Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows honoured a trio of outstanding local athletes at the annual MeadowRidge Rotary Sports Banquet at Meadow Gardens Golf Club last night.

Paralympic swimmer Stephanie McDougall, Paralympic equestrian Jennifer McKenzie and Olympic water polo player Kevin Mitchell were all inducted as Home Town Heroes this year, all of whom represented Canada at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games.

“It’s pretty amazing,” said McDougall. “When I was younger I used to see the Home Town Heroes and in the back of my mind, I always wanted to be one, and now I am.”

The 20-year-old swimmer set a pair of personal bests in the pool at the Paralympic Games last month, shaving six full seconds off her time in the 200-metre individual medley, and a second off her 100-metre breaststroke time, her best event.

“It was amazing,” said McDougall. “There’s really no words to describe the experience.”

The former Garibaldi secondary student suffers from spina bifida, a spinal birth defect which has left her with no sensation below her waist. McDougall must use a wheelchair or crutches to get around, but in the pool, she can get around just fine.

“I’m pretty mobile,” she said.

McKenzie began competing in para-equestrian events in 1999 and has represented Canada at international competition 10 times. At the 2008 Paralympic Games, McKenzie competed in the individual championship test and freestyle test events, as well as part of Canada’s team test. She was named PacificSport Fraser Valley’s athlete of the year for 2007/08, as well as the Horse Council of B.C.’s athlete of the year in 2003.

Mitchell was part of Canada’s cinderella water polo team that defied the odds by knocking off Romania 9-8 in front of 10,000 screaming Romanian fans in March to qualify for the Olympics.

The team faced stiff competition at the Games, going 1-6, and finishing in 11th place.

Mitchell, a former Haney Neptune and Maple Ridge secondary grad, is currently playing water polo in Greece, and was unable to accept his award in person.

This year marks the 10th anniversary for the Home Town Hero awards, which honour local athletes who have grown up in Maple Ridge and participated in the local amateur sports system.

So far a total 32 local world-class athletes from sports as diverse as target shooting to hockey have been recognized by the program.

“It really says something when we have so many athletes qualify for the Olympic Games,” said organizer Mary Robson. “It’s all a credit to the local sports organizations we have and the volunteers who make them possible.”

The Home Town Heroes and their achievements will be immortalized in a plaque and displayed at the Maple Ridge Leisure Centre.

MeadowRidge Rotary, which sponsors the program, has raised more than $400,000 for local sports through their annual sports banquet, now in it’s 18th year.