Thank You Nominators: You Are the Building Blocks of Our Storytelling!
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
BY TOM MAYENKNECHT
When the classes of 2020 and 2021 are honoured and celebrated at two flagship events next week – including the 51st Induction Gala of the BC Sports Hall of Fame Thursday evening, June 9th, 2022 – it will bring to an end two annual cycles that have somewhat overlapped and been bundled together on account of complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The induction celebrations – and the formal unveiling of the plaques of our newest inductees Wednesday, June 8th in the Hall of Champions at the BC Sports Hall of Fame – are the final leg of the year-long process that allows all of us associated with the BC Sports Hall to live up to our mission, which is to build outstanding community legacies by honouring the past and inspiring the future. We proudly stage the induction of another group of athletes, coaches, builders, pioneers, teams and media that have helped shape BC sport history, heritage and culture.
The induction process that closes out and concludes our annual cycle is, however, only the beginning of a lifetime of recognition for our awe-inspiring inductees. It is true that we exist to formally induct deserving candidates and nominees, but our real purpose is to use the induction gala as a “spring board”; as the beginning of our best efforts and best practices in story-telling that are made to ensure that members of the BC Sports Hall of Fame are never, ever forgotten for their contributions to the fabric of our communities throughout British Columbia.
It’s important to note that the end of one cycle is also the beginning of another. Our entire focus over the next week will be to welcome the new Class of 2021 and celebrate the Class of 2020 that was inducted virtually last year. We’re proud of what we did – under difficult circumstances — to virtually pay tribute to the Class of 2020 in the face of the global pandemic but we were also steadfast in our commitment to providing an in-person celebration for that class, along with the Class of 2021.
Yet after the Induction Gala on June 9th, our attention turns to the next annual cycle for the Class of 2023, one that will bring our timelines up to date by next year.
Nomination Day is June 30th, 2022. That is the deadline for new nominations to the BC Sports Hall of Fame. That is the first of the series of steps and timelines that will usher in the next class of inductees. Selection Day will be scheduled for some time early this fall, followed by Announcement Day later in the autumn but certainly before the end of this calendar year.
There are many people who help make this annual cycle of nomination, selection, announcement and induction happen. The saying “it takes a village…” certainly applies here. In fact, it takes a “province” of contributors to ensure that each step of the process is handled and delivered with the utmost of professionalism and integrity. We thank you all.
Yet there is an important group of British Columbians which deserves special mention. That is those of you who serve as nominators, submitting the official nomination papers for the people and teams you believe are “Hall of Fame” worthy. Without our nominators, we have no inductees – it is that simple.
We wanted to take out the time to thank and appreciate all those of you who have served as nominators, because without you, we would not be able to bring worthy nominees forward to our selection committee and, in turn, select worthy candidates for induction and, ultimately, induct, honour and celebrate them as full-fledged members of the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
What is truly gratifying is the wide range of nominators who typically step forward and step up with new nominations. In some cases, you fall into the category of family and friends. You have seen first-hand the impact that “Hall of Famers” have on the next generation of British Columbians and Canadians and you’re unabashedly proud of those who you’ve nominated. Some of you are among the most knowledgeable sport historians we have in B.C. You have literally made a lifetime and — in some cases, a career — out of charting our sport history. There are others among you who may not quite fit the label as “sport historians” or professional curators, but you have become that on a de facto basis by identifying the candidates you have over the years; simply on the strength of the passion you have for our province and our sport communities. There are those of you who work for or volunteer for local clubs, regional districts, provincial associations, national federations and international confederations — you see making these nominations as an important thing to do for your sport and all sport and we both respect and appreciate you for that. And finally, there are civic and business leaders who are so moved by our best athletes, coaches, pioneers, teams and media that you take it on yourself – despite everything else that you have on your plate — to make sure all worthy candidates get the nominations they deserve.
Whenever we pay tribute to new inductees and long-standing Honoured Members, we do so with a debt of gratitude to those of you who have served as nominators, either just once or multiple times over the course of the 56-year history of the BC Sports Hall of Fame. That’s what we’re feeling this week: Not only the inspiration generated by our newest inductees, but the appreciation that all of us at the BC Sports Hall of Fame have for those of you who share our belief in the power of sport and do your service as nominators. Each of you should take pride in the part that you’ve played to honour the past and inspire the future!
We need you and people like you again in the coming weeks as we count down to the June 30th deadline for the Class of 2023. Please give this some thought: Who is not already in the Hall or nominated who in your view belongs to be added to the 427 individuals and 65 teams that are honourees (including the Class of 2021 that is being inducted next Thursday)? We thank you in advance for what you do to bring forward more of the great stories in BC sport history, stories that are at the heart of what we do as the BC Sports Hall of Fame. And stories that wouldn’t be possible without you.
Tom Mayenknecht, Chair
BC Sports Hall of Fame
Tom Mayenknecht is the Chair of the BC Sports Hall of Fame. A principal at Emblematica Brand Builders in Vancouver and a nationally-recognized sport business commentator and founder and host of The Sport Market sport business radio show, he is a strong advocate for KidSport, Right To Play and other children’s charities. He is also a member of the Ringette Canada Hall of Fame as a builder and Chair of the Paul Carson Sports Broadcast & Media Awards.