Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SPORTSPLEX PREMIER EVENT PLAQUE

Date

1974

Materials

WOOD, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Length

13

Width

11.5

Description

WOODEN SHIELD SHAPED PLAQUE WITH BLACK METAL SHIELD LAYERED ON FRONT. BLACK FRONT ENGRAVED WITH: “JEUX CANADA GAMES SPORTSPLEX PREMIER EVENT OCT. 6/74 PATS VS. BRONCOS / PRESENTED BY CITY OF LETHBRIDGE.” CHIP IN BOTTOM PEAK OF PLAQUE. THREE SMALL MOUNTING HOLES ON BACK, WITH ONE LARGER IN MIDDLE MEASURING 0.7CM DIAMETER.

Subjects

CEREMONIAL ARTIFACT

Historical Association

COMMEMORATIVE

SPORTS

History

ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2021, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN, INTERVIEWED LEN OVERBEEKE, REGARDING AN ASSORTMENT OF SPORTS EVENTS AWARDS AND MEMORABILIA FROM THE ENMAX CENTRE THAT WERE DONATED TO THE MUSEUM.LEN JOINED THE ENMAX CENTRE IN 1988 AS AN OPERATOR, WORKING ON THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS OF THE BUILDING, SCHEDULING, AND ATTENDING TO THE FACILITIES. LEN’S POSITION PROGRESSED FROM OPERATOR TO COORDINATOR TO FOREMAN AND SHORTLY AFTER, OPERATIONS MANAGER, WHERE HE CONTINUES TO WORK AT THE TIME OF THE INTERVIEW (2021). THE SPORTSPLEX PREMIER EVENT PLAQUE WAS PRESENTED BY THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE TO THE SPORTSPLEX ON OCTOBER 6, 1974. LEN EXPLAINS: “[THE PLAQUE WAS PRESENTED] DURING THE HOCKEY GAME AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE PRIOR TO THE GAME…THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A RED CARPET ROLLED OUT AND, PRIOR TO THE PUCK-DROP, A PRESENTATION WOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE…THE SIGNIFICANCE [OF THE SHIELD] FOR ME WAS WORKING IN AN EVENT CENTRE LIKE THE ENMAX CENTRE… [THE PATS VS. BRONCOS GAME] WAS THE FIRST, MAJOR EVENT THAT TOOK PLACE IN PREPARATION FOR THE HOSTING OF THE WINTER GAMES… AS AN OPERATOR AND, EVENTUALLY, A MANAGER, KNOWING HOW BIG THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN TO HOST THAT EVENT AND GET ALL OF THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MIGHT CAUSE ISSUES LATER, FIXED AND GETTING THE BUILDING PREPPED AND READY TO GO.” A LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLE FROM OCTOBER 7, 1974 REPORTS ON THE GAME, STATING, “THE LARGEST CROWD TO EVER WITNESS A HOCKEY GAME IN LETHBRIDGE TURNED OUT SUNDAY EVENING AT THE SPORTSPLEX AND WEREN’T DISAPPOINTED. LETHBRIDGE BRONCOS PLAYED HOST TO REGINA PATS, THE DEFENDING MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS, AND THE LOCALS ENTERTAINED THEIR 4,641 FAITHFUL FANS…ECLIPSING THE MARK OF 3,400 WHO WERE ON HAND AT THE OLD LETHBRIDGE ARENA WHEN THE NATIVE SONS WERE IN THEIR HEYDAY IN THE LATE 40’S…WITH AN EASY 5-1 TRIUMPH." LEN EXPLAINS HIS TIME WORKING AT THE ENMAX, SAYING, "IN ’96 I STILL WOULD HAVE BEEN BASICALLY ACTING AS AN OPERATOR SO MAKING SURE WHEN I WAS THERE FOR MY SHIFT …WAS MAKING SURE THE ACTIVITY WENT OFF AND EVERYTHING WAS SET UP – EVERYTHING WAS DONE THAT WAS ASKED FOR, WHETHER IT BE THE ROOMS, WHETHER IT BE TABLES AND CHAIRS, WHETHER IT BE ICE, WHETHER IT BE THE BASKETBALL FLOOR. WE STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL 1974 FLOOR THAT WAS BUILT FOR THE ’75 GAMES. HARDWOOD FLOOR THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF WORK TO LAY DOWN ‘CAUSE IT IS QUITE OLD BUT, DOING THINGS OF THAT NATURE, INTRICATELY KNOWING HOW TO DO THAT IS A HUGE THING, AS WELL…EVERYTHING THAT TAKES PLACE AT THE ENMAX CENTRE HAS IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY AND SOUTHERN ALBERTA …IT’S ONE OF THE REASONS THE BUILDING IS THERE, IS TO PROVIDE THAT OPPORTUNITY, TO HAVE THOSE IMPACTS AND TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES WHETHER IT BE FOR SPORTS OR CONCERTS OR WHATEVER THAT HAPPENS TO BE. SO, FROM A SPORTING WORLD, IT BRINGS MORE PEOPLE TOGETHER BECAUSE OF THE BUY-IN BY THE PEOPLE OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA AND LETHBRIDGE. YOU’RE TALKING HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS, OF VOLUNTEERS, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HOURS FROM THOSE VOLUNTEERS AND FROM THE VARIOUS COMMITTEES ASSOCIATED WITH IT. AND THAT’S WHERE, WHEN YOU LOOKED AT THE MURAL, FOR EXAMPLE, IT WASN’T JUST THE ATHLETES THAT GOT TO SIGN, IT WAS PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE ACTUAL RUNNING OF THE GAMES AND THAT WHICH – THEY CAN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT THOSE PEOPLE...IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO HAVE THE FORESIGHT TO LOOK AT THE EVENT, TO KNOW WHAT THE POTENTIAL ARE, TO KNOW WHO THEY WOULD REACH OUT IN THEIR HEADS TO HELP RUN THE EVENT - THOSE EVENTS WON’T HAPPEN. THERE HAS TO BE A DRIVING FORCE; SOMEBODY’S WILLING TO STEP OUT AND TAKE THAT ON IN ADDITION TO THEIR OWN POSITIONS OF WHEREVER THEY HAPPEN TO BE WORKING. AND WE SEE THAT ALL OF THE TIME WITH THE MAJOR FIGURE SKATING COMPETITIONS THAT THE ENMAX CENTRE HOLDS, THE MAJOR CURLING COMPETITIONS. THERE’S A GROUP OF PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT TAKE THAT ON AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE EVENTS ARE BROUGHT HERE SO THAT SOUTHERN ALBERTA AND LETHBRIDGE CAN ENJOY THEM. AND THAT’S A HUGE PART OF EVERY SPORTING EVENT THAT TAKES PLACE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, NOT JUST AT THE ENMAX CENTRE.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION, LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES AND PHOTOS REFERENCED, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20190033001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20190033002

Acquisition Date

2019-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail