U.P. Sports Hall of Fame inducts 11 athletes

ESCANABA - Eleven people were inducted into the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame Saturday in Escanaba. Among them was long-time figure skating coach Jeanette LeCaptain of Escanaba. Her ice skating shows were once featured in Look Magazine and she is credited with helping a lot of girls in the U.P.

“A lot of them went pro,” LeCaptain said. “I know of at least 38 of them that went pro and I know there was more than that. We prepared like the do in the pro shows. It was floor work and ice work.”

Shari (Ahola) Byerly formerly of Gladstone was inducted as a skier who helped Wyoming win the 1985 NCAA ski championship and was second in the slalom

“We had such a spectacular team,” she said. “I think because each of us was so exicted to be a part of the team that we kept pushing each other.”

Also inducted were the late Larry Barkle of Iron Mountain, the late Cheryl (Dorais) Depuydt of Marquette and Houghton, Erica Ledy of DeTour, Joell (Johnson) Krejcarek of Little Lake, the late Carl Mattson of South Range, the late Jack Mugford of Laurium, Barb Perry of Norway; Terry Sayen of Gwinn and Munising and Con Yagodzinski of Escanaba.

The audio interviews are from the Coach’s Corner with Dennis Grall and Jim Pinar heard on WDBC-AM at 10 a.m. on Saturdays.