Here is the latest issue of For The Record, the SSHF’s newsletter.
Category Archives: News
Heavy Metal Curling features 19th century stone
One of the oldest items in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame’s collection is a 60-pound iron curling stone from 1890. The stone is part of our new Heavy Metal Curling display. The iron stone is currently on display behind glass, but a 60-pound kettlebell is also on display to give you a sense of the heft needed to curl in the 19th Century. The iron curling stone is next to a modern granite stone for an easy comparison of the evolution of the curling stone.
Granite is both lighter and better suited to the environments where curling is played. All of the granite for curling stones comes from two places, Ailsa Craig, an island in Scotland, and the Trefor Granite Quarry in Wales. Kays of Scotland has been making stones from the Ailsa Craig granite since 1851.
While granite stones have always been the standard in curling, there was a time in Canada when granite wasn’t as accessible. To meet the need, stones made of iron were developed in Montreal as an alternative with Canada being the only country known to have used them. Iron stones were notably heavier, weighing between 60-80 lbs. (27.2-36.3 kg) compared to modern granite stones which are 44.1 lbs. (20 kg). Iron stones were also less than ideal due to their propensity to rust during exposure to ice and water.
Our Heavy Metal Curling display also features historic photos and information from the early years of curling in Saskatchewan.
For The Record – November, 2023 edition
Winter Fun coming at Pop-Up event on Nov. 25
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (2205 Victoria Avenue in Regina) will be hosting a free Winter Fun Pop-up event on Saturday, Nov. 25 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
This event is supported by the City of Regina and we are excited to offer a fun afternoon of activities for the whole family.
The day will start inside with a short tour of the Hall of Fame along with some indoor games on our multi-sport simulator, adaptive curling rink, and in our interactive STEM Gallery sponsored by SaskTel. After an hour we will head outside (weather permitting) to play some games in Victoria Park to try out some snowshoes for another hour. The snowshoes will be provided for free.
After playing outside everyone is welcome to come back to the Hall of Fame for some hot chocolate and snacks in our boardroom. Guests can continue to play inside the Hall of Fame on their own as well as we will remain open until 4 p.m.
Visitors to the Hall of Fame can test their vertical jump, their balance, their strength, their standing long jump, their flexibility, and their grip strength at our STEM Interactive Gallery stations. The multi-sport simulator is a popular favourite that allows visitors to test their sporting skills in a variety of virtual games like baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, and more. Our four-rock adaptive curling “ice” allows visitors to slide their stones down the ice either from their knees or with an adaptive stick that affixes to the stone.
This event will go forward regardless of the weather. We have extra indoor activities planned if the weather proves to be too cold and if there is no snow for snowshoeing we will adjust accordingly. We ask that visitors arrive a little before 12:30 p.m. so they can take their winter coats off and settle inside the Hall of Fame so we can begin on time. We ask that children be accompanied by an adult for the duration of their visit.
Residential school survivors made lasting mark in Sask. sporting world
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th honours the children who never came home and the survivors of the residential school system as well as their families and communities.
The commemoration of the history and ongoing impact of the residential school system is an important part of the reconciliation process. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was established in response to Call to Action 80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada which called for a federal statutory day of commemoration.
At the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, we are committed to following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 87th Call to Action that calls on sports halls of fame to provide public education that tells the national story of Aboriginal athletes in history.
In that spirit, we are commemorating this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by sharing some of the stories of inductees who had great athletic achievements despite what they suffered as children in the residential school system. We share them here as part of our learning and reflection on our shared history.
Fred Sasakamoose, left, shakes hands with Chicago Blackhawks captain Alexei Zhamnov.
Fred Sasakamoose was born on Christmas Day, 1933 in the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation. When he was six years old, he and his brother Frank were taken from their parents by Indian agents from the Canadian government and driven with 30 other children to the St. Michael’s Indian Residential School in Duck Lake more than 100 kilometres away.
Sasakamoose wrote vividly and candidly about his experience at the residential school in his 2021 autobiography Call Me Indian: From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL’s First Treaty Indigenous Player. He suffered horrible abuse at the school as well as dehumanizing treatment along with the other students.
Despite all that he suffered as a child, Sasakamoose excelled as a hockey player and reached the National Hockey League as a 19-year-old in 1953 with the Chicago Black Hawks. In doing so, Sasakamoose became the first Indigenous person with Treaty status to play in the NHL.
