2007

1923 Lancaster TOW Team | Taylor Coombs | Tony MacDonald | Roddy MacLeod | Julie Rouette-Hope

1923 Lancaster Tug-of-War Team

Tug of War was a popular sport nearly one hundred years ago. Every town/village had a team and there was great rivalry when their teams met on a regular schedule. The Lancaster Tug of War team was one of these teams.
The team consisted of George MacRae, Bob Esden, and Stanley Wightman from the Lancaster area; Jack Thompson (Captain), Donald Morrison, Bernard Snider, William Clark, and Charles Edgar from Bainsville; Gordon Calder from Pine Hill, Charles MacGregor and Hugh McDermid from Martintown; and L. McCulloch and Dan J. McDonald from Apple Hill. The team competed at functions in Glengarry and went on to win the Silver Cup at the Chateauguay Valley Competition in Quebec. To earn the Silver Cup Trophy the team must have competed and won in three consecutive years. The competition was held annually on Dominion Day and the Glengarry team won for the third year in 1923. Rumour has it that some of the Lancaster team took up to three days to make their return to Glengarry!

Taylor Coombs

Taylor Coombs was born in 1917 in Troy, New York. His family soon moved to Ottawa. From an early age Taylor was interested in all types of sports but excelled in basketball, playing on championship teams at both the high school and college levels.

In 1960, he began his teaching career at Char-Lan High School in Williamstown where he soon established himself as an outstanding coach and mentor for generations of students. Although he coached almost all school sports at one time or another, his greatest love was basketball and throughout his twenty-two years of teaching he devoted himself to developing and promoting the game.
After retirement, Taylor stayed in contact with sports at Char-Lan, frequently attending sporting events and always remembering the people he had taught and coached. He also maintained an active interest in golfing with his friends, where he could indulge his competitive spirit as he attempted always to play at his best.

Taylor Coombs died on December 5, 2005 but his memory lives on in Glengarry at Char-Lan District High School. In October of 2006, the school’s gymnasium was rededicated in his name and formal recognition was given to his many inspiring years of teaching and coaching.

Tony MacDonald

Tony was born in 1947 and like most Glengarry boys he played hockey on the ponds and rivers, in this case, around Green Valley. He began organized minor hockey in Green Valley and then went on to play in various leagues and levels.

Later Tony began coaching hockey. He became a Level 4 coach and NCCP program instructor for National Coaches Certification Program. He directed and acted as head on-ice instructor at many hockey schools throughout Canada and the U.S. He served as instructor and skill development co-ordinator of the Alexandria Minor Hockey program initiated by Gilles Joanette (Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame Inductee). He founded 3S Junior/College camp with Jacques Martin and Bob Mills.
Tony began his management career as coach/general manager of Brockville Braves in 1974, later serving the franchise as director of hockey operations, and began his scouting career with Cornwall Royals before moving on to Kitchener Rangers and eventually joining Windsor/Compuware Spitfires as Director of Scouting and later Director of Player Personnel.

His NHL scouting career started with the Los Angeles Kings and he worked for one year with the NHL four team Scouting Combine (CIPRO). He then rejoined the Compuware organization and the Hartford Whalers in 1994, as senior scout, continuing with them after the Whalers moved to Raleigh North Carolina in 1997 where they were renamed the Carolina Hurricanes.

One of his proudest moments came when he saw his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup for the first time in 2006.

Roddy McLeod

Roddy McLeod Sr. was born in Lancaster, Ontario in 1947. His heavyweight career started in 1975 while he was attending The Glengarry Highland Games. He decided that he’d like to try the Heavyweight Events. And so, as was the custom in those earlier days, he just walked onto the field, received a few instructions, and entered into his first competition.

At this time Roddy received much help and encouragement from athletes like Lloyd Kennedy (now deceased), Ron MacDonell, and ‘Syracuse’ John MacDonald; and later this spirit of helping other athletes continued when these four friends formed the Cabers of Glengarry, a club through which many people got their start in competing in the Scottish Heavy Events.
Roddy has competed at many Highland Games throughout Eastern and Western Ont., Nova Scotia, and the U.S. over the past 30+ years. A number of years ago, he took over as Chairman of the Glengarry Games Heavyweight Events and ran the already well established and prestigious Canadian Heavyweight Championship. Then in 1998, when the Games expanded to two days, Roddy brought in and organized the Amateur, Master and Women Competitions enjoyed in Maxville today.

Over the years, Roddy has felt honour and pride in competing against many wonderful (and some of the world’s best) athletes.

Roddy is now self-employed, works part time with Hydro One and still competes in Scottish Heavy Events.

In 2005 Roddy McLeod Sr. is proud to say he placed first in the World Masters Heavyweight Championship in Concord, N.H. At age 59 he took 2nd place in his age category in the 2006 World Masters Heavyweight Championship in Inverness, Scotland.

Julie Rouette-Hope

Julie Rouette-Hope was born in 1964. Julie loved sports from a very young age, playing soccer, baseball, hockey, and football with the neighbours. At the age of 12, Julie joined the Glengarry Soccer League and was also introduced to the sport of golf. These two activities quickly became Julie’s favorite pastimes. She was named Sportswoman of the Year in 1983. That same year, Julie was named MVP for GDHS-ESRG Sr. soccer team, and also for the Glengarry Soccer League.

Although Julie loved many sports, she excelled in golf. She won her first Ladies Club Championship at the young age of 16. She won 10 Championships between 1980 and 1995. The biggest highlights in golf were shooting a score of 72 in the first round of the Club championship in 1986, and scoring a Hole in One in 1995.
Other proud moments included winning the Cornwall Open Mixed Championship (1984), the Cornwall Ladies Open (1985), Summer Heights Ladies Invitational (1985), the Morrisburg Ladies Open (1985,1986), and the Cedar Glen Ladies Open (1985).