Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame nominates class of 2012

Four athletes, two builders, one coach and one team are the latest group to be inducted into the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame.

The Induction dinner will take place Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Burnaby Firefighter's Club Metrotown.

The four athletes selected by the hall of fame committee are the late multi-sport athlete Hank Grenda, Simon Fraser University women's basketball standout Michelle Hendry, pro baseball player Dave Chavarria and track and field's Jason Delesalle.

Builders to be inducted are sport medicine's Dr. Jack Taunton and figure skating executive Ted Barton. The coach inductee is long-time Burnaby rugby mentor Walt Brandl, while the team is the 1965 Legion 148 under-17 men's national club soccer champions.

Grenda was a standout athlete in football, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer and hockey. He was on teams that won B.C. Championships in three different sports and with football as his first love became the first Burnaby high school athlete to be signed by the B.C. Lions.

Hendry was an amazing player on the women's SFU basketball team where during a four-year run she established the all-time leading scoring record, average points per game, most points scored in a season and was twice named NAIA player of the year.

An outstanding track, basketball and soccer player at Burnaby Central Secondary, it was baseball where Chavarria was to make his mark, where after a impressive amateur career he signed a pro contract with the Texas Rangers organization in 1991, playing in associated levels of pro ball for 11 years. Upon retirement he became a coach with the Rangers' organization.

Delesalle is a double Paralympic Games medalist as well as winner of multi International and Canadian championships and is the B.C. and Canadian record holder in the penthalon for visually impaired men.

Taunton is known and respected as one of the top sports medicine doctors in North America. He was chief medical officer at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics and acted in the same capacity with the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Barton radically changed the figure skating landscape in British Columbia when he was instrumental in establishing the Burnaby Centre of Excellence now considered one of the best skating training centres in the world. He was also one of the architects of the new skating judging system.

Brandl has been coaching rugby in Burnaby for more than 20 years where over that time he has led his various Burnaby men and women's teams to a host of championships including one national and five provincial championships.

The 1965 Legion (North Burnaby) men's soccer team captured the provincial, Western Canada and national club championship.

Tickets for the induction dinner are now on sale and available at $75 per person by email at [email protected] or by calling Rosemary at 604-436-1672.