The Volleyball Manitoba Annual Awards & Hall of Fame Banquet was held last night, Sunday June 11 at Canad Inns Destination Centre Polo Park. In addition to celebrating our annual awards, the evening also included this year’s Volleyball Manitoba Hall of Fame inductions.
This year’s Hall of Fame inductees include the following:
Ben Trunzo, in the Builder category
He is one of the longest serving Athletic Therapists in Winnipeg. He has dedicated his career to teaching, mentoring, and advancing the field of Athletic Therapy for the last 30 years. He certified as an Athletic Therapist in 1987, and since that time has helped countless athletes with injuries, keeping them on the court and helping them perform to the best of their abilities.
Some of Ben’s credentials and volleyball roles include the following:
- Head Athletic Therapist University of Winnipeg 1987 to 2008
- Athletic Therapist for Canadian Junior National Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Team – 1986, 1987
- Athletic Therapist for National Women’s Volleyball team Cuba Tour – 1989
- Head Athletic Therapist or Therapist for the Canadian National Women’s Volleyball during the period 1993 – 2012.
- 1993 FISU Games – Buffalo NY
- 1995 FISU Games – Fukuoka Japan
- 1996 Summer Olympics – Atlanta
- 1999 (Winnipeg), 2011 (Mexico) Pan American Games
- 2000 (Japan), 2012 (Mexico) Olympic Qualification Tournament (Japan)
- 2002 (Germany) & 2010 (Japan) World Championships
- 2002, 2008, 2009, 2010 Pan Am Cups
- 2011 NORCECA Championship
- Inducted into Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame as a Member of the 1980’s University of Winnipeg Women’s Volleyball CIAU Champions.
Ken Krahn, in the Athlete Category
Ken grew up in Brandon, MB where he played many sports, including competitive hockey until 14, soccer and golf. Once at Junior High, he became involved in most school sports including volleyball, basketball, badminton, and track. Ken was selected to the Provincial Volleyball Team following his grade 11 year, at which time volleyball became his main sport focus, even though playing basketball at BU was an option for him to pursue.
Highlights of Ken’s volleyball career include the following:
- 1988 AA MHSAA Provincial Volleyball Champions, Tournament All-Star. 1989 High School Graduating All-Star.
- 1988-89 – 1989 Canada Games in Saskatoon, 1989 – 4th
- 1991 – Western Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg – Gold Medal
- Member of the University of Manitoba Bisons 1990-95
- CIAU Champions in 1991, 1995, Silver medal in 1994, 4th Place in 1993. Tournament All-Star in 1995.
- 1st Team All-Canadian in 1993, 2nd Team All-Canadian in 1995.
- Member of the National Team Program 1993 – 1997:
- 1993 – National B team
- 1995 – placed 7th at World FISU games in Fukuoka, Japan
- 1995-96 – 3rd in NORCECA Championship in Edmonton, World Cup in Japan, Olympic Qualifier in Calgary, and last chance qualifier in Portugal
- 1997 – 3rd in NORCECA Championship in Puerto Rico
- Played professionally overseas in Lutry-Lavaux, Switzerland (1996-98), Granada, Spain (1998-99), Tromso, Norway (1999-2000)
- Has coached at various levels including a junior club team in Lutry-Lavaux, Switzerland, CMU (2000-01), Vincent Massey Collegiate (2003-2009), University of Manitoba Assistant Coach (2010)
Jules Martens, in the Athlete Category
Growing up in North Kildonan, Jules played many organized sports such as hockey, soccer and baseball (AAA). Eventually school sports became more of a focus and at Westgate Collegiate basketball and volleyball were his main pursuits. Jules was ultimately recruited for volleyball by the University of Manitoba where he earned national championships and individual awards. This was followed by participation with Team Canada and playing professionally overseas.
Highlights of Jules’s involvement in volleyball include the following:
- Member of the University of Manitoba Bison’s 1990 – 1996.
- CIAU Champions in 1991, 1995 and 1996, Silver medal in 1994. CIAU Championship All-Star in 1996 & 1996.
- 1st Team All-Canadian in 1995 & 1996, 2nd Team All-Canadian in 1994.
- Represented Canada at World Student Games in Japan in 1995.
- 1996 – Finalist for Manitoba Sportswriters Male Athlete of the Year
- Member of Team Canada Men’s National Team 1997 – 2000.
- Bronze Medals at NORCECA Championships in 1997 (Caguas, Puerto Rico) & 1999 (Monterrey, Mexico)
- Bronze Medal at 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg
- 1999 World League – 8th Place
- 1999 World Cup (Japan) – 8th Place
- 2000 Olympic Qualifier (Winnipeg) – 2nd Place
1997- 2000 – Played professional in Holland and Brazil
BEACH
1993 & 1994 – Provincial Beach Championship
1993 – 3rd at Western Canadians, 2nd at Amateur Nationals
1994 – 1st at Western Championships
1996 – Finished 2nd at Jose Cuervo Pro Events in Vancouver and Montreal. 3rd at Nationals in Toronto.
Dr. Constance ‘Connie’ Lebrun, in the Athlete Category
Volleyball in Manitoba was in it’s infancy in the late 1960’s and early 70’s, but our province had many leaders at that time that paved the way for the rich history of volleyball success that our province continues to achieve to this day. Among the athletes that benefited at that time was Constance ‘Connie’ Lebrun. Connie played volleyball at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg and went on to join the ‘Bisonettes’ at the University of Manitoba in the early 1970’s.
Connie continued to experience success and excellence in the sport of volleyball during the next several years with the Bisonettes and then at the next level with the Canadian National Team. Her career with Team Canada allowed her to participate in many international competitions, including the following:
- World University Student Games in 1973 in Moscow and in 1977 in Sofia
- 1975 Pan Am Games – Mexico City 4th
- 1976 Olympics – Montreal 8th
Following her volleyball playing days, Connie went on to become a Sport Medicine Doctor earning various accolades, while also continuing to stay involved with international level sport. She has worked with various national team programs and with the Canadian Medical Team at 4 Summer Olympics (Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, Beijing), 3 Winter Olympics (Vancouver, Torino and as Chief Doctor in Sochi) and 4 Pan American Games (87, 91, 2003, 2011). She was thrilled to be the court-side physician for the Canadian beach volleyball teams in Sydney and Beijing! She currently works at the University of Alberta Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic in Edmonton and recently wrote a chapter on the Female Volleyball Player for the 2nd Edition of the International Olympic Committee Handbook on Volleyball that will be published soon.
