The list of members in the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame grew by eight as the 2024 class was honoured during the 32nd annual induction banquet that took place at the Ches Leach Lounge on Saturday night.
Ashley Viklund (athlete), Francois Fournier (athlete/builder), Melodie Boulet (builder), Jennifer Ferguson (builder), Brad Fetch (builder), Tyson Fetch (builder), Al Dyer (meritorious service) and the 1995 P.A. Optimist Toppers (team) made up the induction class. The 2023 Esso Cup Host Committee was also named the Organization of the Year.
The night featured a catered banquet dinner, speeches from M.L.A Alana Ross, councilor Dawn Kilmer, Erin Stankewich from the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, PA Sports Hall of Fame president Ellen Grewcock and a speech on behalf of the inductees from Jennifer Ferguson.
Prior to each inductee being presented with a medal and the display that will be shown at the Art Hauser Centre, a video tribute was shown discussing the contributions of each inductee.
“On behalf of the Hall of Fame, I would like to congratulate all of our inductees being honored here tonight for their accomplishments in the sporting world.” Grewcock said in her speech. “Again, it’s a very diverse group. We seem to always have some uniqueness, different sports, all of us involved.”
“Sports do not build character but reveal it. I think we all know that sports builds character, it teaches you to play by a set of rules and how to win and how to lose. The teams and individuals being inducted here this evening have been fortunate enough to be part of sport at a very elite level, demonstrated not only by their successes but by their commitment to making sport a part of their life and showcasing our community talent.
During her speech on behalf of the induction class, Jennifer Ferguson says they are grateful for all the sacrifices from their loved ones that allow them to continue to be involved in sports“
“We would not be here this evening without the incredible families we are so lucky to be part of. As young people engaged in athletics, our family spent many hours driving us back and forth to practice and then cheering us on in our games. You taught us to stay humble in victory and gracious in defeat and you encouraged us to learn from every experience.”
“As adults with our families of our own we again see the people we love making sacrifices to allow us to continue to do what we love. There are late nights spent at the gym running practice and then hours once we get home planning the next one. Our families spend so much time without us and then when we are together we are easily distracted with talking about what’s next on the schedule. We appreciate all that you do to allow us to chase our dreams and stay involved in the sporting community.”
Inductions for next year’s Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame class are now open.
