It is a new year and a new role for me in ISHA!  I first would like to thank Bryan Morry for his outstanding leadership in the role of President of ISHA.  As we continue to navigate the COVID environment I look at our ISHA community as a guidance and support system for like minded halls and museums.  

A few of my goals during my tenure are to ensure that we offer pertinent information and training to all members.  There is strength in numbers, and it is always a benefit to talk with fellow members about the challenges and successes of our organizations.  The ISHA website provides a great list of white pages for member organizations to utilize and an opportunity to share their own documents.  Also, you can request additional information or ask a question to fellow members through the listserv. 

My second goal is to make sure that we know our members and that we enjoy our time together as we celebrate and promote sports heritage.  I think you will find a great outreach of communication this year from the organization and through your board buddies.

My third goal is to maintain and increase our membership base.  It is important to retain our current members through renewal and look for other organizations as potential members.   

My final goal is for our time together to be fun.  I have been fortunate to build great friendships , allies, and resources in my time with ISHA.  It has been an experience well worth the cost of the membership not only for me, but for my organization.  

I am always a phone call or email away and look forward to getting to know many of you in the coming year and growing our organization.

Dana Hart

ISHA President

Our February Hot Topic is about Digital Activations!

Janice Smith from Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame will deliver our next virtual Hot Topic call.  Please sign up below and share with other members of your organizations to participate!

Hot Topic Session Info:

Janice Smith, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame will be presenting a Webinar entitled “Digital Activation”.

She will share information on three new initiatives undertaken by Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in response to the closure of their physical museum in March 2020 and the impact these three new digital projects have had and are having in the communities they serve.

The new digital activations support the four pillars that are part of the Hall’s mission and have been delivered through social media, virtual education and virtual exhibitions.

Her presentation will discuss the development and impact of each activation and share through PowerPoint and video content.

Focus:  Three digital activation projects
a)    Social media campaigns – anti-racism awareness campaign, my Canadian sport moment campaign and my CSHOF moment campaign
b)    New virtual education programs – Virtual Hall of Famers on Tour program, Artefact Talks and Scavenger Hunts
c)    Partnership with our community – Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) – students helping to create a digital book entitled “Indigenous Sport Heroes Education Experience”

Date:  Thursday, February 18, 2021
Time:  11:00 a.m. MST

Duration:  45 minutes – 30 minutes presentation and 15 minutes questions.

Email Karen Bednarski to register for the Hot Topic Call

Have a safe and healthy holiday season. We all earned it. From your friends at the International Sports Heritage Association.

Goshen, NY – The Living Horse Hall of Fame Committee of the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame has announced the slate of six candidates for election into the Hall of Fame. The nominees are:

ANDOVER HALL

CHAPTER SEVEN

FATHER PATRICK

MISSION BRIEF

PEACEFUL WAY

YANKEE GLIDE

Standardbred horses are elected into harness racing’s Living Horse Hall of Fame by current members of the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame. SIX candidates will be presented to the Museum membership for consideration. Ballots were mailed to members the week of Thanksgiving and must be returned (postmarked) by December 31, 2020. The THREE top vote getters will be inducted into the Living Horse Hall of Fame on Hall of Fame Day – July 4, 2021 – in Goshen, New York.

If you wish to participate in the Living Horse Hall of Fame election process and are not currently a Museum member, please contact the Museum to become a member.

In July 2018, the Board of Trustees of the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame approved a revised set of Living Horse Hall of Fame eligibility criteria. Those criteria are as follows:

racehorse must be retired from racing for two years and have had a drug-free career. In addition, racehorses must have been the winner of $2.5 million lifetime WITH 2 Dan Patch Awards, OR been the winner of $3 million lifetime, OR been named Dan Patch (U.S.) Harness Horse of the Year. Horses over the age of 12 that are still racing and meet the criteria are also eligible.

racemare must be retired from racing for two years and have had a drug-free career. In addition, racemares must have been the winner of $1.5 million lifetime WITH 2 Dan Patch Awards, OR been the winner of $2.5 million lifetime, OR been named Dan Patch (U.S.) Harness Horse of the Year. Mares over the age of 12 that are still racing and meet the criteria are also eligible.

Stallions must rank among the 10 all-time leading moneywinning sires at their gait, OR have sired at least 100 $200,000 winners, OR been a leading moneywinning sire at his gait in three or more seasons.

