The communities of Loon Lake and Fir Mountain are the 150th and 151st to have representation in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall-of-Fame (SSHF) following Tuesday’s introduction of the Class of 2024.
Retired chuckwagon racer Ray Mitsuing of Loon Lake is one of seven inductees along with Carl Olson of Fir Mountain, to be inducted post-humously when the 2024 Induction Dinner and Ceremony is held on September 28 in Regina. Mitsuing and Olson are inducted in the athlete category, along with Regina’s Chelsea Stone for Taekwando. Going into the Saskatchewan sports shrine in the team category are the Sherry Anderson senior women’s curling squad – six-time provincial, five-time national and three-time world champions – from Saskatoon-Nutana plus the 2003-04 national champion U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s volleyball team. Two builders will also be inducted to the SSHF on September 28 – Karen Howard of Melville for figure skating and Wayne Hellquist of North Battleford in volleyball. Following is the news release from the Saskatchewan Sports Hall-of-Fame…..
FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 11:30 a.m.
Hall of Fame Announces the Class of 2024
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (SSHF) is pleased to announce the seven (7) inductees
who will become the newest members of the SSHF this fall. The Class of 2024 features three
inductees in the athlete category, two builders and two teams.
The 2024 inductees are:
IN THE ATHLETE CATEGORY:
Ray Mitsuing (Loon Lake) – Rodeo
Carl Olson (Fir Mountain) – Rodeo
Chelsea Stone (Mazzei) (Regina) – Taekwondo
IN THE BUILDER CATEGORY:
Karen Howard (Melville) – Figure Skating
Wayne Hellquist (North Battleford) – Volleyball
IN THE TEAM CATEGORY:
Sherry Anderson Senior Women’s Curling Rink
2003-04 University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Volleyball Team
Rural communities are well-represented in the 2024 Induction Class as is the sport of rodeo
which will see its number of inductees in the Hall of Fame rise from three to five this year. Ray
Mitsuing is also the first inductee whose principal sport is chuckwagon racing.
“We are pleased to see rodeo, a sport with deep roots in Saskatchewan, be recognized with two
very worthy inductees this year,” said Erin Stankewich, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan
Sports Hall of Fame. “Our mission is to celebrate Saskatchewan sport in all of its facets. With
inductees from rodeo, curling, figure skating, taekwondo, and volleyball, we are pleased to
honour this great class of inductees and shine a light on their accomplishments and respective
sports. This class really celebrates the diversity of sporting achievement that we see in the
province.”
The communities of Fir Mountain and Loon Lake will also have their first Hall of Fame inductees,
raising the number of Saskatchewan communities represented in the Hall to 151.
Eight different Saskatchewan communities are represented on the Huskies volleyball team roster
and the Anderson curling foursome represent Saskatoon but also hail from multiple communities
in the province.
The 2024 Induction Dinner & Ceremony at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina on Saturday,
September 28, 2024. Tickets are $120 per person and are on sale now at the Hall of Fame’s
website or by contacting the Hall of Fame at 306-780-9232.
The accomplishments of the 2024 Induction Class will also be featured in our Dedication to Sport
exhibit, which opens on induction weekend and will remain up through August 2025.