Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame – Annual Report – 2015

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Each year, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame strives to preserve and promote the history of sport in Saskatchewan, and 2015 was no exception. The Government of Canada named 2015 “The Year of Sport in Canada” and encouraged all Canadians to celebrate the role that sport plays in their identity.

Our 2015 Annual Report will highlight some key redevelopment, awareness and self help strategies. It will also recap the addition of new staff members, partnerships, exhibits and events that have helped position the SSHF for a very exciting and successful 50th year in 2016.

Special thank you to all members of the Hall of Fame, your support over the past year has been overwhelming. We look forward to celebrating our 50th anniversary with you.

You can download a copy of the 2015 Annual Report here:

Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame Annual Report 2015

 

For The Record – October/November 2015

For The Record

MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT SCOTT WATERS & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SHEILA KELLY

With summer behind us the SSHF is embarking on what will be a very busy fall and winter season as we move into our 50th year of operations. An immediate change for us was the elimination of “summer” and “winter” hours of operation. Normally, with the passing of Labour Day, we would close on weekends for the winter. However, for the present time (for sure until the end of the calendar year) we are testing our members’ and the public’s interest in our being open on Saturdays from noon-5 p.m., just as we have been open all summer. With at least one special event planned in each month, there is always a reason to be coming back for another visit. And, with the waning of the outdoor golf season, don’t forget that you can keep your skills up in our multi-sport simulator. Members get free unlimited usage on a first come basis; however, it is a good idea to call ahead to ensure that we don’t have education tours pre-booked into the facility. Those kids don’t like to wait!

Setting the stage for the caliber of events that are to come was the 3rd Annual Saskatchewan Roughrider Alumni Autumn Golf Classic hosted on September 23 in Saskatoon. We are delighted to celebrate this continuing partnership with the Alumni as we work together to combine camaraderie and fun with the need to raise much needed funds for Saskatchewan’s sport heritage and other Alumni funding priorities.

You will have noticed that October 1 passed by this year without our usual call for inductee nominations and a lot of media attention to the fact that the submission deadline was looming. In anticipation of 2016, when we will spend the year celebrating our 50th Anniversary, the board has decided that we should focus those celebrations on the 505 inductees that we currently have. As a result there will be no new Class of 2016 inducted next June. We will take a pass until 2017 when we look forward to celebrating a brand new Class of inductees to launch us into our next half century of operations. In the meantime, we will continue to actively solicit and accept new nominations for evaluation in advance of the October 1, 2016, nomination deadline.

Among the priorities of the upcoming 50th Anniversary celebrations will be to actively engage our provincial mandate and develop new partnerships through special events and exhibit opportunities. The first of these events will start this month with our President’s Reception in Saskatoon on October 24 at The Willows Golf & Country Club. Those of you residing in the Saskatoon and district area should already have received your invitation (by email or via Canada Post) to this event. Please contact us immediately if you have not yet had an opportunity to RSVP. For those of you residing in Regina and district we will be hosting a President’s Reception at the SSHF on Saturday, November 21. Invitations to this event will be distributed shortly via email and Canada Post. Watch for yours! These Receptions are always a great opportunity to renew friendships, catch up on the most recent SSHF activities and learn a bit about what’s ahead. We hope to see you there!

Other events that are currently slotted into the calendar include our Halloween Birthday Party on October 31. Did you know that the SSHF was launched as the Molson Sports Hall of Fame on October 31, 1966? A week later the Saskatchewan Roughriders won their first Grey Cup. What a great week for Saskatchewan sport! November will see our sport simulator fired up for some serious competition as we host a series of participant challenges sponsored by Boston Pizza Regina & Emerald Park, culminating in “The Finals” on Friday, November 20 (National Jersey Day), and Saturday, November 21, which is RBC Sport Day in Canada. 

The decision to feature minor hockey in Saskatchewan as the theme of our fall exhibit proved to be fortuitous. It appears that the Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO) also has hockey on their mind and a new partnership was born. On December 6 we will be throwing open the doors (hopefully not all at the same time!) to 900 ticket holders of the RSO’s Kids Concert Series presentation of “The Hockey Sweater”. An afternoon of pre-concert activities are planned to inspire creativity and fun! Don’t have kids or tickets to the concert? No problem. We are open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and Saturday noon-5 p.m. Stop by anytime and check out Breakaway with Minor Hockey at your convenience.

This is just a taste of things to come. We look forward to unveiling a year’s worth of activities in the weeks ahead. Make plans for a visit! It’s been 50 years in the making. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to the party!
 

