Page 25 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 18

Please support our Advertisers, it’s a winning combination. 25

CORNWALL Presents... The Games are Over:

TIRE A Look Back With Del Bergeron

SERVICE

By Marc Benoit

fter being involved for most of his life
Ain athletics and recreation in Cornwall,
Del Bergeron has seen a lot of changes in

the city. He began coaching hockey at the
age of 16 before moving on to baseball,
basketball and many other sports.

With the help and support of his former
partner in sports, Al Haskvitz, Bergeron

started the United Counties Girl’s Basketball
Association.

“There were no girls sports, so (Haskvitz)
decided ‘Why don’t we start something like

that?’” said Bergeron. “I went along with
it and that’s what we did. We ran that for
a long time, and we started a basketball
league that’s still going, the United Counties
basketball…we did that for the mothers.”

This would eventually lead to the two
men being inducted into Cornwall’s Sports
Del Bergeron Supplied Photo
Hall of Fame in 1992.
Bergeron has observed over the years is the goes to show you how fast life goes.”
Bergeron continued coaching women’s
decline in involvement from today’s youth.
basketball, a route that eventually lead Now in his golden years, and after having
“A lot of the sports have dropped because
him to the 1980 Ontario Summer Games survived two strokes, the retired school
children aren’t involved anymore,” he said.
held in Peterborough. Bergeron coached teacher is fond of globe-trotting with his
“I live across from the Bob Turner, my son
the basketball team from Eastern Ontario, wife, going to places as far as Hawaii or as
used to play tennis over there, he had to
which included athletes from Ottawa, close to home as Kingston. He also enjoys
book the tennis there was so many people,

Cornwall and Kingston. his role as a father to five adult children and
but now no tennis!” being a grandfather.
Bergeron said his fondest memories from
The Bob Turner Memorial Centre
that era involved working with the families His “extended” family, the parents and
represented a special place for Bergeron.
of the athletics community. children who welcomed his efforts to
“Funny, when they were building the Bob provide recreational activities is much more
“Meeting the parents and the people that Turner, back in the early 60s, and I was living

would run the organization, those were the on Aberdeen Avenue and I was watching difficult to count, but it is safe to say that

best memories of those peoples.” them build it. Now I live on the opposite they appreciate the efforts of the man who
gave so much of his time to improve the
One of the most dramatic changes side and I watched them tear it down. That quality of theirs.

CORNWALL TIRE SERVICE

• Wheel Alignment & Tire Specialists • Tune - Ups • Air Conditioning 24-Hour
• Suspension • Mufflers • Shock Absorbers • Brakes Road Service

428 Eleventh Street, West, CORNWALL
1-800-267-7191 • 613-933-1515 • contact@cornwalltire.com