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HOLLAND
COLLEGE • April 29, 2003
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INSIDE |
FEATURES
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| {UPEI
Sports Hall of Fame off to good start University accepting donations  By Adam JacobsSurveyor staff The University of Prince Edward Island's Sports Hall of Fame is just that, a hall. It is found on the upper level of the UPEI sports centre, tucked away neatly into a far corner. Bright red doors open into what seems to be an empty hall. Inside, however, are pictures of UPEI's elite athletes and teams from years gone by. Barb Mullaly, UPEI's athletic director, was there when it all began. "The hall actually...got established in the summer of 2000," she said. The university asked people for nominations and memorabilia. Four individual athletes and the 1946-47 hockey team were the first inductions at the inaugural Hall of Fame dinner in April 2001. The Chi-Wan Young sports centre was originally built for the Canada Games in the early 1990s, meaning the site chosen for the hall was not designed for this purpose, said Mullaly. The hallway is guarded by two trophy cases which stand like pillars in front of the door. In the cases are memorabilia from St. Dunston's and Prince of Wales Collegiate, the two schools that combined in the late 1960s to form UPEI. Windows on the right overlook the gymnasium, to the left a visitor can watch racquetball or watch people workout in he weight room. The hall is relatively empty, though the same cannot be said for the athletic archives. "We've done it [moved into the hall] in three stages. The first year we did the first 10 years and the second year we did the next 10 years. This year we...bring it right up to date," Mullaly said. Bringing it up to date does not mean the work is finished. "We'll never be caught up," she said as she reached for a long cellophane envelope at the end of her desk. It contains a picture of the St. Dunston's 1917 intercollegiate hockey team sent to her by David Morrison of Summerside. People find memorabilia everywhere and it is often sent to the university. "This is sitting in people's basement it's in their attics. It would be an unusual month if we didn't get anything." The oldest picture comes with one of the most interesting stories. It's the 1902 St. Dunston's rugby team. It was found in a dumpster in Eldon. The person who donated it was emptying some of their trash when they noticed the photograph, said Mullaly. The hall started when someone submitted a sports photo from Prince of Wales College. "The very first picture I was given was Prince of Wales women's basketball team, 1945-46. It was given by a man out in East Royalty. "His uncle had been the coach and he had died the previous year. He phoned and asked if we'd be interested. The Hall of Fame had not been established yet. They were the two photos that kind of kicked it off," said Mullaly. The university encourages anyone with donations of pictures and or memorabilia to contribute to the Hall. "We do [advertise] in the alumni news. And usually we advertise in the press release and invites to the Hall of Fame dinner and ceremony. But a lot of it is word of mouth," she said. Throughout the sports centre there are monuments to the university's athletic past. An old stick and a program from the St. Dunston's Saints trip to Manitoba in the 1965 national tournament can seen in the wall holding another trophy case. On April 1, more than 600 people were at the sports centre, host of the third annual Hall of Fame dinner, which was transformed from a simple gymnasium to an elegant ball room to see six former athletes and one team honoured at a dinner ceremony. Tracy Ellsworth, a native of New Brunswick and now UPEI's women's basketball coach, was the first athlete honoured, approaching the podium to the hooting and hollering of the UPEI athletes in attendance. Thirty seconds later, Ellsworth, true to her coaching instincts told the audience to behave. She walked to the podium and told the story of the first visit to P.E.I. she could remember. She visited the campus as a child, asking what the big brick buildings were, not knowing it would be her home in the future. "From the moment I arrived (at UPEI) I felt at home," said the mother of two, looking like she could still play. Ellsworth starred as a two-sport athlete, excelling in basketball and field hockey, winning her first award as field hockey's rookie of the year. She was named field hockey's most valuable player three times. Although basketball was originally her second sport she was named the team's most improved player three times and the team most valuable player once. After graduating from UPEI in 1988, she played professional basketball in Germany only to return to coach the team she once played for. Ellsworth thanked many people, among them her former coach, fellow inductee Dave MacNeill, but she saved her most heartfelt thanks for her husband and her parents, struggling with tears as she spoke. She looked to the ceiling, smiled, whispered thank you and tucked her plaque under her arm, as she had done so many times before with a basketball, before returning to her seat. Glen Smiley was a soccer player for the UPEI Panthers in the mid 1980s. He was integral to the team's success, leading them to three Atlantic University sport titles. Smiley, who is not a native Islander, echoed Ellsworth's remarks about his adopted home province. "I've lived in almost every province, but I've always called P.E.I. home," he said. His voice carried through the gym like a man who is no stranger to public speaking. Smiley, who lives in Stratford and works for the RCMP, asked a favour of the audience. "In the future when people ask where I'm from...I hope they say he calls P.E.I. home." Mullaly promises there'll always be room for new people to join Smiley and Ellsworth "Whatever time we hit the end [of the hall] there's a doorway into the gym, then what we'll do is we'll start back up the inside of the track. "One day the entire second floor may be filled, I'll be long gone, but others can still enjoy it," said Mullaly.} |
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