Liverpool residents Jillian Young, Susan Inglis and Rebecca Delaney are the newest inductees on the Olympic Wall at Queens Place Emera Centre. (Rick Conrad)

Three Queens county residents who have made their marks on the world stage were honoured at Queens Place Emera Centre on Thursday.

Liverpool athletes Jillian Young and Rebecca Delaney and coach Susan Inglis were added to the Region of Queens Olympic Wall, in front of a full house in the foyer of Queens Place.

Young and Delaney each won gold medals in snowshoeing at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Italy in March.

Inglis, who is Delaney’s mother, was also in Italy as one of Team Canada’s coaches.

Mayor Scott Christian said the community is proud of the athletes and coaches from Queens County who have represented Canada at the Olympics, Paralympics and Special Olympics. After Thursday’s ceremony, 12 banners now hang on the Olympic Wall at Queens Place.

“I think that this is a great initiative having the Olympic Wall here. I don’t know what we’re going to do because we’re running out of room, but no, I think I think it’s really fantastic that we have a way of honouring folks for their achievements. We’re happy to celebrate any athlete from Queens County who can climb that mountain and manage to get to an Olympic Games. And so that’s what this is all about.”

Inglis said having her banner sharing space with fellow inductee Sarah Mitton is “a dream come true”.

“I really wasn’t that much of an athlete myself growing up, so I could never have dreamed that I would be on the Olympic wall of anything, let alone, you know, here locally. It’s such a privilege. Special Olympics is an amazing organization, and I am very, I’ use the word again, privilege to be a part of it, and to have guided my athletes to get to where they are today.”

Inglis has coached the five Special Olympians who are now inductees. And she said it’s important for all athletes to be recognized for their achievements in world competitions.

“When you look at the talent that comes out of this small town, you know, people think, oh, you’re from a little small town, you’re not going to get anywhere, but, you know, you look at Sarah, you look at Jenna Martin, all the other people that are on the wall, the special Olympians. And I don’t know that it really hit home to me until I went to Italy and I saw the talent on the world stage and saw how our athletes could measure up to that world talent.”

Delaney, who has numerous medals at national and international competitions, said it’s exciting to be among her heroes like Sarah Mitton and to be inducted alongside her mom.

“I love it because we have a good bond together. I would have never expected to be on the wall, but here I am, at Queens Place.

“Me and Jill are very good teammates and I’m glad she got to do it with me. It was a good experience.”

Young said she was “happy and excited” to be recognized for her achievements, though she joked that she didn’t like the food in Italy and was eager to get home to her parents after the games were over.

The Region of Queens is also selling commemorative prints of all the Olympic Wall inductees to raise money for its Recreation for All program.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Family of David Rudderham at his induction on Queens Olympic Wall. Photo Ed Halverson

Two more distinguished athletes were honoured with spots on the Queens County Olympic Wall.

Portraits of Wheelchair Basketball athlete David Rudderham and Para Archery competitor Brian Ward were raised alongside the previous seven inductees in a ceremony held at Queens Place on Tuesday.

According to the municipality, the Queens Olympic Wall was created to recognize the accomplishments of high-performance athletes, coaches and officials from Queens County who have participated in World Olympic, World Special Olympic and World Paralympic Games.

The two latest additions were recognized posthumously and were represented by their families.

Rudderham, a Port Mouton native, was honoured for his participation on the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball team at the 1976 Olympiad for the Disabled in Toronto.

Family of Brian Ward at his induction in the Queens Olympic Wall. Photo Ed Halverson

Ward competed as a member of the Canadian Para Archery team at the 1980 Arnhem Netherlands, 1988 Seoul, South Korea and 1992 Barcelona, Spain Paralympic Games.

Master of ceremonies for the event was retired veteran CBC Sports broadcaster, Steve Armitage.

Armitage said recognition on an Olympic Wall is important not just to acknowledge success, but to inspire others to achieve as well.

“But I think one of the key reasons and maybe the biggest reason is to inspire the next generation to someday be included on that wall,” said Armitage. “In the not too distance future, hopefully, some athlete will walk or wheel through that door, glance at that wall and say, I want to be on that wall. And will then dedicate themselves to weeks, months, years of preparation and competition to get to the elite level that you have to be to join that group on the wall.”

With the addition of Rudderham and Ward the total number of inductees on the Queens Olympic Wall is up to nine.

The wall is featured prominently when you walk into the main entrance at Queens Place and can be viewed during regular hours of operation.

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E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com