Diamond Girls Goes Down Under

From performances in small towns throughout Saskatchewan, to the international stage, Diamond Girls has been a home run! As we made preparations for our 50th anniversary, one very unique opportunity presented itself when Menagerie Productions and playwright, Maureen Ulrich, proposed a one-act, one-woman play featuring the Saskatchewan connection to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The leading actress has the challenging task of portraying a whopping 21 characters throughout this one hour performance including three Saskatchewan players, Mary “Bonnie” Baker, Arleene (Johnson) Noga, and Daisy Junor.

After putting on its first performance in June, 2016 we are thrilled to learn that Diamond Girls will be taking on international audiences in 2018! The girls of summer will be traveling to the world’s 2nd largest fringe festival in Adelaide, South Australia in March, 2018! To learn more about Diamond Girls, and their upcoming performances, please visit menageriepro.weebly.com.

For the Record: November/December

For The Record

MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT LINDA BURNHAM

Our 50th anniversary year is coming to a close and what a year it has been!

The celebrations throughout 2016 have included 3 major events, a 12 months-12 events series, as well as a dedication each week to one of our 51 represented sports.

Our first major event was Diamond Girls.  This was a one-woman play depicting the stories of the Saskatchewan women who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.  The play travelled throughout the summer and received great reviews on every stage.

Next came our travelling exhibit.  A semi-trailer, which has been retrofitted to house a display of artifacts, spent the summer travelling to a number of locations throughout the province.  Our inductees represent over 140 Saskatchewan communities and the travelling exhibit enabled us to take the Hall to the people. If you missed your chance to see it this year, watch for us again in 2017!

The Gala was our last major event of the year. This was a very entertaining evening and we provided those in attendance with a view into the history of the SSHF. More details of this memorable event can be found throughout this newsletter.

We wish to thank everyone who attended our events throughout the year.  We are very grateful for the support we received, and while we did not have an induction ceremony this year, we are currently reviewing the nominations for induction in 2017!

Our Board of Directors and staff also recently spent time at our annual retreat where we enjoyed getting to know each other, and also had a full day of business where our Strategic Plan was the focus of discussion.  That plan will take us into the future with goals and direction that we continually work towards.

Throughout this hectic year it has become evident that our staff and board members are very committed and engaged, which will ensure that the SSHF continues to celebrate, preserve and promote the phenomenal sports history of our province.

On behalf of the Board of Directors I would like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season.  We hope you will connect with the SSHF personally as well as through our social medial channels.

Website: www.sasksportshalloffame.com
Facebook: SaskSportsHF
Instagram: @SaskSportsHF
Twitter: @SaskSportsHF
Review us on TripAdvisor

Best wishes,

Linda Burnham, President

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 November/December 2016

For the Record: August/September 2016

For The Record

MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT LINDA BURNHAM

 

I am honored to be President of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (SSHF). I acknowledge I have big shoes to fill, and I thank our immediate Past President Scott Waters for his dedication and service. We have a long line of Past Presidents who have contributed to advancements and successes the SSHF has experienced over the past years.

2016 has been a milestone for the SSHF as we celebrate our 50th anniversary. We have made that celebration last the entire year and have showcased three major events as highlights.

Diamond Girls is a play about the Saskatchewan women who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.   The one-act, one-woman show has toured several provinces over the last few months and it has received rave reviews everywhere it has played.   We are so proud to be associated with Diamond Girls and proud to have some of those players as inductees in the SSHF.

Our next major event has been a traveling exhibit that is presently touring throughout communities in Saskatchewan.  Our 505 inductees represent over 140 Saskatchewan communities and the traveling exhibit has been our way of taking the Hall to the people.  Another major success, the traveling exhibit has provided us with great exposure throughout the province.

