Lorne Woolridge (Builder 2002)
Mr. Lorne Woolridge has given outstanding service to the sport of Volleyball in this province since he started teaching in 197 . For 24 years, Lorne was the Men’s Volleyball Coach at Grand Falls Academy and his High School Teams were Champions of the Newfoundland and Labrador High School Athletic Federation five times; 1972-73…4A Boys, 1976-77…3A Boys, 1978-79…3A Boys, 1989-90…4A Boys, 1991-92…4A Boys.
Lorne organized a very successful Volleyball Club known as the Gymko Volleyball Club in 1975. That club has grown to be the present day Beothuck Volleyball Club.
There were many Teams coached by Lorne, which won Provincial Volleyball Championships held by The Newfoundland and Labrador Volleyball Association. These included the following; 1975…Senior B Men and Juvenile A Boys, 1978…Juvenile A Boys, 1979…Juvenile A Boys, 1988…Junior High School Championship(Corner Brook), 1989…Midget B Boys, 1991…VolleyFest Boys, 1991…Junior Mens, 1992…Juvenile A Boys and Junior Mens.
In 1990 and 1991 Lorne had developed a team, which had tremendous success. They won the Dalhousie (Black Division) Volleyball Classic in 1990 and in 1991 were Champions of the Dalhousie (Gold Division) Volleyball Classic. That particular team won nine (9) tournaments and had an amazing 60-0 match record. Four players went on to be starters with the 1991 Canada Winter Games Team.
Lorne’s Team represented Newfoundland and Labrador at the National Juvenile A Volleyball Championships in Winnipeg, Manitoba on May 8-10, 1992.
Lorne was instrumental in the development of Volleyball in the Grand Falls-Windsor area. From 1972 to 1992, he organized many coaching and officiating clinics and in the summer, organized and ran two week player development Volleyball Camps. This proved to be so popular that in 1988 it became an annual event with Canada Games players and MUN players being hired as Chief Instructors.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Volleyball Association has honoured Lorne with the Coach of the Year Award and Team of The Year Award in 1992. In 1990, he was the first recipient of the Papermaking Classic Award for his work with Volleyball in the Central Newfoundland Region and Provincially.
Lorne has been very involved in his community in areas other than Volleyball. Some of the awards he has received will indicate his dedication ; Citizen of the Year, Grand Falls-Windsor..1989, Grand Falls Medal Award, 1988 for outstanding community voluntarism over 25 Years, National Public Relations Award in the Kinsmen Association, 1985-86.
He is a Life Member of the Kinsmen Association of Canada. A Past President of the Provincial Executive of the Newfoundland and Labrador Progressive Conservative Party where he served from 1995-2001 as a member. A Past President of the Kinsmen (1981-82 & 1987-88) and K-40 (1994-95 & 2000-2001) clubs of Grand Falls-Windsor.
