Marc Pepin excited for N.B. Sports Hall of Fame induction
For Marc Pepin, his passion for tennis stemmed from an unusual place — boredom at watching his parents play tennis.
As a child, the Fredericton native would watch his parents play and in 1965 at age seven, he got fed up with watching.
"I was so bored, I said, 'Mom, dad, if you're going to bring me to the courts, please buy me a racket so I can play.' So that's how it started," Pepin told CBC's Information Morning Frederiction.
Once Pepin started playing, he was hooked. At his first tournament in 1969, he realized he had a talent for the sport. The high that came from winning tournaments fuelled him to keep playing and to get better.
On Saturday, Pepin and five others will be inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Shediac.
According to a New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame news release, from 1978 to 2013, Pepin was consistently at the top of the New Brunswick men's singles tennis rankings. He has won 165 titles and was a runner up 36 times.
Tennis has taken Pepin around the world and the 57-year-old still competes internationally. To date, he has won 10 International Tennis Federation titles.
Pepin says one of the highlights of his career was winning the mixed-doubles titles at the European championships in 2010 when he partnered with Sabine Schmitz of Germany.
According to the International Tennis Federation website, Pepin is currently ranked third in the world for mixed doubles in the over-55 category and has been ranked as high as two.
May I have your autograph?
Another career highlight was beating Dick Stockton, a former Wimbledon and French Open semi-finalist. When the match was over, Pepin asked Stockton to autograph a tennis ball for him.
Pepin worked as a teacher for 29 years, before retiring six years ago. His retirement goal was to play competitive senior tennis around the world. He has more than achieved that goal. In the last two months alone, Pepin has competed in Croatia, Italy and Jamaica.
Pepin says when he got the call notifying him about the induction, he was quite touched.
"I was just elated and of course, cried tears of joy. It's quite an honour," he said.
Five other inductees
Hockey player John G. LeBlanc of Campbellton is the second player from Campbellton to have played in the NHL. According to the hockey stats website www.hockeydb.com, LeBlanc scored 26 goals and 13 assists during his NHL career. Most of his career was spent in the AHL and he led the league in scoring during the 1989-1990 season, when he put up 54 goals and 88 points playing for the Cape Breton Oilers.
Everett Sanipass of Elsipogtog is recognized as the first New Brunswicker of First Nations Heritage to make the NHL. According to a New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame news release, he was drafted 14th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1986 draft and played 164 NHL games for the Blackhawks and Quebec Nordiques.
Bouctouche's Brigitte Soucy-Anderson's volleyball career took her around the world. She played on Team Canada and won a bronze medal at the Pan Am Games in Argentina in 1995 and finished ninth at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. She played professionally in an Italian league. She is the first Canadian volleyball player to have won a European Champions League Confederation Cup on the European circuit.
Edmond Gagnon of Grand-Barachois is known for his support for sports teams — especially hockey — across New Brunswick. Gagnon provided resources through several seafood processing plants, but "he and his wife, Juliette, were always in the stands to give moral support and encouragement to the players, coaches, and staff members," said a New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame news release.
The final inductee is Peter Murray of Saint John. He enjoyed success as a tennis, fastball and baseball player. He is also well known for his work off the court and field, having served as a coach and administrator in Saint John for various sports.
