ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Art Tommy, Skiing
Both Andy Jr., and Art Tommy were put on skis by the time they were five, related Art Tommy. “Both parents skied, but it was pretty well all cross-country. There was no climbing hills. There were no rope tows.”
The Tommy name has been prominent in the sport ever since. A third generation member, Mike Tommy, son of Andy Jr., is overseas with the National Men’s Ski Team. Jedd Tommy, Art’s son, is deeply involved in football with Hamilton Tiger-Cats as he follows in grand-dad, Andy Sr.’s, footsteps.
Art was the active skier at the time the ACT Sportsman’s Dinner became established. Andy Jr., would get a hand in as manager and coach of the Canadian team at Cortina d’ Ampezzo.
The Italian Olympics were Art’s jinx. He broke an ankle the day before festivities started. He was to have the same misfortune attempt to compete in a pro race sometime later. Art was 11th in the 1954 FIS championships, and headed into Corinta as Canadian slalom king and Quebec Kandshar winner and a qualified Olympic entrant.
Art was named athlete of the year for 1955, the voters picking him out of a field of 20 including basketball’s good little man, Al Carswell, Miriam Rainboth from tennis, and softball’s Shirley Kehoe.
Basketball — Allan Carswell
Bowling — Wilf Bouvier
Baseball — Nelson Skuce
Cricket — Dr. Bruce Lang
Curling — C. B. (Tiny) Hermann
Equestrian — (Jumping) — Elaine Lancaster
Equestrian — (Saddle and hackney) — Mrs. Fraser Hurdman
Football — Bruce Hamilton
Figure skating — Pierette Paquin
Golf — Joyce Alston
Hockey — Royden Kealey
Paddling — Claude Dixon
Rowing — Tony Biernacki
Skiing — Art Tommy
Soccer — Karl Larson
Sailing — Bruce Kirby
Softball — Shirley Kehoe
Tennis — Miriam Rainboth
Track and field — Paul Kelly
Water skiing — Jacqueline Gauthier
City basketball’s coveted Bert Marshall Trophy that goes back to the 1930’s sent a winner to the dinner Al Carswell, another Glebe graduate… Nelson Skuce, a right handed pitcher while Bill was a lefty like his father, was named the outstanding player in the revived city league. Nelson was also Glebe quarterback in the controversial Glebe — St. Pat’s playoff a year earlier… Football’s nomination for 1955 was Commerce High School graduate Bruce Hamilton, the same Bruce Hamilton who is a power behind the Ottawa-Nepean Canadian Sports Club… He also first pinned the Sooner name on Commerce teams that followed him… Bruce Kirby, who was to turn sailing into a profitable business through the Laser, and later design Canada 1 for the America’s Cup challenge in 1983, made the Olympic team bound for Melbourne in 1956 as a Finn Class sailor… A familiar name, Joyce Alston, was the pick of the golfers… Her father, Bobby, was a talented pro… Scholastic track and field was beginning to be noticed, the latest to turn respectable times being Fisher Park’s Paul Kelly… Kelly’s team-mate Mark Molot, a weight man took 1953 and 1954 nominations.