Voth, Sanheim lead inductees into Manitoba Volleyball Hall
By Johnston Hall
Murray Grapentine and new Hall of Famer, Keith Sanheim
Lloyd Voth was not only an outstanding player, but also a great coach. Keith Sanheim might have been one of the greatest players ever produced in Manitoba. And Claire Lloyd was one of the first“ great” female players in Manitoba volleyball history.
When you look at the athletes who were part of this year’ s class being inducted into the Manitoba Volleyball Hall of Fame, you immediately ask youurself,“ What took so long?”
The Volleyball Manitoba Annual Awards and Hall of Fame Banquet was held in early June at Canad Inns Destination Centre Polo Park.
This year’ s Hall of Fame inductees include the following( Bios courtesy of John Blacher at Volleyball Manitoba):
Lloyd Voth( Builder Category) Lloyd’ s volleyball involvement began in junior high in Morden, MB, when he got cut from the Grade 8 volleyball team( he recalls that coach got fired the next year!). Fortunately, he continued to pursue the sport and played throughout high school for Morden Collegiate. His first provincial championship was in 1974, in Rivers, where his team lost to Thompson in the finals. This all set the stage for the next 40 plus years of involvement in the sport with the U of M Bisons, with senior men’ s champions and as one of Manitoba’ s greatest volleyball coaches.
Steve Welch( Athlete Category) Steve began playing organized sports at an early age, including soccer and then hockey. When he‘ outgrew his hockey equipment’, his hockey career ended and he took up other sports at Laura Secord School. Steve entered Gordon Bell School in grade 7 and began to excel at Track & Field in junior high, before starting to
34 / sportslife play volleyball in Grade 9, and continued to excel at both sports throughout high school. Steve dominated the provincial high jump from 1985-88, matching the MHSAA record( 2.04m) in 1987 which held for 13 years, and set the provincial junior record in 1988( 2.09m), which held for 25 years( the same year he competed in the 1988 Olympic Trials). As a volleyball player, he was a provincial team member, a university all-star, a member of Canada’ s national team program and a professional player in Switzerland, Austria and Turkey.
Keith Sanheim( Athlete Category) Growing up in Oakbank, Keith was involved in many sports. He played soccer and baseball and had a group of friends that loved all sports and played them together all the time. His participation in sport continued as he entered Springfield Junior High and Springfield Collegiate, playing most of the sports the schools had to offer. Volleyball was one of those sports and Keith excelled. He wound up on the Provincial Team, the National Team and was a member of numerous juvenile and junior national championship teams. He played for the U of M Bisons and eventually the national team, where he would play from 1991-2003. He played professionally in Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Greece and Switzerland.
Claire Lloyd( Athlete Category) In the late 1960s and early 70s volleyball in Manitoba was in its infancy, and Claire was part of a group that helped set the foundation for all the success that has come since that time. Claire played her high school volleyball at Churchill, winning a silver medal at Provincials in 1969. Claire continued to experience success and excellence in the sport playing for the University of Manitoba and for Team Canada( 1973-76). After her playing career ended in 1982, she went on to coach 60 high school teams at Eric Hamber School in Vancouver from 1976 until her retirement in 2009.
The 1976-1979 Selkirk Royals Girls Teams( Team Category) This group of players, who played together from 1976-1979, won Lord Selkirk school’ s first four Provincial Championships. The countless athletes and coaches that followed held that torch high, winning another eight titles. When the Royals won the Provincial Championship in 2014 it was Lord Selkirk High School’ s 12th MHSAA title, the most won by any high school in the province. During this four-year period the teams established an overall record of 216 wins and 11 losses, including an unbeaten 58-0 season in 1978. The teams, coached by Barry Miller and Mike Burchuk, included such athletes as Nan Calendar( 76, 77, 78), Ida Clemons( 76, 77, 78), Donna Posnick( 76), Jill Goodbrandson( 77, 78, 79) and Nikki Gusberti( 78, 79). •