The Tidewater Striders recently elected three people to their Hall of Fame class of 2026. They will be inducted Feb. 7 at the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club.
Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at https://runscore.runsignup.com/Race/VA/Norfolk/TidewaterStridersAnnualAwardsBanquet
Here’s a look at the longtime area club’s honorees, all of whom have made outstanding contributions as volunteers:
Bernie Duffy served as a board member from 1981-84 and as vice president in ’82, performing many roles.
He founded the Ocean View Triathlon in 1984 and went on be the race director and/or organizer of many triathlons in Hampton Roads and North Carolina.
In 1985, Duffy and Rudy Schuster became the first area competitors to complete the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. He also won the 10-kilometer state championship in 1979 for the 50-59 age group.
Michael Hillinch was on the Striders’ board of directors for 15 years and was on numerous committees. He received the President’s Award in 1992 and ’93 and volunteered at events such as Adopt-A-Highway litter pickups and at the Striders’ membership booth at the Shamrock Marathon for multiple years. He was a principal at Wilson High in Portsmouth and coached cross country and track at Manor High from 1978-80.
Curt Aasen has been a secretary, vice president and president for the Striders. He was the Volunteer of the Year in 2002 and ’03 and the Race Director of the Year in ’03. He has timed hundreds of Striders races and regularly volunteered at races, newsletter stuffings and Adopt-A-Highway litter pickups.
Global Golf Post honors Beck, Spicer: Two players from the area recently earned Global Golf Post All-Amateur recognition.
Evan Beck, from Virginia Beach and Princess Anne Country Club, earned a first-team men’s mid-amateur nod. His 2024 USGA Mid-Amateur championship earned him spots in the 2025 U.S. Open and Masters. He’s currently 37th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Jessica Spicer, a former Virginia Tech golfer representing Williamsburg Golf Club, received honorable mention.
Hampden-Sydney honors Shaver: People in Williamsburg might disagree on many things, but few believe Tony Shaver should have lost his job as William & Mary’s men’s basketball coach in 2019 after a school-record 226 victories (albeit against 268 losses) in 16 seasons.
Shaver came to W&M from Hampden-Sydney, which named the court at Fleet Gym after him last weekend. With a 358-121 record in 17 years, 207-81 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, he took the Tigers to 11 NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, including two Final Fours and seven Sweet 16s.
Their best finish was as the runner-up in 1999. Well before then, current Virginia coach Ryan Odom was one of his point guards.
It was a big weekend in Kirby! 🏀 The College hosted the second annual Charlie Cobb Classic and celebrated the naming of the new Tony Shaver Court before Saturday’s tipoff. @HSCBasketball also played their first matchups on the new court! pic.twitter.com/qwYQUx6jJN
— Hampden-Sydney College (@HSC1776) November 24, 2025
What’s coming up
Sunday: Area fans should find plenty of intrigue in Old Dominion’s men’s basketball game against William & Mary at 2 p.m. at Kaplan Arena. Expect lots of 3-point tries.
Monday: The Hampton men’s basketball team plays host to Apprentice School at 7 p.m. … The ODU women, back home after losses to Texas Tech and Oregon, play host to Delaware State at 6:30 p.m. at Chartway Arena.
Tuesday: Christopher Newport’s young but nationally ranked women’s basketball team plays host to Marymount at 6 p.m. at Freeman Center.
Wednesday: Virginia Wesleyan conducts an Old Dominion Athletic Conference basketball doubleheader at TowneBank Arena, with the nationally ranked men playing Eastern Mennonite at 5 p.m. before the women’s game against Shenandoah at 7:30.
Friday: Gymnastics fans should love that the W&M men and women will hold an intrasquad meet at Kaplan Arena at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday: Indoor track and field’s CNU Holiday Open will start in the morning at Freeman Center.