June 5, 2009.
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| Denis Huck with his daughter, Jeannette, and his wife, Valli, at the 2005 Games in Regina. |
When the 2011 Canada Games opens in Halifax, the Huck Family’s Canada Games story will have officially come full circle.
Denis Huck had his first Canada Games experience in the summer of 1969 at the age of sixteen when he came to Halifax/Dartmouth to compete in the 3000 metre steeple chase event. A last-minute foot injury prevented Denis from entering the competition but it did not keep him from cheering on his teammates and experiencing the games as a spectator.
“There was an incredible atmosphere of energy and excitement that surrounded the city. My team didn’t do well, but in the end it wasn’t about that. The community made us feel special as athletes. It was about experiencing a higher level of competition.”
Originally from Newfoundland, Denis was so impressed with Halifax during the Canada Games that he came back to live here, attend university and raise a family, as did his two brothers.
Denis and his wife instilled the drive for athletic achievement and participation in the Canada Games in their daughters, Tonya, Leanne, and Jeanette. All three have had the honour of representing Nova Scotia at the Canada Games. Tonya competed in the 4 x 400 relay event at the 2001 Games in London, Ontario, the same Games where Leanne ran in the 100 metre, 200 metre, and 4 x 100 metre relay events. At the 2005 Canada Games in Regina, Leanne returned to compete in the same track events while Jeanette played on the Nova Scotia’s women’s soccer team.
“The Canada Games gave my daughters a tremendous exposure to competition – for example, just making it on to the Canada Games soccer team was monumental for Jeanette. As parents, my wife, Valli, and I get wrapped up in the Games along with the other parents cheering on their kids and the other Nova Scotians cheering on our teams.”
And the story continues… thanks to Leanne and Jeanette’s success on the soccer field, this year marked the first time ever that one family – The Huck Family – has won the Dalhousie University female athlete of the year award for three years running. Jeanette also earned the Atlantic University Sport First Team All-Star award this year and even chose to complete her co-op work term with the 2011 Canada Games Host Society. Meanwhile, Tonya will be volunteering her physiotherapy services at the Canada Games in PEI this summer.
What will the Huck Family bring to the 2011 Canada Games in Halifax? They will be on board to support, cheer, and volunteer.
“My daughters and my wife are continuing their contribution and affiliation with the Games by volunteering,” says Denis who now works as the Host Society’s Venue Manager, “and I want to finish my career by being involved with the Games; work for something really exciting, make a difference in this community, and make people feel proud to live here.”
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