2024 Inductees Announced For Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame
/Six names are being immortalized into Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame for the class of 2024, announced on Monday.
Photo courtesy of the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame.
The inductees are being honoured at the Peterborough Memorial Centre in a ceremony on June 8 at 7 p.m.
The following are this year’s inductees:
Photo courtesy of the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame.
Fred Blowes (Builder: Women’s Field Lacrosse)
Blowes came to Peterborough in 1987 to teach at Lakefield District Secondary School. His contribution to field lacrosse in Peterborough has been significant, particularly in developing female lacrosse players.
He founded and coached the Kawartha Women’s Field Lacrosse Club which began as an U20 team that competed in the Ontario Women’s Lacrosse League.
The Kawartha Lacrosse Club has grown over the years with the addition of U9/11/13/15/19, Senior Rep Teams and a House League.
The KWFC has earned many provincial honours. As a coach, Fred’s U19A teams earned provincial gold in 1998, 1999 and 2002 and two Ontario Summer Games Gold Medals in 1998 and 2002. He was named OWFL Coach of the Year in 1998, 2002, 2008, 2010, and 2011.
Blowes continues to lead the Kawartha Lacrosse Club as President. Many players from the Club have succeeded at the Provincial, National, International, Ontario University and NCAA levels.
He has mentored more than forty players who have received NCAA Scholarships and eleven players who have gone on to represent Canada at both U19 and/or Senior World Championships.
Under Blowes’s leadership, Peterborough has hosted several female field lacrosse international, national and provincial championships and World Lacrosse Festivals. Over a 37-year high school career, Blowes has chaired both OFSAA Boys’ Basketball Championships at Lakefield and two Girls’ Ontario High School Provincial Cups while at Kenner.
He served as Boys’ (1995-2008) and Girls’ (2001-2011) High School Lacrosse Convenor. He coached many high school teams to Kawartha and COSSA Championships, including the Lakefield Tiger Boy’s Lacrosse Team to four Ontario High School “B” Championships and the Kenner Rams Senior Boy’s Basketball team to a fourth-place finish at OFSAA “A” in 2023, followed by an OFSAA “A” Silver Medal in 2024.
He also served as the Head Coach of the Fleming College Women’s Basketball team in 2013. It would be safe to say that Fred Blowes is the driving force behind the success of female field lacrosse in Peterborough.
Photo courtesy of the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame.
Steve Caban (Athlete: Multi-sport Special Olympian)
Since the age of 10, Caban has competed in local, provincial, national and international competition in many sports: cross-country skiing, floor hockey, swimming, soccer, softball, basketball and 10-pin bowling.
He has travelled the world competing for Canada as an elite Special Olympian. He represented Canada at the 1999 World Special Olympics summer games in North Carolina winning three gold medals; the 2005 world winter games in Nagano, Japan, winning gold in the 5K x-country, 4th in the 1K and 5th in the 4x 1K relay; he medaled in the 2009 winter games in Boise, Idaho; and won bronze in x-country skiing at the 2013 winter games in Pyenongchang, South Korea.
Caban has medaled at many provincial and national winter and summer games. At the 2008 national winter games in Quebec City, he took home three cross-country skiing gold medals; in the 2016 national winter games in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, he won one silver and two bronze in cross-country skiing.
In 2023, Caban along with a number of other Peterborough Special Olympians won gold at the provincial qualifier swim meet in Pickering. In 2024, him and his Ontario team won silver in floor hockey at the national winter games in Calgary. He will be competing in swimming at the 2024 Ontario Spring Games in Waterloo.
Caban is one of Ontario’s most decorated Special Olympians. In 2017 he was awarded the Ontario Special Olympics Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also been recognized for his athletic achievements by the Government of Canada, Provincial Government and the City of Peterborough.
He is a successful athlete because of his talent and the hard work he puts into his training in order to qualify for national and world competition. One of Peterborough's most decorated athletes, Steve remains humble about his success and still enjoys playing many summer and winter sports.
Photo courtesy of the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame.
Ray Kerslake (Builder: Squash)
The Peterborough native was introduced to squash while attending university. In 1975, he joined the Peterborough Racquet Club. For over 45 years, he has played in many local and area tournaments; he was the Peterborough Squash Champion in 2001 and has played in Ontario and Canadian Masters Championships over the past 25 years, winning bronze in Ontario in 2019 and placing 4th at the Canadians in 2019. He was the 60+ winner at the Paul Wilson Squash Classic in 2018 and 2019.
Kerslake’s passion for the sport has translated into his leadership role in the Peterborough Squash community. He has achieved Level 1 and 2 Squash Ontario coaching certifications. He continues to teach juniors and adults which he has done for over 40 years including a few athletes who went on to be successful at the national and international level.
A Squash57 program for Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities was established in 2021. He was Club Pro at Goodlife Fitness; took over lead person for the intercity league (Kawartha Squash League); in 2010 formed the KSL a competitive league for A and B level teams from clubs in the area, Peterborough, Cobourg, Campbellford, YMCA, Trent University and Clarington. He launched ‘The Squash Shop’ at the PSC in 2013, providing high-quality equipment and racquet stringing for members and local squash players at reasonable prices.