Before he reached the NHL, Sasakamoose starred as a junior player in Moose Jaw being named the Most Valuable Player in the Western Canadian Junior Hockey League in 1953-54. His junior career almost didn’t happen. Such was the pull of home after being taken from his family, Sasakamoose began walking the 400 kilometres back to Ahtahkakoop after two weeks in Moose Jaw before being convinced to stick it out and stay.
Sasakamoose would come home and spend 35 years as a Band Councillor of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, six as Chief. He worked to give back to his community and build and develop minor hockey and other sports there.
Alex Decoteau
Alex Decoteau was born on the Red Pheasant First Nation in 1887 and was of Cree and Métis descent. His father Peter Decoteau fought beside Plains Cree Chief Pîhtokahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker) at the Battle of Cut Knife during the North-West Rebellion. Peter was an employee of the Indian Department when he was murdered. Alex was four years old at the time and he and his four siblings were sent to the Battleford Industrial School.
When it opened in 1883, the Battlefords Industrial School was the first residential school in Canada. Two more schools opened a year later and the Davin Report – which called for the “aggressive assimilation” of Indigenous children through the use and expansion of these new residential schools – was submitted to the Federal government.
After his time at the Battlefords Industrial School, Decoteau moved to Edmonton where he became the first Indigenous police officer in Canada in 1911. He was also a world-class distance runner. He became the first Saskatchewan athlete to compete at the Olympic Games when he ran the 5,000-metres in 1912.
He served in the 202nd Infantry Battalion and the 49th Battalion during the First World War and was killed during the Second Battle of Passchendaele in 1917.
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame currently has 10 individual athletes who identify as Indigenous and have been inducted. Those athletes and builders are: Paul Acoose, Colette Bourgonje, Tony Cote, Alex Decoteau, David Greyeyes, Jacqueline Lavallee, Jim Neilson, Claude Petit, Fred Sasakamoose, and Bryan Trottier.
In addition to the individual Indigenous inductees, the SSHF also has inductees who were members of an inducted team.
Ken Moore
Kenneth Moore, from the Peepeekisis Cree Nation, was inducted into the SSHF as a member of the 1930 Regina Pats hockey team that won the Memorial Cup. Moore is also the first Indigenous athlete to win an Olympic gold medal.
Moore was born in 1910 as the third of eight siblings. His two older brothers had been taken to the Brandon Indian Residential School in Manitoba – more than 300 kilometres away. The two older Moore brothers died at the Brandon Indian Residential School with no details or cause provided to the family. Kenneth would have been forced to attend the school when he turned seven. Instead, the Moore family fled the Peepeekisis First Nation in the middle of the night.
The family settled in Regina, which was still more than 100 km from their home, but the younger Moore children were able to avoid the residential school system.
Ken Moore would star as a right winger on the Regina Pats junior hockey team. In 1930, the Pats met the West Toronto Nationals in the Memorial Cup final. Moore would score the game-winning goal with 40 seconds left which gave the Pats the series win and their third Memorial Cup in six years. He also attended Campion College and Regina College on a scholarship where he captained the hockey and rugby teams.
Moore later joined the Winnipeg Hockey Club and helped them claim the 1931 Allan Cup, the national amateur hockey championship. As Allan Cup champions, Winnipeg also earned the right to represent Canada at the 1932 Olympic Winter Games. Canada won five games and tied one to earn their fourth straight Olympic gold medal in hockey.
These stories from our inductees are just a small example of the countless ways the residential school system impacted the Indigenous population.
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame is proud to be physically located in Treaty 4 territory, which is home to the Cree, Dakota, Lakota, Nakota, and Saulteaux people since time immemorial and are the traditional homelands of the Métis Nation. The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame also celebrates the history of sport and the people from the land that is covered by Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10. These lands have been the home of the Cree, Dakota, Dene, Lakota, Nakota, and Saulteaux people since time immemorial and are the traditional homelands of the Métis Nation.
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame has a display case and video kiosk celebrating Saskatchewan Indigenous athletes and their achievements on permanent display in the Physical Activity Complex at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Kinesiology in Saskatoon.
Our nomination process is open to the public and if you believe you know of an athlete, builder or team that deserves inclusion in the Hall of Fame we invite you to nominate them. You can learn more about that process here.