Annually on March 1st, a list of the broodmares that have produced two Dan Patch winners, OR two millionaires, OR one Dan Patch winner and one millionaire will be assembled for the Living Horse Hall of Fame Committee to review. Committee members can also nominate a broodmare that does not meet the criteria. Each of the committee members votes for his or her top 5 broodmares, voting results are tabulated and the top two vote getters are elected to the Living Horse Hall of Fame.

The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, located at 240 Main Street in Goshen, New York is temporarily closed to the public due to the pandemic. For information on the Museum, membership, special events, gift shop services and educational programs the Museum offers, please call (845) 294-6330 or visit www.harnessmuseum.com.

TORONTO (November 12, 2020) – The Hockey Hall of Fame is pleased to announce that “THE HALL – HOCKEY’S TREASURE” will air on TSN at 7:00 PM (EST) on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 (with encore broadcasts on TSN5 at 11:00 PM (EST) on November 17, 2020 and 2:00 PM (EST) on November 18, 2020).

Hosted by TSN’s James Duthie, this one-hour special takes an inside look at how the Hockey Hall of Fame has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and other topical themes featuring conversations with Chairman, Lanny McDonald, Vice-President & Curator, Phil Pritchard, and Honoured Member (Class of 2016), Eric Lindros.  The show wraps up with reactions from the six inductees of the Class of 2020 to a virtual reveal of their tribute plaques in the Esso Great Hall.  As confirmed on October 29th, Ken Holland, Marian Hossa, Jarome Iginla, Kevin Lowe, Kim St-Pierre and Doug Wilson will be formally honoured as a stand-alone class during the Hall’s 2021 Induction Weekend/Celebration (scheduled for November 12-15, 2021).

“THE HALL – HOCKEY’S TREASURE” will coincide with the launch of the “Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Line Auction”, a fundraising initiative via NHL Auctions in support of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts.  Exclusive autographed products from the Hall’s new “Legends Line”, one-of-a-kind memorabilia and VIP Induction experiences will be available in a series of on-line auctions over the next several months.

About the Hockey Hall of Fame

The Hockey Hall of Fame (“HHOF”) was established in 1943 to honour and memorialize individuals who have brought special distinction to the game of hockey and those who made outstanding contributions to the development and advancement of hockey anywhere in the world, and to collect, research, preserve, exhibit and promote objects, images and other historical materials connected with the game at all levels. As a not-for-profit corporation and registered charity, HHOF owns and operates a museum and place of entertainment offering state-of-the-art exhibits, theatrical presentations and educational programming from its premises at Brookfield Place, Toronto, Canada.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – ProRodeo Hall of Fame announcer Bob Tallman has been named the 2020 Legend of ProRodeo.

Tallman will be honored at the Wrangler Gold Buckle Gala on Nov. 30 at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth.

“I’ve been the host of the Legend of ProRodeo event three or four times, and I asked (ProRodeo Hall of Fame director) Kent Sturman, ‘Is there somebody older than me who might not be in good health that is more deserving?’” Tallman said. “I have been so over awarded in 50 years, and in one week I got the call to work the (2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo), then I passed my real estate test and then I got a call from Kent Sturman. It was a Triple Crown week.

“I’m going to give the credit to the selection committees. I’m going to give the credit to the Lord. As long as I can be humble enough to accept by those who chose this and I can be an example for others who will receive it (Legend of ProRodeo) in the future and that I can walk the walk and talk the talk and set the example in receiving it for the younger people coming up in the world, I accept it.”

During a career that has spanned more than five decades, Tallman has announced more than 15,000 rodeo performances in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Tallman’s gravel-laced baritone and story-telling prowess are legendary in ProRodeo. In 2020, Tallman will work his record 26th NFR at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Dec. 3-12. Tallman was named the 2019 PRCA Announcer of the Year for the 10th time and was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2004.

“When you think of legends in professional rodeo, Bob Tallman has to come to mind,” Sturman said. “He is one of the best rodeo announcers of all time. He is a wealth of information and stories. He has seen it all in our sport and has worked tirelessly to inform the fans, give back to our industry and help to make the sport better than when he started. He was an obvious choice for the 2020 Legend of ProRodeo.”

