Thankfully a number of people who had been active with the organization since its launch in 1994 stepped back into the fold to get the wheels turning again.
The Hall of Fame & Museum are both worthy of being rejuvenated because sport has always been and will continue to be important to the community.
For the young, sport offers so many positives, from simply being a place to expend some energy in a controlled environment to learning important life lessons such as how to be part of a team, how to work hard toward a goal, how to win and lose with grace and so much more.
For the larger community sport is a place from which we can garner some collective pride. When a team does well, like the Yorkton Terriers winning the Royal Bank Cup in 2014, or an individual doing well such as Lori Ann Mundt being part of the Canadian Women’s Volleyball team at the 1996 Summer Olympics, our chests pop just a bit more for a time, our smiles are a bit bigger.
So when we collect memorabilia of the greatest successes and put those on display as some of the Museum’s collection now is at the Gallagher Centre, it becomes a place to visit, and to reflect on the proud tradition of sport in the community.
For those inducted into the Hall of Fame – to-date 79 individuals and 17 teams representing some 25 sports – it’s both a community tip of the hat to their accomplishments and a way to say thanks for the efforts and memories.
There has not been an induction since 2014, but now as the Hall of Fame continues its rejuvenation, another induction is planned for 2022.
There are certainly individuals and teams worthy of consideration.
The aforementioned RBC-winning Terrier team for instance.
Or, how about the late Bill Sobkow and Al Greschuk who have both been inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame. If they are worthy of provincial honours they are deserving of induction locally too.
The list could go on, and the Hall recognizes as the first induction in eight years there will likely be a longer list of nominees and ultimately a longer list of inductees too.
Of course, that will depend on the community at large. No one can be inducted if they are not nominated. The community needs to do some of the leg work, fill out some forms – available online by year end – and get the names of the worthy to the Hall of Fame for consideration.
Let’s celebrate our sport heritage by honouring our best in the year ahead.
