Category Archives: Announcements

Travelling Mobile Exhibit is on the road this summer!

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The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame will be hitting the road this summer!

The Hall’s Travelling Mobile Exhibit will be making five stops around the province as we bring the great stories of Saskatchewan’s sporting legends to the people of the province. The Travelling Mobile Exhibit is in a converted 53-foot semi-trailer filled to the brim with artifacts.

Created in 2016 as the Hall celebrated its 50th anniversary, the exhibits have been refreshed this year as we prepare to hit the road to celebrate the Hall’s 60th anniversary. It is free to visit the Travelling Mobile Exhibit, though donations are also welcome!

 

The first stop will be at the RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina on Canada Day, July 1, from 2-5 p.m. Special posters celebrating Saskatchewan’s great Indigenous athletes will also be on display in tipi on site and the SSHF staff will be handing out stickers honouring those Indigenous inductees and the Hall’s 60th anniversary.

On July 18-19, the mobile exhibit will be in Saskatoon at the Western Major Baseball League’s All-Star weekend.

The following week – July 26-28 – the trailer will head up to the Battlefords for the Tony Cote Games. Once again the Indigenous inductee posters will be on display – including one for Tony Cote himself.

For the second straight year, the trailer will be at Shake the Lake in front of the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina on August 19, 21 and 22.

Finally, the trailer will also be appearing at the Hall of Fame’s 2026 Induction Dinner & Ceremony at the Conexus Arts Centre.

The mobile exhibit trailer is unique amongst halls of fame in Canada and allows the SSHF to fulfill its mandate of preserving and sharing Saskatchewan’s sport history with the entire province.

The continued use of the mobile exhibit trailer would not be possible without the funding and support of the City of Regina, Hornoi Leasing, Sterling Truck & Trailer Sales, and Saskatchewan Lotteries.

Ostapowich returns for another year as SSHF Board Chair

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The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame held its Annual & Special Meeting on June 16. The meeting featured the passing of a number of amendments, the presentation of the 2025/26 Financial Statements, the appointment of the auditor for 2026/27, and reports on the election of Board Directors.

Three new directors were added to the SSHF Board as Tyler Lloyd and Jill Zimmer from Regina and Trevor Miller from Shellbrook were welcomed to the Board for three-year terms.

Kelvin Ostapowich, SSHF Board Chair

Kelvin Ostapowich returns at the SSHF Board Chair for the 2026-2027 year, while Trent Blezy assumes the position of Vice Chair and Taylor Froehlich becomes the Treasurer/Finance Chair. There are currently 12 members of the SSHF Board.
The 2025 Annual Report is also available online.

Game Changers: Pride in Sport – Interview Reflection 

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By Oliver Tymo

It is a common stereotype that the antithesis of queerness is sports. Many of us have seen it in films or media, in which jocks bully the queer kids, or someone is gay and therefore has no interest in sports (CAAWS, 2006). This also is written because in some ways it is true, and because it is seen in media, we feel the influence to perpetuate it. As a student employee at the hall, the topic of queerness is something I have always wanted to explore, because in many ways, I grew up in sport and loved it, but as a queer person, there are many ways in which sport does not love me back. I dropped out of sports at a young age and felt alone in this until I reached adulthood. It was when I started studying historical perceptions of gender and sexuality, it gave me the tools to discuss these feelings of ostracization with my peers that my interest in sport sparked once more.  With this project, I hope to explore the experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes in Saskatchewan and the organizations that make a safe and inclusive space in sport. 