The final major event will be our Gala on September 30. We have chosen to forgo the induction of a new class this year in favor of celebrating the 505 current inductees.  The successes of these inductees is cause for celebration and we wish to recognize them once again in this evening planned to be a one of a kind event.  We will showcase several inductees in Hotstove panels representing Hockey, Football and Olympians. We also have some short videos prepared to showcase many of our inductees while it tells a story about the SSHF. We hope you will join us for this exciting evening.

While we celebrate our past, we also have challenges to accomplish ahead of us.  Our Board of Directors is a group of individuals who are dedicated to making things happen, and have proven qualified to do so.  Our plan is to still secure a new location for the SSHF which will allow us to better showcase the inductees and be more appropriate for the many wonderful artifacts we possess. We continue to search for sustainable fundraising to support the Hall.  We have big dreams and those come at big costs!

I do want to recognize the amazing staff we have at the SSHF.  They have all shown dedication to this year of celebration and have most willingly given of their time to ensure the success of every event.   Thank you to Sheila, Vickie, Brock, Autumn  and the summer staff, Amber, Danelle and Jenna, who have given the SSHF such dedication and commitment in this special year.

On behalf of the Board of Directors I thank you for your support.  Please drop by the Hall, or the traveling exhibit and experience what the Hall is all about. Saskatchewan is a great sporting province. We recognize excellence. We celebrate sport.

Best wishes,

Linda Burnham, President

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 August/September 2016

50th Anniversary Sponsors

The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors. The planning and execution of our three exciting 50th anniversary projects would not be possible without all of their support.

Website Sponsors DIAMOND6
Website Sponsors TRAVELING7
Website Sponsors GALA7

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Sheila Kelly, [email protected] or 306-780-9232.

 

For the Record: May/June 2016

For The Record

MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT SCOTT WATERS

We are officially more than one quarter through the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame’s (SSHF) 50th year. While we have already started celebrating this historic anniversary, some of our biggest events are still to come.

I would first like to remind everyone that we will not be having a formal induction this year. However, we have many exciting events on the horizon that will give everyone in the province a chance to celebrate our anniversary with us. These events will include a traveling exhibit, a one-woman play and a gala, which will all be explained in detail throughout this newsletter.

It is our hope that, in doing so, we will be successful in celebrating the phenomenal sports history of all 505 inductees, including: 223 athletes, 158 builders and 124 championship teams, whose stories have been housed inside of our walls for all these years.

The staff has also been hard at work planning and executing the first four events in our “12 months, 12 Events” series. The two most recent of these events were prepared in conjunction with major sporting events happening in the province. Our February event saw the staff, along with 15 curling inductees, travel to Swift Current – the host site of the 2016 Ford World Women’s Curling Championships.

Our fourth event saw us team up with The Keystone Cup, a prestigious Junior B Hockey Championship that was being hosted in Regina for the first time. The tournament was a great excuse to bring a handful of our inductees together. 2015 SSHF inductee Cliff Koroll flew in from Chicago, while two members of the 1968 Team Canada Olympic Team, Morris Mott and Terry O’Malley, joined us as well.

Fans in attendance during both events were given the opportunity to ask questions of our inductees, get autographs and pose for pictures. I would like to specially thank the Ford World Women’s Curling Championship organizing committee, The Keystone Cup organizing committee and our event MC’s Taylor Shire and Candace Woodside for helping to make these events possible.

On behalf of the SSHF Board of Directors I would like to wish you the best for the remainder of the spring season and upcoming summer season.  Please stay in touch and stay connected with the SSHF (and encourage friends and family to do the same) through our Social Media channels.

Website: www.sasksportshalloffame.com
Facebook: SaskSportsHF
Instagram: SaskSportsHF
Twitter: @SaskSportsHF
Review us on TripAdvisor

Best wishes,

Scott Waters, President

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 May/June 2016

February Blog: Special Project Unveiled

DIAMOND GIRLS

Throughout our 50th anniversary the primary goal of the SSHF is to celebrate our inductees and showcase their back stories and accomplishments for the people of Saskatchewan. One very unique opportunity presented itself when Menagerie Productions and playwright, Maureen Ulrich, proposed a one-act, one-woman play featuring the Saskatchewan connection to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League as a project to be pursued through the SSHF’s Sport History grant.  With the support of Softball Saskatchewan, Women in Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation, and Saskatchewan Lotteries the project has become a reality.  Here is Maureen’s back story to this unique 50th anniversary project.

