29 Aug

The BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum – Behind the Scenes

Vancouver’s own Percy Williams won gold in the 1928 Olympics in the 100 and 200 meters. He is now in his starting position outside the BC Sports Hall at BC Place Stadium.

The following photo essay was contributed by Vancouver photographer Dave Roels (www.daveroels.com) as part of our Behind the Scenes in Tourism series.

The BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a place where memories are on display. There are many people who I grew up with and played on the same soccer, swimming, track and field teams. Many others I knew from my youth up through the years.

I was a ball boy at Callister Park when Ken Pears and Art Hughs played for the Firefighters Coast League Team. Dan Kulai refereed some of my juvenile soccer games. Harry Jerome, O.C. was a teacher when I attended Templeton High School. I used to run with him after school and he got me to be a member of his Optimists Striders track team.

I swam with Ron Jacks on the YMCA swim team. Bruce Wilson, who was a division behind me, practiced with our team because his bother Doug was a team member.

When I walked through the Hall it was like walking down memory lane. There is not enough space in this short story to tell my side of many of those on the wall. I was hitchhiking at the beginning of the Granville Street Bridge on 6th Avenue and the former BC Lions quarterback, Joe Kapp picked me up and gave me a ride to Brocton Oval in Stanley Park where I was going for a training workout.

With the refurbishing of BC Place, the home of the BC Sports Hall of Fame has 20,000 square feet of exhibition space. Visitors are engaged and inspired at the stories of the most extraordinary accomplishments in sport in British Columbia.

There are ten different Galleries to look through such as the Aboriginal Sport Gallery. The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Gallery is breathtaking. Other Galleries include Maple Ridge’s Indy driver Greg Moore, Heroes Galleries of Terry Fox, ‘The Marathon of Hope’ and ‘Man in Motion’ Rick Hansen. The Hall of Champions honours the inductees of the BC Sports Hall of Fame and their achievements through artifacts and wall gallery.

You really must go and visit in person, but before you go, take a few minutes to whet your appetite for what you will see by going through their excellent website.

www.bcsportshalloffame.com

A wall with many of the BC athletes who accomplished so much in their sport.

I personally know all of these people from my youth and adult life.

A few more people that I knew when I grew up and in later years.

These too are from my youth growing up and in later years.

Lorne Atkinson 1948 London bronze medal winner, and later I would ride my bicycle to his store Ace Cycles on West Broadway.

A few of the earliest trophies the BC Sports Hall had received in its collection.

I wonder how Bruce Wilson feels being in a case when he has had so much freedom on a soccer pitcch?

John Ferguson who lived five blocks from me as a kid received this miniature Stanley Cup. Now, the Stanley Cup winners get a ring.

On 7 August, at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Bannister and Landy won in 3 min 58.8 s by Bannister and Landy 0.8s behind. It was billed as “The Miracle Mile.” The original stopwatch is in the bottom right of the photograph.

Some of the Harry Jerome collection in storage. Notice the Order of Canada medal on the left and his university of Oregon jersey.

Just a few of the hats in storage.

Balls and boots. There are more than meets the eye.

Trophies. You would think the BC Sports Hall was in the trophies business there are so many. The variety is amazing, never mind the stories behind each of them.

These are medals won by British Columbian athletes at these various summer and winter Olympics.

George Hungerford won a gold on the water, Harry a bronze on the track. Both men gave untold hours of their time back to the community. George is still giving back.

1948 Olympic games in London. The right side shows the event results of the Canadian Team.

John W. “Jack” Poole, OC, OBC gave the remainder of his life to see that the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was a success. I was at the first public meeting Jack held at the Arbutus Club in Vancouver to ask the business community to give and support the bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

What can you say about these three characters, Miga the Sea Bear, Quatchi the Sasquatch, or Sumi, the Thunderbird. Talk about being popular.

The entrance to the Olympic displays.

The clothes that Michael Buble wore at the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Games and the clothes that former Olympian Nancy Green wore as she light one of the cauldron at the opening ceremonies.