Come meet the Class of 2023 on Sept. 23 at our open house!
In conjunction with the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame’s Induction Dinner & Ceremony, we will be hosting an open house and autograph session with the Class of 2023 on Saturday, September 23 from 1-2 p.m. at the Hall of Fame (2205 Victoria Ave. in Regina).
This event is open to the public and admission is by donation. The SSHF will also have autograph sheets available.
This year’s Induction Class features seven great individual inductees. The four athletes heading into the Hall of Fame are Jaime (Cruickshank) Boyer (Saskatoon – Multi sport), Ryan Getzlaf (Regina – Hockey), Joan McEachern (Lanigan – Soccer), and Hayley Wickenheiser OC (Shaunavon – Hockey). The three builders being enshrined are Lorne Lasuita (Wynyard – Multi sport), Bernadette McIntyre (Bethune – Curling), and Noreen Murphy (Saskatoon – Softball).
Due to her commitments as the Assistant General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs during training camp, Hayley Wickenheiser is not expected to be able to attend. However, the other six inductees will all be on hand to meet fans and supporters during the hour-long open house. We also respectfully ask that visitors limit themselves to one or two items to be signed.
In addition to the autograph session, this will be the unveiling of the exhibits of the seven new inductees as part of our Dedication to Sport exhibit.
The Hall of Fame will be open for its regular noon to 4 p.m. hours on the 23rd.
Acoose: the province’s first great champion
In the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 87th Call to Action, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame marks National Indigenous Peoples Day by celebrating Indigenous excellence and achievement in sport and sharing their stories.
At the same time, the SSHF also looks to spotlight the challenges and hardships that the SSHF’s Indigenous inductees overcame in achieving their goals. The SSHF currently has 10 individual inductees who identify as Indigenous. Each of those inductees has a unique story, but the ability to overcome hardships and a passion for giving back to their communities is a common thread with each athlete or builder.
The SSHF’s current featured exhibit Grit celebrates great athletic determination so it was only natural that the stories of Indigenous success are highlighted.
Paul Acoose’s story is featured as part of the exhibit. A gifted Nakawē (Saulteaux) distance runner from the Zagime Anishinabek (previously known as the Sakimay) First Nation, Acoose came from a long line of distance runners. His grandfather Quewich gained renown for his abilities as a hunter. While others rode horses while hunting buffalo, Quewich would shoot his arrows while pursuing the buffalo on foot. Paul’s father Samuel Acoose was also a highly esteemed runner in his own right.
Accose’s competitive running career was short, but remarkable all the same.
Acoose was the first winner of The Standard Marathon Trophy, emblematic of the 10-mile championship in the province of Saskatchewan. He won that first championship by more than eight minutes on July 1, 1908 in Regina, as he dominated the best runners in the province. His name is engraved prominently as the first provincial champion. The Standard Marathon Trophy is featured as part of Grit which is currently on display.
At the turn of the 20th century, match races were a popular spectator sport with opportunities to run professionally. After an impressive showing during a sports day in Grenfell, Acoose was offered a chance to become a professional in 1909. While that made him ineligible to compete at the upcoming 1910 Summer Olympics in London, Acoose accepted the offer.
In his first professional race, Acoose ran 15 miles in a world-record time of one hour, 22 minutes and 22 seconds and beat famed English runner Fred Appleby, a former world record holder and 1908 Olympic marathon runner. Acoose’s record-breaking time earned him the title of world champion.
While match races drew notable crowds, they also drew plenty of interest from gamblers. When Acoose and Appleby met in a rematch in Winnipeg, gamblers were suspected of being the culprits of throwing tacks on the track. Appleby was unaffected in his rubber-soled shoes, but Acoose ran in moccasins that were easily penetrated by the tacks. He bravely carried on for two more miles in bare feet before having to bow out of a race he had been winning before being sabotaged.
Acoose’s biggest victory came against famed Onondaga runner Tom Longboat. Acoose had wanted to test himself against Longboat who had risen to fame after winning the Boston Marathon in a record time in 1907 and was considered the greatest marathon runner in the world. They met on March 30, 1910, in Toronto in a duel that Acoose won.
Despite only being 24 years old, Acoose retired from competitive racing and settled in Zagime Anishinabek with his wife Madeline where they farmed and raised nine children. He never drove a car and continued to jog into his 60s. Even in his late 70s would walk up to 10 kilometers to visit family and friends.
