BOOK NOTES: Ukrainian Canadians' contributions to the world of sports (06/20/04)

BOOK NOTES: Ukrainian Canadians' contributions to the world of sports

"Their Sporting Legacy: The Participation of Canadians of Ukrainian Descent in Sport, 1891-1991," by K.W. Sokolyk. Toronto: Basilian Press, 2002. 887 pp., hardbound; $50 plus $10 shipping.

This monumental volume of almost 900 pages reflects the many years of work that Wsevolod Sokolyk devoted to researching the sports record of Ukrainian Canadians. Mr. Sokolyk has done an excellent job that deals with both Canadian and American sports, as many Ukrainian Canadian athletes played for American teams, for example, in the National Hockey League.

The book provides amazing statistics for every one of the 300 athletes included and their biographies are full of human drama.

For example, the story of the world champion marathon runner Jerome Drayton (p. 417) is a story of triumph, since he won every major marathon in the world. But it is also heart-breaking in the difficulties he faced. Hockey's all-time greatest goalie, Terry Sawchuk, was a brilliant athlete and his career is a fascinating story covered on four pages (pp. 704-707). The achievements of world champion skier Steve Podborski and world champion curlers Ed Werenich and Ed Lukowich are well described. Gayle Olinyk was a champion runner and marathoner described by Sports Illustrated in 1981 as having the "Greatest Legs to Ever Stride the Earth."

John Jaremy in 1952 decided he was going to swim across Lake Ontario, but in 1954, before he was ready, Marilyn Bell was the first to achieve it. Finally Jaremy on July 23, 1956, completed the 32.5-mile swim to become the first man to swim across Lake Ontario from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto. Christine Jaworski became Canadian and World Arm wrestling champion in 1984. Ollie Hynduik was a champion bowler who bowled a perfect 450 in 1952. A distinguished sportswoman, Sylvia Fedoruk, became lieutenant governor of the Province of Saskatchewan in 1989. She was distinguished in the javelin throw, curling and softball, and is in Canada's Curling Hall of Fame and the Sports Hall of Fame. There are many more fascinating minibiographies of athletes.

The book opens with a Foreword by Hon. John Yaremko, a distinguished politician. Then the histories of 70 Ukrainian Canadian sports clubs, leagues and teams are discribed (p. 21-297). The heart of the book is the section of individual biographies of some 300 athletes (pp. 301-794).

Although hockey dominates the book's pages, Mr. Sokolyk has dug deep into the records to provide a full picture of all sports. For instance, in a useful appendix to the book, he lists 32 athletes who competed in the Olympic Games. Some 35 different sports are included in the book; for example, he has listed 142 hockey players but only one or few athletes in tennis, weightlifting, mountaineering, rhythmic gymnastics, ringette, shooting, trampoline, broomball, diving, dog sledding, arm wrestling, badminton and even one cycling champion. (A.G. - Editor of FORUM).

"Their Sporting Legacy" is such a full record one might think it is a complete record of Ukrainian Canadians in sports. However, Mr. Sokolyk cautions the reader that the book is not necessarily a complete record.

By any measurement, whether of quality or quantity, "Their Sporting Legacy" is a champion book and its author/researcher has earned a gold medal.

The book is available from: Their Sporting Legacy, 50 Delaware Ave. Toronto, ON, Canada, M6H 2S7, telephone, (416) 536-6679; fax, (416) 536-0592; e-mail, [email protected].

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