VICTORIA ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

VICTORIA ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION - 1976 by brian zelley

The Victoria Athletic Association was founded on August 31, 1976 and would sponsor a variety of sports including
amateur boxing. The three boxing coaches would be Caird, Zelley and Lou Bujdoso.

the first boxing card hosted by the newly formed VAA would be in November 1976 at 1600 Quadra Street
in Victoria, BC with eleven boxers from Victoria matched against clubs from Nanaimo, Powell River, and
Vancouver's Hastings Community Centre Boxing Club.

To ensure the growth of amateur boxing in Greater Victoria and Vancouver island, the next day after the
boxing card, the VAA hosted an "official's clinic" to develop local judges and referees under the rules of
the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association (Boxing Canada) by experienced BCABA officials.

HALLS of FAME - Canadian Boxing

Photos: Mike Caird (Victoria), Jack Meda (Prince George),

HALLS OF FAME - AMATEUR BOXING in CANADA

The year 2009 has seen a number of former boxers entered in a local, provincial of international sports or boxing hall of fame.
Names of interest include - Lennox Lewis, Steve Beaupre, Scotty Olson and Mike Caird

MIKE CAIRD - Former amateur boxer and coach - Victoria, BC, Canada

Caird will be inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame on November 21, 2009
at the Pacific Institute of Sports Excellence along with a number of others such as the late
Jack Short known by many as "The Voice Of The Races", golfer Bill Wakeham, fastball builder
Herb Bate, olympic medalist Jesse Monroe-Gonin, Moe Elewonibi and
the Victoria Lawn Bowling Club.

Some of the sponsors include:
IBM, Pacific Institute of Sports Excellence, Save On Foods, Pacific Sport Victoria,
Pemberton & Holmes, Little & Davies, Mann Moulson & Co., Joe Frenette.
Brian Zelley, Times-Colonist, Chek News, C-Fax 1070 and Outside The Box Info.

CAIRD's JOURNEY:

For Mike Caird, his boxing journey began in the mid-Fifties as an amateur boxer
in Victoria with numerous bouts including his victory in the 1963 BC Golden Gloves
and participation in many club shows and tournaments including the
1964 Vancouver Island Amateur Boxing Championships.

His coaching journey began after 1964 until about 2001 when boxer Donny Orr Jr.
won a senior National Boxing Championship and in 2000 Orr was in the Summer Olympics
as part of the Canadian Olympic Boxing Team that included Michael Strange, Scott MacIntosh
and others (See listing).

Some of the other coaches that worked with Mike throughout the years were:
Gordie McGaw, Larry Montgomery, Brian Zelley, Lou Bujdoso, Jim Ballendine,
Ian Weir and Don Orr Sn.

Some of the boxers were:
Geoff & Gary Robinson, Wayne Crowe, Dan Wright, Ian Weir, Danny O'Sullivan,
Matt Montgomery, Paul Panke, Cliff Ballendine, Jason Heit, Theresa Taylor and Orr.