Dave Leaderhouse, Special to the Herald
An overflow, albeit somewhat overheated, crowd saluted the newest members of the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame when that organization hosted its 34th induction banquet on Saturday at the Ches Leach Lounge.
Despite the air conditioning system not working properly the large crowd was guided through an impressive program by Master of Ceremonies Mitchell Holash with nine local athletes, builders, teams, organizations and those recognized for meritorious service to sport getting their rightful place in the local hall of fame.
Being lauded for past accomplishments are: Leah (Guidinger) Tyree, Katelyn Lehner and Joel Mihilewicz as athletes; Randy Emmerson and Tim Leonard as builders; Rusty Clunie and Carol Soles for meritorious service to sport; the 2013-14 Telus Cup champion Prince Albert Mintos Midget AAA hockey team and the World Cup of Softball host committee as the Sports Organization of the Year.
“Determination, commitment and excellence, you’ve all had a positive impact on the community,” stated Alana Ross, the Minister for Parks, Culture and Sport and the MLA for Prince Albert Northcote, when she addressed the crowd before the honourees were feted.
Deputy Mayor Bryce Laewetz and Erin Stankewich, the Chief Executive Officer for the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, also passed on high praise to the inductees in addition to congratulating the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame for its continued success in acknowledging the city and area’s rich sporting history.
Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame president Barry Mihilewicz concluded the congratulatory speeches by saying, “I’m always amazed by the remarkable stories behind these people.”
Those stories were indeed remarkable.
The first presentation was the Sports Organization of the Year and it was given to the World Cup of Softball host committee largely for the 2025 men’s world championship held in the city last summer, but also for the last decade that saw a large group raise a significant amount of money to construct a world-class facility plus bring the 2018 World Junior Men’s Championship and the 2024 World Cup regional qualifier to Prince Albert.
Tyree was praised for her excellence in volleyball, basketball, soccer and track and field while Lehner’s domination in track and field at the high school level and subsequent run of success as a junior and university-level competitor was acknowledged. Joel Mihilewicz dominated racquetball like few others have during the 1990s winning city and provincial titles throughout the decade.
Emmerson has been a coach, organizer, mentor and committee member in a number of sports such as football, soccer and basketball and recently has lent a hand with the Special Olympics programs in the city. Leonard has had a distinguished coaching career in hockey most notably leading the Prince Albert Mintos to back-to-back Telus Cup championships in 2006 and ‘07. He has also coached with the Prince Albert Raiders and last year was once again behind the bench this time helping the Prince Albert Timberjaks.
Clunie’s involvement in sport began when he helped create the River Riders football program and after a tragic airplane accident that took his son Max’s life he stepped forward to provide financial and organizational assistance to a number of projects including the Friday Night Lights at Prime Ministers’ Park, the development of the ball complex now known as Max Power Ball Parks and improvements to the football field at Prime Ministers’ Park that bears the name of his son Max Clunie. Rusty Clunie has also been a driving force in bringing Professional Bull Riding to the area.
For more than 40 years there has rarely been a sporting event held in the city that hasn’t had Soles’ name attached to it as she has been involved in everything from the Prince Albert Sports Council to the Western Canada Summer Games to the Junior Men’s World Softball Championship and the Saskatchewan Senior Fitness Association’s +55 Games. She was also a long-time board member of the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame until stepping down last year.
The 2013-14 Telus Cup champion Prince Albert Mintos were the last to be enshrined and with a large group of the team members back in the city to celebrate the honour it was clear how special that team was. Having overcome a pair of debilitating illnesses to team trainer Dan “Cobra” Taylor and team president Zenon Markowsky earlier that season the Mintos capped a remarkable playoff run with a triple-overtime triumph in the national championship game.
Emmerson concluded the formal part of the program when he spoke on behalf of his fellow inductees. Citing the human experience Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen spoke of when he returned from his recent trip around the moon, Emmerson said gratitude, joy and love are key emotions for what he and the others were feeling.
To emphasis these feelings he had the group of inductees at the head table rise and give a standing ovation to those in the crowd saying, “You helped us press on. Family, friends and, quite frankly, all of Prince Albert we thank-you for your support.”
The 2026 class of inductees raises the total number of honourees to over 200 in the athlete’s and builder’s categories, more than 40 teams and over 30 for meritorious service to sport.
While this year’s banquet is now in the books plans for next year have already begun. Anyone interested in nominating someone or a team can contact any board member of the hall of fame or go to their website at www.pashof.ca.
