Image
File Photo
Marty Leeson, seen above, will be one of the first inductees into the Bluewater Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Six LCCVI Alumni inducted into new Bluewater Wrestling Hall of Fame

May 15, 2026

Heather Wright/The Independent

Six LCCVI alumni are among the first inductees to the Sarnia Bluewater Wrestling Hall of Fame.

The club inducted Marty Leeson, Gary Brown, Pat Daley posthumously, Stephanie Szmiett, Katie Woodfinden and Kyle Bershatsky during a gala May 9.

Leeson, who led LCCVI’s wrestling program for decades, was inducted in the builders category. He came home from Western and founded a club to help local wrestlers to the Ontario Summer games in Windsor.

Brown and Dale were inducted in the athlete category. Both won double gold at the Ontario championships in 1974 and 1975. LCCVI was second over all at OFSAA in 1975.

Also inducted were former LCCVI wrestlers Szmiett, who also wrestled with East Lambton won OFSAA bronze, silver and three golds and was on the team that won the first FSAA Women’s Team title. She also won a national silver and three national championships.

Woodfinden won OFSAA gold twice and earned a Canadian Championship.

Also induct was Kyle Bershatsky who won silver at OFSAA and then second at the Canadian University championships.

LCCVI is the only school with three OFSAA championships. The Petrolia school also place second or third six other times.

Share This

Image
Front Page

OPP lay over 1,000 speeding charges Labour Day weekend

September 9, 2026

The Independent Over 1,000 speeding charges in southern Ontario during the Labour Day weekend. West Region OPP say officers targetted “The Big Four” bad driving behaviours; aggressive driving, failure to wear a seatbelt, distracted driving and impaired driving which are the leading contributing factors to death and injury on Ontario’s highways. From Sept. 4 to 7, 1,004 speeding charges were

Read More

Image
Front Page

Port Lambton 16Us win OBA title

September 9, 2026

The Port Lambton 16U Pirates were a perfect 5-0 at the Provincial Championship over Labour Day weekend. The Pirates defeated Simcoe team 11-6 to capture the gold. The 11-team tournament was originally scheduled to begin Thursday, but heavy rain left the diamonds in Petrolia, Courtright and Port Lambton too wet to play until Saturday. Port Lambton opened with a 13-5

Read More

Image
Front Page

Sarnia footballer remembered after drowning at The Cove

September 9, 2026

The Independent The Sarnia Football Club is paying tribute to one of its members who drown over the Labour Day weekend. Monday, Sarnia Fire Rescue’s Marine Unit was called to The Cove near Canatara Park around 3 pm for a possible drowning. People on ski-doos, boats and sail boats aided Sarnia Fire, Point Edward Fire, fire and police departments from

Read More

Image
Front Page

Sports Briefs: Van Gorp, Knights get preseason win out West

September 9, 2026

Barry Wright/The Independent Watford’s Evan Van Gorp drew a pair of assists in London’s 5-3 preseason win against the Royals in Victoria, BC last weekend during the preseason Clash of the Kingdoms. The WHL team prevailed 7-1 in the opener of the two-game series on the west coast. The Knights and Sting close out the exhibition season with home-and-home contests

Read More