By the early years of the decade sporting activity in the city and province gained momentum. British Columbia was center stage with the advent of the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Vancouver. This decade also saw the beginnings of what would become a dynasty. The Victoria Shamrocks Lacrosse Team was born with the opening of Memorial Arena in 1950. The team won the Mann Cup Canadian Senior “A” championship six times --in 1955, 1957, 1979, 1983, 1997 and 1999 along with twelve league titles and eleven playoff finals.