On Saturday, Oct. 18,the Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame held their 18th annual Induction at the Rockland Elks Club. Two Boothbay Region High School graduates -- William Tompkins, Class of 1969, and Katie Sibley, Class of 2003 --and the 1983/84 BRHS Girls Basketball Team were all inducted. 

According to Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame board member Bob Pascal, the event had a record attendance.   

Another board member, Allan Crocker, BRHS athletic director, started the evening festivities by introducing the 1983/84 Girls Basketball Team, who were represented by Lisa Carbone and Sarah (Peters) Sample.  He spoke of theircoach, David Landry, who he characterized as one of the most underrated coaches at BRHS. 

Landry is the BRHS girls' basketball record holder for regular season wins, playoff wins, and overall wins.  He took his teams to the playoffs every year he coached. “Sadly, Coach Landry is no longer with us,” Crocker said,“so I am going to introduce this team in a way that would make him proud.” 

Crocker said how fortunate he wasto work with Coach Landry when he started at BRHS and the two of them spent many hours talking about this team. Landry shared how this team was the perfect balance of players who could take over a game at any moment, along with players who accepted and embraced a supporting role on the team. 

Crocker shared how Landry told him how this team was successful because of the hard work members put in on a daily basis.  “Coach Landry was a tough coach, but at the same time was fair.  He expected a lot from his players, but in return they gave everything they had, whether it was at practice or a game.  This team went about business without complaining.  There was mutual respect between the coach and players and at the same time never a question about who was in charge.” 

This reporter would like to share a story where I witnessed the connection Coach Landry had with his player years after the 1984 season.  Several years I was fortunate be one of the hosts on the show, “Bob’s Bullpen.” 

The two guests were players from the 1984 team Lauren Webster Brown and Leslie Carter Blethen. Coach Landry took the lead interviewing his former players. It was obvious the connection Coach Landry still had with these players and a true joy to witness their interaction with him. I am sure Coach Landry was very proud of these two women, who like other members of this team had continued in the same footsteps of their former coach by their own coaching of girls' basketball from youth leagues to college.  

Crocker said when he learned that he was going to introduce this team, he reached out to John Benard, the coach of Mexico High School girls basketball team, which BRHS defeated in the Western Maine Finals in 1984. Without hesitation, Bernard was able to recall the Boothbay team, who he summed up perfectly, “Wow, what a great team that was!” 

Next on the agenda with a BRHS connection was Katie Sibley, whose 1,444 points scored as a varsity basketball player makes her the school’s leading scorer. Sibley went on to the University of Southern Maine, where she continued her prowess on the basketball court.  Her teams captured fourconsecutive Little East Conference championships.  She was inducted into the USM Hall of Fame in 2007.  

Katie said she was born in 1984, the same year as the BRHS girls' basketball team winning a Gold Ball as state champs.  She remembered looking at this Gold Ball each time she walked into the school’s gym and hoping to win one during her career at BRHS. 

Katie shared how playing sports helped prepare her for life’s challenges and taught her the importance of working hard as it pays off.  She continued how leadership qualities and how to face difficult tasks and challenges are learned from being on a team and participating in athletics. 

The final inductee for BRHS was William “Bill” Tompkins, who while at BRHS lettered in football, basketball and baseball along with beingClass Valediction.  After graduation from Springfield College, Bill was hired at Walpole High School in Massachusetts, where he coached baseball for 38 years along with being the firstgirls’ soccer coach, serving in that position for 21 years. 

Bill accumulated a remarkable 561-264 on the baseball diamond.  He began his remarks with even though he did his teaching, coaching, and administrating in Walpole, he always tried to use the Maine values he learned at BRHS. 

Bill expressed his appreciation to fellow BRHS baseball teammates Bill Arsenault and Munro Dodge, who were in attendance.Bill spoke of Pat Farrin, who he described as one of his best friends and baseball teammates. He shared how the two of them remained friends until Pat’s unfortunate passing. Bill shared how bothbattled cancer, but he was the only one to beat it. 

Bill closed out how it is not about the wins or losses, but the relationships you form with student athletes.  He said howwhen you meet them years later and they say, “Thanks for the advice or guidance on life of sports situations.”  That is the greatest reward you can have as a teacher/coach.  

Closing out the evening was a remembrance of previous inductees, who passed away during the past year.  I.J. Pinkham, a member of the Class of 2017 was mentioned.