Sports Hall of Fame inductee shined at U
of Saskatchewan
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| Barb Wilson, second from right, has great memories from U of S. |
At one time, golf wasn’t the only sport Barb Wilson was
known for.
On Wednesday at a press conference at the Saskatoon Field House,
the 66-year-old was announced as an inductee for the Saskatoon Sports Hall of
Fame class of 2017. With one Saskatchewan junior women’s golf title, five
Saskatchewan women’s amateur titles and five Saskatchewan senior women’s title
to her credit, Wilson’s selection to the local Sports Hall of Fame as an
athlete was a fitting one.
With the Field House being located right next to the University
of Saskatchewan, Wilson found herself reflecting on the days when she was a
member of the school’s athletics program. She played for what was then known as
the Huskiettes basketball team from 1970 to 1974. Besides the hoops team,
Wilson was also a member of the Huskiettes field hockey team and the track and
field team.
“I absolutely loved my five years in the university,” said
Wilson. “You can’t get better than that.”
“One of my best friends is Heather Witzel, who played with
me on the basketball team. Pat Jackson was our coach at that time and was one
of the all-time best coaches. She was actually the coach of the national team
for the first couple of years that I played.
Wilson and Witzel played basketball together for three
seasons from 1970 to 1973 helping the Huskiettes post an 85-11 record. The team
won a bronze medal at the 1971 Canada Winter Games in Saskatoon.
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| Barb Wilson listens to her Hall introduction. |
Back in those days, Wilson said all the members of the
basketball team played field hockey to prepare for the hoops season. She
remembered one time when Witzel had trouble adjusting to the changing
conditions outside.
“She (Witzel) came from B.C. and froze, absolutely froze
because of our weather,” said Wilson. “Lucky devil her, she got to go in and
have a hot shower before basketball practice where none of the others did.
“We had very good times. I still go out to (Vancouver
Island) to see Heather.”
While Wilson cemented her star status on the provincial golf
scene after leaving university becoming a member of the Saskatchewan Golf Hall
of Fame in 2015, she still kept tabs on the U of S women’s basketball program,
which has been known as the Huskies women’s basketball team for a lengthy
stretch of time.
Under current head coach Lisa Thomaidis, the Huskies have
won five Canada West titles and a U Sports national championship in 2016.
Remembering how different things were in the early 1970s, Wilson
was amazed to see the attention Thomaidis’s teams have drawn and admits she
wished her hoops teams could have drawn that same attention.
“It is a good thing that she projects her team as one of the
best if not the best,” said Wilson. “We were very good in our time with Pat
Jackson, very good.
“I don’t think we ever got any credit for that as what is
going on now. That is alright.”
While she has great memories from her university days,
Wilson has countless memories playing golf. In a perky and upbeat way, she said
it was really nice to be announced as an inductee to the Saskatoon Sports Hall
of Fame.
She also wants to get back to playing that sport on a more
frequent basis. Since winning her last Saskatchewan senior women’s amateur
title in 2005, Wilson was pulled off the golf course due to a battle with
cancer.
Having won her battle with cancer, Wilson said this year she
feels ready play on a more regular basis again.
“Golf is great,” said Wilson. “I started to golf when I was
12. I kept golfing all the way through.
“I love that sport. I absolutely love it. I was hoping I
could keep going on it.
“I am getting back there now. I am going to go into a few
tournaments this year, so we should see.”
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| Bryan Kosteroski listens to his Hall introduction. |
“It is very exciting,” said Kosteroski. “I look who is all
in the Hall of Fame it gets very overwhelming.”
Currently, Kosteroski is the volunteer chairperson of the
Friends of the Bowl Foundation not-for-profit group, which is continually
working to keep refurbishing the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. He said working
with the Friends of the Bowl, which was formed in 2013, has been very
rewarding.
“It has been awesome with the people we got to know, the
goals we have and the all the sports groups working together,” said Kosteroski.
“You don’t see that anywhere in Canada.
“This project in Saskatoon is something special, and you are
going to hear a lot more special things coming upon here in the fall. Working
with all these different groups is tremendous.”
Other athletes that are part of the 2017 Saskatoon Sports
Hall of Fame class include Cam Baerg in rowing, Erin Cumpstone in softball and
ringette, the late Ted Dushinski in football and Joanne Jones Vause in track
and field.
Also being inducted as builders are late Keith Allen in hockey,
Chris Baraniuk in artistic gymnastics and Huw Morris in soccer.
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| Some of the inductees for the 2017 Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame. |
The 2007
Canadian Junior Football League champion Saskatoon Hilltops will enter in the
team category.
Curl Saskatoon was named the Sports Organization of the Year
by the local Hall of Fame.
The Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will
be held Nov. 4 at TCU Place.
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