I got the news that I am being inducted into Canada's Sports Hall Of Fame about a month ago, but I had to keep it a secret. It was hard.
When I phoned to tell my mom on the morning it got released, I think she thought that Kristin and I were having a baby because the conversation went something like this:
Kyle: "Hey Mom. How's it going?"
Mom: "Good Honey. How are you?"
Kyle: "I'm fine. Thanks. Hey, I have some news I want to share with you. I've had to keep it a secret for a little while, but it's OK to tell you now..."
Mom (in a concerned voice, almost bracing herself for a life changing moment): "OK. What is it?"
Kyle: "I'm being inducted into Canada's Sports Hall Of Fame!"
Mom (in a relieved, phew kind of voice): "Oh WOW! That's AWESOME! Congratulations sweetheart. You deserve it!"
It was fun to deliver the news (And no need to worry Ma, there will be no babies in the near future!).
Being inducted into the CSHOF is awesome! I am super excited about it, and there are 3 reasons why it really means a lot to me:
1. It's a huge honour for my entire family. It's the first time for us:) Represent!
2. I am thrilled with the group that I am being inducted with. Clara Hughes and Chantal Petitclerc are 2 of my faves and I can't wait to celebrate with them. Woot woot!
3. This is HUGE for gymnastics. Lori Fung, 1984 Rythmic Gymnastics Olympic Champion, has already been inducted and I get to join her as the first Artistic Gymnast to be included. This is B.I.G for Gymnastics.
All of the ceremonies, formal proceedings and parties are happening in November in my home city, Calgary...that is a long time to wait! I have to keep reminding myself: Patience Kyle, patience; all good things happen in time.
After getting the news, I am also inspired to nominate my former coach, Kelly Manjak, because he deserves it just as much as I do! Maybe he will be a part of the group soon too.
It's always nice for your accomplishments to be recognized. It also creates a little nostalgia. Ahhhh, the good ol' days! I hope that I am able to sum up what the honour means to me in 2 minutes or less at the ceremonies! Better start writing that one right now:)
I'm really looking forward to November and becoming a member of Canada's Sports Hall Of Fame!
K.
Article courtesy of www.gymcan.org
Kyle Shewfelt is headed to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame!
Posted Wednesday, May 5, 2010 A little more than two years after his last competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Kyle Shewfelt and a star-studded group of five other athletes and two builders will be formally inducted to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame at a ceremony on November 10th in Calgary.
Joining Kyle in the 2010 class of inductees are hockey star Patrick Roy, race car driver Jacques Villeneuve, wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc, speedskater Clara Hughes, freestyle skier Jean-Luc Brassard, Dr. Roger Jackson, a key figure in the Olympic movement as both an athlete and administrator and the late football legend Bob Ackles.
“It feels pretty damn good,” Kyle told the Toronto Star. “When I got the news, I was thrilled. And to see the group of people that I’m being inducted with, Clara and Chantal are two of my favourite people in the world. It’s a huge honour.”
News reports citing Kyle as Canada’s "first-ever gold medalist" in gymnastics were just slightly off the mark.
Kyle, in fact, is the only Canadian artistic gymnast to win a medal of any kind at the Olympics, an historic accomplishment that put Canada on the map in the gymnastics world in a way that it had never known before and sparked a new era in Canadian gymnastics.
Soon after Kyle’s thrilling gold-medal performance in the men’s floor exercise at the 2004 Olympics in Athens other Canadian artistic gymnasts made their own international breakthroughs: Brandon O’Neill won silver on floor at the 2005 world championships, joining Kyle, Curtis Hibbert and Alexander Jeltkov as the only Canadian men to win world championship medals.
In 2006, Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, inspired by Kyle like every other member of the national team, became the first, and so far, only Canadian female gymnast to win a world championship medal, earning the bronze on balance beam.
At the same world championships in Arhus, Denmark, Kyle led the Canadian men’s team to its best ever finish on the world stage -- reaching the final for the first time and ultimately placing sixth among the superpowers of the sport, including Russia, China, Japan and the United States.
Since retiring after his remarkable comeback from two broken knees to compete at the Bejing Olympics, Kyle has remained active on the Canadian gymnastics scene as a commentator for CBC broadcasts and as a roving ambassador and spokesperson for Gymnastics Canada
Gymnastics Canada salutes Kyle for his tremendous contribution to gymnastics and his selection to the Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2006, Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, inspired by Kyle like every other member of the national team, became the first, and so far, only Canadian female gymnast to win a world championship medal, earning the bronze on balance beam.
At the same world championships in Arhus, Denmark, Kyle led the Canadian men’s team to its best ever finish on the world stage -- reaching the final for the first time and ultimately placing sixth among the superpowers of the sport, including Russia, China, Japan and the United States.
Since retiring after his remarkable comeback from two broken knees to compete at the Bejing Olympics, Kyle has remained active on the Canadian gymnastics scene as a commentator for CBC broadcasts and as a roving ambassador and spokesperson for Gymnastics Canada
Gymnastics Canada salutes Kyle for his tremendous contribution to gymnastics and his selection to the Sports Hall of Fame.
1 comment:
Congratulations! What an amazing honour, and you are certainly deserving. This accomplishment is definitely something many 28 year olds will never achieve! ;-) Happy birthday!
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