Gadd glad to be heading to Hall

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This article was published 05/06/2010 (5782 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BY DAVID LARKINS

Think about many of the successful volleyball players who have come out of Brandon over the years — high school stars to university champions to national-team talents — and the lion’s share of them, at some point in their careers, were tutored by Bill Gadd.

Gadd will officially be inducted as a builder into the Manitoba Volleyball Hall of Fame on Sunday, an acknowledgment of his more than 30 years of service to the sport in the province, and specifically in Westman.

"I’m very, very excited to be recognized like that," Gadd said. "I was overjoyed, actually. When you think about the time that you put in — I never look at that when I’m doing those sorts of things. To be recognized and inducted makes me very proud and humble and honoured. It’s an elite group and I can’t believe that it’s happening."

A longtime high school coach, Gadd got his start in 1974 when he began teaching at what was then Harrison High School. He has rarely slowed up since then and the Brandonite says he doesn’t have any intention of putting on the brakes any time soon.

"I’m just refueling, I’m not ready to retire," said Gadd, who coached the freshmen girls at Vincent Massey this past season. "(Brandon University phys-ed professor Daryle) McCannell said to me the other day, ‘When are you going to retire?’ and I said, ‘Retire? Come on McCannell, I’m refuelling.’ I said I’m not ready to ease up, slow up or give up until ‘He’ takes me up."

Prior to Brandon University getting interuniversity men’s and women’s volleyball programs in 2005, Gadd was one of the spearheads for bringing university matches to the city and also helped in getting the ball rolling for the Bobcats to become a reality. He is now close friends with women’s coach Lee Carter and he enjoys seeing the successes of both Carter and BU men’s head coach Russ Paddock.

"With it having been a dream and a goal to have it brought in, it’s even more exciting to know that within four years Lee and Russ have really put it on the map," he said. "It’s not just there. It’s already as if it’s been there as a seasoned program.

"It’s amazing because we know how tough the Canada West (conference) is."

Gadd has also been able to watch his pupils through the years go on to great success in the sport, most notably Vincent Massey graduate Dustin Schneider, now on the national Senior A team, and Ken Krahn, a Massey product who was a two-time all-Canadian at the University of Manitoba in the early 1990s before moving on to play with the national team.

"Seeing them start at a young age and turn into (success stories) it goes from an athlete to a lifelong friendship," Gadd said.

» dlarkins@brandonsun.com