By: Jonathan Yue
Hall of Fames are reserved for the best, and this year’s inductees are the some of the best of the best. On Wednesday night, Angela Chalmers, Edrick Floréal, Jacqueline Gareau, Brian Langley, Dennis Fairall and Hilda Strike entered the Athletics Canada Hall of Fame as the Class of 2019.
Behind every great athlete, there is a great mentor, a great coach. Dennis Fairall is that and more. He was the “Big Dawg” of the Windsor Lancers track and field program, holding the position of head coach from the start of the 1990-91 season until the end of 2014-15 season. During his time running the program, Fairall led the Lancers to a combined 71 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and U Sports Championships titles. Under his guidance, numerous athletes have found success throughout their university careers and beyond. Canadian 800-metre record holder Melissa Bishop, who officially introduced Fairall to the Hall of Fame, is one of those athletes.
“Sometimes in your life, you’re lucky enough to find someone to look up to; someone that you admire, someone that becomes your mentor and guides you, someone that you whole heartedly trust. It’s not just me, but also hundreds of athletes that have been under the guidance of Dennis Fairall, and I know we all feel the same way about him,” said Bishop.
Moving to Windsor with his family in 1985, little did Fairall know that it would not only change his life, but the lives of the many athletes who have gone through his program.
“It was something that seemed unbelievable. The opportunity to do the one thing he loves more than anything in the world and to call it work; it had to be too good to be true,” said Fairall’s wife Janet, who spoke on his behalf. “For the next 31 years, that is exactly what it was. A daily opportunity to live his dream.”
Edrick Floréal went all in for his dreams and his achievements will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame. But it wasn’t without sacrifice. Floréal admits that by going for his dreams, dreams that made him a Canadian record holder in the men’s long jump (8.20 metres, 1991), triple jump (17.29 metres, 1989) and the indoor triple jump (17.14 metres, 1989), it took him away from his family. He continues to be thankful for everything he’s been able to do, but more importantly, thankful for the support of his family.
“I don’t think I would go back to change anything,” said Floréal. “This honour is not really mine, it’s for the people who I stole from, my family. I stole time from them, time I spent chasing this dream. You can’t reach that level without being dedicated.”
A two-time Olympian, Floréal is a three-time Canadian Champion, while winning bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games in 1990, a bronze (triple jump) and gold (long jump) at the 1989 Jeux de la Francophonie while adding one more gold in 1994.
Jacqueline Gareau goes into the Hall of Fame as one of Canada’s most prolific marathon runners in Canadian history. From 1979 to 1984, Gareau won nine marathons, including the 1980 Boston Marathon, where she was denied a spot to run with the elite group, but battled her way to the front to take the marathon title after “winner” Rosie Ruiz was disqualified for not finishing the race. When reflecting on her career, she described it as a search for passion.
“Since I started running, my first purpose was to find pleasure and passion,” said Gareau. “When I started winning, it was just the cherry on top. As long as we stay well balanced to our body, heart and mind, success will be there.”
For Brian Langley, who was inducted into the Builders category, he wanted to make change where he thought track and field needed it most. Hailing from Halifax, N.S., Langley attended and officiated some of the world’s highest athletics competitions, including the Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games and the World University Games. He continued to contribute to track and field any way he could and helped shaped the sport to what it is today.
“What a career I had with Athletics Canada. I loved every moment of it,” said Langely. “I’ve always had an interest in track and field and I had the philosophy that if you didn’t like the way something was done, get involved and help change it.”
Angela Chalmers holds the Canadian record in the 2,000-metres (5:34.49, 1994) and 3,000-metres (8:32.17). She built a career that can only be one of the best in Canadian history.
Chalmers would win two golds at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in the 1,500-metres and 3,000-metres and defend the 3,000-metre Commonwealth title four years later in 1994. Her impact spread beyond the sport, having a huge influence on the First Nations community.
Hilda Strike joined track and field after testing out her talents in numerous sports. She would be a part of the first female delegates competing at the Canadian Track & Field Championships in 1932, qualifying for the Los Angeles Olympic Games where she would finish with two silver medals (100-metres, 4×100-metre relay).
The Class of 2019 sacrificed many things for their dreams. From Wednesday night onwards, their achievements will be remembered forever in the Athletics Canada Hall of Fame.
Wednesday night’s gala also served as the Athletics Canada Awards ceremonies. Athletes Aaron Brown, Nathan Riech, Myles Misener-Daley, Brent Lakatos, Camryn Rogers, Sarah Mitton and coaches Dave Mills and Kurt Downes were all in attendance to accept their awards ahead of the 2019 Canadian Track & Field Championships.