CHAMPIONS SPEAK - 2024 Hall of Fame Inductee 1968 Bantam Fastball - Team
by Kristi Paukstat
Good evening to all of tonight’s inductees old and new, and guests,
Tonight, we celebrate more than just a team; we celebrate a community
united by the love of the game.
Building any athletic program takes a collective vision from coaches, managers, parents, sponsors, and athletes. Little did they know that
the creation of the minor fastball program in 1966 was a monumental
shift that would launch Wetaskiwin into a city with one of the best
minor fastball programs in Alberta.
The 1968 Bantam Fastball team was the first team from Wetaskiwin in
their age group to win a provincial championship. Each member of this
fastball team left a mark in our community, not only through this
extraordinary feat but also through their commitment to the values of
both sportsmanship and teamwork.
My hope is that their team picture hanging in the Co-op Place will
inspire future generations of athletes and community members to
dream beyond what is available to them and strive to create what is required to achieve it. If you wait for someone else to do it, it will never
be done.
So, let's applaud their achievements, not just in sport but in the hearts of those they will inspire. Congratulations to our newest Hall of
Famers.
As I read your names, please join me at the front of the stage:
Russ Dahms, Nehad Debaji, Brad Dewhirst, Glen Jevne, Ken Lonsdale, David Miller, Brad Rix, Ron Shantz, Norm Sieban, Jerry Thompson and coach Harold Maciborski
