Why do we need a sports hall of fame in Alberta?

The simple answer is to record all of the great achievements by Albertans involved in sports through the years. That’s about as black and white an answer you’re going to get on the subject.

So apart from that, are there other reasons for a sports hall of fame?

Well, I recall a former history teacher of mine hammering home the message about knowing what has happened in the past can certainly go a long way in making the present and the future easier to navigate.

Of course that advice went in one ear and out the other but for some reason bits and pieces of it remained lodged in the deep recesses of my brain, waiting patiently for me to tap into it when I got older and wiser. I am still waiting for the wiser to happen but the older was inevitable.

So applying that sage advice from my teacher to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, visitors are provided a glimpse into the lives of these people who helped build the world of sports as we know it now and what qualities they carried with them in order to get the job done. Now that could either be on the playing surface of their chosen sport or in the board rooms of organizations which provided the guidance, coaching, training and support so many of the athletes in the hall needed to get to that lofty position.

The end result for some is a sort of sports GPS that could very well end with that person becoming a member of that very same hall of fame.

On May 25th another group of inductees will take their place alongside so many others in the hall including Central Albertans Barb Clark Parolin of Stettler, Red Deer’s Dale Henwood, Innisfail cowboy Larry Robinson and well-known and respected sports reporter Lorne Starko.

At the induction banquet people will hear more stories about what made these people solid choices for the hall but if you can’t be there to hear them firsthand, the hall provides you with an opportunity to learn about these special people. If you have never been to either the dinner or the hall itself, you are missing out on a very memorable event.

Just seeing the smiles on the faces of those being inducted is one highlight but look around the room and see so many others who are drinking in the history of theses deserving people.

But without the hall around, you might never know any of that would you?

editor@reddeerexpress.com