With the Class of 2025 now officially confirmed, the organizing committee of the Greater Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame Dinner turned their attention to re-introducing two prestigious annual awards at the dinner on Wednesday, June 4th at the Caruso Club.
While there were as many as 12 separate awards presented in the years prior to COVID-19, the desire to focus greater attention on the incoming Hall of Fame Class has seen the organizing committee move forward with fewer awards.
The Sportsperson of the Year and the Bill Roman Administration Award are returning and will be presented to a pair of extremely deserving and special recipients.
Tracy (Horgan) Fleury: The obvious choice for Sportsperson of the Year recipients is the vice-skip on the Ottawa-based Rachel Homan rink. TSN called Fleury the friendly assassin as she and her teammates have powered to a two-year record that might be the best ever by a women’s team in the history of curling.
Team Homan has captured back-to-back Scotties Tournament of Hearts titles while posting 22 consecutive wins against the best teams in the country. On the world stage, the team has but three losses to their name in duplicating their two-year run from the national to the international stage.
This past year, Team Homan reached the final in every single Grand Slam event that they entered, winning the crown on four occasions.
Linda Tenhunen: A swimming coach for more than 30 years, she is another clear choice for the Bill Roman award. A founder and champion of the Nickel City Aquatics, Linda Tenhunen has always prided herself on working closely with her athletes, with little if any fanfare. Starting NCA with just 15 members, she has seen the club grow to more than 130 participants, including Learn to Swim and Masters swimmers.
Beyond the countless accolades that Linda has received from parents and youngsters alike comes the recognition from those outside the Sudbury swim community. Among the group that were recognized at the 2024 Women of Distinction ceremony and worthy recipient of the Lea Breadschneider Swim Ontario award in 2021, Tenhunen also was received the Clifford Barry Follow Your Heart Excellence Project grant in 2023.
It all speaks to the genuine manner in which the retired physician approaches both her role with the club and every interaction she has with her swimmers.
The Sportsperson of the Year predates the creation of the Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame itself, first presented in 1960 to legendary track and field coach Errol Gibson, with Alex McPherson (Sheridan Tech Blue Devils football and basketball coach) and the figure skating pair of Maurice Lafrance and Gertie Desjardins following suit in 1961 and 1962 respectively.
It was at the latter event that the very first induction ceremony took place, with the Sudbury Wolves Memorial Cup winning team (1931-1932) and the Sudbury Frood Tigers Allan Cup winning team (1936-1937) honoured on that occasion.
The Bill Roman Administration Award was introduced not long after the Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame Dinner returned in 1998. The award has been presented on more than 25 occasions to local volunteers who work hard behind the scenes and display leadership in their field, all to the benefit of Sudbury and area athletes.
The Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025 includes Meagan Duhamel, Bob Parker, Dave Makela, Doug Bonhomme and Alex and Florence Hurd. The Sudbury Hardrocks/Sudbury Spartans will receive the Norm Mayer Dynasty Award induction.
The 54th Annual Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame Dinner will take place on Wednesday, June 4 (2025) in the upstairs hall of the Caruso Club. Tickets can be obtained by contacting either Randy Pascal (705-698-1627;info@sudburysports.com) or Joe Drago (705-207-3475). Tickets are being sold for $75 per person, with tickets for children under 12 priced at $25/each.
