It was a night of celebration at the Ches Leach Lounge as the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame hosted the 33rd annual induction banquet on Saturday night.
Thanks to a larger induction class than usual, the Ches Leach Lounge was more full then it has been in years past. Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame president Barry Mihilewicz says the evening went well with the increased attendance.
“I think it went really well. This was one of the biggest classes of inductees that we’ve had in the whole time I’ve been involved with the hall. It went really smoothly considering you were pretty much packed in here.”
In total, nine new inductees were welcomed into the ranks of the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame. Elizabeth (Hudon) Tenaski, Frank Dunn and Lonny Akers were welcomed into the athlete category. Rene Quintal, Tom Brothwell and Brent Zbaraschuk were recognized as builders. Roger Mayert was the lone inductee into the meritorious service category after years of volunteer work with various organizations.
The 1975-78 Meath Park Mustangs football teams and the 1984-87 Birch Hills Marauders basketball teams were also honoured.
Mihilewicz says the class were all very deserving of the recognition.
“Some really impressive inductees. Frank Dunn’s accomplishments, and the whole thing of living in a boler trailer for his first year of university in Winnipeg. The accomplishments that Elizabeth and Lonny have had. To have the kind of builders that we’ve had that have done all they’ve done, the involvement, it’s pretty amazing.”
“Those teams, like how about a high school football team for four straight years that goes undefeated. Birch Hills had this 1A team playing against 4A and 5A teams and winning tournaments. There’s so much talent and there’s so much success in sport in Prince Albert, but that’s not to discount the fact that just being involved in sport is excellent. All that builders aren’t just there for the people that have won championships, but they are also there for the kids that just go out and kick the ball around on a Saturday morning.”
Mitch Holash was the master of ceremonies for the evening. The night featured speeches by dignitaries including Prince Albert Northcote MLA Alanna Ross and Mayor Bill Powalinsky. Video tributes highlighting the accomplishments of each inductee produced by Big Drum Media were shown prior to inductees being presented with a citation that will be on public display along with a medal. Elizabeth Tenaski delivered a speech on behalf of the inductees.
The Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame is operated by eight directors who serve on the board. Mihilewicz says his fellow board members do an excellent job at making the induction banquet run smoothly.
“Many hands make light work. There’s an incredible team and everybody pitches in and it’s really not an onerous thing. I tell people, if you’re looking for something to volunteer at and you don’t want it to be this ridiculously huge time commitment, but you wanna be involved in something, make an impact, come join us on the board at the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame. It’s excellent, it’s a lot of fun. We laugh a lot and we get things done.”
The Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame encourages members of the public to submit nominations for future induction classes. More information about nominations can be found at pashof.ca
sports@paherald.sk.ca
