Calling all sports fans!
Is there a longtime coach who inspired you in athletics? Perhaps an up-and-coming athlete who you think deserves more recognition?
Now’s your chance to nominate them for induction to the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame, which opened for nominations for its 2025 class earlier this month.
People can submit their nominations for induction or one of the Hall of Fame’s annual awards, which includes athlete of the year, coach of the year, and a local lifetime achievement award.
It’s the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame’s fortieth anniversary and, to celebrate, the hall has partnered with the city.
“We’re finally engaging cooperatively with the city, which supports our banner program,” said Tom Ewles, the hall’s chairperson. “All those flags on the lakefront, each banner will represent one of our inductees from May through to the ceremony in October.”
The window to submit nominations closes on Mar. 10, while the festivities will culminate in a celebrity sports dinner and induction ceremony on Oct. 1, which will also be broadcast on community television.
Ewles expects several local sports heroes to be in attendance for the event, including NHL superstar Mike Gartner, former LPGA golfer Stephanie Sherlock, and paralympic snowboarder Alex Massie.
“We’re changing a bit of our direction,” Ewles told The Barrie Compass. “We’ve been supported by local businesses and service clubs through a sponsorship program. In the past, we’ve always just had a dedicated induction ceremony for the awards.”
“But this year, we’re doing a sports celebrity dinner combined with the induction ceremony as a fundraiser.”
Ewles also said the hall had launched an awareness campaign in the hopes of receiving more nominations for the organization’s annual awards. Last year, the hall’s coach of the year, amateur athlete of the year, and ‘unsung hero’ awards were not handed out because no nominations were received.
“It’s definitely an awareness program. For a lot of the awards, we haven’t had nominees coming through, particularly for the amateur athletes and the coaches,” he said. “It’s a new generation of individuals that we’re trying to reach to rebuild the board and sustain the organization over the next 30 or 40 years.”
“We have a rich history, a huge rich history of sporting excellence, and what the hall does is try to recognize those individuals.”
In order to nominate someone for induction, you must be a member of the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame, which requires a $25 lifetime membership.
