Congratulations to the Volleyball BC Hall of Fame inaugural induction class
Volleyball BC is proud to announce the inaugural class of inductees to the Volleyball BC Hall of Fame. Six extraordinary individuals and one unbeatable team will be honoured at the Hall of Fame and Excellence Awards Banquet on Saturday, January 10, 2015.
Congratulations to Erminia Russo Thorpe, Mike Rockwell, Vale Savege, James Clive, Sandy Silver, Hugh Wong and the 2009/10 UBC Women’s Volleyball Team on their exemplary accomplishments. These inductees have raised the profile of the sport of volleyball, each in their own way, and are well deserving of recognition amongst the best of the best in the history of volleyball in BC.
Erminia Russo Thorpe – Athlete
Likely one of the most accomplished and well-rounded volleyball athletes in Canadian history, Erminia Russo Thorpe holds a deserving place in the Hall of Fame. After being named a three-time Canada West All-Star and All-Canadian with the University of British Columbia (UBC), Erminia joined the national team for eight years and competed at the 1996 Olympics. She then played professional volleyball in France and became one of the top beach volleyball athletes in Canada before embarking on a successful coaching career. Erminia has been inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame.
Mike Rockwell – Official
Mike Rockwell has reached the highest levels of certification for officiating in both indoor and beach volleyball, an extremely rare accomplishment. Representing Canada as an official, Mike has refereed international FIVB, NORCECA, and Pacific Rim indoor competitions, as well as international beach matches with the FIVB and Pan American Games. He has also been a dedicated mentor to young officials, and has spent over 35 years as a volunteer administrator with the BCO Volleyball Club. Mike is also well known as a coach, and his athletic accomplishments have been recognized in Volleyball Canada’s Hall of Fame.
Vale Savege – Official
Well-known as the first woman ever to referee an international volleyball match at the 1981 Pacific Rim Tournament in Japan, Vale Savege has dedicated over 40 years to developing the provincial and national officials programs. Overwhelmingly, Vale is known for being a mentor and leader amongst officials and an advocate for women in officiating. While Vale is being honoured for her indelible mark on the volleyball officiating community in BC and across the country, she is also recognized as an athlete, coach and administrator, and has been honoured in Volleyball Canada’s Hall of Fame as a builder.
James Clive – Builder
Pioneer and ambassador for beach volleyball, James “Jim” Clive is credited for bringing the sport to BC in 1978 and he has worked tirelessly to grow the discipline ever since. Athlete, mentor, coach, coordinator and advocate, Jim was instrumental in installing the first permanent beach court posts in Vancouver. He also founded the Kits Beach Volleyball Association to ensure there was an organization in place to continue growing the sport. Thanks to Jim’s dedication, the popularity of beach volleyball has flourished and Kitsilano Beach is now a training ground for up and coming elite beach athletes.
Sandy Silver – Builder
Unwavering commitment to being the best that she can be and inspiring others to do the same; these have been hallmarks of Sandy Silver’s career in volleyball – first as an athlete, then as referee and coach, and more recently as an administrator. Sandy is a mentor for female Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) coaches across Canada and she founded an endowment fund that provides scholarships for female UBC volleyball athletes. Her contributions also reach beyond volleyball in her lifelong advocacy for social justice and gender equity in sport, and Sandy has been recognized in Volleyball Canada’s Hall of Fame as a builder.
Hugh Wong – Builder
What started out as a volunteer position coaching a high school volleyball team turned out to be a lifetime dedicated to the development of our sport. Hugh Wong coached high school and college teams, then became a volunteer administrator with Volleyball BC, before founding the Kelowna Volleyball Club, and moving on to become the President of Volleyball Canada. Hugh’s footprint continues to expand as he shifts his focus internationally with FIVB and NORCECA. At home or around the world, Hugh’s passion has been and continues to be building the sport of volleyball.
2009/10 UBC Women’s Volleyball Team
The 2009/10 UBC Women’s Volleyball Team accomplished an incredible feat when they recorded a perfect 25-0 season, winning the CIS Championship for the third year in a row. The accolades from this team were numerous with Doug Reimer winning CIS Coach of the Year, Claire Hanna winning CIS Libero of the year, and Liz Cordonier winning the CIS Championship MVP, CIS Player of the Year, and CIS Female Athlete of the Year. From this team, 5 players went on to play for Canada on the Women’s National Volleyball Team.
Celebrate with us!
The inaugural Hall of Fame induction will be held at the Volleyball BC Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet on the evening of Saturday, January 10, 2015. In addition to the Hall of Fame induction, recipients of the Excellence Awards and Ray Lepp Scholarship will also be recognized.
Buy tickets to this event here or download the group order form to book a table of 10.
Questions? Email [email protected]