Tuesday, September 14, 2010

RICK BROUGH - The Builder

THE RICK BROUGH STORY: by brian zelley


RICK BROUGH is one of 15 that has been selected for the
British Columbia Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame.  To understand his contribution to boxing in British Columbia one needs to step back to 1979

To understand Brough's  contribution in Canada, one needs to step back to 1960.

1979 -  In June 1979, the newly appointed Vancouver Island Amateur Boxing
Commissioner called a meeting for all Vancouver Island boxing clubs and available officials.  Some of those that attended were GEORGE SHIELS of
Campbell River, LOU BUJDOSO of the Victoria Jaycees, various members of the
Victoria Athletic Association, boxing official BOB PERRY and others.

BROUGH demonstrated his administrative skills from the opening bell of the Vancouver Island meeting in Victoria by evaluating the past season and to guide the plans for the 1979/1980 season and beyond.  At the time, the VAA boxing program was on the ropes with no facilities and only two active boxers.  However,
members of the Victoria Jaycees Boxing Club (also called the Lakehill Boxing Club) allowed the VAA coaches and the two boxers to train with the growing Jaycees club.

One of the hopes in the summer of 1979 was a major Provincial tournament
and that would come in 1980 with the revival of the BC Diamond Belt
tournament in Victoria which was last held in Vancouver in 1968.

Throughout much of the Eighties. BROUGH would be an important builder for boxing,
but when the British Columbia Amateur Boxing Association decided to
eliminate the Commissioner role and replace it with a coaches representative for the region, amateur boxing on Vancouver Island crashed until planning for the
1994 Commonwealth Games began in 1989.  In the first call for volunteers
in 1990, RICK BROUGH was one of the few to take that first step.
The Boxing Committe members included MIKE SARTORI and BRIAN ZELLEY




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