters Games and the World Masters Games.
Reed was the former 800-metre Canadian record holder and is a six-time national champion and a two-time Olympian (2004 and 2008). Reed raced to a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships and finished fourth at the 2008 Olympic Games.
In addition to the five athletes entering the Greater Victoria Hall of Fame, the iconic rowing pair of Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee are being entered in the team category. The duo won World Championships silver in 2011 and 2014 and World Cup gold in 2016. They represented Canada at the 2012 London Olympic Games and brought home a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Triathlon’s Lance Watson will be inducted in the coach category and Richard Way will be inducted into the builder category to round out the class of 2022.
“The selection process is always difficult as there are so many outstanding people in the Victoria sports community,” said Lois Smith, chair of the Induction Nominations Committee. “I commend the committee members for their diligence in producing such a stellar slate.”
An official inductee dinner will be held on October 29 and a visual representation of this group of inductees will be added to the physical Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame display at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre concourse.
Over 220 athletes, teams, coaches, officials, builders, and media personalities have been inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame since 1991.
Graham Cox