Paul Acoose was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.
While The Standard Marathon Trophy is currently on display, the SSHF has partnered with the University of Saskatchewan to ensure that the majority of the artifacts in our collection honouring Indigenous athletes are on permanent display. A display case and video kiosk celebrating Saskatchewan Indigenous athletes and their achievements are on permanent display in the Physical Activity Complex at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Kinesiology in Saskatoon.
You can learn more about the other Indigenous inductees in the SSHF – Colette Bourgonje, Tony Cote, Alex Decoteau, David Greyeyes, Jacqueline Lavallee, Jim Neilson, Claude Petit, Fred Sasakamoose, and Bryan Trottier – on the SSHF website.
For the past year, the Hall of Fame has offered an outreach program titled, Indigenous Legacies in Sport, to schools across the province. The program is geared towards elementary school students and highlights some of the achievements and stories of Saskatchewan’s great Indigenous athletes and builders.
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame is proud to be located in Treaty 4 territory, home to the Cree, Dakota, Lakota, Nakoda, and Saulteaux people since time immemorial and are the traditional homelands of the Métis Nation. The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame also celebrates the history of sport and the people from the land that is covered by Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10. These lands have been the home of the Cree, Dakota, Dene, Lakota, Nakoda, and Saulteaux people since time immemorial and are the traditional homelands of the Métis Nation.
Pride and perseverance: Miller stood up and fought as hockey trailblazer
Shannon Miller has been a trailblazer throughout her sporting life.
The 2021 Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame inductee not only broke new ground as a coach in women’s hockey, but she also did so while being openly gay. As we celebrate Pride Month, the Hall of Fame celebrates the successes and challenges overcome by our LGBTQ2S+ inductees like Miller.
After growing up playing hockey in Melfort, Miller was an inaugural member of the University of Saskatchewan’s women’s hockey program. She and two other women spent two years fighting red tape and discrimination to create a girls’ hockey league in Calgary. There, she also launched and directed the first high-performance training program for female hockey players at the Olympic Oval.
At the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, Miller was the head coach of the national team as women’s hockey made its Olympic debut. She was the only female head coach at the tournament.
“There was a lot of difficult stuff that happened that year. When you’re the first woman and you’re openly gay – I was just a target,” Miller said. “I felt like a deer running through the forest during hunting season.”
Shannon Miller at the 1997 IIHF World Championships with Nancy Drolet.
Miller had worked her way through the ranks to earn the national team job. She had helped coach Alberta to the first women’s hockey gold medal at the 1991 Canada Winter Games. She became an assistant coach for the Canadian women’s national team when they won the worlds in 1992 and 1994. Miller was named the head coach and she guided Canada to the 1997 IIHF World Championship in overtime against the United States.
Despite the on-ice success and a proven track record of building programs, it wasn’t smooth sailing.
“I felt like I was in a war against almost everybody. Especially the media attacking me. That really wore on me and my team,” Miller said.
“Every day I would put my shield of armour on and decide well I’m the first woman in the world to do this and I’m openly gay. And the media, they don’t like it. That was uphill and against the wind to say the very least. But I loved working with the players and I loved working with the staff. I mean when you coach it is so much about passion and vision and commitment to the process and commitment to each other and so no matter how difficult it was, it was still great.”
After losing the gold medal game to the Americans at the Olympics to claim silver, Miller moved on to build the women’s hockey program at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
The Bulldogs won three of the first four NCAA national championships and ultimately won five under Miller.
“When I was there and had the support of the president and the athletic director before they both left, we were budgeted about middle-of-the-pack… but we were winning. And we were so proud of that. We were the little engine that could,” Miller said.
Shannon Miller speaking at White House.
That support for the program waned. Despite losing ground to their fellow Division I programs in terms of their resources, the Bulldogs remained competitive. In total, the team made 10 NCAA tournament appearances in her tenure.
Minnesota Duluth had won 12 of their previous 13 games heading into Christmas break and were ranked sixth in the NCAA when Miller was told her contract wasn’t being renewed. They said she could stay on for the rest of the season, but it would be her last. Miller said she just about fell out of her chair when she was told.
No coach in NCAA women’s hockey had more national titles (5) or Final Four wins (11) than Miller did at the time.
“I knew what was going on. I’m not stupid,” Miller said. “I had so much support, I immediately called my own press conference and said I was going to sue them.
