2025 Induction Ceremony

 

REID BIRSS - Athlete

Reid began playing softball in his home town of Dauphin, MB and in the fall of 1973 he moved to Winnipeg to attend university.  Over the next 30 years he built an impressive resume’ of high-level fastball experience.  He has played with some of the top teams in Manitoba including the Ste. Anne Saints; the Winnipeg Ashams; the Winnipeg Internationals and the Winnipeg Colonels, to name a few. He has appeared in 14 Senior A Men’s National Championships as well as countless top level tournaments across Canada and the USA.  During his tenure with the Colonels of the Western Major Fastball League, arguably the best fastball league in the country, Reid was a winner of a Gold Glove Award and was an All-Star nominee in 1976 and an All-Star in 1978.  With every team and at every level that he played, Reid was a top performer.

ROB OLSON - Athlete

Rob started playing men’s fastball at the age of 16 in his home town of Gladstone.  In 1988 he was instrumental in forming a new team, the Gladstone Whips, that over the next number of years would successfully compete at the Junior Men’s; Intermediate A and Senior Open levels.  In 2002 Rob was named Top Male in Manitoba Sr. Fastpitch and All-Star 2^nd Baseman at the Sr. A Nationals.  He has also played at ISC tournaments on numerous occasions.  He finished his competitive fastpitch career playing with the Portage Phillies and Clanwilliam Greys.  On each of the teams that Rob played on, he was a top performer and a leader on and off the field.

LORNE SENESHEN - All-Around

Lorne began playing softball on his school team in Insinger, SK.  He moved to Winnipeg in 1951 and after a few years playing baseball he began a fastpitch/slo-pitch career that spanned over 50 years.  As a player he made his mark as a 3^rd baseman and a catcher, and was selected as an All-Star in Winnipeg men’s fastpitch leagues on numerous occasions.  Following his fastpitch career he played Senior and Masters Slo-Pitch and was a member of teams that brought home numerous Provincial; Western Canadian and World Championships.  However, Lorne was not only an elite level player.  On any team he played on, he also took on leadership roles including coach and/or manager.  In addition, he has served on committees for league, provincial, western Canadian and other Slo-Pitch championships.  Lorne will go into the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame as someone who played and gave back to the game.

ED SHORE - Builder

Ed grew up in Poplarfield, MB and moved to Winnipeg to attend university.  In 1964 he started playing fastball and throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s was a pitcher on various teams in the Winnipeg Fastball League.  Along the way he pitched in numerous provincial and league championships.  Even more impressive than his success on the field was his dedication and contribution to promoting and growing the sport of softball.  He was team manager/coach on many teams and held various executive positions with the Winnipeg Fastball League.  Ed had a reputation of being willing to do whatever it took to promote the game of softball and to encourage people to play the game.  After over 50 years of involvement he will enter the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame in the Builder category.

GORD ZAMZOW - All-Around

Gord grew up in Swan River and started playing softball in school in the late 1950’s.  Since then, he has left his mark on softball in the Swan River area in a big way.  He was a skilled player whether he was playing fastpitch or slo-pitch and played at provincial, western Canadian and national championships.  In addition to playing, Gord gave back to the game in many ways.  He has coached fastpitch and slo-pitch teams and was instrumental in organizing and promoting the Swan River Fastball League.  He has also held executive positions on numerous committees including hosting committees for Manitoba Games and zone play-offs that were held in Swan River.  He was even a provincially registered umpire from 1980 to 1990, working zone play-offs and high school provincials.  For many years, Gord was considered the “driving force in softball” in the Swan River area.

 PORTAGE BISON/SEALS 1965 – 1966

The Portage Bison team was formed in 1959 and was a member of the Central Manitoba Fastball League.  In 1965, for the first time, the Canadian Amateur Softball Association, decided to organize a Canadian National Championship for men’s and women’s softball.  However, to be able to compete at nationals, teams had to be registered with their provincial softball association through whatever league they played in.  The Manitoba Softball Association approached the Central Manitoba Fastball League and, because they were a registered league, offered them the opportunity to represent Manitoba at the upcoming, first ever, national championship in Calgary, AB.  The 1965 coaching staff and core players with the addition of five CMFL players committed to participating as Team Manitoba at the tournament.  Although they lost both of their games, they showed that they were able to compete at that level.  In 1966 the team, now named the Portage Seals due to new sponsorship, and with the addition of two pitchers from Winnipeg, went to the national tournament which was again held in Calgary.  Again, no medals were brought home but this Portage la Prairie team has the distinction of playing in the first two Canadian Senior Men’s Fastball Championships ever held.  The 1965 Bisons/1966 Seals, as winners of the CMFL, qualified for provincials, winning consecutive Intermediate "A" championships.  Additionally, the teams participated in numerous softball tournaments throughout Manitoba, winning or "finishing in the money" in most of them.

SMITTY’S TERMINATORS 1999 – 2003

Smitty’s is a team with a long and impressive history in women’s softball in Manitoba.  However, it would be hard to surpass the success of the Smitty’s Terminators teams from 1999 to 2003.  They were the most successful women’s team in the country during that period, winning 4 Gold and 1 Silver at national championships – 5 medals in 5 years!  To be that successful at the national level, it goes without saying that they were a dominant team at the provincial level and at countless tournaments across Canada.  To win one national championship requires elite level players and coaching.  To win over a 5-year period requires that a core group of players and coaches keeps coming back.  Many of the players and coaches were members of the team for all 5 years, a testament to the leadership and dedication the Terminators had.

Internationals 1983 – 1985/Asham’s 1987 – 1989

In the winter of 1983, the Winnipeg Fastball Club was formed to compete at the highest levels of fastball in Canada and the United States.  Due to sponsorship agreements, the team was first called the Winnipeg Internationals and later the Winnipeg Ashams.  The team existed for 11 years, discontinuing operation after the 1993 season.  For 8 of those 11 years, they were the Manitoba Senior A Men’s Provincial Champions, including 4 consecutive years from 1987 to 1990.  Winning the Provincial A tournament, made the team the Manitoba representative at the Canadian National Sr. A Championships. In order to play some of the best competition available the club played in the Canada West Softball League that was made up of teams from Calgary and Camrose, AB and Saskatoon and Regina, SK, as well as Winnipeg, MB. The team also competed at many top-level tournaments in Canada and the US, including the International Softball Congress World Tournaments in 1984, in Allentown, Pennsylvania and also in Sioux City, Iowa in 1991.  To have this level of success at such a high level and over this extended period, required dedication and commitment from players, coaches, management and families.