The Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame is taking nominations for its second round of inductees until Oct. 31.
Roger Trull, the Hall of Fame’s Chair, says they plan to induct five athletes, two builders, and one team. Nominees that make the cut will be honoured with a plaque and video in a ceremony at the A.J. LaRue Arena on May 25.
Trull says only residents of the Haliburton Highlands are eligible for nomination, and athletes must have achieved significant recognition over at least five years, as well as been retired for at least three or be at least 40 years old.
“Currently inducted into the Hall of Fame are hockey players, track and field athletes, people who have been long-time coaches, directors of leagues, and some teams that won provincial and national recognition,” says Trull. “So something more than just participating in Haliburton, as far as the teams and athletes go. For the builders, it’s really people who have made outstanding contributions through their volunteerism to make the Highlands a better place for sport.”
The Hall of Fame started up in 2021 and adds new inductees every second year. In the first round, it consisted of 11 athletes, three builders, and three teams. “That was our first go-around, so we wanted to kind of build the hall to begin with, with the approach that in future years we’d be inducting less people,” says Trull.
Trull encourages people to nominate anyone they think is worthy, as the selection committee will give “serious consideration” to all nominees and announce the successful inductees in February. “We’ve only just begun, so during this process we will certainly retain any of the nominations for people that weren’t selected, and consider them in future years,” he adds.
He notes the community response to the HHSHOF has been great so far.
“It was fantastic. We had nearly 400 people come to the event [last year] and we heard lots of feedback from lots of people about the importance of creating this Hall of Fame, and enthusiasm for it,” says Trull. “It got people thinking about some of the outstanding athletes, coaches, and teams that they might have had experience with. I think the reception was very, very positive. We had lots of very important donors and sponsors who made this possible and shared the vision for growing sport in the Highlands.”
You can make nominations for next year’s inductions at the HHSHOF website.