From world champion boxers to world champion figure skaters, the Cambridge Hall of Fame's Class of 2024 is stacked with athletes who competed at the highest levels and excelled.
Eight new inductees, including the Hall of Fame's own founder Dave Menary, have earned a spot on a wall or in a display case for their excellence and dominance in their respective sport.
Two sisters who took the ringette world by storm, Jennifer and Jacqueline Gaudet, are two of the most decorated players in Canadian history with a total of 22 gold medals between them.
"It really is an honour to be recognized and inducted into the Hall of Fame and to do it with my sister is another achievement all on its own," said Jennifer. "We really owe everything to our dad who trained us since we were kids."
Jennifer notes that without her sister, she would not have been able to challenge herself and get to the point in her career without her.
Jacqueline has an impressive resume herself, playing in 26 consecutive championships, medaling 23 times, including gold on the international stage at the 2008 World Championships.
Other notable inductees included Noah 'Tommy Burns' Brusso, the smallest World Heavyweight champion boxer ever. Brusso fought under the pseudonym 'Tommy Burns' so his mother would not find out he was boxing.
He would go on to dominate the heavyweight division from 1906 to 1908. He lost the title to Jack Johnston during a fight in Australia in 1908. Johnston towered over Brusso by nearly half a foot. After winning the title, Johnston was also named the first Black heavyweight champion of the world.
Three figure skating pairs were also inducted into the Hall of Fame with nearly all of them having Olympic pedigree.
Lyndon Johnston was inducted twice in two separate pairs with Melina Kunhegyi and Denise Benning respectively.
Beck Gough and Mark Rowson also earned a spot on the wall in the hall. These pairs have something more in common than being on the ice, they all trained under the same roof.
All five skaters trained at or practiced with the Preston Figure Skating Club during the '80s and '90s.
The determination and skill they learned by training in Cambridge proves how vital the Preston figure skating program is and how amazing the Cambridge community can be, said Lyndon Johnston in his acceptance speech.
Two athletes also received posthumous inductions for their incredible skill in competition and their dedication to fostering the next generation of athletes in their sport.
Jacqueline Brown was given the moniker 'Downtown Jackie Brown' as she took to downhill skiing at just 18-months-old.
She trained at Chicopee Ski Club in Kitchener and would go on to compete on the national and international stage.
Her dream was to compete in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, but this was cut short after an incident where she slipped on black ice in Finland, derailing her opportunity to compete in pre-trials.
After retiring in 2012, she started coaching with fellow skier Crystal Lee and met the love of her life Scott Brenton.
She was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 and passed away, surrounded by loved ones in 2021.
Bill Bauer, who is credited with making the Cambridge Girls' Softball League what it is today, started his coaching journey in in the early 1970s.
He has been honoured by the City of Cambridge for his work in pushing forward women's sports in the city and teaching generations the game of baseball.
Bauer passed away in 2003, but his family and the players he coached will always remember him as someone who was happy and loved what he did.
The Gaudet sisters couldn't be happier they now have a place they can bring their kids and prove to them that if you work hard you can achieve any dream you want.
"Now I am coaching my daughter so this is kind of a cyclical journey for me and I'm happy I get to share this moment with her," said Jennifer.
All of the inductees are on display at the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame in the Cambridge Centre.
