Page 22 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 156

22 Issue #156 January 2026
Continued from page 21
Brockville had someone doing
shoe repair. The Seaway was
going in, and things were busy at
the shop, there was enough work
for everyone. My grandfather was
a smart man, he said, “We don’t
need a phone, we will do quality
work and word will get around.”
It’s now been open seventy- three
years with Gilles being the third
generation cobbler at Plourde
Shoe Repair, and although Gilles
has his personal cell phone with
him now, the shop has never had
a landline or a business phone.
Marielle Plourde wanted her
family to be perfectly bilingual, so
they were educated in the French
schools as English would be easy
to pick up in the community.
Gilles attended Nativity from
grades one through six, and then
Jean XXIII for grades seven and
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eight, followed by high school at different spots on the wall that played an important role with
at La Citadelle. “I was outside and aim at them.” Gilles recalls their teams. There was Harry
DeWitt in St. Andrews, Rudy
all the time playing just about playing in a tournament with his Payer in Charlan, Doug Lomberg
every sport; hockey, broomball, four brothers and a cousin on the started the YMO team, and he
softball, soccer, and basketball team with his father and uncle also did a lot of reffing, and my
and volleyball at school. Soccer coaching them. At age 15 Gilles dad, Richard Plourde. coached
and hockey were the two main was playing with the Cornwall and always helped out.”
sports though.” Every weekend City team in the Ottawa Men’s
the Plourde family would be at League, as there was no league in The Cornwall City team played
Long Sault Park, with Gilles Cornwall. The following year, the in numerous tournaments in
saying that there would always Cornwall District Soccer League Ontario, Quebec, and on the U.S.
be some Italians and Greeks there started with approximately a side as well. Gilles recalls playing
playing soccer and he would be dozen or so teams. There were with a team organized by Carmen
invited to play with them. The several Cornwall teams along MacMillan from Alexandria.
block wall of Plourde’s shoe repair with Charlan, Avonmore, and a There was a huge tournament
was the perfect place to hone few others from area towns. The taking place in Hawaii and the
soccer skills, with Gilles saying CDSL grew with two and even team was comprised of players
that many hours were spent on three divisions with between from across Eastern Ontario.
drills. “My dad would move the twenty and twenty-four teams. They were the only team from
cars out of the parking lot, and By the time Gilles reached his Canada, but there were teams
we would kick the ball against mid-twenties, life had gotten from all over the U.S.A., and
the wall, left foot, right foot - busy and a choice had to be made even one from Taiwan. “I played
and the ball would come back between hockey and soccer. with a lot of Europeans in the
fast, it was great for improving “Here I am, a French Canadian CDSL,” Gilles recalled. “ One
reaction time. We would put Xs choosing soccer over hockey - year, at the end of season party,
that’s not something you see very my mother counted players of
often,” Gilles said, “I played I eleven different nationalities in
think the CDHL for thirty-five attendance. We played together,
years.” It was a good competitive we all got along and we had fun.”
league with Gilles saying. “The When Gilles’s daughters,
Hellenic Stars were a Greek Mélanie, Caroline, and Emilie
team, and they were always began playing1 soccer he got
strong, I knew their players and into coaching them. For fifteen
they would often bring people years, Gilles was the coach of
in from Montreal and Ottawa the Cornwall Blazers. “It was
to improve their team. Another pretty good soccer, if we were
strong team was the Cornwall comparing it to hockey, it would
Rangers, they were an Italian be AA and AAA depending on
run team, but they had players of which team it was.” Gilles said.
several different heritages. There “ When you have a really good
were lots of healthy rivalries and group of girls to work with it’s
we had fun,” Gilles reminisced. always fun. I remember playing
“Frank Martin was a very big the top AAA team in Ottawa
part of soccer in Cornwall, he got and we won 2-1. After the game,
indoor soccer going and he put their coach came over to talk and
on a huge tournament with teams asked me how many players we
coming in from everywhere - had try out for the team. When I
we had three arenas - The Bob told him that we had twenty and
Turner, the Water St Arenas, and I had to cut four he was shocked.
the arena on Cornwall Island.
There were several others along
with Cornwall’s Frank Marton Continued on page 27