Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame unveils 2024 inductees

Carmen Rinke, Boxing

Carmen Rinke is an amateur boxer from Lundbreck who boxed out of the Crowsnest Pass and Lethbridge Boxing Clubs. Rinke represented Canada at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, making it to the quarterfinals. He also competed at the Commonwealth and Pan-Am Games.

Brad Wall – kickboxing

Brad Wall is a two-time world middleweight kickboxing champion, with a successful resume at the local, provincial, national and international levels. He won the World Kickboxing Association Canadian Golden Gloves Middleweight Kickboxing Championship in 2001, and represented Canada at the International Federation of Martial Arts Championships on three occasions.

Builders:

Randy Bardock – soccer

Randy Bardock was the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s soccer head coach for more than 30 years. Bardock has also coached at multiple levels throughout his career, including stints with Alberta’s U16 provincial team, Canada’s World Student Games teams in 2009 and 2013, Whitecaps Academy and Lethbridge FC.

Cooney Family – speed skating

The Cooney family helped keep the Lethbridge Speed Skating club thrive after it had fallen to just four participants. Tim, Nicole and their four children doubled the size of the program, while Tim stepped in as head coach with Nicole taking the role of lead administrator. One of the children, Paul, remains the head coach of the program today.

Michael Tamura – judo

Mike Tamura brought the National Regional Training Centre to Lethbridge, and served as President of both Judo Alberta and Judo Canada. He is one of only two Canadians ever appointed to the International Judo Federation Executive Committee, and was awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022.

Special Award:

Judge John A. Jackson

Judge John A. Jackson was a district court judge in Lethbridge, who became a founding member, and later President of the Alberta Football Association. He was also President of the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada, and oversaw the Canadian team at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Locally, he was the President of the Lethbridge Rugby Club and gave the opening address for the Lethbridge Country Club in 1932.

In addition to the inductees, the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame has also selected the Kinsmen Sports Persons of the Year:

Kacie Bosch and Paige Crozon – 3×3 basketball

Kacie Bosch and Paige Crozon repeated as FIBA Women’s Series champions at the world championships in Mongolia in September. The two were part of the team that beat France 16-15 in the final, and Crozon hit the winning shot. They and their team is now working to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Conner Cook – lacrosse

Conner Cook became the first player from Lethbridge and the region to be selected in the National Lacrosse League draft when the Calgary Roughnecks selected him with the 49th overall pick in 2022. Cook captained the Calgary Mountaineers to a second place finish in the province and an appearance in the Minto Cup.

The induction ceremony for the Hall of Fame will take place on May 3, 2024 at the Canadian Western Bank Lounge in the ENMAX Centre.

Read more local sports at Lethbridge News Now.

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by Christian Oldale

Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame unveils 2024 inductees

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