Having a ball during a trip to the Hall
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame is a repository for assorted antiquated items so, really, I fit right in.
A creaky columnist scoured the shrine the other day and could not resist the compulsion to document a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
I was hooked from the outset of the impromptu tour. Upon entering the Hall, it was impossible not to notice a No. 23 jersey that was once worn by iconic Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Ron Lancaster.
The Hall’s current theme is “inductees through the decades.” Artifacts from the 1980-89 time period are being accentuated until June 30. The Little General being a 1981 enshrinee, his jersey is a natural centrepiece.
“We get to showcase the Ron Lancaster jersey that everyone loves,” Autumn McDowell, the Hall’s congenial communications co-ordinator, said while kindly offering a guided tour.
While walking around the Hall, my jaw dropped — as did my chins — as I marvelled at various forms of memorabilia. The Roughriders-related material, by itself, is enough to fascinate the visitor.
Consider, for example, a 1960 Riders plate ... a kicking tee from the 1966 Grey Cup game ... a 1981 football autographed by luminaries such as Joey Walters, Roger Aldag and John Hufnagel ... Alan Ford’s Grey Cup rings ... a copy of the classic early-1970s country album, “800 Pounds of West Country Rock” ... Ron Atchison’s game-worn Hush Puppies ... Ray Elgaard’s receiving gloves ... knitted dolls paying tribute to Lancaster and George Reed ... and a leather helmet worn by Eddie (Dynamite) James of the Regina Roughriders in the 1931 Grey Cup game.
The entire tour was, well, dynamite.
Consider the multi-sport simulator, which allows visitors to Saskatchewan’s sporting shrine to enjoy an interactive experience.
The simulator includes nine different sports. Golfers who drop by the Hall can even bring their own clubs. There are 15 different courses — much like my dinner on Thursday, but we digress.
Being a devoted non-golfer, I chose hockey. Autumn handed me a hockey stick, whereupon I asked for instructions. The simulator was then activated.
Just like that, I was a couple of yards away from an electronic goaltender. He somehow stopped my first two shots before being cleanly beaten on the next two — a 58 km-h “cannon” (the machine’s words, not mine) and a 54 km-h “howitzer.”
The last of five shots was errant, but I was still 2-for-5. I stood there for a few seconds, waiting to be impulsively inducted on the strength of a dazzling display of marksmanship, but was not approached by any learned representatives of the Hall.
The tour proceeded.
I was dizzied, much like the hapless goalie, while wandering around a Hall into which 505 different athletes, builders and teams — spanning 51 different sports — have been inducted.
Which way to turn? What to do?
Every case, every exhibit, is fascinating.
Over nearly an hour, I spent time staring at a Harvey Mazinke curling broom ... All-American Girls Professional Baseball League programs from 1947 ... a poster from the 1976 Montreal Olympics (has it really been 40 years?) ... Saskatchewan scorecards from the 1930 Brier (covered by Murray McCormick) ... Sandra Schmirler world women’s curling championship trays from 1993 and 1994 ... a 1925 Regina Pats wool sweater ... a 1933-34 Prince Albert City Reds soccer ball … and a tube of Kenselite Grippo — touted as “the perfect grip for all sportsmen.”
It was a perfect trip for this sports fan — a reminder of my second date with my then-future wife who, one life-altering day in April of 1997, inquired: “Isn’t the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame based in Regina?”
Chryssoula and I celebrated our 17th anniversary on Sunday, with no small thanks to the Hall.
Saskatchewan’s sporting shrine, meanwhile, is approaching a milestone. The 50th anniversary will be commemorated in fine style on Oct. 31.
In recognition of the 50th year, the Hall is not having any formal inductions in 2016. Instead, the focus will be on all the members of the Hall.
“We’re still going to have a gala,” Autumn said while looking ahead to the autumn, “but we’re going to celebrate everyone instead of a small group.”
And, believe me, this is a Hall to be celebrated.