“I sued them for Title IX sex discrimination and sexual orientation discrimination. And I won a Federal lawsuit. It was really difficult, but it was very important to do it.”
Miller’s dad died when she was 13, but she had strong family support, including both sets of grandparents. She described them as grounded, humble, and hard-working people.
“I will never forget the lessons they taught me,” she said of her grandparents who can be seen sitting directly behind the Canada bench during the 1998 Olympics. “I know those are my roots and that is my foundation. When you go back inside yourself and really remember who you are and where you came from, it’s not difficult to be strong and to rise up and to fight when you need to and to support others and lift others up.”
Miller lives in California with her partner Jen Banford and is back being involved in hockey as the vice president of branding and community relations for Acrisure Arena and the American Hockey League’s Coachella Valley Firebirds who are in the Calder Cup finals in their first season.
She remains as resilient and passionate about hockey as ever.
“I think I can credit the fact that I grew up in Melfort with that support,” she said. “My dad died. I had a difficult life anyway, I just got stronger and stronger as my life went on and I had no fear.
“When somebody wrongs you like that. The only right thing to do is to stand up and fight. And I did. And I won.”
Get active with the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame!
Are you looking for something to do with your children this summer? Our Creating Active Champions summer program is a great way to have fun and stay active through the summer months. The program will begin on July 4 and run on weekdays through August 18.
Creating Active Champions has made some changes this year, so please choose one of the three options below that best suits your needs!
1) Bring your child or group to have 90 minutes of fun both inside the Hall of Fame and across the street in Victoria Park.
This program is geared towards children aged 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 on Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays:
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
2) Drop off your child to spend a half day with us having fun and learning about STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Math) in sport. Each week will be a different theme sports day. This program is geared towards children aged 5-12. A donation of $10 per child is requested. There is a maximum of 12 participants in each session.
The program is offered twice daily on Wednesdays:
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
1:00 – 4:00 p.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, so you don’t have to go anywhere.
This program is geared towards children aged 4-12. A $25 donation per location is requested. Adult chaperones must be present.
The program is offered twice daily on Fridays:
One location per time slot, with two group sessions at each location.
9:30 a.m. – 11:45 p.m.
1:00 – 3:15 p.m.
This seven-week program begins on July 4, so please book early to avoid disappointment!
All individuals and groups must pre-register by contacting Vickie Krauss (306) 780-9232 or [email protected].
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 is off-limits other than to fill water bottles.
- An adult chaperone must be present at all times with groups and individuals, except for the half-day sessions. 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.
- 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.
- The SSHF promotes admission by donation to its galleries on a regular basis. Summer participants are provided with a “donation pass” to encourage them to come back throughout the summer with their families to engage in our sport interactives.
A special thank you to our Creating Active Champions sponsors Community Initiatives Fund and Sask Lotteries.
SSHF Board Chair elected to another three-year term at AGM
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (SSHF) held their Annual General Meeting on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
The SSHF’s financial statement was presented along with the 2023/24 operating budget along with reports from the Chair, the Acting Executive Director, the SSHF staff, the Governance Committee, and the Sport History Project.
Trent Blezy, Chair of the SSHF Board of Directors, was re-elected for a second three-year term on the Board. He is entering his second year as Chair. The other Officers of the Hall also remain unchanged.
Trent Blezy, Chair of the SSHF Board of Directors.
To date, Trent Blezy’s professional career includes the Government of Saskatchewan and the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, where his main areas of responsibility have been in managing public relations issues and advancing public policy utilizing a variety of mechanisms.
As a volunteer Blezy has worked in fundraising capacities to support the Saskatchewan Children’s Hospital Foundation and has held a number of positions with various Constituency Associations through the Conservative Party and the Saskatchewan Party.
Two new Directors – Amber Day and Scott Kistner – were both elected to three-year terms on the Board.
Amber Day is employed at the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) as Director of Human Resources and has worked in Human Resources field for 15 years. In her current role, she is responsible for the design, development and implementation of HR strategies, initiatives and programs that align with SIGA’s strategic goals and priorities. Day holds an Aboriginal Self-Government Administration Diploma and a Masters of Human Resource Management.