Why does visibility matter in sport? Both of the Saskatchewan athletes I interviewed, Karin Lofstrom and Jacki Nichol, discussed how having other out teammates and coaches made their experiences in sport easier, and felt that it was safer for them to be open about their sexuality because of it. Karin Lofstrom is a Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame inductee, whose career as an athlete and sport administrator has made her a global leader in advancing inclusion in sport. Karin explains that, “sometimes the confidence you got playing sports, helped [you have] a confident identity.” and they had both discussed how it felt safe in their respective sports because other players and coaches were out. However, Karin also discussed how moving into the figure skating world, there were not any gay women, and it was a huge environment shift in which it was not even a consideration that a lesbian would be in figure skating administration. She also brings up the idea of women’s sport being full of lesbians, discussing that, “if you put your girls in sport that they were going to be lesbians, that was a myth. Or that they would get turned on or get hit on, all of this scary stuff people thought was going to happen.” She then goes on to discuss that on behalf of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity, she worked to eliminate stigma by doing interviews with queer people and then creating workshops for sports associations to be more inclusive (Lofstrom, 2026). “Those steps of getting people to just start talking about it and understanding what’s the truth [and] what’s [a] myth.” She also discussed how different sports have different cultures around queerness, noting that it is particularly harder for more internationally competing athletes to be able to be open due to many laws discriminating against 2SLGBTQIA+ people. 

Jacki Nichol

Jacki Nichol is a former softball player that competed for Canada in many tournaments. In my interview with her, she discussed that while she was at the Olympics in 2000, spaces that remained only for athletes felt more comfortable to be in, but there was still hesitation about being publicly open about sexual identities. This is in contrast to now, in which many Olympics have hosted gay villages for the athletes and have statistical data on identities, although there is still concern about being out when it comes to national and financial support of athletes. Nichol also mentioned how she traveled with her partner and child during her last year competing on the national team, being one of the first athletes to be competing while also caring for a child and being supported. Nichol also mentions how starting with one other person to support identity, “it kind of just snowballs and becomes normal for everyone else.” Being open about who she is, is something that has come a bit later for her,  

“Attending these big events, and I’m able to attend them with my two boys, with my partner, and with my family, all of us together. Showcase and [let] people see the pictures and the stories of me with my partner, and that story I might not have been able to tell as openly and honestly back when I was competing. In retrospect and years later, being honored as a legend, it’s kind of refreshing to be able to just do that as who I am and with my same-sex partner and with my children.” 

The stories shared by Karin and Jacki highlight how meaningful visibility and acceptance can be for individuals. Equally important is organizations that facilitate the spaces that allow participants to be their most authentic selves. 

In an interview with Colette “Parks ’n Wreck,” I learned that the Regina Pile ’O Bones Roller Derby Club is an organization that excels in terms of inclusivity, allowing athletes to be on teams of the gender they feel most comfortable with and with others of the same skill/competitive level. There are many other sports and recreational groups in this province that seek to keep people active while breaking down these barriers of sexual identity and gender as well. After this discussion about experiences with marginalized identities in sport, I wanted to end off by bringing attention to these organizations that have their boots on the ground and help make material differences in the local community. Prairie Lily Curling League (Saskatoon) and Queen City Curling League (Regina) are leagues that are focused on bringing 2SLGBTQIA+ people of any skill level into the game of curling. Queer Fit Club is an organization that started out of Regina, that sought to create a safe group to be active and try different sports. In this same realm, Dyke Hikes YQR is a group for hiking and participating in seasonal activities for queer women and gender diverse people. This is not meant to be the beginning and end of the discussion of 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in sports, nor is it meant to define what Saskatchewan queer sport looks like. This is meant to open the door for more discussion on the topic, as more we look to continuously improve ourselves and expand the limits of what we think sport is, and what it can be. 

 

Bibliography 

Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity. (2006.) ‘Seeing the Invisible, Speaking about the Unspoken’: A Position Paper on Homophobia in Sport.   

Lofstrom, Karin, and Oliver Tymo. (2026, May 8) Microsoft Teams Interview. 

Nichol, Jacki, and Oliver Tymo. (2026, May 12.) Microsoft Teams Interview. 

Parks, Colette, and Oliver Tymo. (2026, May 18.) Zoom Interview. 

 

Further Reading (in Chicago style) 

Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Tenth Anniversary Edition 2nd ed. Routledge. 2000.  

Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity. Sex Discrimination in Sport: an Update. 2008. 

Caudwell, Jayne ed. Sport, Sexualities and Queer/Theory 1st ed. Routledge. 2006.  

Carter, Claire, and Krista Baliko. 2017. “‘These are not my People’: Queer Sport Spaces and the Complexities of Community.” in Leisure Studies, Vol. 36. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02614367.2017.1315164. 

