RIVER BOURGEOIS: It was a one-of-a kind event for one-of-a-kind athletes, and one of our own was a star attraction.
“The most special part for me was having my children see what I did when I was younger and before they were around,” said Leon Carter, one of the province’s newest members of the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame. “We’re a low-key family, but they appreciated it. It was great having them there.”
Carter was one of the athletes inducted into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame at an event held at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax on November 12. A River Bourgeois resident, Carter is well-known for what he’s accomplished in baseball and golf.
Indeed, his recent induction to the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame wasn’t his only entrance into a Hall of Fame this year. Last May, the Cape Breton Sports Hall of Fame gave him a place among Caper elites.
“Baseball was my main sport growing up,” Carter said. “I went hard as I could there, and once I quit ball, I started to take golf a little more seriously. It worked out, I guess.”
Carter’s list of highlights in either baseball or golf would be a fantastic resume for any athlete, but considering he’s achieved so much in both sports is truly remarkable.
In specific, Carter was a member of Canada’s first national baseball team to win an international medal. He was also a national team member for Canada’s first-ever appearance at the World Youth Championships in Cuba, during which time he was named the most outstanding hitter at the event. After that, he went to the National Baseball Institute in Surrey, B.C. and played there for several years.
“I went out west and played college ball, and I made the national team for three years after that,” he said.
He’s also been named the Sport Nova Scotia Athlete of the Year and the Baseball Nova Scotia Player of the Year.
Once he turned his attention to golf, Carter captured no less than four Nova Scotia Men’s Amateur Golf Championships. He was a runner-up three times and won two provincial mid-amateur championships. With that, he was a member of the 2007 Nova Scotia team that won the Canadian amateur golf championship.
Carter’s wife, Tanya, was at the November 12 event, along with their kids, Haley and Leland. Other family members were on hand, including Carter’s sisters who flew home to attend.
“It feels good but it’s kind of strange,” Carter said. “It was a surprise. Most people don’t play sports to be recognized. They just play because they enjoy playing sports.
“It was a big surprise but really nice.”
Joining Carter at the induction were athletes Tracy Cameron, a rower from Shubenacadie; Karen Furneaux, a paddler from Waverley; Simon Gillis, a hammer thrower from Gillisdale; and Ante Jazic, a soccer player from Bedford. Builders were also honoured, as swim coach David Fly and event promoter Fred MacGillivary, both of Halifax, were also inducted.