Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame welcomes 7 new inductees

Five individuals and two local athletic teams received the honour of being inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday.

The organization, now entering its 34th year of recognizing sporting excellence in the area, welcomed a selection of teams, individual athletes and those involved in building a stronger sporting community in the city.

This year’s inductees include:

• Team Foster, the 2008 Senior Ladies World Curling championship team
• Lethbridge Little League All-Stars, the 1981 Canadian champions (13-year-old division)
• Trevor McAlpine, for his achievements in judo throughout the 1990s
• Dawn Berry-Furtado, for her provincial and national achievements in golf
• Ard Biesheuvel, for his dedication to and development of volleyball in Lethbridge
• Bernhard Pohl, for his dedication to and development of mixed martial arts in Lethbridge
• Carol Thibert, for her all-around contribution to sports within Lethbridge

Inductees present at the announcement on Thursday were honoured to have their names added to the Hall of Fame, which has acknowledged the most prestigious, impactful and instrumental personalities in Lethbridge’s sporting community since 1985.

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“It’s humbling to be inducted with this group of people,” said McAlpine.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's humbling to be inducted with this group of people," said McAlpine.

“It’s a complete surprise; it’s really amazing,” added Thibert.

“I’ve been involved with the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame and with different sport organizations — while I was working and before that — so when I got the phone call, it was so out of the blue, I just wasn’t expecting it.”

Biesheuvel said that he hopes his recognition paired with his continued work with children in sports across the city will help inspire more youths to share their skills with others in the future.

“I’m hoping that something I did along the way, that there’s some kids thinking, ‘I really enjoyed playing for Ard’ or ‘I really enjoyed playing volleyball,’ and now they’re deciding to give back, and there’s enough kids doing that that it feels very rewarding for me,” said Biesheuvel.

The new inductees will be officially welcomed into the Hall of Fame during an induction banquet and ceremony on May 3.