Kerslake is the glue that brought people to the table in 2012 to find a way to create the Peterborough Squash Club (PSC), a Not-for-Profit Club run by volunteers and provide the stability that exists today.
He has chaired over 15 tournaments and has been a PSC Board member since 2013. It is the accepted fact within the squash community that if it were not for the effort, leadership, organization and commitment of Ray Kerslake, there would be no squash in Peterborough.
As a flourishing club, the PSC was recognized with the 2018 Squash Ontario ‘Outstanding Achievement’ award. Ray was individually recognized for his contributions to Peterborough squash with the 2022 Squash Ontario ‘Outstanding Achievement’ award. As a Squash Pro, program coordinator and financial lead for the PSC, Ray is a true ambassador of the game. He is a ‘Builder Extraordinaire."‘
Photo courtesy of the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame.
Barbara Mervin (Athlete: Rugby)
Mervin was born in St. John’s, Nfld and moved to Peterborough in 1984. Growing up, she was a competitive gymnast at Kawartha Gymnastics.
After seeing rugby played by the boys at Adam Scott CVI, she decided to give it a go and join the Peterborough Pagans Rugby Club from 1998-2005 and was a player/coach in 2005.
She played for the University of Western Ontario, earning a B.A. in Art History and winning USPORT 2002 Rookie of the Year. From 2003 to 2005, she was an All Canadian and 2005 MVP at the National University Rugby Championships in 2004 and 2005.
Mervin was a member of the U23 Canadian team from 2002- 2004, the Senior Canadian 15’s team from 2005-2017 and the Canadian sevens team from 2008-2013.
She has played 38 international 15s games and seven international Sevens tournaments for team Canada. In world championship competition, the 15s team placed sixth in 2010, second in 2014 and fifth in 2017. The Sevens team placed first in tournaments in Vegas in 2011 and 2012, Dubai in 2011 and Hong Kong in 2012. Barbara won national championships in Ontario in 2002 and 2005 and three in British Columbia.
She moved to British Columbia and has continued to be involved in rugby as a head coach and assistant coach with the following organizations: BC Grassroots Rugby, University of Victoria, Westshore Rugby Club and Shawnigan Lake School.
She served and continues to serve Rugby Canada in many different capacities: Player’s Association, Club Rugby National Board of Directors, and Canadian Rugby Foundation Scholarship Award Committee.
Mervin has received a great deal of recognition for her contribution to the sport of rugby: the 2015 Gillian Florence Award - Rugby Canada Player’s Player Award, 2020 Inductee Rugby Canada Hall of Fame and 2021 Inductee University of Western Hall of Fame.
She completed the fashion design program at Pacific Design College, and in 2012, she founded her line of rugby active wear explicitly made for girls and produced in Canada
Photo courtesy of the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame.
Anna Panton (Athlete/Builder: Lawn Bowling)
Born in Peterborough, Panton joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1957 and after her military career, she returned home to Peterborough in 1964.
She has been a presence in lawn bowling for over 25 years. Panton contributed to the success of the Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club as President of the Board of Directors from 2005-2013, overseeing the entire operation of the Club. She was a benefactor for the relocated Club in 2010 and worked to ensure a space for the Club to continue to play.
She is a Level 1 and 2 Certified Coach. Panton coached a District 14 novice team in 2005-2006 and has conducted clinics to train new skips and vices.
From 2003 to 2019, she umpired 16 district, provincial, and national events. As a player, she won trophies in 93 open tournaments between 1999 and 2023. At the Senior Games, she won gold in 2002, bronze in 2007 and gold in pairs in 2009. In 2005, she won two hot shot awards for scoring perfect ends.
In 2007, Panton was named the WOBA ‘Lady Bowler of the Week.’ She was a part of 19 District Championships as a PLBC team member; won ladies single handicap trophy 10 times 1999-2019; ladies novice District 14 Champion three times; ladies fours District 14 Champions five times; ladies pairs District 14 Champions 2005, 2007; ladies seniors District 14 Champions 2005, 2007, 2008; six-time OLBA Provincial medals; Bowls Canada Boulingrin Canadian ladies senior silver medalists 2005 and OLBA mixed pairs District 14 Champions in 2007.
In 2012, Panton received the ‘Award of Merit’ from Bowls Canada for chairing the mixed pairs Canadian Championship. In 2017, Panton and Bob Matthews won the prestigious 71st Black Family Memorial Trophy Mixed Pairs PLBC Tournament for the first time.
On the bowling greens, Panton’s role is that of Skip, managing gameplay and calling the shots. She is an active member of the foundation of the PLBC and proves on and off the bowling greens that she is a valuable and trusted leader within the PLBC organization. When not lawn bowling, Anna is a golfer and curler.
Photo courtesy of the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame.
