When the 17th edition of the Middleton Sports Heritage Wall of Fame is unveiled Saturday, Sept. 27 at the Macdonald Museum, some famous and familiar faces will be looking out from the display.
They include hockey players Carlyle Lewis and Melissa Welton, synchronized swimmer and powerlifter Janice MacDonald, the 2002 Middleton Men’s Curling Team, MRHS badminton doubles team, and the 19989-99 MRHS girls soccer team.
Following are brief bios:
Athletes:
Carlyle Lewis
Carlyle Lewis of Moshers Corner, began his hockey career started with the Middleton and District Mustangs. Later he played for the newly-formed Western Valley Pee Wee, then Bantam AAA Spartans. He played in Prince Edward Island with the Summerside AAA Midget and Junior A as well as the PEI Canada Games team. In 1995 he was drafted #111 in the eighth round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League by the Beauport Harfangs where he played for two seasons, followed by a year with the Laval Titans, and finally the Halifax Mooseheads. The New Jersey Devils signed him to a free agent contract in the Spring of 1999.
For five seasons toiling in the Devils system he spent 2-1/2 years in the AHL with the Albany River Rats and 2-1/2 years in the ECHL with the Columbus (Georgia) Cottonmouths where he now resides. In 2004-05 Carlyle played with both the Portland Pirates of the AHL and South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL.
The next seven years would see Carlyle playing in the UHL. He retired in 2012.
Janice Elaine MacDonald
Janice MacDonald grew up in Middleton and her chief interest was swimming – individual synchronized swimming to be exact. Janice was so adept at this she became Nova Scotia champion in 1987 at only 14 years of age, and was a member of the Nova Scotia Canada Games Team in Sydney that same year. Janice was also the Nova Scotia Synchronized Swimming Champion in both 1988 and 1989.
She graduated from MRHS in 1990 and attended Acadia University, but her athletic side lay dormant through the 1990s. In the new century her athleticism again came to the forefront. Janice then took up power lifting with a vengeance. Quickly she rose to prominence by capturing the Nova Scotia Women’s 90+kg Open Class three years in succession – 2004, 2005 and 2006. Her Nova Scotia wins entitled her to compete at the Canadian Championships for three years. In her three-year run she established Nova Scotia records in all three lifts and total lift. These records retired with her as shortly after this time the classifications were changed. In addition her 303 lb. bench press was a Canadian record that stood until 2009. Her heaviest lifts in competition were 386 lb. squat, 281 lb. bench, and 386 lb. deadlift for a miraculous combined total of 1053 lb.
Melissa Lyn Welton
Melissa Lyn Welton grew up in Middleton she dabbled in most sports, especially at MRHS, but hockey was her true love. She was the first girl to play hockey in the Middleton and District Minor Hockey Association with boy’s teams, beginning at age 8 in Novice and playing through all divisions, including Midget, until 1996. In 1994 Melissa was selected Female Athlete of the Year by Nova Scotia Hockey. In 1995 she played on the Nova Scotia Canada Games Team and was selected Best Forward at the Hockey Night in Boston Girls Summer Showcase. In her graduating year from MRHS in 1996-97 she co-captained the MRHS Girls Soccer Team to the NSSAF Division II Championship.
In 1997-98 she played on the Nova Scotia Women’s Provincial hockey team at the Esso National Championships, a feat she would again accomplish in both 2004 and 2005. While with the Calgary Lightning her team won the “A” Provincials. She played 3-1/2 years with the Mount Royal Cougars in the Alberta College Athletic Conference. She was named All Star Forward each year, was second in league scoring by one point the first year, then first in the next two years.
Teams
Kristen Elliott and Lindsay Reagh
The Middleton Regional High School duo of Kristin Elliott and Lindsay Reagh were formidable athletes throughout their school life. To cap off their junior high careers as Grade 9 students, in the Spring of 1997 they turned their attention to the badminton court. Competing in Intermediate Doubles they advanced through Districts and Regionals to reach the Provincial Championship in Antigonish on April 25 and 26. Though in only their first year in the Intermediate Division, they never lost a match en-route to the title. Lindsay was named to the Nova Scotia Badminton Association Canada Games Core Team. Later that Spring, both girls were members of the Middleton Magic Club Volleyball Team that won the Nova Scotia Tier I title and advanced to the Eastern Canadians.
In high school both played all three years on the Varsity in soccer, basketball, and volleyball, and Kristin in track and field. Playing doubles badminton in 1999-2000 they were second at Districts, first at Regionals, and won the Senior Girls NSSAF Championship at Provincials. That year Lindsay was named MRHS Most Valuable Player in Senior Girls Badminton while Kristin was selected Senior Female Athlete of the Year.
Middleton Men’s Curling Team 2002
The Dartmouth Curling Club hosted the 2002 Masters Provincial Curling Championship and led by Skip Graham Thompson, Middleton won.
Over the first two days of play, the team reeled off four straight wins, winning three by a large margin of 12-4, 9-1 and 7-3 before losing to Liverpool, but then bouncing back to win to qualify for the final day. On the final day they squeaked by fellow Middleton CC Rink skipped by Dave Romkey 8-7. This pitted Middleton against the Bligh Woodworth Rink out of Liverpool, who had defeated them the day previous, for the final. Skip Thompson and his rink of Mate John Byrne, Second Jim Carter, and Lead Ernie Killen downed Liverpool 8-5 for the Championship.
The foursome then went on to the Maritime Masters in Charlottetown, and the Canadian Championships in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
Middleton Regional High School Pitbulls 1998-99
The MRHS Girls Pitbulls, playing in NSSAF Division II in the Fall of 1998, the 18-member squad, coached by Greg Bower and Assistant Coach Jay Thompson, had an impressive 13-2 win-loss record heading into the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation Championship. Hosting the championship on their home turf, MRHS first took on the Amherst Vikings. On Friday, Nov. 7 the Pitbulls downed the Vikings 5-2. The next day, behind the two goals by Heather O’Donnell and one by Katie MacDougall, MRHS built up a 3-0 lead by halftime. Later in the game Forest Heights notched their only goal as the Pitbulls captured their second Provincial win in three seasons.
