Burnaby council seeks way to honour Sinclair
Burnaby council is looking for a way to permanently recognize one of its bright lights in sport.
Christine Sinclair recently captained the Canadian women's soccer team to a bronze medal at the London Olympics, capturing the world's attention with her gutsy effort.
Born and raised in Burnaby, Sinclair grew up playing with the Burnaby Girls Soccer Club helping them achieve six league titles, five provincial titles and two Top 5 national finishes.
A member of the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame, she helped her team at Burnaby South secondary win three league championships before a "remarkable soccer career" on collegiate, club and international soccer teams where she's received numerous honours, said Mayor Derek Corrigan at Monday's council meeting.
He noted that his son was a year younger than Sinclair when both played for South Burnaby Metro Club. Occasionally, the boys gold team would challenge the girls gold team a year above them.
"And Christine Sinclair was always the best player on the field, even then."
Referring to the Olympic bronze she brought home, he said, "We are all so proud of her for what she has achieved, and even more importantly, for how she has achieved it. Her determination and humility inspire us all."
Council approved a motion that it will work with citizen input to determine how the city might permanently recognize her achievements.
"Since the Olympics, many of us in Burnaby have been thinking of how best to honour Christine in our city," he said. "Citizens have been contacting us with suggestions, which we would like to continue to receive."
Council will report back on its plans at a future meeting.
Corrigan also congratulated Curtis Moss, a former city employee and alumnus of Chaffey-Burke elementary and Burnaby Central secondary, who competed in the javelin throw at the London Olympics.
"Curtis didn't win an Olympic medal but is an exceptional athlete as evidenced in his national titles and his qualification for the Olympic Games," said Corrigan.
"Here in Burnaby we're very proud of Curtis' achievements to date and we know his athletic future will be bright."
Corrigan noted that homegrown athletes were helped along the way by many people.
"It does take a whole community to raise an athlete and these athletes show we're a very successful community."
wchow@burnabynewsleader.com
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