CCPSA Hall of Fame
Nominations Package
Athletes
Berdan, Joanne (nee Bouw)
Joanne was one of Canada’s finest Paralympic athletes during the 1980s and early 1990s. As a class 37 thrower, she was undefeated and still holds world records today in the shot put, discus and javelin for athletes with cerebral palsy. While attending secondary school, Joanne ignored those who discouraged her from participating and became involved…
Sauve, Sylvie
As an athlete, Sylvie Sauvé is known for far more than her excellent performances. Her involvement in the development of sports for people with cerebral palsy in Quebec, as well as her fight for the rights of people with a disability, lead CCPSA to recognize Sylvie as a person who has made her mark in…
Easton, Robert
Robert Easton was introduced to wheelchair sports in 1976 and first began with playing wheelchair basketball. In 1977 he took up wheelchair racing and by 1981 was a major force on the international sports scene. He held and improved on every World Record for track & field events in his class for the period from…
Longhi, Gary
The life of Montrealer Gary Longhi was turned upside down on August 11, 1983, when he was involved in a motorcycle accident at age 19. He remained in a coma for three months. After a long period of rehabilitation, the native Italian began cycling in 1985. He earned his first Paralympic medal at the Barcelona…
Willows, Debbie
From 1981 to 1991, Debbie Willows was a multi-sport athlete who represented Canada numerous times on the world stage. Always a fine competitor, Debbie was involved in several sports – swimming, slalom, wheelchair soccer and boccia. Her first International Boccia event was in 1984 in New York, where she won a bronze medal in the…
Thomas, Ken
Ken Thomas of Edmonton, Alberta is probably one of the most dedicated, respected and honoured athletes of the CCPSA. Ken competed in athletics, pushing his wheelchair backward with his feet. His first international competition was in 1981 in New York, where he won a silver medal. He competed internationally for the next thirteen years and…
Bjarnason, Halldor
After graduating from high school Halldor attended university in Winnipeg where he earned an honours degree in political science. He then attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario where he received his Bachelor of Laws degree. After graduating in 1989 he again faced some challenges in finding a firm that would allow him to article, but…
Gauthier, Paul
Each boccia player, coach and supporter has dreamed about achieving gold at the Paralympics in one way or another, but until now, only one Canadian has done it – Paul Gauthier. During his journey to the top, like a true champion, Gauthier brought the Canadian boccia community along with him. He looked for the best…
Builders
Halicki, Leslie
Leslie Halicki has been volunteering as an official in the sport of Boccia since 1993. She began her involvement as a minor official, liner and timer at local events in her home province of British Columbia. She received her international referee certification in 1995. She was invited to officiate at the Paralympic Games in Sydney…
Moore, Terrie
Terrie Moore was a founding member of the Cerebral Palsy Sports Association of British Columbia (CPSA-BC) in 1979 and Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (CCPSA) in 1982. Originally a PE teacher and swim coach, Terrie changed career paths in 1982 to devote her career to being an advocate for sport for people with disabilities. Her…
Dunn, Janet
Educator, creator, coach and mentor all describe Janet’s current and past interaction in sport. Janet’s involvement extends for over 30 years, she is a founding member of both Alberta Cerebral Palsy Sports and Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Associations, pioneered the development of a swim program and has worked at all levels of the sport system…
Giordano, Henri
In 1983, following a presentation by Lou Legeault (Ontario) to the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Association, Henri saw a golden opportunity to start the process of establishing a Canadian sports association for people with cerebral palsy. A few weeks later, he went to Ontario to attend the provincial Games. Two years…
Wilton, Doug
In 1985, Doug Wilton was one of the founding members of the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association. Prior to the official formation of CCPSA, he worked tirelessly towards the goal of a national organization for many years. After CCPSA was formed, Doug continued to be involved in many aspects of sport for people with disabilities….
Van Wallegham, Marilyn
Marilyn Van Wallegham is one of the founders of the CCPSA. Marilyn’s involvement with athletes with cerebral palsy began in the early 1980’s. A member of the Manitoba Cerebral Palsy Association approached her with information she had picked up at a conference in the United States about a new sport organization. Marilyn had already some…
Cruise, Frannie
For over thirty years Frannie Cruise has been and continues to be a builder – creating programs to expand the horizons of children and young adults with disabilities. She came to what was known as the Variety Treatment Center in 1976 as a recreational therapist. Working with her colleagues at the center, she developed a…
Martin, Sharon
Sharon has been a long time volunteer for athletes with a disability. She was introduced to sport for the disabled through her sister Jackie who also worked in recreation. She began as a sport assistant and then working her way through the ranks as Secretary, vice President and then President of CCPSA. The association held…
Murray, Thom
Thom Murray was one of the original founders of CCPSA in 1985. He served as president in 1995 to 2005. Under his capable leadership, Thom led the organization through a transformative stage of development.