Ewing, Lori. (2026, March.) International Olympic Committee urged to drop reported Gender Test Plans for Female Athletes. Accessed May 24, 2026. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/athletics/track/international-olympic-committee-gender-testing-plans-female-athletes-9.7132090. 

Gorczynski, Paul, Claudia L. Reardon, and Cindy Miller Aron. 2022. “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer Mental Health in Elite Sport: A Review.” Advances in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health 2 (1): 9–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypsc.2022.03.002.  

International Olympic Committee. (2026, March.) International Olympic Committee announces new Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women’s) Category in Olympic Sport. Accessed May 29, 2026. https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/international-olympic-committee-announces-new-policy-on-the-protection-of-the-female-women-s-category-in-olympic-sport. 

Nieman, Craigory V., Sara Barnard Flory, Rebecca Cavazos-Wylie, and Leah R. Burger. 2026. “LGBTQ+ Youth Perceptions of Barriers to Physical Activity and Sport: A Mixed 

Methods Study.” Sport, Education and Society: 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2026.2639532. 

Storr, R., L. Nicholas, K. Robinson, and C. Davies. 2022. “‘Game to Play?’: Barriers and Facilitators to Sexuality and Gender Diverse Young People’s Participation in Sport and Physical Activity.” Sport, Education and Society 27 (5): 604–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2021.1897561.  

Rayter, Scott, ed., and Laine Halpern Zisman, ed. 2022. “Part 7: Sport.” in Queerly Canadian: An Introductory Reader in Sexuality Studies 2nd ed. Women’s Press. 536-616. 

Westhead, Rick. We breed Lions: Confronting Canada’s Troubled Hockey Culture. 2025. 

About the Author 

Oliver Tymo is a student at the University of Regina, studying History and Museum and Heritage Studies. As a weekend staff member of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, he was invited to research and curate a display on 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes and organizations in Saskatchewan. This is a reflection on interviews they conducted and is an accompaniment to the Game Changer: Pride in Sport exhibit. 

Behind the Artifact with Wendel Clark

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This month, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame debuted a new feature – Behind the Artifact.
Hall of Fame inductee Wendel Clark joined SSHF curator Robyn Jensen for the debut episode. Clark was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019 after 15 seasons in the National Hockey League. The gritty winger from Kelvington was the first overall pick in the NHL Draft and spent most of his career starring with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he was a fan favourite.
In this edition of Behind the Artifact, Wendel discusses his time in minor hockey represented by his team jackets from his hometown Kelvington Bantam team, the Yorkton Terriers’ Bantam AAA team, and the Notre Dame Hounds Midget team.
Behind the Artifact will be a monthly feature at the SSHF. Be sure to follow our social media channels or subscribe to our YouTube channel to see the next edition.

Join our team for the summer!

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Programming Assistant – Summer Position
June 29 – August 22, 2026
$18.35/hour | Approximately 280 hours

The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame is looking for an enthusiastic and community-minded Programming Assistant to join our team for the summer. This position is ideal for someone who enjoys working with the public, bringing energy to community events, and helping create engaging experiences that connect people through sport, culture, and history, and is willing to work alternate hours, including weekends, evenings and some travel.

Throughout the summer, the successful candidate will play a key role in supporting the Hall of Fame’s Traveling Mobile Exhibit and community programming initiatives. From local activations in Regina to special events across Saskatchewan, this position offers the opportunity to travel, collaborate with a small team, and help deliver memorable experiences for visitors of all ages.

The Programming Assistant will also contribute to the development and delivery of hands-on activities, educational programming, and interactive demonstrations designed to encourage participation and learning. Whether helping children explore historical sport games, facilitating STEM-based physical literacy challenges, or supporting museum visitors during busy programming days, this role is perfect for someone who enjoys being active, adaptable, and creative.

This is a dynamic position that combines public engagement, event support, and behind-the-scenes museum work. No two days are exactly alike, and the successful candidate will gain valuable experience in programming, visitor services, event coordination, and cultural organization operations.

Applicants should be comfortable with travel, physical activity, and working flexible hours, including evenings and weekends. A criminal record check and a valid driver’s licence are required.