Scott Kistner grew up on a farm near Disley, Saskatchewan. He is currently the Assistant Deputy Minister of Lands and Corporate Services in the Energy and Resources sector for the Government of Saskatchewan. Kistner has served on several boards and been a member of organizations including: the Government of Saskatchewan Information Management Committee (2018-current); member of the Lumsden Lions Club (2018-current); member of the Canadian Payroll Association (2015-current); member of the Government of Saskatchewan Extended Health Care Joint Board (2015-2018); member of the Inter-provincial HR Information Management Systems Council (2014-2018), member of the Oracle Human Capital Management User Group (2013-current); as well as local sports organizations in Lumsden.
Samer Awadh and Laurel Garven both completed their terms on the Board. For Laurel this was her third, three-year term, while Samer served two, three-year terms. They both provided an incredible wealth of knowledge to the Board and staff over their many years of service and their contributions were greatly appreciated and will be missed.
The 2022-23 Board of Directors
OFFICERS OF THE HALL
Chair– Trent Blezy (Regina)
Vice Chair – Karen Meban (Regina)
Treasurer – Mike Babcock (Regina)
Past Chair – Robb Elchuk (Regina)
DIRECTORS
Amber Day (Saskatoon)
Tennille Grimeau (Saskatoon)
Scott Kistner (Lumsden)
Tim Leier (Saskatoon)
Jeff Lightheart (Regina)
Kelvin Ostapowich (Regina)
Christopher Weitzel (Regina)
Cary Wessel (Regina)
Sheila Kelly ends her remarkable career with the Hall of Fame
The mission of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (SSHF) is to recognize sport excellence, preserve sport history, and educate the public about the role of sport in Saskatchewan’s cultural fabric.
Now it is time to recognize the contributions of one of our own and their work preserving, honouring and sharing the rich sporting history of Saskatchewan.
Sheila Kelly is leaving her post as Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame after 34 years leading the organization.
Sheila started at the Hall of Fame in 1989 and through the decades she has guided the SSHF through a great period of growth and stability. At the same she has become an industry leader in the sport heritage field in Canada and indeed across North America.
She received the W.R. “Bill” Schroeder Distinguished Service Award from the International Sports Heritage Association (ISHA) in 2017. The Schroeder Award is the highest honour presented by ISHA and bestowed to individuals for meritorious service of lasting nature in the sports heritage industry. The Schroeder Award is not bestowed annually, rather it is awarded only when someone has been deemed worthy of receiving it.
“Sheila’s dedication and commitment to sport heritage transcends her remarkable career at the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame. She is a former president of the Canadian Association for Sport Heritage (CASH) and a Schroeder Award winner, which is the International Sports Heritage Association’s highest honor,” said Shane Mailman, ISHA Executive Administrator and former President of CASH.
“Sheila has built lifetime friendships in our industry and has earned great respect from everyone that has met her. Sheila‘s career is the benchmark all of us aspire to.”
During her tenure as Executive Director, Sheila helped nurture the development of multiple satellite halls in the province. The SSHF’s Sport History Project grant is unique to Saskatchewan and since the late 1980s has allowed organizations to complete more than 40 projects that capture the sport history of our province through a variety of means. Sheila also oversaw a successful 50th-anniversary celebration that included the launch of the SSHF’s 53-foot mobile exhibit trailer. The project is unique amongst halls of fame in Canada and allowed the SSHF to fulfill its mandate of preserving and sharing Saskatchewan’s sport history with the entire province.
In the past three years, the SSHF has won the CASH Award of Excellence twice, an ISHY Award from ISHA and a Museum Associations of Saskatchewan Award of Merit. These honours exemplify the vision Sheila and her staff showed as the Hall of Fame diversified its programming and remained an industry leader through the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, the SSHF received nine significant local, provincial, national, or international awards while Sheila was Executive Director.
This spring the final phase of our Hall of Fame Gallery redevelopment was completed under Sheila’s leadership.
Succession planning had begun with an eye toward Sheila’s eventual retirement, however, that process was accelerated when she took a medical leave of absence earlier this spring.
With that in mind, the SSHF Board of Directors has contracted Leadership Source from Regina to help lead the search for a new full-time Executive Director for the SSHF.
SSHF Curator Bryann Seib has taken on the role as the Acting Executive Director for the past two months and has guided the Hall of Fame through our fiscal year-end, our annual audit, and the rest of the day-to-day business of the Hall of Fame.
