The Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association is pleased to announce its inductees for the Manitoba High School Sports Hall of Fame. The Association will induct six athletes, three builders and one team into the class of 2012.

The recipients will be honoured at a reception on Saturday, April 21st at the Holiday Inn South.

Inducted as Builders this year will be Frank McKinnon, Gladwyn Scott and Audrey Jones, while athletes include Ed Alexiuk, Nick Papadakis, Lynda (Kidd) Chorley, Chris Walby, Michelle Sawatzky, and Rick Watts. The team to be inducted is the Hapnot Collegiate (Flin Flon) Basketball Team from 1950-56.


Builders:
Frank McKinnon – was a founding member of the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association. The former Principal of Carman Collegiate has been involved with the MHSAA as a President for four years and has also served on several committees. He coached a number of sports as well and was also quite involved with the community, serving as Chairman of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, as well as Vice President of the Canadian Olympic Association. The MHSAA currently has an award named after Frank that is presented to an outstanding volunteer on an annual basis. Frank is a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

Gladwyn Scott - has been a great supporter of the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association. As a Superintendent in Southwest Manitoba and the Interlake, he promoted high school sports and was very supportive of the programs at the schools under his administration. Gladwyn served as a member of the board of the MHSAA and coached high school sports at Hamiota and Carman. He is also known for his involvement in the sport of baseball and served as Vice President of Baseball Canada for three years. Gladwyn, to this day, continues to support High School Sport by writing for community newspapers. He currently resides in Carberry, Manitoba. Gladwyn is also a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

Audrey Jones – was a long time physical educator at Tec Voc High School in Winnipeg. She was MHSAA President in 1963 and 1964 and served as Ladies Vice President for a number of years. Audrey continually promoted female sports in the Province and represented Winnipeg School Division and High School Sport in her determined and very passionate way.

Athletes:
Ed Alexiuk - is a long time physical educator in Winnipeg. This Dakota Collegiate student athlete played Volleyball, Basketball and Track and Field for the Lancers. They captured a Provincial Varsity Boys Volleyball title in 1970. Ed has been coaching high school sport for the last 36 years, most recently as a physical education instructor at Maples Collegiate. While at the University of Winnipeg, Ed captured three CIAU/CIS Championships in 1971, 1972, and 1973. Ed represented Canada in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, and is a member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame, as well as St. Nick’s Ukrainian Sportsman of the Year in 2008. He has coaches numerous athletes who have gone on to play at University, nationally and Internationally.

Nick Papadakis - of the Daniel McIntyre Maroons was an all around athlete. He was a member of the first MHSAA Provincial Championship Basketball Team with the Maroons and excelled at Soccer. He played Soccer for Daniel McIntyre in 1961, and 1962 when they won the Senior High Championship. After High School, Nick moved to Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York, which is a Division One school. He established the following records which stand today, scoring 76 career goals, most goals in a game of seven, and a career total of 170 points. He was selected to the All American Soccer Team twice and in 1995 inducted into Hartwick’s Soccer Hall of Fame. Nick also played for the Canadian National Team in 1969.

Lynda (Kidd) Chorley – was a star athlete at Hamiota Collegiate during the 1960’s. She led her basketball team to the Provincial Championship in 1961 and 1964 and runner up in 1962 and 1963. In her final year, 1964, Lynda scored 77 points in three games to lead Hamiota to the Championship. Lynda played in all six years from grade 7 to 12 and scored a total of 2207 points. She led the Western Manitoba League in scoring when she was only in grade 8 and broke her scoring record in each of the next three years. After graduating high school she went on to a stellar career at Brandon College. In Track and Field, Lynda also set a Provincial High School record in discus 1962, and in 1963 set a Provincial Ball Throw record and won both discus and shot put in 1964. She has been selected as the Brandon Sun’s Western Manitoba Sportsman of the Year, and also named to the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame.

Chris Walby - played basketball and football at St. John’s High School in Winnipeg’s North End in the mid 1970’s. This member of the Tigers was a visible presence during his years at St. John’s. From high school he played Junior Football and then played college ball at Dickinson State University from 1978-1980 and was a first round draft pick of the Montreal Alouettes in 1981. Chris played CFL Football for 16 years and was a nine time CFL All-Star. He also captured Grey Cup rings in 1984, 1988 and 1990. Chris was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. He was also a long time colour analyst with CBC on their CFL Games.

Michelle Sawatzky (Koop) - Michelle grew up in Steinbach and was a member of Steinbach Regional Secondary School Sabres. She led her Volleyball team to the 1987 Provincial AA Championship and was also setter on the 1989 Canada Summer Games Bronze Medalist team. Michelle was the starting setter at the U of M as they won National Championships in 1990, 1991 and 1992 and was named CIAU/CIS Player of the Year in 1991, 1992, and in 1993 was named U of M Female Athlete of the Year. Michelle also participated on two World Student Volleyball Games teams in 1991 and 1992 and on the Senior National Team in 1995. She participated in the Bronze Medal Game in the Pan American Games in Argentina in 1996 and also was a member of the team that finished 9th in the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Rick Watts - was a multi sport athlete at Dakota Collegiate who played Basketball, Volleyball and Track and Field. While at Dakota, Rick was a member of the Provincial Finalists Basketball team in 1969 and 1971 and was captain, and Provincial All-Star, of the Provincial Champion 1970 team. In Volleyball he was captain and Provincial All-Star of both the 1970, and 1971 team that captured the Provincial Championship. In Track and Field Rick was a gold medalist in the 1970 high jump where he set a provincial record. Rick went on to his chosen sport of Basketball where he captained the U of M Bison’s from 1974 – 1976 and graduated as the U of M’s all time leading scorer. Rick was also a member of the 1976 University of Manitoba Basketball team which captured the CIAU/CIS Championship game and he was selected as first team CIAU All Canadian and a tournament All-Star

Team:
Hapnot Collegiate (Flin Flon) Kopper Kweens Basketball Team
In the early days, when high school sport was just getting organized, the Hapnot Kopper Kweens became a legend in high school sport. The Hapnot Kopper Kweens were champions of high school girl’s basketball from the inception of a provincial championship tournament in 1949 (during the Easter break) through the 54-55 season, seven years straight. Tec Voc won in 1955-56 to end the streak but Flin Flon did come back to win it in 1957-58 and again in 1959-60. Most of the girls on those early teams also played a form of club basketball and their school team’s success was mirrored by their club team, the Legionettes, in provincial open junior girl’s basketball championships. That was quite a run by the Hapnot Collegiate Kopper Kweens and no school has even come close to matching it since then.