Press Release
Three athletes, two builders, and a national championship curling team make up the 2011 slate of inductees to enter the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame at the 30th-annual induction dinner and ceremonies set for Sept. 24 at the Valhalla Inn in Thunder Bay.
In the athlete category, the regional Hall of Fame will welcome three Thunder Bay athletes, including:
•Olympic swimmer Tom Alexander, who represented Canada in meets around the world throughout the 1970s;
•Rick Bragnalo, whose hockey career spanned three decades and included action in the NHL and at the NCAA and world championship level; and
•Scott Timmerman, whose cycling career ranked him amongst the best in the world on road and track races throughout the 1980s.
Being recognized in the builder category are Don Gale of Rainy River, whose 30-year coaching career in such sports as hockey, curling, baseball, and golf, produced success and opportunities for the youth of his community.
Joining Gale is Lynden “Lyn” McIntosh who, in addition to enjoying a successful 30-year sprint car racing career, took the skills he learned on the hills of Loch Lomond to the national ski program during the 1970s, serving as a successful coach of World Cup and Olympic athletes.
The team category will welcome the members of the 2006 senior men’s curling team, including Al Hackner (skip), Rick Lang (third), Al Laine (second), and Brian Adams (lead), who claimed the Canadian senior men’s title and the 2007 world silver medal.
“The 2011 slate of inductees represents a group of outstanding athletes, coaches, and volunteers from a wide variety of sports and eras,” said Hall of Fame president Phil Jarvis.
Tickets for the induction dinner cost of $75 each, which can be ordered by calling 1-807-622-2852 or dropping by the Hall of Fame at 219 May St. S. in Thunder Bay.