This position is funded through the Canada Summer Jobs program. Applicants must be between 15 and 30 years of age, legally eligible to work in Canada (international students are not eligible for the Canada Summer Jobs grant), and possess a valid Social Insurance Number.

We encourage applicants who are enthusiastic, reliable, and interested in community engagement, sport, history, education, or museum programming to apply.

The full job posting is available here. Please send resumes to [email protected] by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10.

 

Hall opens new 60th anniversary featured exhibit

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The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame opened Played Here: 60 Years of Saskatchewan Sport on Thursday with a morning reception.

Played Here features a chronological timeline of the history of Saskatchewan sport featuring historic firsts, famous figures, and the incredible stories as the Hall celebrates its 60th anniversary. In addition, the exhibit features cases dedicated to different decades, chronicling the evolution of sport in the province.

The Hall was pleased to welcome the Honourable Alana Ross, Saskatchewan Minister for Parks, Culture and Sport, who brought greetings from the Province, along with Regina City Councilor Dan Rashovich (also an SSHF inductee with the 1989 Saskatchewan Roughriders team), who brought greetings from the City. They were joined by a great gathering of Saskatchewan sport leaders, tourism partners, and SSHF Board members, past and present, to celebrate the opening of the exhibit.

In addition to the opening of the exhibit, the Hall of Fame also unveiled a special 60th anniversary logo designed by Graeme Zirk. The Hall of Fame is also selling t-shirts with the retro anniversary logo, which are available on the SSHF website.

 

Call for Applications — Board of Directors

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In 2026, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (SSHF) will mark a significant milestone—60 years of celebrating excellence in sport and honouring the stories that have shaped Saskatchewan.

This anniversary is more than a celebration; it represents a pivotal moment in the organization’s evolution as we prepare to expand our reach, strengthen our impact, and reimagine how Saskatchewan’s sport stories are shared in Regina and beyond.

The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to invite applications for appointment to its Board of Directors, for a three-year term commencing June 2026.

The SSHF exists to celebrate excellence, preserve Saskatchewan’s rich sport history, and educate and inspire the public about the vital role sport plays in our province’s cultural fabric. As we look ahead, the organization is focused on long-term sustainability, growth, and visionary leadership that will shape its next chapter.

Board members provide strategic leadership, sound governance, and stewardship of the organization’s mission and future. This volunteer role is well-suited to accomplished leaders who bring strategic insight, governance experience, and a passion for building a lasting legacy. Individuals with an affinity for sport, community impact, cultural institutions, and transformational projects are especially encouraged to apply.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a respected provincial institution at a defining moment in its history—and to help shape a legacy that will inspire generations to come.

To apply, please submit a resume and an expression of your interest in serving on the SSHF board to the attention of the Governance Committee at [email protected] by Friday, February 20, 2026.

Robyn Jensen is the new SSHF curator

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Robyn Jensen brings a passion for history and storytelling to her role as the new curator of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.

Jensen comes to the SSHF after spending the past seven years as the president or vice-president of the Indian Head Museum. She is also the creator of Home Runs & Dirt Roads – a popular website and social media channel that celebrates the stories of baseball in Saskatchewan.

She recently completed her Master of Arts degree at the University of Regina in Media and Artistic Research. She also has more than 30 years of experience with non-profits.

The SSHF worked with Jensen this past June to host the 75th anniversary visit of Nat Bates and Willie Reed from the Indian Head Rockets. Jensen was the project lead, historian and curator for the Rockets Baseball Exhibit, the Indian Head Rockets 75th Anniversary tribute game and baseball card set.

The Indian Head Museum partnered with the SSHF and the Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum to celebrate the Rockets, a barnstorming African American and Latino baseball team that challenged racial barriers and elevated the level of play across the prairies in the early 1950s.