DIAMOND GIRLS: DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH

Writing a one-act, one-woman show about the rise and fall of a baseball league is challenging, especially when eighteen players plus officials, fans, and coaches are required to play an actual game. Diamond Girls focuses on the involvement of three Saskatchewan women – Arleene Johnson Noga, Mary Baker, and Daisy Junor – who participated in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) during the 1940’s.

My relationship with Diamond Girls began with a Leader-Post article about a dedication to Mary Baker at Central Park, Regina. A League of Their Own is one of my favourite movies – and I wanted to learn more about the role Mary and other Saskatchewan women played in the AAGPBL. DiamonsGirlsSMALL

It has been thrilling and sobering to get to know them through nonfiction books, newspaper and magazine articles, yearbooks, letters, photographs, and interviews with their families and Arleene herself. Mary, Arleene, and Daisy not only played in the AAGPBL – they were stars. Furthermore they didn’t stop competing when their pro baseball careers ended.

I deeply regret never starting down this path sixteen years ago when I first met Arleene – when many of the Saskatchewan ladies were still alive – but it simply did not occur to me. Nevertheless, Arleene, who played ball for six decades, has lost none of her passion or loyalty towards a league that sent her on countless road trips, many miles from home, to play in front of thousands of fans and set fielding records. In sportswriter Ned Powers’ words, “There are a few women who could play a position as well as a man, and Arleene was one of them.” Yes, Arleene has fueled my fire to get these three characters on stage as quickly as possible.

My first draft merely told their stories, but over time their competitive, vibrant, baseball savvy personalities have emerged, showing the audience how unique their experiences truly were. A process of continual revision has begun, as each word of dialogue and direction is carefully considered. How can I provide actress Colleen Sutton (RiderGirl) with the tools she needs to create clear and lasting images in the minds of her audience? After all she will be roleplaying multiple characters in a variety of settings – baseball diamonds and hotel rooms, even a television game show. Naturally I will lean heavily on Colleen’s comedic and dramatic expertise. It is our goal to make every “inning” of Diamond Girls (yes, there are nine!) funny, gritty, enlightening, or poignant.

Like the AAGPBL teams, Diamond Girls will be on the road most of the summer.  Therefore, the set design must be minimal. Projections will be used at the beginning of the play both to create nostalgia and to acquaint the audience with the faces of all 25 Saskatchewan players. Two AAGPBL uniforms will be fabricated, as damage or loss of this important element would be devastating.

We are four months away from our first rehearsal in Estevan, but the groundwork for a solid, accurate, and entertaining story is slowly and carefully being laid. We hope you will see Diamond Girls if it travels to a community near yours. If you are interested in hosting a performance, please contact me or Sheila Kelly, as the tour schedule is still evolving.

I am indebted to the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (SSHF), the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Softball Saskatchewan, Women in Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation, and Saskatchewan Lotteries for their enthusiastic assistance and support. I especially look forward to helping the SSHF celebrate its 50th anniversary year.

Maureen Ulrich [email protected]

*Current Tour Locations and Dates (subject to change):

Estevan (Souris Valley Theatre) – June 2016 (exact dates TBA)
Weyburn (Tommy Douglas Performing Arts Centre) – June 27
Assiniboia (Olympia Theatre) – June 28
Regina (The Artesian) – June 30
Regina Fringe Festival – July 6-10
Winnipeg Fringe Festival – July 13-24
Edmonton Fringe Festival – August 11-21
Saskatoon (Broadway Theatre) August 28

*UPDATE: Please note that dates have changed for Diamond Girls performances. Updated information will be released in early May!