2013 Inductees

Kelsey Best – Athlete

Born into an athletic family, Kelsey Best started her athletic career around the age of six, playing co-ed softball in Waterville, and later moved on to baseball in Berwick.

By the time she reached Central Kings Rural High School, Kelsey was involved in pretty much every sport she could find time for.

Before her high school career ended, she had been chosen her school’s Junior Female Athlete of the Year once and Senior Female Athlete of the Year twice, as well as many individual medals and MVP awards earned in various sports.

Outside school, Kelsey excelled in ringette in Berwick, seeing action at every position, including goalie. She was part of several provincial championship teams.

As the youngest of three sisters, it was not uncommon for Kelsey to be playing with older girls. Beginning in 1997, she was a member of the Kings County Royals girls’ softball team which, over a seven-year period, won four provincial titles and was runner-up once. Kelsey more than held her own playing with and against players a number of years older.

In 1998-1999, the Berwick bantam girls became the first girls’ team from Kings County to win a provincial championship. Kelsey contributed to the win as an underage player.

Arguably Kelsey’s greatest accomplishments came in athletics and specifically javelin.

Under the tutelage of Steve Wohlmuth, at Central Kings and then as a charter member of the Port Williams-based Launchers Athletics throwing club, she won numerous district, regional and provincial championships.

In 2000, Kelsey captured silver in junior girls’ javelin at the NSSAF provincials, and followed that with a gold medal in the same event the following year.
In 2003, she captured bronze at the Canadian Legion meet in Sherbrooke, Quebec. In 2004, she represented Nova Scotia at junior nationals in Saskatoon.
Without a doubt, 2005 was Kelsey’s most impressive year. She won the senior girls’ javelin at the NSSAF provincials, then qualified for junior nationals in Montreal, where she threw a personal best 44.26 metres.

This accomplishment, part of a second-place finish overall, qualified her to compete for Canada at the Pan-Am Junior Games in Windsor, ON. Competing against older girls, she managed a more then respectable sixth-place finish.

Kelsey completed 2005 by representing Nova Scotia at the Canada Summer Games in Regina. She placed sixth overall competing against women up to four years her senior.

She was recognized as Athletics Nova Scotia’s Female Athlete of the Year for 2005.

Kelsey had her sights set on the 2009 Canada Games, but missed out when Athletics Canada lowered the age limit by a year. With a Dec. 31 birthday, she missed out on the rare chance to compete at a second Canada Games by a matter of hours.

Please join me in welcoming for induction to the Berwick Sports Hall of Fame Kelsey Best, one of the finest athletes of her generation and a credit to her province and area.

The Berwick Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to induct, in the athlete category, Kelsey Best.