Name one, and you may soon be rattling off a list of people, teams and athletic achievements from the Kingston and Greenwood area over the last 100-plus years.
The new Kingston Greenwood Sports Hall of Fame is getting set to capture that sports history, accepting nominations now for its inaugural induction event in October.
“We played a lot of sports; we had success at all levels; and we competed,” says hall of fame committee volunteer Don Rawding, himself a past hockey, baseball, track and football athlete from the area. “We’ve had a lot of people do a lot of great things – they may be recognized elsewhere, but they played here.”
Former athletes and coaches, and now hall of fame volunteers Don Hyslop, known for his in-depth knowledge of the Boston Red Sox; and Leo Glavine, with a string of 13 four-season years’ coaching; are no slouches listing athletes with Kingston and Greenwood roots: NHLers who skated with Greenwood Minor Hockey, baseball players who helped win the NATO Cup; provincial championship-winning football, lawn bowling and hockey teams; track and field athletes; repeat men’s and women’s provincial golf title holders….
“Kingston and Greenwood have a pretty rich sports history,” says Glavine. “There are lots of well-recognized and well-known names – but there’s also a past and a history before us.”
Hyslop says, as CFB Greenwood established itself in the 1940s, military sports achievements also start adding up – and, the community benefited, too, as military members and spouses played, coached and organized programs; and military children rounded out rosters.
“Except for baseball,” says Rawding. “The block leave in the summer, when entire squadrons’ members would be gone with their families to places not in Nova Scotia. The coaches and kids would often be gone at big season times!”
Word of mouth, newspaper archive digging, rooting through shared scrapbooks and tracking down former teammates is already turning up a wealth of heritage, Hyslop says.
“I’m certainly enjoying my time with the hall of fame so far, and having some really good conversations with people near and far.
Nominations for athletes, teams, coaches, builders and special category recognition are now being accepted, and the hall of fame committee is hoping nominations include as much information as possible, including any photographs and other memorabilia that may help them select the first inductees. If a nomination is selected, induction will take place at an October 25 awards event. Nominations not chosen will remain on file for later development and potential consideration.
The nomination form is online (kingstonnovascotia.ca) or available from the Kingston and Greenwood village offices. The nomination deadline is March 31. Follow Kingston Greenwood Hall of fame happenings on Facebook @Kingston Greenwood Hall of Fame.
