12 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday February 24, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Recognition from home means a lot Continued from page 9 In 1986, Hussey moved the national women's team to Oakville, and has lived here ever since. After he retired from coaching, Hussey ran his own business for five years, but, as he puts it, "When you have sport in your blood, you just get that draw back into it." In a completely different arena, too. In 1998, he landed a job as sports administrator with the Oakville Gymnastics Club. Hussey has since guided the club into a new facility that's been used by provincial and national team members. The club's programs have grown significantly over the last decade, with its recreational program at a 1,200 member capacity. Hussey is quick to deflect any personal praise for the success, though. "I feel what we've done here as a group of individuals at the Oakville Gymnastics Club, we've touched so many lives of young people. It's been a true team effort." After receiving a standing ovation and being presented his Hall of Fame award from other members of the gymnastics club, Hussey began his long list of thankyous. "What's awkward for me is the fact that I coached a team sport, so you're always preaching teamwork over individual accolades. You kind of downplay the individual awards," he said. "This recognition tonight is not about me, it's about the people who work with me." The appreciation of grassroots Oakville sports was the theme of the evening Thursday. Long-time Buffalo Bills place-kicker Steve Christie -- clad in a kilt for the ceremony -- said the Oakville Soccer Club had a lot to do with his 15-year career in the NFL. "I grew up playing soccer the Oakville soccer system was great, the coaching was just amazing. That's where I picked up the skills to kick a ball," he said. "My real credit goes to my upbringing in soccer. Those soccer coaches really brought out the athlete in me." It was Tom Johnson, though -- Oakville Trafalgar High School's former football coach -- who pointed Christie in the right direction. Johnson encouraged him to kick a different kind of ball. "He pulled me aside and said, `we have no one to kick a field goal.' I wasn't going to play football, I wanted to play soccer," said Christie. A self-professed "major soccer head" who follows his Glasgow Celtics, Christie eventually decided to give football a try. "Who knew so many years later it was going to work out this way?" he said, smiling. "I feel very fortunate." In his acceptance speech, Christie recalled his first game at the College of William and Mary. "I was so nervous that when I took the snap, the ball went through my hands and hit my helmet," he said. "I recovered it and I punted that ball 11 yards." Things, of course, got much better from there. In 1994, Christie set a Bills record by kicking a 59-yard field goal just four yards shy of the all-time NFL record. Christie, now an NFL TV analyst, lives in New York with wife Kelly and their four kids, all of whom made the trip to Oakville for the induction. "I think it's great to be recognized at home because this is where all the groundwork was laid. You're born with certain abilities, certain talents, but it's your coaching that brings that out, and a lot of that happened here," said Christie. "I am very honoured to accept this award, and it's great to come home." After a career spent mainly in Tampa Bay with the NHL's Lightning, including serving as its captain, Zamuner, along with his wife and three kids, now calls Oakville home. The local native and product of Oakville's minor hockey system recalled one of his fondest hockey memories. See A time page 15 FINAL D N E K E E W