Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame celebrates 2021 inductees

The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame celebrated its seven 2021 inductees on Saturday night at the Halifax Convention Centre.

“This is always one of the great nights of the Nova Scotia sport calendar,” Bruce Rainnie, president and CEO of the hall of fame, said. “You learn so much about our history, kids can get inspired, old kids … can get inspired. It's just a ton of fun and a lot of people who never did it for any sort of 'do' get their just 'do.'”

Induction Night at the downtown Halifax event centre saw four athletes, one team and two builders become inductees.

The inductees include two Olympians, two stand-out players from legendary teams, two beloved builders and one team that won an iconic Canadian championship:

• Mark Dacey 2004 Brier Curling Team: A team that defeated Team Alberta in 2004 to win the Tim Hortons Brier championship and went on to place third in the world championships; they finished in second at the 2003 Brier and third in the 2006 championship. Teammates include Mark Dacey, Andrew Gibson, Matt Harris, Rob Harris, Bruce Lohnes and coach Peter Corkum
• Ted Upshaw, basketball, from Three Mile Plains: Inducted with the 1977 Acadia Axemen National Championship men’s basketball team, Upshaw still holds the record at the Wolfville university for the most regular-season points (1,563) and field goals (664). He was also a member of Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team program from 1976 to 1980
• Robert Putnam, softball, from Brookfield: Putnam was the winning pitcher in the 1980 National Senior Men’s Fastball Championship game who helped the Brookfield Elks win a gold medal — the first-ever for a team east of Ontario. Putnam won eight Nova Scotia Senior Fastball Championships and was named Nova Scotia Male Athlete of the Year in 1980
• Todd Hallett, rowing, from Shelburne: Hallett is a champion in both the men’s single and double sculls rowing events who competed in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. He won bronze in the 1991 Pan American Games, represented Canada at the World Rowing Championships five times and is a three-time recipient of the Sport Nova Scotia Outstanding Achievement Award
• Richard Dalton, paddling, from Cork, Ireland: In a career spanning two decades, Dalton made it to the podium at national and international sprint canoe events several times. He won gold at the national senior men’s championships 24 times, placed first on the World Cup circuit nine times, competed in the 2004 Olympics, won gold at the 2011 Pan American Games and brought home three bronze medals from the Senior World Championships
• Cathy Mason, Special Olympics, from Stellarton: Since 1992, Mason has worked several roles in the Special Olympics including volunteer regional coordinator for Pictou county, a mission staff member and team manager for Special Olympics Canada at five World Games events and served in some capacity at ten National Games. She has received both the Special Olympics Canada Jim Thompson Award and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
• Brian Todd, sailing and para-sailing, from Halifax: Todd was the head coach and technical director at Sail Nova Scotia from 1991 to 1999, coaching athletes at 50 National Championships, 29 World Championships, 29 North American Championships, two Paralympic Games and one Olympic Game. In 2004, the Brian Todd Youth Sailor of the Year Award was created in his honour

Rainnie told CityNews Halifax there's one thing about Nova Scotians that makes the people stand out in the province.

“It's a cliche to say it, but we punch so far above our weight when it comes to success on the national and even international levels at times,” he said. “Every year, the nomination process is open to the public … and we leave it totally open to the public — we as staff do not nominate.”

After nominations are made, a panel of 36 people will adjudicate, weighing the pros and cons of each nominee and coming up with a list of six or seven inductees each year.

What adds to the special quality of sport in Nova Scotia, according to Rainnie, is the greater community.

“Every community in this province, be it a city the size of Halifax or a town the size of Port Hood, you have these amazing volunteers and coaches who just give up their time day-after-day, year-after-year to make sure that kids have a sporting experience,” he said. “You go at any time of year and a rink is full or a ball field is full or a curling rink has four or five players. You just see it and you see the coaches working with them and it's non-stop, and that can only produce really cool things.”

While being inducted into a hall of fame is a major achievement, Rainnie adds that it's never the top priority for more Nova Scotia athletes.

“The beautiful thing about the Nova Scotia athlete is a really good humble team,” he said. “None of these people ever did what they did to get inducted into a hall of fame; they did it because they loved it or their teammates or their community. This is their night to shine.”