Nadeau, Pierre
Pierre was involved with the Montreal Chapter of the Cerebral Palsy Association (CPAQ) as a member, volunteer and finally as an employee from 1971 to 1992. From 1971 to 1976 he participated in the adult activities which were broomball and Cosom hockey because those were the only sports available to people with disabilities. In 1978, the head…
Kabush, Debbie
Debbie Kabush’s involvement with boccia began in 1989 when her daughter (and fellow CCPSA Hall of Fame Inductee) Alison Kabush was invited to try boccia at the Variety Child Development Center in Vancouver. Her involvement grew from there to include becoming a National and International referee and Board member of SportAbility BC. Later, Kabush moved…
Delisle, Mario
Mario Delisle has been involved in boccia for approximately three decades in many different roles. Delisle has taken on many leadership positions as Sport Coordinator for the l’Association québécoise de sports pour paralytiques cérébraux (AQSPC), Physical Activity Coordinator for the Centre d’intégration à la vie active (CIVA), Head Coach of the Boccia Québec team, Coordinator…
Hermiston, Sandy
Sandy began her involvement with cerebral palsy sports, because her then 11-year-old son wanted to be a competitive athlete. She started her volunteer career with the Alberta Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (ACPSA) helping wherever she could, attending her first games in British Columbia in 1998. It will come as no surprise, that in quick order, she…
Officials / Coaches
Church, Earl
Dr. Church was a well known and respected athletics coach in Niagara when he was introduced to the world of Paralympic sport by CCPSA Hall of Fame athlete Joanne (Bouw) Berdan in 1989. From this beginning, his involvement grew over the next nineteen years to include coaching at the 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Paralympic…
Blackwood, Faye
Faye has made and is still making a great contribution to coaching athletes with disabilities. Faye began working with a small group of athletes with Cerebral Palsy in the mid 1980’s at Variety Village. She brought her experience as a member of Canada’s athletics national team and her educational background to her role as coach….
Price-Mireau, Lori
Lori was introduced to an after-school program for athletes with disabilities (1991). M.C.P.S.A. was running a Boccia program at the school. She was invited by the coach to come and watch a practice. She was immediately impressed with the athletes and how they loved what they were doing. Soon you couldn’t keep her away; she…
Schrader, Bob
It’s hard to imagine where the sport of wheelchair athletics would be without Bob Schrader. After Bob attended his first event in Windsor, Ontario at the 1989 Windsor Indoor Classic Games it was clear that wheelchair sports would never be the same. After those games, Bob returned to Ottawa and created Panthers Athletics, catering to athletes with…
Zorn, Donna
Donna Zorn became involved with boccia in the mid-1990’s when her local Cerebral Palsy Sports Association in the Vancouver area asked if she would consider helping at a Provincial Championship. At that time, her son was on the CCPSA National track team and she admittedly had little knowledge of boccia, but agreed to help out….
Vander Vies, Gary
Gary and his son, Josh, were introduced to boccia in 1996 by the Pathways Health Centre for Children and Youth in Sarnia, Ontario while they were members of the local club, the Sarnia Red Hots (now Sports for the Disabled – Lambton) and have been enthusiasts on the boccia scene ever since. In his twenty…
Grenon, Alain
Alain Grenon has been involved in boccia for over twenty years and first started in 1998 when he became a provincial referee for Québec. In 2002, he obtained his international referee distinction, making him the first international boccia referee from Québec. Under this distinction, he participated in the 2003 New Zealand World Cup and the…
Torrance, Herb
Herb Torrance was among the early pioneers who helped establish and promote boccia in British Columbia and across Canada. He played a pivotal role in the golden era of the BC3 Pair of Alison Kabush, Monica Martino, and Paul Gauthier during the 1990s and early 2000s. This surge of performance out of BC culminated along…
Teams
BC3 Pair
For decades, three athletes from British Columbia transformed boccia in Canada – Alison Kabush, Monica Martino and Paul Gauthier. From the mid 1990’s to the early 2010’s, they spent thousands of hours together on the boccia courts of Vancouver, New Westminster and Surrey, building their shared love of competition and honing their skills. The depth…