Vancouver, B.C. (January 10, 2011) – The British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame to induct nine individuals and two teams for induction as part of its 2011 class.

“The 2011 Class of Inductees to be honoured by the BC Sports Hall of Fame is exceptional,” said Randy Kaardal, chair of the Selection Committee, “Our selection committee did an outstanding job of sifting through over 120 nominations. The Class of 2011 truly reflects the best of the best.”

Induction recognizes excellence in sport, contribution to sport and the impact on sport in British Columbia, in the categories of athlete, team, builder, media, pioneer, and W.A.C. Bennett. A selection committee, comprised of members of the BC Sports Hall of Fame Board of Trustees, the media and the sport community made the final decision.

As part of the 2011 induction class, five athletes will be honoured, Trevor Linden (hockey), Lauren Woolstencroft (para alpine skiing), Maëlle Ricker (snowboarding) Gary Gait (lacrosse) and Paul Gait (lacrosse). In the builder category, Audrey Williams (figure skating) and Mike Jones (wrestling) have been selected. Selected in the pioneer category is the 1933 Chinese Students Soccer Team, in the media category Tom Larscheid and in the W.A.C. Bennett category Marty Zlotnik has been selected. The BC members of the 2010 Olympic Men’s Hockey Team have been selected in the team category (hockey).

The 2011 Inductees will be formally inducted to the BC Sports Hall of Fame at the 43rd Annual Banquet of Champions at the Vancouver Convention Centre on September 13, 2011.

Athlete

Gary Gait – Lacrosse

Widely considered the greatest lacrosse player of all time, Victoria’s Gary Gait revolutionized the way the modern game is played. A winner of every possible major lacrosse team championship, Gait won the NLL MVP award a record six times and remains the NLL’s all-time leader in goals and points.

Paul Gait – Lacrosse

Like his twin brother, Victoria’s Paul Gait also enters the discussion of greatest lacrosse player of all-time. Over his career Gait won twelve major championships, led the NLL in goal scoring four times, earned eight First-Team All Pro selections, and won the league’s MVP award in 2002.

Trevor Linden – Hockey

Perhaps the most universally respected athlete in Vancouver sports history, Trevor Linden recorded six 30-goal seasons and led the Canucks to within a goalpost of winning the 1994 Stanley Cup. After his 2008 retirement, Linden became only the second player to have his number retired by the club.

Maëlle Ricker – Snowboarding

West Vancouver’s Maëlle Ricker took on the world’s best in her own backyard in 2010 and emerged Olympic champion in women’s snowboard cross, the first Canadian woman to win gold on home snow. A month later Ricker locked up the World Cup Overall title. In 106 career starts she collected 14 victories and 32 podium finishes.

Lauren Woolstencroft – Skiing

The ‘Golden Girl’ of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, North Vancouver’s Lauren Woolstencroft became the first Winter Paralympian in history to win five gold medals at a single Paralympic Games. Earlier she represented Canada at the 2002 and 2006 Paralympics winning another three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.

Builder

Mike Jones – Wrestling

For over thirty years, Mike Jones’ Burnaby Mountain Wrestling Club has been a dynasty churning out eighteen Olympians, twenty-eight national championship teams, thirteen world and Olympic medals, eight NAIA team titles, and produced more individual champions than any other comparable program in North America.

Audrey Williams – Figure Skating

Involved for over fifty years, Vancouver’s Audrey Williams is one of the all-time great figure skating officials from BC. Appointed an International Judge by the ISU in 1967, she judged the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, six World Championships, and four World Junior Championships. Williams remains the only native British Columbian to serve as an Olympic judge.

Team

2010 Canadian Olympic Men’s Hockey Team (BC Members)

Sidney Crosby’s overtime goal in the 2010 Olympic men’s hockey final gave Canada 14 gold medals, the most ever won by any nation in a single Winter Olympics. Five British Columbian players made sizable contributions to Team Canada’s gold medal effort: Duncan Keith, Roberto Luongo (goaltender), Scott Niedermayer (captain), Brent Seabrook, and Shea Weber.

Pioneer

1933 Chinese Students Soccer Team

In an era when the Chinese population in BC was made to feel like second-class citizens, the Chinese Students Soccer Team stood as a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope, the only Chinese-Canadian soccer team in Canada and thought to be the only such team outside of China.

Media

Tom Larscheid

The excitable, straight-shooting Canucks radio colour commentator for most of the past 33 years, Tom Larscheid’s energized enthusiasm resonated through the airwaves working beside the legendary Jim Robson and later Jim Hughson and John Shorthouse. Larscheid also worked as the BC Lions’ colour commentator on CKNW from 1975 until 2000.

W.A.C. Bennett Award

Marty Zlotnik

Marty Zlotnik’s remarkable drive, vision, and organizational ability have significantly shaped BC sport for decades. Through the Thunderbird Golf Society, the UBC Thunderbird Council, and the Millenium Scholarship Breakfast Zlotnik has raised millions of dollars for BC athletes. Zlotnik has served as president of the Kids Up Front Foundation, chair of the BC Sports Hall of Fame, and Vancouver Parks Board Commissioner.

About the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum

The BC Sports Hall of Fame, a non-profit society, is the ‘go to’ organization for BC sport heritage. For over 40 years, we have honoured BC’s teams, builders, athletes, pioneers, and media through the annual induction ceremony, The Banquet of Champions. To date 319 individuals and 55 teams have been inducted onto the BC Sports Hall of Fame. The collection of the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum includes over 25,000 artifacts and 20,000 archival documents representing 100 years of sporting accomplishments in British Columbia. In everything it does, the BC Sports Hall of Fame honours, educates, and inspires through the Hero In You© educational program.