To find out more on our latest happenings at the SSHF, download the full version of the newest For The Record, right here:

For the Record October/November 2015

For The Record – July/August 2015

For The Record
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT SCOTT WATERS

I am excited, honoured and humbled to have been elected President of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (SSHF).  I will do my best to carry out my duties well, keeping in mind the many impressive and notable individuals who have held the position since the inception of the SSHF in 1966.  I would be remiss in not specifically acknowledging my immediate predecessor, Trent Fraser, whose passion and energy will be difficult to match.

A little about myself…I am a lawyer from Saskatoon, practicing with the firm McDougall Gauley LLP.  I have a beautiful wife, Carmen, and three children, who keep me very busy. I have been a member of the board of directors of the SSHF since 2006, and a member of the Executive Committee for several years.  During this time the SSHF has undergone great transition and has seen many improvements, including the addition of several exciting new staff members as well as a re-branding and updated website and full immersion into the world of social media.  It remains a priority to secure a more suitable location for the SSHF, which is necessary for ongoing success and sustainability.  In the meantime, we are focusing on providing the best product we can with our current resources and have made vast improvements to the current location; wherever possible ensuring such improvements are transferable to a new location.

On June 13, 2015 the SSHF held its annual Induction Dinner at the Conexus Arts Centre, which was a great success and celebrated a diverse group of athletes, teams and builders.  Many inductees, family and friends travelled great distances to attend the celebration, and they were treated to an excellent evening.  I would like to specifically acknowledge Sheila Kelly, Executive Director, staff and volunteers, as well as the Induction Dinner committee who all worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the event.

I would like to formally welcome a new member to the board of directors, and also acknowledge and thank three long-serving members of the board.  Joining the board is David Belof of Regina.  We look forward to working with David and are particularly excited about the experience and perspective he will bring.  I would also like to thank three board members who recently stepped down; Greg Indzeoski, Paul Spasoff and Steve Chisholm, who completed ten, eleven and four years of service, respectively.  During their tenure they all contributed greatly to the SSHF, particularly with regard to the Induction celebrations, Sport History committee, and Communications committee.

We are looking forward to participating in the 3rd Annual Rider Alumni Tournament (Saskatoon) being held Wednesday, September 23rd at Dakota Dunes Golf Course located south of Saskatoon.  We are also very excited for 2016, which will mark the 50th Anniversary of the SSHF; celebration plans are underway and will be revealed in due course.

On behalf of the SSHF board of directors I would like to wish you the best for the remainder of the summer and fall seasons.  Please stay in touch and stay connected with the SSHF through our website at www.sasksportshalloffame.com, our Facebook page at SaskSportsHF, our Instagram at SaskSportsHF and on Twitter @SaskSportsHF.

In addition to welcoming our new President, there have been plenty of other changes within the walls of the galleries. If you haven’t already done so, we invite everyone to come check out our latest exhibit Dedication to Sport: Our Newest Inductees, which was officially opened in conjunction with the 49th Induction celebrations on June 13. Also, don’t forget to put us in your calendars as the SSHF has multiple exciting events on the horizon!

To find out more on our latest happenings at the SSHF, download the full version of the newest For The Record, right here:

For the Record July/August 2015

What’s On at the SSHF – Up Coming Special Events

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Inductee Open House – Celebrate with the Class of 2015

Join us on Saturday as we celebrate excellence in sport and showcase our newest inductees during a public open house.

 Members of our Class of 2015 will be present for the duration of the event including:

  • Cliff Koroll – Hockey
  • Jason Parker – Speed Skating
  • Sharon Tkachuk – Athletics
  • Richard “Dick” White – Multi Sport
  • 1985 Moose Jaw Generals AA Senior Men’s Hockey Team – Hardy Cup Champions
  • 2009 Eugene Hritzuk Senior Men’s Curling Team – 2009 World Senior Men’s Curling Champions

Get some autographs, challenge someone to a game on the sport simulator, and generally have a lot of fun! Refreshments will be served.

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Barnstorming Baseball on the Prairies Commemoration Tour
* Wednesday, June 17, Saskatoon *
* Thursday, June 18, Regina *

Renowned historian, founding member of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Missouri, and author of nine baseball books, Phil S Dixon is coming to Saskatchewan.

The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame are pleased to host Mr. Dixon for public audiences in both Saskatoon and Regina.

Mr. Dixon will deliver a short presentation highlighting stories from the years of the baseball barnstorming tours.  He has spent two years traveling throughout the United States and now into Canada, delivering speeches in centres along the path of one of the most famous barnstorming teams – the Kansas City Monarchs.