Born Oct. 25, 1947, in Winnemucca, Nev., Tallman tried his hand as a rodeo competitor, but he quickly discovered his forte was behind a microphone, as evidenced by his first PRCA Announcer of the Year Award in 1982.

Tallman’s career began in Fallon, Nev., when he told a rodeo producer he thought he could do a better job than the announcer was doing. The producer told him to give it a try. Tallman earned $100 for that first job and has never looked back.

“This (Legend of ProRodeo honor) was never on my radar,” Tallman said. “Any time you try in life to set yourself up for things like this, God doesn’t like that. It’s co-mingling the truth and honesty with something that’s going to bite you. I didn’t have a clue about this award. I want to give everyone else within the vicinity of that reception hope that they would be able to be standing in that same spotlight.

“The toughest part of accepting an award this prestigious is to walk away from there gracefully and let people want to walk in your path with them.”

Tallman is the 15th man to be honored as a Legend of ProRodeo, following Jake Barnes, Jim Shoulders, Clem McSpadden, Harry Vold, Larry Mahan, Shawn Davis, Dean Oliver, Donnie Gay, Benny Binion, Mel Potter, Neal Gay, Michael Gaughan, Keith Martin and Cotton Rosser.

The Wrangler Gold Buckle Gala will include a reception at 6 p.m. (CT), followed by a 7 p.m. dinner with live auction and program. Entertainment will be provided by musical artist Paul Bogart.

The International Sports Heritage Association (ISHA) is pleased to announce its 2020 ISHY Award winners. The winners were honored on Oct. 21 during ISHA’s virtual Members Meeting.

The ISHY Awards program was established to provide recognition for excellence in publications and exhibits by all member sports museums, halls of fame or sports heritage organizations, regardless of size or budget, based upon a competition evaluated by ISHA members.

2020 ISHY Award Winners

Category: Non-Book Publication
Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame – Halifax Sport Heritage Walking Tour Booklet

Category: Marketing Materials – print materials
Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum – Newsletter Ad
Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame – Gold Club Package 2020

Category: Marketing Materials – video/audio shorts
World of Little League® Museum – The Story of 1955 Cannon Street YMCA Little League

Category: Marketing Materials – Social Media Account of the Year
Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame – Facebook @PackersHOF

Category: Educational Programming
The Sports Museum – Stand Strong

Category: HOF Inductions and/or Annual Event Materials
Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame – 2019 Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame

Category: Induction Program
Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum – 2019 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend

Category: New Exhibit
The Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame – Smash Hit: The Evolution of the
Tennis Racquet

ISHA would like to thank Sparta Pewter for their continued support of the awards and
donating the ISHY’s which are presented to each winner.

About International Sports Heritage Association
Established in 1971, the International Sports Heritage Association (ISHA) is a non-profit
membership organization dedicated to educating, promoting, and supporting organizations,
institutions, and individuals engaged in the celebration of sports heritage. ISHA offers a wide
variety of services and networking opportunities for sports museums, halls of fame, and other
related sports heritage organizations, enabling members to draw upon industry resources for
information on administration, induction ceremonies, development, exhibition design, collections
management, education programming, public relations, marketing, and merchandising. ISHA
has nearly 140 members from around the globe, including Australia, Canada, England, New
Zealand, Switzerland, Sri Lanka and the United States.

Thanks to the ISHA Special Projects Grant, the ProRodeo Hall of Fame’s project to rehouse the Hafley Shelton Collection has been successfully completed.

The Hall removed and discarded old boxes and created archival housing for over 600 items. The new housings provide extended room for items, foam or cotton supports, and light and dust protection. During the creation of the housings, detailed condition reports and new photographs were taken of each item. The reports were then scanned and attached to the database files. A total of 2,073 photographs were added to the online database for these items. This collection is now the spotlighted feature on the Hall’s online database.

The project took three months longer to complete than expected. The largest contributor to the delay was a six-week shut-down of the Hall of Fame due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The cost for the project came in at $1,727.99. This was under the proposed amount in the original budget by $44.30.   The pictures attached show one of the costume jackets worn by Mrs. Hafley during her high-school horse performances.

Before the jacket was tightly packed into a box that was too small. This created stress on the silk from folding. The cream jacket was shipped across the country in the box that it was found stored in. Now it and a red jacket have their own boxes where they can lay flat and are not crowded or folded. This has reduced stress on the fabric and will help preserve these jackets for the future.