2026

Ken “Nipper” Stevenson

Born in Cobourg on May 11^th, 1957, Ken Stevenson’s small stature has always been offset by a strong desire and drive to succeed, whether it be on a ball field, a hockey rink, or putting in the countless hours in the gym to become an elite level bodybuilder. “Nipper” first made his mark locally on the golf course in 1974 when he won the Dalewood Golf and Country Club’s Junior Championship. The very next year he was a part of the Sommerville’s Juvenile Fastball team that captured the Provincial Championship. Two years later he added another Provincial Championship to his sporting resume with the Grafton Junior Fastball team. In the fall of 1976, Ken joined the Cobourg Cougars and had what could only be termed as a “dream” season for the local hockey outfit. Scoring 40 goals as a rookie, in the 1976-77 season, Ken would not only claim the team’s Rookie-of-the-Year honors but would also be voted as the team’s most popular player, a tribute to his goal-scoring prowess and his hard work on the ice, which was evident to all those who saw him play. Unquestionably, the highlight of the year for Ken would come on the night of January 21^st in Frankford, when Ken tied a team record with six goals in a game and also added an assist. Later that year, Ken was rewarded for his achievements by being named as Cobourg’s Male Athlete of the Year. In 1991 Ken retuned to the local hockey scene as the head coach of the Cobourg Jr. Cougars Rep Novice team. Over the next eight years he would also do the same for the Rep Atom, Peewee, and Bantam teams. At the same time, Ken began the process of re-entering Athletic competition, this time in competitive bodybuilding. In 1999, he won the Men’s Master’s 40+ Division, and claimed the title of Mr. Ottawa. The very next year he placed third in the same competition. In 2005, Ken also placed third in the Men’s Master’s 40+ Fame Championships, only to follow that up with three straight first place finishes in that same competition in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Two years later, Ken would compete in the Men’s Master’s 40+ UFE Championship, again claiming first place, in all claiming four finishes at the top of the podium in 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2018; with a second-place finish in 2016. 

Sharyl Ann Milligan

Sharyl Ann Milligan has been a trailblazer in Lawn Bowling for over 50 years; as a national team player, official, coach and administrator. She has performed all of these roles, with much success and achievement, on the Local, Provincial, National, and International levels. Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, while also serving as the Secretary for the Ladies Provincial Lawn Bowling Association/Ontario Lawn Bowls Association, Sharyl Ann was a fixture in District, Zone, and Provincial Lawn Bowling Competitions in both singles and team events. The Provincial Ladies Champion in 1990, she also was a valued member of the National team during this same time period, representing Canada in the 1st Atlantic Rim Championship in 1993 and capturing the North American Challenge in 1994. SAM, as she is known to family and friends alike, was a member of the 1995 Pacific Rim Bowls team that placed 4th in New Zealand. In addition to her playing commitments, in 1993 she was selected to the National Officiating team for the Mazda Pacific Bowls Championship as well as the 1994 Commonwealth Games, held in Victoria, B.C. In 2002, she was chosen as Canada’s only Technical Official in Lawn Bowling at the Commonwealth Games held in Manchester, England and also began an eight-year tenure on the World Bowls Laws Committee. That same year after retiring from working with youth over 40 years, Sharyl Ann made it her task to revive the Cobourg Lawn Bowling Youth Club which had been shuttered years before. Beginning with the simple credo to give back to a sport that had already given her so much joy, Sharyl Ann soon arranged to go to local schools and arrange indoor orientation in the sport, in the hopes that some of the students would sign up for more at the Club in the summer. In time, this happened and Sharyl Ann introduced a new generation to Lawn Bowling. Thanks to Sharyl Ann’s guidance and coaching the club’s more advanced students have played in a number of open youth tournaments held across the province and throughout Canada and she has personally coached local youth who have medaled on the world stage. One of her pupils, Baylee van Steijn, the 2014 and 2015 Ontario youth bowler of the year, won the Gold Medal at the 2019 Ontario Youth Singles and represented Canada at the 2023 World Outdoor Bowls Championship. That same year, in recognition of her service and dedication to the sport Sharyl Ann was inducted as a ‘Builder’ into Ontario Lawn Bowls Sports Hall of Fame.

Chris Markle 

One would be unable to speak about the history of golf in our community without extolling the numerous accomplishments of Chris Markle. 1974 saw the opening of the Dalewood Golf and Country Club and Chris immediately made his mark capturing the Club’s Bantam championship. In the years since, at Dalewood alone, “Sparky” claimed 4 Club Junior Championships, 19 Club Men’s Championships, and 6 Club Senior Men’s Championships (and counting). Representing the Dalewood Club in 1996, alongside club pro Graham Gunn and Woman’s Champion, Jeanne Beaith, the trio won the CPGA of Ontario Championship. Beyond Dalewood, “Sparky” has won numerous regional championships, including the 1995 Pinecrest Open Championship, and most notably in 2002, when he bested 144 of the top male golfers in the province at the Kawartha Golf and Country Club to win the Ontario Mid-Amateur Championship. The next year in the same tournament he finished in second place and took home fifth place in 2005. Three years after that Chris claimed the 2008 Kawartha Golf and Country Club Men’s Invitational Championship. Beyond the golf course, Chris spent twelve behind the bench coaching a variety of boys’ and girls’ hockey teams, and was named Coach of the Year in 1999 helped guide the 2001/2002 OWHA Provincial Gold Medal Winners and the 2004/2005 Silver Medal Winners. Recognized early in 2024 as one of “nine” active 50-year members of the Dalewood Golf Club, that same year saw “Sparky” record his eighth “Hole in One”. Chris has long been considered an Ambassador by some and the Godfather by others when it comes to Golf in the local region and beyond. If there is a local competition, be it a Member Competition at Dalewood, a Lefty-Right Tournament with his buddy Dan O’Donoghue, a Regional or Provincial Qualifier, a Charity Event or even a competitive/fun outing with a group of friends, you can count on “Sparky” not only partaking, but usually at or near to the top of the leaderboard on most occasions. And afterwards he can often be found in the backyard of his home which conveniently sits behind the first hole at Dalewood.