Michael Kappel was a one-of-a-kind athlete in the history of Niagara-on-the-Lake — his accomplishments will be posthumously honoured when he and fellow athlete David Mines are inducted into the town’s Sports Wall of Fame on Aug. 22.
He found the most success in the two sports for which he’ll be recognized: rowing and, especially, wrestling.
His brother, Frank Kappel, described Michael as an athlete who was intensely focused and formed strong connections with teammates in pursuit of shared goals.
“He was intense. He was driven; he could be stubborn,” Frank said.
“He enjoyed having a good time. He made very good and fast friends with the wrestling crew and his team. When you go through something like that together, there’s sort of a bonding there.”
In wrestling, Michael represented Canada internationally four times, winning a bronze medal in the 100-kilogram freestyle event at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He achieved all this by age 23.
By 25, he stepped away from competitive athletics and used his Bachelor of Science in agriculture and environmental horticulture to launch a garden centre and landscaping business.
The brothers’ bond began early in their childhood in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where they were raised on a fruit farm on Line 8.
“We grew up together on my parents’ farm,” Frank said. “We played together, just like brothers do, and fought occasionally. I guess it was pretty well a standard relationship as kids.”
Michael’s athletic journey began at the old Niagara District Secondary School.
His first love was football, where he played on both the offensive and defensive lines. He also took part in gymnastics.
However, his first taste of competitive success came in rowing.
He competed in the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta and travelled to England while still in high school, where Frank said he finished in the top five in the final heat.
Kappel didn’t take up wrestling until Grade 12.
“Why he did it, I don’t know,” Frank said.
Regardless, wrestling became his strongest sport. His size and speed helped him excel, Frank said.
From 1976 to 1979, Michael was the Canadian national university wrestling champion four years in a row.
He also received the Don Cameron Award for “most improved athlete” at the University of Guelph in 1976–77.
In addition to his Pan Am Games bronze, he earned a silver medal at the 1977 II Campeonato Pan Americano in Mexico and competed in the 1977 University Games in Sofia, Bulgaria.
These achievements led to his induction into the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.
Michael had hoped to compete in the 1980 Olympics, but the Canadian boycott of the Moscow Games prevented him from doing so.
After that, he chose to move on from competition.
“He pretty much decided that was it,” Frank said.
Although he coached for a year or two, Michael spent most of his post-athletic life in Grand Valley, Ont., with his wife, Darlene, running his landscaping business.
Frank said the two brothers weren’t particularly close during their adult lives, as Frank was based in British Columbia, working as a federal government research scientist.
“We just kind of spoke occasionally and met up when we were back in Ontario,” he said.
Michael took pride in his accomplishments, especially in the moment.
Frank recalled how excited his brother was after winning his bronze medal.
“He was very ecstatic,” Frank said.
But in later years, Kappel rarely brought up his athletic past.
“He didn’t dwell on the past,” Frank said. “He did it, he did well at it, was proud of his accomplishments, but he moved on.”
Sometime between 2004 and 2005, Michael was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, Frank said, and died from the disease in 2007.
His wife died of the same cancer this past January.
“In the end, he faced it very stoically,” Frank said.
The diagnosis brought the brothers closer in Michael’s final years.
Although he didn’t live in Niagara-on-the-Lake during most of his adult life, his early years in the town shaped his athletic career.
Frank said he wasn’t sure what would be said at the induction ceremony but emphasized how important NOTL was to both of them.
“NOTL was a great place to grow up,” he said.
The Wall of Fame ceremony will take place at the Meridian Credit Union Arena. The social begins at 5 p.m., with the ceremony starting at 6 p.m.