We wish Sheila all the best in the future and congratulate her on a remarkable career here at the Hall of Fame.
Never Give Up once again full for spring offering
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame continues to deliver the inspiring stories of our inductees to students across the province through the Never Give Up program.
The program debuted in 2011 and was such a success that it developed into an annual offering. While the involvement of Ted Jaleta has been one of the hallmarks of the program, the involvement of other sports figures from Saskatchewan has been essential to its success. All of these individuals have overcome obstacles and hardships. They truly understand what it means to “never give up” and serve as positive role models.
The program is available to Grades 4-8 in schools throughout Saskatchewan. We are fortunate to have the support of SaskTel as our presenting sponsor once again. This year’s program will focus on various subject areas in the Grades 4-8 Saskatchewan Curriculum dealing with identity to showcase how sport contributes to self-identity. It will also highlight our feature inductees and Saskatchewan athletes who have made significant contributions to sport and society.
The presenters for the spring of 2023 are Arnold Boldt OC, Colette Bourgonje, Lisa Franks, and Colleen Sostorics.
The spring offering of Never Give Up will run from May 16 to June 16 with all 10 sessions full with students from across the province. This spring’s offering of the program sees Never Give Up delivered to schools in Dinsmore, Humboldt, North Battleford, Raymore, Regina, Saskatoon, Viscount, Wadena, and Wilkie.
Since 2011 Never Give Up has reached more than 20,000 students across Saskatchewan. In the past two years alone, the program has reached 41 communities, with 4,051 students taking part in 2021 and 2022.
Dedication to Sport available as a virtual tour
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame’s newest virtual tour features the exhibits of our 13 newest inductees.
The 2021 and 2022 induction classes were enshrined concurrently at the SSHF’s 54th Induction Dinner & Ceremony. Dedication to Sport: Our New Inductees features artifacts and stories from that great double-class of SSHF inductees.
Dedication to Sport is available as a virtual tour thanks to our partnership with Queen City 3D in Regina. Each tour allows the user to navigate through the space of the exhibit and click on tags inside the tour that offer stories, photos and videos to complement the exhibit.
This is one of several virtual tours that are available on our website which preserves them for the future and fulfills our province-wide mandate.
The Class of 2021 features athletes Justin Abdou (Moose Jaw – Wrestling), Rod M. Boll (Fillmore – Trapshooting), Colette Bourgonje (Porcupine Plain – Athletics and Skiing), Kaylyn Kyle (Saskatoon – Soccer), and Lyndon Rush (Humboldt – Bobsleigh). Shannon Miller (Tisdale – Hockey) joins the 2021 class as a builder and the 2000-01 University of Regina Cougars Women’s Basketball Team and the 2013 Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club are being inducted in the team category.
The five members of the Class of 2022 are: Kelsie Hendry (Saskatoon – Athletics), Harry Winston Jerome OC (Prince Albert – Athletics), Rueben Mayes (North Battleford – Football) in the athlete category plus Antonia “Toni” Beerling (Rosthern – Athletics) and William “Bill” Brownridge (Vawn – Hockey) in the builder category.
Notice: Annual General Meeting will be held on May 25th
On behalf of Trent Blezy, Board Chair of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (SSHF), this e-mail/post serves as an official notice of the Annual General Meeting of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame which will be held at the following date and time:
Date: Thursday, May 25, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Virtually via Microsoft Teams
The agenda will include Annual Reports, Bylaw revisions, presentation of Financial Statements, the appointment of the auditor for 2023/24, and reports on the election of Board Directors.
The meeting package, plus the 2022 Annual Report, 2022/23 Financial Statement, and all other pertinent materials for the Annual General Meeting will be posted on the SSHF website and will be available for review before the meeting.
In the interest of the health and wellness of our Members, the Annual General Meeting will once again be held virtually via Microsoft Teams. Please fill out this registration form to receive your access credentials for the meeting which will be distributed no later than noon on Thursday, May 25.
All members of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in good standing are welcome to virtually attend and vote during the Annual General Meeting.
If you are uncertain if you are eligible to vote in the Annual General Meeting – or if you have any other questions – please contact the Hall of Fame at 306-780-9232 or email [email protected].
Induction Special 2023
The latest edition of our For The Record newsletter is our Induction Special highlighting the 2023 Induction Class. Tickets can be purchased on our website or book accommodations at our partner hotel The Atlas.