“I’m honoured to contribute to the Hall’s mandate of recognizing sport excellence, preserving Saskatchewan’s sport history, and educating the public about the role sport plays in our province’s cultural fabric,” Jensen said. “This role builds directly on my recently completed Master’s work, which focused on curatorial practice, storytelling, and the stewardship of community memory. I’m especially interested in how the stories of inductees, our hometown heroes, reflect not only athletic achievement, but the broader history of Saskatchewan: its communities, values, challenges, and resilience.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to bring my museum and research experience to this work and excited to help ensure these stories continue to be preserved, shared, and celebrated for generations to come.”

SSHF announces the creation of the Sheila Kelly Legacy Fund

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During the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame’s 2025 Induction Dinner & Ceremony, the SSHF was proud to launch the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame Sheila Kelly Legacy Fund.

In her 32 years as executive director of the SSHF, Sheila Kelly displayed passion, dedication and professionalism to help the Hall of Fame through a period of growth and stability. With the creation of the Sheila Kelly Legacy Fund, her commitment to the long-term sustainability of the Hall of Fame will live on.

Sheila Kelly, left, receiving the International Sport Heritage Association’s Schroeder Award from Diane Imrie.The Hall of Fame not only preserves the stories of the province’s sport history, but it also educates and inspires future generations of athletes and citizens in Saskatchewan. Each year, thousands of students engage in the Hall of Fame’s award-winning educational outreach programming.

Through the Sheila Kelly Legacy Fund, you can support the important work of the Hall of Fame to preserve this cultural heritage. By supporting the fund, you can ensure that the SSHF remains a dynamic, self-sustaining attraction that honours the diverse sport history of Saskatchewan and will preserve and celebrate the stories of Saskatchewan athletes and their communities for future generations.

The Sheila Kelly Legacy Fund is administered by the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation.

Come meet the Class of 2025!

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The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame’s 2025 Induction Dinner & Ceremony is a sellout, but local sports enthusiasts can still be part of this weekend of celebration.

The Hall of Fame (2205 Victoria Avenue) will be hosting an open house from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 20th, where our newest exhibit, Dedication to Sport: Our 2025 Inductees, will debut. The exhibit will feature artifacts from the 2025 inductees and celebrate their achievements and stories.

The members of the 2025 induction class will also be available to meet fans and sign autographs between 1:30-2:30 p.m.

This year’s Induction Class features seven great inductees including two in sports that had not been previously recognized by the Hall. The Class of 2025 includes athletes Julie Foster (Rugby), Noah Miller (Water Polo), and Jon Ryan (Football); builders Brad Hornung (Hockey) and Klara Kesmarky Miller (Gymnastics); as well as the 1997 & 1998 Regina Rams Football Club and the 1978 & 1980 Saskatoon Harmony Centre Women’s Softball Team.

This event is open to the public and admission is by donation. The SSHF will also have autograph sheets available.

SSHF online auction will support programming

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The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame is holding an online auction that is now live and will transition into a live silent auction during the 2025 Hall of Fame Induction Dinner & Ceremony on September 20, 2025, at the Conexus Arts Centre.

After last year’s wonderful response, the SSHF is pleased to offer 15 items for auction this year thanks to the generous support of several individuals, businesses and organizations.

This year’s auction features seven individual NHL player jerseys, plus a signed jersey from the 2024-25 Vegas Golden Knights. The NHL jerseys featured are from Adam Lowry, Morgan Rielly, Nazem Kadri, Kevin Korchinski, Ryan O’Reilly, Ryan Lomberg, and Tyler Myers.

Roughriders fan package highlighted by a football signed by the 2025 Riders team. There are also packages featuring, wine, event passes, gift certificates and much more that will suit a variety of budgets.

Proceeds from the auction will support the Hall of Fame’s educational programs and initiatives and will allow us to share more of Saskatchewan’s rich sporting history with students across the province. Winning items will be shipped anywhere in North America and we are pleased to have a new avenue for our out-of-province inductees and members to support our initiatives.

Online bidding will conclude at 3 p.m. on September 20. The in-person bidding will begin at the start of the Induction Dinner & Ceremony.

See where it all started: the first Labour Day Classic in 1949!

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers will meet for the 60th Labour Day Classic in Regina this year. Join the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame for The First of 60: A Classic Labour Day Rivalry, a viewing of some of the colour footage of the first official Labour Day meeting between the two teams from 1949. A panel featuring Roughrider historian Rob Vanstone and local football historian Tom Fuzesy will bring the footage to life with their vast knowledge.

The Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan (2440 Broad St.) will host the event on August 26 at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be available and the Archives will also debut their new Sports Day exhibit at the event.

Classic Rivals: 60 Labour Day Clashes, a new exhibit celebrating the history of the Labour Day Classic, will open at the Hall of Fame on July 31. This new exhibit will feature artifacts and stories from the history of this storied rivalry from the first meeting in 1949 to the present.

Creating Active Champions returns for more summer fun!

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Want something to do with your children this summer? Our Creating Active Champions summer program is the place to be for some fun and learning! Choose one of these two options which best suits your needs! This year’s CAC will be focusing on all the different sports in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and adapting them for easy play. Each week of the program would be a different sport so returning visitors would never have the same program twice! Children will get active with many different sports modified for their age and ability.

Programming runs from July 2 – August 22

Book early to avoid disappointment!

All individuals and groups must pre-register

1) Bring your child or group for 90 minutes of fun both inside the Hall of Fame and across the street in Victoria Park.

For ages 4-12. A donation of $2 per child is requested. Adult chaperones must be present at all times. There is a maximum of 30 participants in each session.

The program is offered twice daily, Monday, Tuesday & Thursday:
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

The program is offered once on Wednesdays:
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.

3) Let us bring the programming to your centre! Pick a morning or afternoon that suits you and we will deliver our programming at your facility. Centres must have enough participants to run two group sessions per visit, minimum 10 participants per session. Limited to one visit per location during the summer.

For ages 4-12. A $30 donation per location is requested. Adult chaperones must be present.

The program is offered twice daily on Fridays:
One location per time slot

9:30 – 11:45 a.m. (2 sessions: 9:30 – 10:30, 10:45 – 11:45)
1:00 – 3:15 p.m. (2 sessions: 1:00 – 2:00, 2:15 – 3:15)

And once on Wednesdays:

1:00 – 3:15 p.m. (2 sessions: 1:00 – 2:00, 2:15 – 3:15)

To register please contact: Vickie Krauss (306) 780-9232 [email protected]

A special thank you to our sponsors:

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

  • Outside activities will only proceed weather permitting. During inclement weather, all activities will take place inside the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (SSHF) or your facility.
  • All group leaders/parents/guardians/chaperones must ensure their child is dressed for the weather and outfitted with sunscreen, bug spray and a water bottle. The water fountain in the SSHF building does have a bottle filler but no fountain.
  • An adult chaperone must be present at all times with groups and individuals. We encourage their participation as well! For larger groups, we would appreciate a 1:8 chaperone/child ratio.
  • Donation fees for groups and individuals can be paid by cash, cheque or credit card. We do not have debit available at the location. If this donation is a hardship for your organization, please let us know.
  • The SSHF reserves the right to cancel the program session if a minimum of 5 participants are not enrolled.
  • Pre-registration must occur a minimum of 24 hours in advance while programming space remains available.
  • We require at least 24 hours’ notice for cancellations.

Seven standouts comprise Class of 2025

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The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (SSHF) is pleased to announce the seven (7) inductees who will become the newest members of the SSHF this fall.

The Class of 2025 features three inductees in the athlete category, two builders and two teams.

The 2025 inductees are:

IN THE ATHLETE CATEGORY:

Julie Foster (Regina) – Rugby

Noah Miller (Regina) – Water Polo

Jon Ryan (Regina) – Football

IN THE BUILDER CATEGORY:

Brad Hornung (Regina) – Hockey

Klara Kesmarky Miller (Budapest, Hungary) – Gymnastics

IN THE TEAM CATEGORY:

1997 & 1998 Regina Rams Football Club

1978 & 1980 Saskatoon Harmony Centre Women’s Softball Team

Members and representatives of the SSHF’s Class of 2025 attended a press conference on Tuesday, April 8. Pictured are Terry Hornung (mother of Brad Hornung), left, Patti Rowley (Saskatoon Harmony Centre), Klara Kesmarky Miller, Barb Ryan (mother of Jon Ryan), Julie Foster, Noah Miller, Deanna (Ruecker) Hautz, Ed Bankowski and Barry Rees (both from the Regina Rams).

