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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, October 18, 2012 · 10 By Kathy Yanchus SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Believe in yourself advise T.A.B. Hall of Famers In 1984, the Hamilton Status of Women Committee voted her Woman of the Year in the category of Health, Sport and Fitness and the following year, she won the Bill Paterson Award from the Ontario Physical and Health Education Association. She was inducted into the McMaster Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 after years of involvement as both an athlete and coach. In 1996, Carter was sports co-chair of Hamilton's 150th birthday celebration and was a board of directors member for the 2010 Hamilton Commonwealth Games bid. For many years, Carter sat on the governing body for high school sports, the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations, keeping tabs on the successes of T.A.B. sports teams. Carter told students about the "significance of the power of one." "Fifty-five years ago, I sat right there (in the audience)," she said. "I could not hold my head up to look at anybody straight in the eye, I had no self-confidence, I could not utter a full sentence as a 13-year-old little girl coming to this school. It's because of the people, the teachers who impacted me that I became the person I am today." T.A. Blakelock High School welcomed two new inductees into its Hall of Fame, Friday. Before an audience of enthusiastic students, former and current teachers and fellow inductees, the school paid tribute to former CFL player Jeff Arp and track champion, Cecelia Carter. "It's pretty overwhelming," said Carter, who has had a stellar athletic and teaching career. "I'm so rooted here, my career was launched here. Never did I think as a little, lacking self-confidence Grade Niner, freckled-faced kid with red hair, that my career would come to this. We did what we did never thinking at the end we'd be rewarded. We did it because we loved it and to be honoured where we started is pretty powerful." Carter represented Canada twice at the Commonwealth Games, and is a World Record holder and four-time Canadian champion in 600 yards. After earning a political science degree at McMaster University, Carter went on to a teaching career, which spanned 33 years at both the elementary and secondary school levels, achieving a myriad of awards. JAMES HOGGETT / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER / @halton_photog honoured alumni: T.A. Blakelock High School proudly inducted Carter paid tribute to the T.A.B. teachers who believed in her. "Don't let anyone tell you you're too tall, too small, too heavy, too light. If you surround yourself with people who believe in you, you will succeed." Arp, who played professional football for both the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts, said he was a young man without "much of a two former graduates who have made significant contributions in their fields to its Hall of Fame Friday -- Cecelia Carter and Jeff Arp. plan," when he came to Blakelock. Playing on T.A.B.'s championship football and basketball teams opened his eyes to the realm of possibilities for his future. "I owe Blakelock a great deal. I came here without a vision for my future, and I left here to join the best university football program in the country (Western)," said Arp. "I don't know whether I would have had the confidence to take that on if I hadn't had the experiences I had here first." The Western Mustangs football team won three consecutive Yates Cup titles during his time at the school and Arp was the first Mustang football player to receive three All Canadian designations. After graduating from Western with a degree in political science, Arp joined the CFL as a 220-pound offensive lineman, when offensive linemen in the CFL "typically weighed between 260-300 lbs." Although he didn't fit the mold for offensive linemen, Arp played five years in the CFL, including in the 1985 Grey Cup, then retiring to join the civil service, where he has worked for Ontario ministries of education, community and social services and, currently, the environment. Arp urged students to have a vision for the future, to believe in it, pursue it and do the work necessary to make it a reality. "If you don't have vision for your future yet, that's OK, just believe in yourself, believe in your power to shape your future. That's a lesson I learned from sports." en -4 Op 12 w s No day n Su 1/2 Price Room Sale BUY ANY ITEM AND RECEIVE A SECOND ITEM OF EQUAL OR LESSER VALUE AT 50% OFF! Starts today. Two Weeks Only. Living Room, Dining Room, Bedroom & Home Accents. Decorate Your Home For The Holidays. Save on All Floor Models and Custom Orders *Buy any piece at our EVERYDAY LOW PRICE (Sofa, Coffee Table, Lamps, Pictures, etc.) and get the matching piece at 50% off the MSRP. 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