2003-04-29

Ex-Olympian, Michael Barry to be inducted into New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame

Communications New Brunswick

Ex-Olympian, Michael Barry to be inducted into New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame

FREDERICTON (CNB) - The New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame honour roll will grow by five with the addition of three athletes and two builders for 2003. The names of those elected were announced by Howie Trainor of Saint John, chairman of the Sports Hall of Fame's board of governors. The dinner and induction ceremony will be held June 7 in Fredericton.

The inductees are Michael Barry of Saint John, a three-time Canadian wrestling champion and 1976 Olympian; Deborah Bryant of Moncton, 1981 Canadian senior rhythmic gymnastics champion and a 10-year member of the national team; John Estabrooks of Riverview, a golf builder who has been instrumental in the development of New Brunswick's successful junior programs; Daniel Macdonald of Moncton, who has devoted over 30 years to the growth and development of gymnastics in New Brunswick and Canada; and Christopher Skinner of Saint John, an eight-year veteran of the Canadian Football League and member of the 1987 Grey Cup champion Edmonton Eskimos.

With the latest elections membership in the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame now stands at 170.

Michael Barry

In the case of Saint John's Mike Barry, judo's loss was wrestling's gain. Barry, along with his older brother Sean, was introduced to judo as a six-year old and became a black belt by age 17. He won numerous local and Maritime meets and showed sufficient promise to compete in the 1972 Olympic trials. However, he switched to wrestling at the urging of Pat Bolger, a member of the national team, who spotted Barry's potential and suggested he pursue that sport instead.

Barry relocated to Toronto to attend Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, and to work on perfecting his technique with top-level coaches. The move paid off as he captured the gold medal at the 1975 and 1977 Canadian Inter-university Athletic Union championships, and won silver at the 1975 and 1976 Canadian championships. Barry also earned a berth on the Canadian team to the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and fought in the under 125-pound free style competition. While he lost both of his preliminary bouts, the second by a close 11-9 decision to a fighter from Korea, the Olympic experience proved to be a catalyst in Barry's career.

In 1977 he won the first of three consecutive Canadian championships in his weight class, and placed seventh at the world championships. At the 1979 Canadian championships, Barry won gold in the 62 kilogram weight class, and shared the outstanding wrestler award with his brother Sean. Barry also made his mark in international competitions. In 1978 he won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, and he won a bronze medal at both the 1980 and 1984 World Cup meets. He won gold medals at the Canada Cup competitions in 1981 and 1983, and was named the outstanding wrestler at both meets.

Throughout most of his career, Barry fought in the same weight class as his brother Sean, resulting in many head to head bouts, but according to Sean Barry, "the more we met head on the closer we became".

Mike Barry who retired in 1984, managed to successfully combine academics and the demands of his sport, obtaining a law degree from the University of Windsor. He now practices law in London, Ontario, where he lives with his wife Sharon and their four children. He was elected to the Saint John Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.

MEDIA CONTACT: Kathy Meagher, executive director, NB Sports Hall of Fame, Fredericton, 506-453-8930 (work); 506-457-9111 (home); fax 506-459-0481; kathy.meagher@gnb.ca.

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