Three men honoured for dedication to sports in Sackville

A?trio of hard-working, talented and dedicated men were honoured last week for the example they have set through their sporting achievements over the past four decades.
Runner Colin McCabe, multi-sport athlete Vince Estabrooks and esteemed softball and hockey coach Bob Cann were inducted into Sackville's Sports Wall of Fame during a ceremony last Wednesday evening at the local civic centre. All three said they were honoured with the recognition from the town.
Cann, whose accomplishments as a leader and mentor were said to be the driving force behind Sackville's success in softball through the 1970s, said the nomination was an unexpected surprise.
"I would never have dreamed of an honour so great as to being on the Sports Wall of Fame with such fine individuals," he said after receiving his award.
Steve Ridlington, emcee for the evening and chair of the Sackville Sports Wall of Fame board, related why it should be no surprise Cann was chosen as an inductee this year.
"If coaching in sports is an art, then our next recipient is an artist."
Cann was nominated in the builder category, particularly for coaching softball in the '70s. In the men's game, the Sackville Goodwin's Discounts won provincial and Maritime championships. The women's game in the same era, guided by Cann, won the 1981 New Brunswick Intermediate AA softball championships.
Estabrooks, inducted in the athlete division, was overwhelmed by the tribute to his sporting career, saying, "This is such a great honour bestowed to me by the town."
Ridlington explained Estabrooks was nominated because of his talents in a wide range of sports - baseball, hockey, softball and golf.
Estabrooks was an all-star with New Brunswick's "powerhouse" Marysville Royals baseball team. His excellence in the game saw him selected to the New Brunswick team for the first Canada Summer Games in Halifax in 1969.
In hockey, he showed great skill in high school and then with the Fredericton Capitals from 1963 to 1975. In 1966-67, Estabrooks and his teammates won the Eastern Canadian Senior Hockey Championships. He was inducted into the Fredericton Sports Wall of Fame in 1995.
In softball, Estabrooks ruled first base with his fine play and contributed with a strong long-ball hitting prowess that helped his Newcastle team win a Maritime championship.
McCabe, who was also surprised by the honour, said "running has meant a lot to me for the last 30 years."
McCabe has travelled across the province, the country and the world to pursue his dream of running and said, through the sport, he has seen places he never would have seen and met people he never would have met. He began his running career in 1979 at the age of 48. From that time to 2002, he ran almost 300 sanctioned races, including 32 half-marathons and 14 marathons world-wide. His exploits carried the name of Sackville to the medal podium many times. Especially significant were medal finishes at national events - gold in 1981 in the Canadian 20km championships for 50-plus; silver in 1988 at the Canadian Masters 10km in the 50-59 group; and gold in the 1996 Canadian Masters Half Marathon Championships in the 60-69 category.
His wife Anne, in her nomination, said ". . . Colin deserves the nomination for the example he has set for the community for keeping fit . . ."
McCabe returned the praise to his wife last week for her encouragement.
"I would like to especially thank my wife who put up with my running addiction, washed my sweaty gear, tolerated my stinky sneakers and supported me through all of it."