CAIRD to join sports hall of fame - Greater Victoria, BC, Canada

One of many links:  http://www.nanaimoinformation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4130

Paschen

Why am I not surprised that you would flag the story, after your

performance on the D-Day story that you attempted to bring non-relevant details

into the D-Day remembrance.   There is an old saying about taking logs out of ones eye

before taking specks out of others eyes.

The story about the sports hall of fame is just fine,  as time moves on towards

November 2009, there will be plenty of time to expand the introduction.

Out of respect for the board of directors of the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame,

details of Mike's involvement in the sport of amateur boxing will be delayed until

the GVSHOF have released public details.

However,  what can be told is that Mike was an amateur boxing in the late Fifties until about 1964,   In 1963, he was a BC Golden Gloves champion and began coaching in 1969.

Paschen

Thank for your suggestions, but I believe the points you raised

have been covered.

oh come on. I dont think anyone is attacking here anyone. Is Paschen asking too much ? He is just trying to help.

B. Zelley, generally, I like your stories and I think we don't have enough boxing news on NP, but please refrain from going on such an attack against another member, when the issue could have so easily been resolved very quickly, the wrench removed and I wouldn't have needed to get involved.

If you can just provide some more background to your piece, such as why Mike Caird is so important to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and perhaps a bit more about him. I am sure I'm not the only one who doesn't know who he is.

Then just drop me a private message and I'll see that the wrench is removed - thank you.

Looking back through the years, between 1969 and 1973, Caird was coaching in 

Victoria, BC at the Victoria Boy's Club on Yates Street.  The other coaches at that time 

were Gordie McGaw and Larry Montgomery. 

Things changed in 1973 & 1974, with the arrival of  Ian Weir, Dan Wright and Brian 

Zelley.   The story broke on November 22, 1974 by staff writer Patty Pitts of the 

"Victorian" including a picture by noted photographer Jim Ryan featuring Weir,

 Caird  and Zelley.  The article was titled:  "BOXING BACK FROM  ROPES".

Patty Pitts said it well in her story with the opening lead line:

"After being down on the mat for many years, boxing has sprung back and is showing

a slow but steady climb in Victoria".   The story continued with reference to 

Victoria's Bill Taylor winning the 1967 Canadian heavyweight championship.

The story then refers to three newcomers:  "Brian Zelley, Dan Wright and Ian Weir

have all joined the local club to help Caird  with his rebuilding program".

The story then gave a brief look at the boxing backgrounds.   One important comment

point raised the important administrative and organization skills that were being

added to Victoria boxing.  "In 1971 after a stint at UBC,  Zelley along with Dan Wright,

helped revive boxing in Nanaimo which had collapsed in 1968.  Their efforts paid off

 when Jack Snaith won the 1973 Light-Flyweight Championship of Canada". 

A brief look at Mike Caird as a coach was covered in the June 16 th issue of the "Times-Colonist" in an article by Cleve Dheensaw.

Cleve mentions Caird's three decade involvement in coaching at the Victoria Boy's Club,  London Boxing Club and the Victoria Athletic Association.

The London Boxing Club was active in boxing in the Sixties under the direction of Harry Morris, but in the early Seventies it cut the boxing sponsorship and focused on team sports.  However, with the revival of amateur boxing starting in 1973 and 1974 members of the London Boxing would approach the boxing coaches to renew the sponsorship.   This was topped by the hosting of a "BC Junior Select Team vs English Schoolboy team" competition.  For their contribution  to the growth of amateur boxing in British Columbia, Caird, Howard Curling and Brian Zelley received Certificates of Appreciation from the British Columbia Boxing Association.

However, that would be the last major event under the London Boxing Club.All that would end when the London Boxing Club folded and was replaced by the Victoria Athletic Association.  The three main coaches for the VAA would be Caird, Zelley and Lou Bujdoso.  Thus would begin a major increase in activity during 1977 to 1979.

However, in 1978, coach Lou Bujdoso would leave to form his own club with the backing of the Victoria Jaycees.

The recent Mike Caird news is a triple winning  combination for Vancouver Island boxing in the month of June 2009.

Other hard hitting stories include the election of Victoria coach Chris Jones as the new President of Boxing BC, and the recent announcement of Nanaimo boxer  Stefan Melideo as the recipient of the Fred Fuller Sr. Memorial award for best amateur boxer in BC.

The induction ceremony for Caird and others will take place in November 2009 with the specific date to be announced.

SILENT DANGER

The boxing story of MIKE CAIRD doesn't begin or end with one significant event

or achievement.  It was built over a period of decades.  The following story is a small

slice of that story that begins in the Fifties to mid Sixties as a boxer and proceeds to those 

early days of coaching.

"Silent Danger" - By Brian W. Zelley, B. Com, C A

(The Sportcaster - February 15, 1975) - Published by Flynn's Printing, Victoria, BC

"For several years boxing in Victoria has remained silent. But recently, Victoria boxers have exploded with activity.

On Tuesday November 19, 1974, DAN O'SULLIVAN walked into the boxing gym in Victoria.  Three months later, O'Sullivan has emerged into an excellent prospect.

MIKE CAIRD head coach of the Victoria boxing program has been involved in boxing in the Capital City since the late fifties.

For three months, O'Sullivan has  trained with dedication and enthusiasm.  The first two months was a hard lesson in experience.  O;Sullivan had to spar with such seasoned veterans as DAN WRIGHT, WAYNE CROWE, BRIAN ZELLEY and IAN WEIR.

For over ten years Mike Caird boxed for NICK LYSTAR.  Caird learned the value of a cool head and a hot left jab.  Along the way Caird won several golden glove titles and a BC Championship as a light middleweight.  Some of the best boxers of BC crossed  gloves with MIKE (Silent Danger) CAIRD - HAROLD MANN, BILL ADAMS, SKIMP WILLIAMS and CLINT PAGE.

As a boxing coach for the last six years.  Caird has drilled into his charges the lessons learned from Nick Lystar and hard nosed punchers like Harold Mann, the 1962 British Empire 'Gold Medal" winner.  The key to winning was control through a cool head and a sizzling left jab.

WAYNE CROWE listened  and learned and won a silver medal in the 1974 Canadian  Championships and a light-welterweight title in the 1975 B C Festival of Sports.

Now,  O'SULLIVAN has won the light-welterweight BC Silver Gloves title by dedication and learning from MIKE (Silent Danger) CAIRD."

This activity in early 1975 was just the beginning of a fresh new start for Amateur Boxing in the Capital City with the Victoria Boxing Club, the London Boxing Club and the Victoria Athletic Association.  And over time would join with the Victoria Jaycees Boxing Club and LOU BUJDOSO  to stage the 1980 BC Diamond Belt Tournament which was a revival from the BC Diamond Belt Championships held in Vancouver 1967 and 1968.