Delhi was hopping with the best Norfolk County has to offer when it comes to sports.
It was the bi-annual Sports Hall of Recognition Inductee night where the class of 2017 and 2018 each received awards and recognition to their contributions to athletics in the county.
We spoke to former SCS Football player turned CFL Player Jim Merrick about being inducted.
In total 9 people were inducted as part of their 25th Anniversary.
Here is a write up on each inductee from the Sports Hall of Recognition’s website.
Sharon Gardner has made significant contributions to figure skating as an athlete and coach. She joined the Port Dover Figure Skating Club in 1955 when the club opened. Most notably, she was a junior and senior’s pairs and solo champion and skated professionally as a member of the Shipstads and Johnson Ice Follies of San Francisco. She has served as a CanSkate coach, executive member and taught skating with Brantford Parks & Recreation for the W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind.
Since falling in love with the sport in high school, John Lotus has been a local curling ambassador for over 45 years. He curled competitively for many years, travelling to many bonspiels and bringing home championships. John has been a member of two provincial winning teams as a player and started coaching the vision impaired team from the Simcoe Curling Club and helped them realize three national championships. He also coached one of his athletes to win three provincial awards in the sport of golf.
John MacDonald is a retired professional football player from Simcoe. His career started at Simcoe Composite School, took him to McGill University and to pro ball with the Hamilton Tiger Cats who selected him in the first round of the 2002 CFL draft.
John continues to coach and mentor players and has developed many players at SCS, WDDS, McKinnon Park Secondary, Youth Football Camps, University of Guelph, McGill University and currently at Pauline Johnson Collegiate Vocational School. He has won numerous awards for his talent as a player and has contributed to the sport through his work with the SOAR program which is a unique program designed to support the pathway of aspiring elite athletes.
The late Richard Wood will be recognized for his accomplishments as an athlete in the sport of open water distance swimming as a marathon swimming champion. In 1989 he completed a solo swim across Lake Ontario. In 1990 he became the first Canadian male to ever complete a double crossing of Lake Erie. Richard also contributed to the sport as a meet organizer, manager and fundraiser. Most notably, he was part of a large relay team that swam across Lake Ontario to raise funds for Variety Village. Professionally he was employed at the George Hull Centre for Children and Families in Etobicoke, as a youth counsellor. He was inducted into the Solo Swims of Ontario Hall of Fame, served on the executive. Richard passed away in 1998 at the age of 39 but left a permanent impression on the sport.
Long-time Simcoe resident, David Baldock has excelled in the international sport of orienteering. This athletic endeavour combines racing and navigation with a compass through diverse and often unfamiliar terrain. Baldock has medalled in events held throughout North America and is a Canadian and Provincial champion. Locally, he helped to establish orienteering courses and enrichment programs for children in senior public school.
During his lifetime, Paul Davidson competed, coached and organized many sports with compassion. He won championships in basketball, lacrosse, hockey, and curling but is most widely recognized for being part of the mixed pairs National and Provincial lawn bowling championships, with partner Muriel LaPlante. Paul was a well-respected coach at the Delhi Public and Simcoe Composite Schools. Davidson also served as a sight coach/guide for blind golfers and curlers at the Provincial and National level.
David Edmonds is being recognized as a dedicated builder and coach of hockey, soccer and baseball in the communities of Delhi, Simcoe and Tillsonburg for over 50 years. Whether Dave was on an executive, coaching from the sidelines or officiating in some capacity, he tried to provide the best opportunity he could for all participants. Former athletes Edmonds has coached describe him as an outstanding leader who instilled the values of hard work and sportsmanship. Dave made the game fun and encouraged all to perform their best.
Jim Merrick is passionate about football! After getting his start as a high school football player at Simcoe Composite School, Jim trained hard to make the line-up with McGill University and the CFL, with stints in Saskatchewan and Hamilton. Along the way to the big league, he also excelled in the shot put event, winning a provincial university championship and competing at the Canadian National level. Back home in Norfolk County, Jim continues to lead young football players to great destinies. The most well-known player he has assisted with coaching is two-time Grey Cup Champion Shane Bergman.
Port Dover resident Peter Timpf is being recognized as a builder of sport for the lakeside community. For more than 30 years, Peter has served on executives, coached, and spearheaded fundraising and membership drives for the Port Dover Figure Skating Club, Port Dover Minor Softball Association and the Ontario Rural Softball Association (ORSA). He has successfully coached two female teams to ORSA provincial championships and another to an Eastern Canadian Championship. Many credit Peter for serving as a mentor who inspires them to volunteer with sport and service club organizations in the community.