The efforts and accolades of Island Olympic and Paralympic athletes were recently honoured through an exhibit at the Eptek Centre in Summerside.
The exhibit, a partnership with PEI Sports Hall of Fame, was a tribute to twelve Island athletes who have excelled in their sport and have represented Prince Edward Island proudly at the Olympic or Paralympic Games.
“This was an opportunity to showcase our Island’s Olympic achievements,” said Hon. Carolyn Bertram, Minister of Health and Wellness. “Over the years we have had many Island athletes excel in sport. This week particularly has been exciting, as Islanders have come together to cheer on Team Canada and our Island Olympian for 2010, Heather Moyse.”
“This collection is an important part of our Island’s sporting history,” said Hon. Robert Vessey, Minister of Tourism and Culture. “It is a diverse collection of memorabilia that highlights the past, present, and future of sport in Prince Edward Island.”
Visitors to the exhibit were given a chance to see memorabilia from each athlete’s career including team uniforms, Olympic scrolls, running shoes, and photos.
The twelve athletes being honoured were:
Bill Halpenny, pole vault, 1904 and 1912
Phil MacDonald, track and field, 1924
Dr. Sandy MacDonald, sailing, 1960 and 1964
Bill MacMillian, hockey, 1968
Anna Pendergast, basketball, 1984
Kathryn MacDougall, field hockey, 1988
Dave (Eli) MacEachern, bobsleigh, 1992, 1994, and 1998
Kara Grant, pentathalon, 2004 and 2008
Heather Moyse, bobsleigh, 2006 and 2010
Brad Richards, hockey, 2006
Jared Connaughton, track and field, 2008
Contessa Scott, goalball, 2000, 2004, and 2008
Backgrounder
Bill Halpenny
The first Islander to participate in the Olympics, Bill competed in the pole vault at both the 1904 and 1912 Olympic Games. At a young age, Bill began competing in track and field events including the high jump; the broad jump; the hop, step, and jump; the hurdles; and the pole vault. It was in pole vault, considered the most difficult of them all, that he truly excelled. During his athletic career, he became Canada’s most outstanding pole vaulter, setting multiple Canadian records.
Phil MacDonald
A member of the Abegweits, one of the strongest track-and-field teams ever assembled in the Maritime region, Phil excelled in a variety of track-and-field events and was a Canadian champion and Maritime record-holder. He competed in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris in the 400 metre hurdles.
Dr. Sandy MacDonald
As a competitive sailor, Sandy and his crew won the Canadian Trials in 1960 winning the opportunity to represent Canada at that year’s Olympics. Sandy captained Canada to its most impressive showing in Olympic sailing at the time. Three years later, Sandy would captain his crew to the gold medal at the Pan American Games, Canada’s first yachting gold in Pan American competition. At the 1964 Olympics, the MacDonald crew would finish eighth in the 5.5 meter class.
Bill MacMillian
A player on several provincial, regional and national championship hockey teams – owner of the coveted Olympic scroll and Stanley Cup ring – few Islanders have achieved the levels of sport success that Billy MacMillan has attained. A member of the Canadian National hockey team from 1964 through 1969, Bill was a part of the bronze medal Canadian hockey team at the 1968 Grenoble Olympic Winter Games.
Anna Pendergast
In the summer of 1980, Anna was identified to attend the National Women's Basketball Identification Camp. Although not selected for the National Team that summer, Anna was asked to remain with the camp to further her development as a reward for the strong desire she demonstrated for the game along with her competitive spirit and passion to excel. In 1984, Anna became the first female athlete from Prince Edward Island to participate in an Olympic Games. With the Canadian team, Anna attended the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles where she played in every game and the team settled to a fourth place finish, losing to China by five points in the bronze medal game.
Kathryn MacDougall
From 1982 to 1988, Kathryn became a stalwart of the national field hockey team, first as part of the juniors, and then the full senior squad. She became one of the top defenders, usually called upon to shut down the opposition’s top scorer. In 1986, Kathryn helped Canada win bronze at the World Cup in Holland, while a year later the team again finished third, this time at the Pan-American Games. In 1988, however, Kathryn received the ultimate accolade for any athlete, when she was selected by her country to compete at the Olympic Games, in Seoul, Korea. At the Olympics, Canada finished in a respectable sixth position, and Kathryn had the added honour of scoring one of Canada’s goals in the competition. Along with Lorie Kane, she is the only Islander ever to win the Sport PEI Female Athlete of the Year award on three consecutive occasions.
Dave (Eli) MacEachern
MacEachern made his first Olympic appearance at the 1992 Albertville Games, and six years later he fulfilled the ultimate dream by winning a gold medal. As a former brakeman for driver Greg Haygenluck, he was instrumental in Canada's silver medal performance at the opening event of the 1991-92 World Cup two-man bobsleigh competition in Calgary. Competing for Canada on both the two-and-four man bobsleigh team, Dave was to enjoy further success and collect more medals at the international level, including gold at the World Cup in 1993 with Canadian driver Pierre Lueders. After setting a record at the 1994 Games, Dave MacEachern went on to became the best bobsleigh brakeman in the world, which culminated in victory with Lueders in the two- man bobsleigh competition at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan in 1998. Leading up to the Olympic win was a career of 28 World Cup medals, five World Cup titles and a world championship silver medal.
Kara Grant
Born and raised in the community of Stratford, Kara was heavily involved in the Island equestrian scene for many years and it was through riding and early training with the Charlottetown Pony Club that she became involved in pentathlon. At the 2004 Olympic Games, she placed 22nd. Kara worked full time for the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic in 2005. She resumed full-time athlete status in 2006 with new perspectives on life and sport. In 2008, Kara had some of her best results ever including a World Cup Bronze medal, the first ever won by a Canadian pentathlete. Kara competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing where she finished 31st.
Heather Moyse
Heather is an elite Canadian athlete, representing Canada in international competitions as a bobsledder and rugby player. In 2005-2006, her rookie bobsleigh season, Moyse and her partner Helen Upperton won the Canadian Championships and earned four medals on the World Cup circuit including a gold at an event in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Heather also set push start records on five international tracks. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Moyse and Upperton finished in fourth place in the two-man bobsleigh event, missing bronze by five one-hundredths of a second behind the host Italian team. The pair set the push start record for the Olympic track with a 5.16-second start time in their first heat. During the 2009-2010 World Cup season, Moyse and Humphries finished second overall behind only Sandra Kiriasis and won four medals including gold in Altenberg, Germany. They set or tied the track start record in every race in which they competed together. Moyse, with teammate Kaillie Humphries, won the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Brad Richards
Brad is a Canadian professional hockey player currently playing for the Dallas Stars. A Conn Smyth and Lady Byng Trophies winner, he was a part of the 2004 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightening. Later that same year, he won the World Cup of Hockey Championship playing on Team Canada. In 2006, he was a member of the Canadian Men’s Hockey team.
Jared Connaughton
Jared is a sprinter who attends and competes in the NCAA at the University of Texas at Arlington. At the 2005 Canada Summer Games, Jared was victorious in both the 100m and 200m events making him the first Prince Edward Island native to win two gold medals at one set of Games and the first gold medallist since 1969. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Connaughton competed in the 200m and 4X100m relay for Canada. His team placed sixth in the relay finals and Jared placed 14th in the 200m semifinal competition.
Contessa Scott
Contessa is a three-time Paralympic athlete and two-time gold medal winner with Canada’s National Goalball team. In 2004, Contessa was honoured with the Lt. Governor's Award, and she was named both Outstanding Athlete of the Year and Senior Female Athlete of the Year by Sport PEI.