THUNDER BAY -- The region's sports hall of fame and Finnish historical society thought they had a winner in their hands and it looks like their colleagues agree.
The Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame and the Thunder Bay Finnish Canadian Historical Society teamed up to produce A Century of Sport in the Finnish Community in Thunder Bay, the first ever publication for the hall of fame.
The 150-page book came home from Nashville recently with a Communication Award and Best in Show from the International Sports Heritage Association, which represents more than 130 sports museums, libraires and halls of fame across the globe.
"We were competing against the Kentucky Derby Hall of Fame and the San Francisco 49ers," hall of fame executive director Diane Imrie said.
"It's something to be really proud of."
The book chronicles how the local Finnish community developed clubs and produced athletes from its earliest days of arriving in the region. It also has pictures, interviews and biographies from the past 100 years. It's the unique content and hard work that set the book apart from other entries.
"I think it was a combination of things," Imrie said.
Copies are available at the hall of fame on May Street, the historical society, The Finnish Book Store and the Hoito. It can also be ordered online.
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