The Town of Lake Cowichan and its councillors has faced considerable pressure over the naming of the new ballfields at Centennial Park.
For a town with a great sporting tradition, there was a lot to consider when it came to naming the two fields. With so many past sportsmen and women who have contributed an amazing amount to sport in the community and further afield, choosing but two names from any list was bound to be controversial. Some felt strongly that their family member or friend was the only choice and weren’t shy in telling council that. Should it be restricted only to those who were involved in baseball or softball? What about soccer? Or should the names reflect a wider history of sports in Lake Cowichan? These questions and more had to be pondered before monikers were picked.
This weekend saw the official naming of the fields: Dawn Coe-Jones Field, Apollos Field and Dobie Somerville Soccer Field.
We think the Town of Lake Cowichan did an oustanding job in choosing these names from the hundreds of possibilities.
Without a doubt, Dawn Coe-Jones is the best-known athlete to ever come out of Lake Cowichan. And she was a tremendous ambassador for the Cowichan Lake area during her illustrious professional golfing career, mentioning her hometown in every interview and frequently visiting the area. This Hall of Famer is clearly deserving of a name on a plaque.
The name Apollos covers a lot of ground, recognizing both a great historic team and its many members, and also a distinguished doctor to come from the community. Bill Carpentier grew up in Lake Cowichan, and went on to be the physician for the Apollo Space Shuttle program. The Apollos hockey players were together as a sports team for a record-setting 40 years.
The soccer field was appropriately named for a man who worked tirelessly to bring the sport to the community.
We think that over time people will come to accept the wisdom of choosing these as the names for the fields, even if they don’t agree. We hope those who are disappointed or even angry will come to realize that though their loved one was not chosen, it is not a slight on their accomplishments. Rather it is a commentary on the tremendous part that sports have played in the community over the decades, of which they were a part.