A celebration was held at the Ravens’ Nest on Sept. 15 to honour five Carleton alumni who were inducted in the Ravens Athletics Hall of Fame. The inductees were recognized for their excellence and contribution to university athletics during their time at Carleton.
This year’s group of inductees included men’s soccer player Michael Lanos, men’s hockey player Wayne Small, men’s Nordic skier Wayne Dustin, and women’s basketball player Nicky (Majid) Yardley. Inducted alongside the quartet of athletes was Duncan Watt, former vice-president (finance) of Carleton, who was recognized as a builder.
Reflecting back on his time spent at Carleton, Dustin said he had a great time as a member of the Nordic ski team.
“The second year I was at Carleton, we had Ontario university championships here in Ottawa,” he said. “We won [Ontario University Association] championships that year, so that was a highlight for sure.”
Dustin now does some coaching, and said his future goal is to help younger people with their goals and help his children achieve whatever they want to achieve.
Yardley said she never anticipated she would someday be featured in the Hall of Fame here.
“Had I transported myself back 30-odd years ago when I was here, absolutely,” she said. “I was little arrogant, a little ‘gosh yes I’m good.’ ”
“But 30-odd years later, [I] didn’t even have it in my sights,” Yardley said.
Yardley helped the basketball team make great strides, and lead the Ravens to their first playoff game.
“The women’s basketball team at the time was not good, was not supposed to be good,” she said. “We got a new coach, Paul Armstrong, [and he] brought in a bunch of good players and all of a sudden, we gelled.”
“All of a sudden, we made the playoffs, for the first time in Carleton’s history. And then the basketball program took off. So that was a true highlight,” she said.
Yardley said her high school coach inspired her to pursue an athletic career. Her debut in basketball began when she was 15 and made it onto her high school team without prior experience in the game.
“[I] didn’t play one second of any game for the whole year. [It] didn’t make me mad—I just wanted to be better,” she said. “[I] practiced all summer, got the manuals, looked at everything, looked at videos.”
“[I] came back the next year, I was on the first five, and never looked back,” she said. “So because I had a very bad year, it just made me want to be the best.”
After years of experience being involved with athletics, Dustin and Yardley shared advice for current and aspiring athletes.
“Stay true to your goals. Stay clean. You don’t need to take anything,” Yardley said. “There’s no need for drugs in sport. Just be clean, do your work, [and] get on the courts as much as you can.”
Dustin said to overall have fun and enjoy the sport.
“I think it’s important, whether it’s sport or something else, to really enjoy it, and love it and have a passion for it, then you can put everything you have into it,” Dustin said.
