Canadian Masters Athletics is pleased to announce the names of the members who will be inducted into the Canadian Masters Athletics Hall of Fame for 2015.
In the category of Athlete, John Hawkins will be inducted, while Doug Smith will be honoured in the category of Executive and Administrator
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John Hawkins began competing as a sub-master in 1984, after a career as a high jumper which included a 9th place finish in the 1972 Olympics and the first jump over 7 feet by a Canadian. John has competed in twelve Canadian Masters Championships, winning 36 gold, 11 silver and 6 bronze medals. As well as the high jump, he has competed in throws, pole vault, long jump, hurdles and combined events. He has broken Canadian Masters records 36 times.
In nine World Masters Championships, John has won 4 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze medals. He has set 2 world bests for the indoor heptathlon. John has also won gold medals in World Masters Games and 22 golds in US Masters Championships.
He has been CMA Field Event Athlete of the Year twice, BC Masters Athlete of the Year, and BC Masters T&F Athlete of the Year 3 times. John has been a coach for Club and University teams since 2007. He has contributed as an administrator with his club and as the CMA Combined Events Records Chair for 10 years.
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Doug Smith is the face of Ontario Masters Athletics to the country and the World. He has served on the Board of the OMA and its predecessor since 1991, and has been the President since 1994, serving as the Ontario Director on the CMA Board. He is a “master” communicator, editing the OMA newsletter from the early 1990s and the CMA version not long after, until they were each disbanded in favour of electronic communications, and he is now the webmaster for each group’s web site. He is known around the World as a photographer, as he has served in that capacity at all of the many international athletics competitions in which he has competed.
Doug was instrumental in the reorganization of the OMA from a small association dependent on the CMA, to an active and thriving independent organization, providing a breadth of events for its members, affiliated with Athletics Ontario. Doug has organized and served as meet director for countless Track and Field and Cross Country meets. Doug also volunteers as a starter at many school Track & Field and Cross Country meets in the Toronto area. Doug was inducted into the OMA Hall of Fame, as a Builder and Administrator, in 2014.
As an athlete, Doug began competing as a Master in 1988, in distance events up to the marathon, and has competed in masters Cross Country, Road Races and, most famously, the Steeplechase. He has competed provincially, nationally and internationally (10 WMA Outdoor Championships), always with a certain flair.
