For Doug Groen, his dad being honoured on the Niagara-on-the-Lake Sports Wall of Fame was a good reason to make the trek from California.
On Friday, NOTL welcomed two new inductees to the Wall of Fame housed at the Meridian Credit Union Area.
Groen’s late father, Wyland Groen, died in 2010 and was honoured during this year’s ceremony as a life-changing basketball coach.
With the family no longer in the region, Groen made the long trek from California for the first time in more than 15 years to celebrate his father’s achievement.
“It was amazing to see the street names that my friends lived on, Gale’s gas station still exists,” Groen told The Lake Report.
Following remarks from MPP Wayne Gates and Coun. Erwin Wiens and an introduction from Don MacDougall, Groen accepted the honour on behalf of his father.
“For (my dad) to be recognized by you is incredible. Remembering his actions from what is now decades ago is amazing. Thank you so much,” Groen told the crowd.
MacDougall compared Wyland Groen’s career as a coach to that of the movie “Hoosiers.”
The 1986 film follows a coach through the course of a year in which he overcomes a number of issues and ultimately leads the team to win the state championship.
“Wyland Groen did that 32 times,” MacDougall said. “The movie only tells one story, of one year, of one team.”
He said that when Groen first arrived to teach at St. Davids Public School, it had no gym, but with dedication and work he was still able to teach students effectively.
“For years, he was the person my family and my kids really looked up to,” MacDougall said.
Along with Groen, national lawn bowling champion Katherine Smith also was inducted to the Wall of Fame.
Supported by some of the NOTL lawn bowling team members, Smith is the first lawn bowler to grace the wall.
She thanked and recognized all 26 of her fellow lawn bowlers who helped her win district and provincial pins during her career.
“I cannot thank these people enough for what they have done for creating in me, not only a passion for the game but a passion for the competition,” she said.