The 2025 Induction Dinner & Ceremony will be held at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina on Saturday, September 20, 2025. Tickets are no longer on sale. 

The 2025 Induction Class is the first to feature a parent and child being inducted at the same time who were not inducted together as part of a team. Klara Kesmarky Miller and Noah Miller are also the first mother and son inducted into the Hall of Fame as individuals at any time.

In addition, the sports of water polo and rugby will have their first inductees in the Hall of Fame. With the addition of these two sports, there are now 55 recognized in the Hall of Fame.

Julie Foster represented Canada at the Women’s Rugby World Cup three times, reaching the semifinal on each occasion. When she retired her 44 appearances for the Canadian national team placed her third all-time. She also represented Canada in sevens rugby 10 times over the course of an 11-year international career. She finished her career with 13 tries and was the fifth woman inducted into the Rugby Canada’s Hall of Fame.

Noah Miller spent nine years on the Canadian men’s national water polo team including serving as the team’s captain for five of those years. Miller competed at six FINA World Championships, three FISU World University Games, and won bronze medals at the Pan Am Games twice in 2003 (Santo Domingo) and 2007 (Rio de Janeiro). Miller also won six Canadian national championships with three clubs tying the most by a Saskatchewan water polo player.

Jon Ryan enjoyed a 19-year professional football career and spent 12 of those seasons as a punter in the National Football League. In 2014, he became the first Saskatchewan player to win the Super Bowl when the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII. Ryan spent 10 seasons in Seattle and two more in Green Bay. He began his career in the Canadian Football League with Winnipeg, before spending two seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and finally in Edmonton before retiring.

Brad Hornung’s dream of reaching the National Hockey League was paused when he was paralyzed from the neck down at 18 in a Western Hockey League game. That didn’t stop Hornung from staying in the game he loved. He worked as a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks for four years and then worked as a scout for the NHL’s Central Scouting. His qualities as a player led the WHL to name their Most Sportsmanlike Player award in his honour.

Klara Kesmarky Miller’s involvement in gymnastics has lasted more than 60 years. At 16 she judged her first provincial competition and was helping coach the Regina Girls Gym Club’s competitive program. Miller spent 27 years as a judge and launched the YWCA Limberettes Gym Club in her teens and then helped establish the Queen City Kinsmen Gymnastics Club. She would serve as the Chief Executive Officer of Gymnastics Saskatchewan for 30 years.

Saskatoon Harmony Centre won national women’s softball championships in 1978 and 1980 and went on to represent Canada each time. After winning their first title, they represented Canada at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico where they finished fourth. In 1981, they took part in the World Games in California – a multi-sport event for sports that were not yet on the Olympic schedule – where Canada finished second.

The Regina Rams concluded their time as a junior football club by winning consecutive Canadian Bowl national championships in 1997 and 1998. The Rams beat the Okanagan Sun 23-20 in double-overtime to win in 97 and beat Okanagan again 36-13 in Regina in 1998 to close the book on their junior football era.

Once again the Hall of Fame is pleased to partner with The Atlas Hotel in Regina (4177 Albert St.) as our host hotel for the 2025 Induction weekend.

Online art auction is live!

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The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame has partnered with the Saskatchewan Network for Art Collecting to launch an online Art and Memorabilia Auction to raise funds to support the SSHF’s educational and outreach programming as well as other significant initiatives in the coming year.

The auction is live now and will conclude on Sunday, February 23 at 1 p.m.

There are 150 artworks on offer in the auction, by artists such as Allen Sapp, Michael Lonechild, Ken Danby, William Kurelek, Jason Robins, Gary Natomagan, Courtney Milne, Henri Masson, Carol Shelton, Gerald Jessop, Bernie Brown, Neville Clarke and more.

For most items, 100% of the winning bid goes to the Hall of Fame. These funds will help the Hall of Fame continue to fulfill their mandate of being a self-sustaining, dynamic attraction designed to preserve, interpret, recognize, and honour the diverse sport history of the province.