FORT FRANCES – When you walk into the Memorial Sports Centre, the sporting history of Fort Frances is on full display.
The Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame is looking to add to those plaques showcasing the hall’s nominees.
The pubic nomination process is now open for the fifth induction class, which will officially be enshrined on Aug. 9, 2025.
Scott Fawcett – who is part of the Hall of Fame committee – said the committee’s goal is to showcase the diverse sporting landscape in Fort Frances.
“We got a lot of hockey inductions, which is great, but we feel like there are some sports that have a great history in our town that are underrepresented,” Fawcett said.
“We’ve had a lot of great athletes and builders in sports like figure skating, golf, gymnastics and track and field over the years, so we’re hoping to get some nominations from some of those sports for this next go-around.”
All of the nominations for the Hall of Fame are brought forth from the general public, though previous nominations for the 2019 and 2022 induction classes will also be considered for 2025.
The deadline to submit a nomination form is Oct. 15. It can be downloaded from the Hall of Fame’s Facebook page or picked up in person at the Memorial Sports Centre, La Place Rendez-Vous, Seven Generations Educational Institute, Taggs Source for Sports, West End Motors and Westland Insurance.
“When we get all of the nominations in, the committee looks at each of them and we score them based on a criteria that’s pretty similar to how the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame determines their inductees,” Fawcett said.
Since the first induction class in 2015, the Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame has enshrined 14 athletes, 19 builders and nine teams.
Fawcett himself knows what it’s like to be honoured by the Hall of Fame. The long-time football coach was part of the 2019 class.
“It’s great to see that sporting history being preserved and I think it’s also there to inspire the young people to participate in sport,” Fawcett said. “We want them to get out of their basements, be active and be healthy more than anything.
“You may never be in a Hall of Fame, but your body is certainly going to appreciate the physical activity and so will your brain.”
Fawcett also said that the induction ceremony itself also serves as a reunion for those who are being honoured, especially in the team category.
“When the 1986 Fort Frances Muskies hockey team got inducted in 2022, a lot of those players hadn’t seen each other since the end of that school year,” Fawcett said. “It was a great opportunity for them to reconnect.
“We’ve got people who fly in from all over the country for the induction ceremony, which is really the highlight and culmination of this whole process.”