An induction ceremony three years in the making was well worth the wait for the class of 2022.
Sports and community builders and good friends Verg Reidlinger and Lyle Seitz were inducted into the Okotoks Hall of Fame at a Town ceremony June 12 at the Okotoks Recreation Centre.
“We’ve lived here for 20-plus years now and (the Reidlingers) were one of the first families we met,” said Seitz. “The thing about Verg that people might not realize is he’s kind of the pioneer for all of us, when I say this room I mean all of us.
“We’re very tight-knit families as well and Verg has pretty well carved a way for us. When he was back in his Junior B days or back with the rodeo setting all of that up, those were things we sat around at the kitchen table and learned and now we’re trying to pass that same legacy on.”
Reidlinger’s over 40-year legacy in the sports community of Okotoks and area is exemplary, from being part of the recreation board behind the construction of the Okotoks tri-plex, what’s now the Okotoks Recreation Centre, to serving on the board of the Okotoks 85ers, who became the Jr. B Bisons hockey team, to co-founding the Okotoks Pro Rodeo in 1992.
“I’ve got a lot of gratitude, I’m proud of what I’ve done and proud of what my family has done here, with the businesses and the sports and all of that,” Reidlinger said. “I’m very thankful, I’m proud that the Town backed us in everything that we did.
“As a business, you have your ups and downs trying to build things, but you get through it and you work together with the Town.
“It’s been a good ride.”
As owner of Good Time Party Rentals and Okotoks Rentals, Reidlinger sponsored countless sports and community events and initiatives over the years.
“Number one, it’s a big honour to be honoured with my family here and Lyle and my best buddies,” Reidlinger said. “You think back on everything you’ve done and I was just thinking, ‘Geez, I didn’t think it was that bad.’ But it’s been a blessing.”
The unwavering dedication to the community was learned by his fellow inductee, an impact Seitz hopes to pass down.
“It could be a monetary value that he gives in the way of donations and it’s definitely the sweat equity that goes into making something happen,” Seitz said. “Ninety-nine point nine per cent of the time with anything to do with youth sports, the rodeo might have been a little bit different, hockey, baseball, all of that, it’s all about the time you give.
“We all give up a lot of time coaching, volunteering, giving back and that’s basically what Verg instilled in everybody here.”
Seitz, a National Hockey League linesman from 1992-2010, has been the director of hockey operations for Austria’s Bet-At-Home Ice Hockey League since 2011.
Additionally, he’s served as director of player safety for the United Kingdom’s Elite Ice Hockey League for the past five years with a role as chairman of the Champions Hockey League, an annual European tournament, since 2013.
Seitz has also played a large role in the baseball community and was recognized as Baseball Alberta’s Ted Rudd Minor Coach of the Year Award winner in 2011.
“It actually means a lot just for the simple fact that this is home,” said Seitz of the induction. “I still live abroad, but we have a house here and just to be back here with all the friends and, of course, the town, it just means a lot.
“Any time it’s a hall of fame it’s special, but to be on with somebody like Bearcat (Murray). I spent many years with Bearcat and to go on that same wall is very, very special. I’m just the rookie here, I’m the beginner in all of this, but those guys truly forged a legacy.”
Both Seitz and Reidlinger were nominated for the hall in 2019 with the event on hold amid the pandemic over the past two springs.
Tom Kowal, a longtime NHL referee, nominated Reidlinger for the honour while Stacey Meyer put forward Seitz’s name for the recognition.
“We were sitting around on a Friday afternoon in our group and talking about people in our community and Verg's name obviously came up,” Kowal said. “We knew that Verg had to be in the hall of fame. Verg is a guy that reminds me a lot of my dad, he’s that person you look to in life.
“He’s got the biggest heart that I’ve ever seen, he cares more about this community than anybody I know and he’s a guy that does so many things behind the scenes that nobody ever sees and he doesn’t want anybody to see it.”
For Meyer, the idea of nominating the two friends came about organically as a means to recognize two impactful individuals from two generations.
“Verg is the generation that taught us and what we should do, our give back and Lyle is going to be leading the next generation with his family,” Meyer said. “It’s the celebration of people like this that are usually behind the scenes, they’re doing things nobody really knows, and not that they really want anybody to know.
“It’s a pretty special night to be able to highlight them for a change, they give, give, give and expect not much back so for the Town to do this, I think it’s pretty special.”
Run by the Town and the Culture, Parks and Recreation Committee, the hall of fame recognizes the achievements of outstanding athletes and individuals in the arts and community who have made enduring and impactful contributions to the community.
Nominations, in the categories of sports, arts and culture, community service and award of distinction, are reviewed by the committee.
The first hall of fame class was introduced in 2013.
Inductees are immortalized with permanent plaques on the wall adjacent to the Shane Homes Gymnasium inside the Okotoks Recreation Centre.
Okotoks Mayor Tanya Thorn encouraged community members to put forward nominations with so many deserving candidates out there.
“We have great people in this community,” Thorn said. “And this is a great way for us to celebrate those people that have helped build the community that we’ve got today.”
For more information go to okotoks.ca.
