The Huntsville Sports Hall of Fame held its first in-person induction ceremony in three years on Saturday, October 1, 2022, at the Active Living Centre in Huntsville.
The Induction Ceremony is held annually to honor those who have made great contributions to local sports. After postponements due to the pandemic, this year’s induction was all the more meaningful given the number of fans, family, and friends in attendance.
The inductees were ushered into the hall led by a lone bagpiper and greeted with enthusiastic applause from the near-capacity audience. Master of Ceremonies, Melissa Candelaria, introduced the proceedings and the major awards to be presented through the evening.
Candelaria told those present that it was great to be home again, acting as host and excited to unveil the inductees for the evening. She shared that her daughter has developed a passion for hockey and skating, and the Sports Hall of Fame is inspiring to all who love sports.
Kenneth Donald was presented with the President’s Award. Erin Jacobs represented the Hall of Fame Volunteer Committee and congratulated each of the successful nominees.
Major awards were presented early in the night. Joy Jarvis won the 2022 Jan Glenn Memorial Award for Female Sports Personality of the Year. Her annual long-distance swimming event has raised $20,000 for Hospice Huntsville since 2011.
Joy, a swimmer most of her adult life, trains from May to October for her 12km swim. “ It’s all about finding a pace” and staying with it, stated Joy, who trains with her team and husband.
Co-Inductees Rob Horton and Mike Varieur took the stage to share the award of Male Sports Personality of the Year. Their combined efforts in the Muskoka River X, the longest single-day paddle race in the world, and individual efforts as outdoor sports advocates earned them the 2022 Mike Greaves Memorial Award.
A new award, the Peter Jacob Memorial Award, was presented to Jane Wolfe for her outstanding contribution to Sport and Fitness in Huntsville. Wolfe received a standing ovation from the appreciative fans and was clearly moved by the accolades and attention.
During brief intermission inductees, families and supporters had the opportunity to converse about their future plans and activities.
Jeff Allen received a tremendous response for his achievement in Judo and Athlete induction. Jeff has brought home to Huntsville a staggering 63 gold, 28 silver, 10 bronze and three Outstanding Athlete awards.
Gary Slatter’s sister accepted the induction on his behalf, as did the family of Shirley Markle, both legendary supporters of local sports. Slatter, as a highly successful professional golfer and Markel for her unconditional love and support for Lacrosse and Figure Skating, was honored as a ”Builder”-
Dan McConnell, honored for his role as Coach of the Woman’s Hockey team “ The Huntsville Honeys” was hailed with video messages of former players on the team. McConnell expressed his gratitude for the privilege to coach these women players. He also wished for the safety and acknowledgment of first responders dealing with the hurricane disaster in the Maritimes.
Nine members of the Arrowhead Motor Midgets, spoke of the incredible support they received as young hockey players, who proudly wore jackets they received in 1977-78 season from their sponsor, as well the jerseys and “even Hockey sticks”, items not readily available to teams in those years.
Remembered in video clips from absent past team members, the team was teased for having some great times and having fascinating “nicknames” only the team would recall. When asked by audience members what those “names” were. The team laughed and smiled and posed for photos, without reply.
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