Nominate an Athlete to the PEI Sports Hall of Fame

Eligible nominees are those who have brought distinction to Prince Edward Island in any field of sport, and those who have made a major contribution to the development of sports in the Province. There are two categories to which an athlete can be inducted: 1) Athletes and Teams, and 2) Builders of Sport. Athletes/Teams must be retired from active competition for a period of five years minimum, or to be considered to be five years past their athletic peak.

Builders may still be active, but must have given at least ten years of outstanding service to their sport, and considered to be an outstanding leader either at the community, provincial, or national level.

Coaches and officials will be considered in the Builder category.

Athletes and builders are eligible for induction, providing they were either born on P.E.I. or lived in the province for at least four years during their career.

Who may nominate?

Anyone with knowledge about an athlete/builder and willing to invest the time and effort necessary for this task.

What does a good nomination look like?

• Everything should be submitted on letter size paper
• At least a two-page biographical sketch about the nominee
• Supporting materials that document the factual information in the biographical sketch
• At least two letters of support
• Sports-related photographs
• Has a completed Nomination Form attached

What should be included in the biographical sketch?

The bio-sketch should include detailed information about the person’s sporting achievements. Include awards won, medals received, records achieved, honours won, etc. The bio-sketch can be presented in narrative form for general descriptive information or in bulleted form for factual information about athletic achievements, records, awards, etc. Personal information about the individual is valuable in presenting a balanced view and should be included, but the selection decision is first and foremost a decision about athletic accomplishment.

What kind of supporting materials should be included?

The supporting material should back-up the information included in the bio-sketch, e.g. if an individual played for PEI on a Canada Games team, a news clipping could be included that documents that participation, or information can be presented about high school or university participation from yearbooks, public relations releases, athletic fact books, newsletters, fall and spring athletic guides, etc. The idea is to be completely accurate with information rather than presenting someone’s opinion that might be based on faulty memory.
Do not include items of value or materials that cannot easily be copied.

Who should write support letters and what should be their content?

Letters of support are intended to add weight to your recommendation. They can be solicited from former coaches, mentors, teammates, athletic directors, high school and university officials, and others who have had direct observation of the individual. These letters should speak to the athletic accomplishments of the individual and state an opinion about the person’s potential for Hall membership, given the mission and high selection standards of the Hall. References to good character in these letters are welcome and should be included.

How do I submit photos?

You can submit photos in whatever way is convenient to you, but they should be presented in letter-size format for ease of copying by the Hall of Fame Staff. Photos should be sports-related. You should not expect the photos you submit to be returned, so good copies are acceptable.

How do I find out the details about the athlete I am nominating?

Some possible sources:

• Factual information available from family members of the individual; family scrapbooks and photo albums are often useful to get you started (but you should not send the entire book, only relevant information that you copy and submit in the desired format)
• Team records from teams on which the individual played, or records of accomplishment in non-team sports
• News clippings
• Information and records from professional organizations, often associated with a particular sport or league
• Information gathered from searching the world wide web
• High school athletic records
• University athletic participation information. Often a sports information officer at a university can be of great assistance
• Contact individuals who you know are in a position to know information, and also ask them for the names of others. You will create a network of people who know the individual and can provide leads to other valuable information. Don’t hesitate on a search like this to contact someone more than once.
• You may want to review some of the write-ups on the Hall of Fame website of those who have been inducted to gain historical information and perspective about hall members. It might be particularly good to do this for the sport of the person you are going to nominate.

What kind of balance should I have in the nomination between athletic performance/career information and personal information?

The Hall honours athletic accomplishment, so your primary task is to present information about the person’s athletic achievement. However, a person with a strong athletic record and who is a person of quality, honesty, integrity, and compassion may be looked upon with greater interest than one with a great athletic record and dubious personal background. Focus on athletic accomplishment, but don’t avoid some additional information about the person.

Should I include information that detracts from the recommendation should the athlete have been disciplined or sanctioned in the past?

Be honest. If the nominee has a “past” don’t shy away from including it. The selection committee needs to know all information, good or bad, and character is sometimes a key factor. It is best to know about it upfront than to find out later, e.g. if a nominee was suspended for hitting an official or was “busted” for using performance enhancers, the committee needs to know.

What if my nomination is not approved the first year of consideration?

Nominations will be considered by the selection committee for three consecutive years. Given the competition for entrance into the Hall, people of great accomplishment are often selected on the second or third try. After three years of consideration, a nomination is no longer active and a new nomination request with additional information is required for further consideration.

What happens to the nomination when it arrives at the Hall of Fame? Who makes the selection and when?

All the active nominations are referred to the Selection Committee that meets annually. The recommendations of the Selection Committee must be approved by the Board of Directors of the PEI Sports Hall of Fame. Final decisions are announced following the Board’s approval. The goal is to induct four people, and/or teams, each year, but this may vary depending on the number and quality of the nominations.

Is there anything I can do to make the process easier for the Hall of Fame Staff?

Normally only one recommendation with attachments is requested. However, there are six members on the Selection Committee, so you could help by sending in seven copies of the recommendation and accompanying materials so that copying is not necessary. If this is a problem due to the size of the nomination you are submitting then just send as many copies as you can, especially if you are mailing it, and wish to keep costs to a minimum.

Is there a deadline for submission?

Submissions can be made at any time. Each year an announcement will be made by the Hall of Fame as to when nominations will need to be submitted to be considered for the next selection meeting.

If selected for membership in the Hall, what will happen next?

If selected, the Executive Director of the Hall of Fame will notify both the person selected and the person making the nomination. If not selected, only the person making the nomination will be notified.

Should I tell the person being nominated of the nomination?

Advising the person is your choice. You can make that decision yourself. In some cases, it may be wise not to tell them and in other instances, it may be advantageous to tell them, e.g. the individual might have information that could be helpful in preparing the nomination and you could miss that information. You make the call.

When would the person be inducted if selected?

There is no set induction date. Where possible we try to have one evening where all of that year’s selections will be inducted, but there may be occasions when a smaller, or even an individual, private induction is necessary.

Can I call the Hall of Fame if I get stuck or want advice?

We are always available. Please contact:

Nick Murray, PEI Sports Hall of Fame

Email: peisportshall@gmail.com or njmurray100@gmail.com

Mailing address: PEI Sports Hall of Fame  40 Enman Crescent
Charlottetown, PEI  C1E 1E6

Cell Phone: 902-393-5474