His passion and enthusiasm for this historic team shines through in Phil’s illustrated appearance. Using baseball poetry and transcribing stories from interviews with hundreds of athletes, Phil will take his audience back in time to the small town sports fields of Saskatchewan where locals would spend an afternoon being entertained by the likes of Satchel Paige or Bullet Rogan.

Presentations will be held on Wednesday, June 17, at 3:00 pm at the Saskatoon Public Library, Cliff Wright Branch auditorium and Thursday, June 18, at 3:00 pm at the Regina Public Library, Central Branch theatre.

Admission is free but donations to the Halls of Fame are always welcome. Light refreshments will be available.

Support for this program is made possible through funding from Saskatchewan Lotteries.

Additional Information can be found here

 

Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame – Annual Report – 2014

SSHF-2012-logo-color-LargeEach year, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame strives to preserve and promote the history of sport in Saskatchewan. In doing so, we hope to tell the stories of the people in this province, along with their achievements in the world of sport.

2014 was quite the year for the Hall of Fame, thanks to many incredible stories, courtesy of some truly remarkable people. With events, exhibits and improvements made in every area of the Hall, 2014 really was one for the books.

With our 2014 Annual Report, we take a look back at the year that was and a look forward at the year that will be in 2015. We invite you all to take a look with us, as we showcase our year in review within this report.

Thanks to all the fans and friends of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame who have continued to support us and make our mission to showcase the stories of Saskatchewan’s sporting finest a successful one.

You can download a copy of the 2014 Annual Report, right here:

Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame Annual Report 2014

For The Record – April 2015

For The Record

Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2015

On Thursday, April 16th, President, Trent Fraser, and Induction Celebrations Chair, Linda Burnham, announced the seven inductees who will become the newest members to be enshrined as part of the Class of 2015. The inductees will be officially inducted at the 49th Annual Induction Ceremony to be held at the Conexus Arts Centre on Saturday, June 13th, 2015.

During the announcement, Linda noted that: “2015 has been declared The Year of Sport in Canada by His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada. The declaration from the Governor General celebrates the role that sport plays in our Canadian identity and its vital connection to the cultural fabric of our nation. Here, at the Saskatchewan Sport Hall of Fame, we certainly echo that sentiment which is truly embodied in our Class of 2015. We look forward to enshrining them during our Induction Celebrations in June. Their accomplishments will also be featured in our Dedication to Sport exhibit as we share with the people of Saskatchewan the great sport history of our province.”

The Class of 2015 includes:

IN THE ATHLETE CATEGORY:

Cliff Koroll – Hockey
Milos Kostic – Triathlon
Jason Parker – Speed Skating

IN THE BUILDER CATEGORY:

Sharon Tkachuk – Athletics
Richard “Dick” White – Multi Sport

IN THE TEAM CATEGORY:

1985 Moose Jaw Generals AA Senior Men’s Hockey Team – Hardy Cup Champions
2009 Eugene Hritzuk Senior Men’s Curling Team – 2009 World Senior Men’s Curling Champions

Tickets to the 49th Annual Induction Dinner & Ceremony are $100/person and are available directly from the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame via 306-780-9232, [email protected], or online at www.sasksportshalloffame.com.

In addition to the announcement of our latest class, there is plenty more going on here at the Hall. We invite you to come and see everything that is new and exciting within our walls, including our latest exhibit Chalk, Wheat and Diamonds: Saskatchewan ‘Ball.

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You can also find out more on our latest happenings by downloading the newest version of For The Record, right here:

For the Record April 2015

For The Record – March 2015

For The Record

WELCOMING VICKIE KRAUSS AS EDUCATION COORDINATOR

We are pleased to announce that Vickie Krauss has been promoted to full time employment as our Admin Assistant/Education Coordinator. Vickie joined our team at the beginning of September, 2014, in a part-time administrative capacity. Since then she has gone on to prove that she is an instrumental part of the team. With her background as an educator it was a natural choice for us to look at Vickie when it became time to re-hire for our education coordinator position. Vickie is thrilled to be able to use her skills in the development and implementation of our new curriculum based programming initiatives to support the new hardware being incorporated into the galleries, as well as the many exhibits featured annually.

Welcome to the team Vickie!

In addition to welcoming Vickie to our staff here at the Hall, there is plenty more going on. We invite you to come and see everything that is new and exciting within our walls. You can also find out more on our latest happenings by downloading the newest version of For The Record, right here:

For the Record March 2015